It never fails to shock me how a tip is demanded in the US. People simply refuse to listen to reason when we (yes, there are others!) tell them that leaving a tip isn’t necessary. Well, I’m hoping for too much here, but if you’re a waiter, here are 5 reasons why I will try my best not to give any money to you and why the reasons for tipping are crappy.
1. You act as if you’re my best friend
Just leave me alone ok? I don’t want to bloody chit chat with you. I want food. FOOD! Get it? It’s a restaurant. I go there to eat. I go because I want either Italian food, Chinese Food or something else which I can’t get in a McDonald’s. So I come to a restaurant to fulfill my cravings for it. I will pay for what I value – food. Not you.
Christ, you offend me – kneeling down next to my table, pretending to like me and chatting as if you’re my best friend when it’s obvious that all you’re after is the tip! I’m not a bloody money bag you know. I will pay the bill which includes the cost of the food, the environment and the salaries of the people involved – nothing more.
The only way to get money out of me that I don’t have to legally pay is by prying it out of my cold dead hands…
Bottom line: I don’t want to know your name, or interact with you for any longer than I have to in order to place my order. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the equivalent of a conveyor belt that brings me my food and a computer into which I input my order. Of course, I won’t be rude. But don’t expect me to interact with you any more than I would with some stranger.
Image Credit: cafemama
2. You don’t get paid enough
And this is my problem how exactly? It’s astonishing that customers are expected to make up for your employer’s cheapness in not paying you a decent wage. Please include the full cost in everyone’s bill thank you very much. I’ll pay it because I have to and the charge is there for me to see.
What’s really funny here is that no one seems to criticize the employers! All criticism is reserved for non tipping customers instead of the owners of the restaurant for not paying a decent wage. Wtf! Could it possibly be because you guys know you can make much more by tips and under report your income to the IRS?
3. You’ll spit in my food if I don’t tip you?
And I’ll shoot your kid if you don’t give me a million dollars. Seriously, am I even hearing this right? You’re actually using the threat of blackmail to make me pay you? Well as long as you’re openly claiming to be a criminal it’s all right I guess.
Fortunately that’s why I prefer buffets. Listen apart from it being illegal, this shows your poor integrity. But if you spit in someone’s food because they didn’t give you money you didn’t earn, then you’re a loser and deserve to be a waiter for the rest of your life.
4. Bringing me my food isn’t worthy of being paid extra
Did you cook it? Did you invent it? No. You picked it up and brought it to me. While it might not be easy, there are plenty of jobs which are much worse – shop floor workers for example. And I’ve been a shop floor manager, so I know. Face it – compared to other jobs, being a waiter is unskilled. You get paid what the market will think your services are worth. You don’t deserve more for your work over and above what your employer should pay you.
5. Money doesn’t grow on trees
I expect you to be grateful and pray for me at night if I tip you 10%. Be happy I gave you anything at all. I worked for the money in my wallet and by giving you some I didn’t have to, I’m doing you a favor. Learn to remember that when people give you something they don’t need to, it’s a favor. You don’t complain that they didn’t give you more!
By the way, the same thing above applies to all professions that demand tips including those on cruise liners.
So now that you understand why I won’t give you money you don’t deserve, stop with the “oh how could you?” attitude. I can. And I will.
Update: Here’s a rebuttal of the many silly justifications for tipping that people have given in the comments section.
1, if you don’t tip…STAY THE HELL HOME.
2, Tips aren’t free money because Service isn’t free.
3, Eating out is a luxury, not a necessity…don’t go if you’re broke ass can’t afford the luxury of service. Go wait on your damn self at home.
4, Canada sucks as a country… so go shoot yourself.
5, There is only one correct answer to this argument, don’t like tipping, go to McDonald’s.
If you cant afford to tip, stay home. If you are too cheap to tip, make your own food and serve it to yourself at home. You’re embarrassing yourself and the people with you when you refuse to tip. Trust me, everyone is laughing at you. Cheapness isnt attractive or impressing anyone. Seriously I dont understand how people enjoy bragging about being cheap?? In EVERY bar and restaurant the waiter or waitress has to tipout a percentage of their SALES to the kitchen, the dishwasher, the busser and the house at the end of the night. If you dont tip, the server pays that money out of their less than minimum wage salary. Paying it is not optional. If the waitress sells $1000 worth of food, they instantly owe the restaurant $45 (4.5%). This is how things work. Dont like it, too bad, Stay home. And NO its not the business being cheap, its the way it is EVERYWHERE in North America. If the restaurant had to pay all the servers $10-15/hr then just imagine what that would do the prices on the menu? All your arguments about not tipping only prove that you dont know how things work. If you dont want to tip, then go to McDonalds.
Go home sweetie. No one wants you here if your life was so good back home why in gods name will you come to so horrible tipping demanding America? I’ve never since such a poor attempt of an article. So rude and so condescending. It’s not just about tipping your server. It’s about humanity. I paid my way through college waiting tables. Yeah we kids your ass to get the tip because books are expensive and tuition it’s too. Yeah we would not wanna be your best friend, but we try so you can have a good experience. I guess you just have a craving..you don’t have friends I’m assuming or a woman.that’s for sure!take it to go! And it’s about humanity you know why? Because that person it’s really trying hard to earn those 5 bucks. Because you should be kind and considerate to otjerk that are not collecting unemployment or food stamps and living from the government, because to be a good waiter you gotta be really skilled, because after a hard shift waiting on people like you…most of us go home and do homework or cool for the kids or do laundry, because not everyone was born with a silver spoon on their mouths, t s because it’s not our fault the 2.13 an hour was implemented that way…you sir…will definitely be waiting a table some day..I assure you that. You have no right to diminish other human beings or decide who has skills.because for writing you do not have any. Go home!
Have you ever worked as a sever? Obviously not, or you’d get it. Have a little empathy. These people work hard for their money. And before you go knocking the job, consider the learning experience that comes with it. Servers develop great people skills! Speaking of people skills, you probably should try waiting tables so you can learn some!
The main reason you forgot to mention is, you’re a douche. And no, we don’t wanna know your name, or chit chat. And we don’t spit in your food either. However it is a thought… If you don’t want to tip, cook your own food, or go to a buffet. And if you don’t agree with America’s customs or culture… STAY OUT.
The fact you say “I prefer buffets”, says it all. On another note, has it ever crossed your mind people work in the hospitality industry because they like it? As far as “conveyor belt” goes, the job entails beyond bringing your food to the table. Try it for one week and tell me if you think you deserve a tip. You are right on one note though, I will pray for you. I’ll pray that one day you realize we are ALL working for our money, and YOUR wage comes from consumers (like servers) buying the products your company makes. Wake up, it’s a sad life to live being selfish. Good luck with that.
You are a sad individual. You should have to work for tips for the rest of your life. Thankfully there are decent people out there who do understand the system.
You fucking pathetic bastard if you want to eat Italian or else n you don’t want to tip go to fucking you momma kichen or make you own fucking Italian or shit what ever your hore mouth want to eat or you can just go straight to hell so you can burn
Have you heard of TAKE OUT! It’s when you order your food and pick it up and leave. All ethnic restaraunts offer this option,it is similar to TO GO. All that stuff in between ( when you dine in) is what the tip is for. If you dont want to be “served” why are you in a table service restarant? get it to go. You are taking up the table of a customer who does tip, in result you are causing the server to make less money. Believe it or not some people do like human interaction and go to nicer restraints for the ambiance and friendly faces. Keep in mind
( some people are just genuinely nice) not faking it like you claim. If you still don’t understand, just think of it as renting a table for the time your sitting there. If you don’t want to pay rent, go sit at home, alone…where you clearly belong!
Dude. Fuck. You. Do not go out then if you’re gonna be a cheap asshole. Do you have any idea how stressful it is to be a server??
1. No. I do not want to be your best friend. In fact I wouldn’t give two shits about how you were doing. We are nice because we have manners. I mean seriously would you prefer someone serving you when you come to a nice restaurant whose rude and bitchy?? No. You wouldn’t.
2. We don’t get paid enough. No. We don’t. Not if we have to deal with ignorant fucks like you. 2.13 is the law. We don’t get any say in it. We are willing to serve you because we’d like to believe the best in people and would like to believe that you’d show gratitude for our services for you. When you’re needing your whole meal customized to how you want it, you’re asking for a lot. Our menus are set one way for a reason.
3. Servers will not spit in your in fear of a loss of job but if they do its not cause you didn’t tip them (servers find out after you’ve eaten and drank everything and paid and left before we find out if you stiffed us and then we regret not fucking with your food)it’s cause you were a complete fucker from the moment you say down and opened your mouths to order us around. Yes. We are basically your servants for them time you are there.
4. You obviously have never served before if you think all it is is bringing food. Have you ever had to serve 50 people at a time?? No. Obviously not if you’re bitching cause you’re a cheap fuck.
5. No. Money doesn’t grow in trees. We get that you work hard for your money but so are we. We have bills to pay and we can’t pay bulls with your arrogance.
This goes for all professions not just servers. I’m a nail tech too and it’s is just pitiful how people are willing to spend so much money and yet don’t tip. All in all if you’re not gonna tip, make your own damn food or take it togo.