5 reasons why I won’t tip you if you’re a waiter

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

 

Did you earn this tip?

 

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.

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12,129 thoughts on “5 reasons why I won’t tip you if you’re a waiter”

  1. @Waitress

    <blockquote cite="#commentbody-5975">
    Waitress :
    To everyone that thinks waiters should just ask for more hourly wage, please realize it just won’t happen.

    Playing devil's advocate here:

    Just like black people will never see freedom because the white man is too powerful? Or maybe also like the fact that unions won't ever be formed? Think about it..

    As for saying it's "spiteful to take money from a server’s pocket." Taking money out of a server's pocket, but isn't it originally the customers money that they worked for? It could be thought that it's not technically the server's. Maybe the rest of worlds jobs aren't easy either and they don't all get fair salaries. Some customers may just want to enjoy a stress free night out and not having to pay a huge tip, but at the same time not having to pack a brown bag lunch from home and then heading out and finding a table somewhere.

    What about McDonald's servers? Are they not friendly who take your order and serve you food all the same? I may agree it's not always as nice of a meal and doesn't require as much service, but still the bill isn't going to run $50 for a dinner for two at 15-20%. It will probably be closer to $10 at 15-20% not as much work means not as big of a tip, but still serving food. They however don't get tipped.

    Once again I am just playing devil's advocate. I always tip generously.

    But think about it.

    Reply

    • In reply to Mike

      With all due respect…I don’t know what McD’s you are going to. I can hardly get a “Hello” out of the employees at the McD’s in my area!! They also get paid minimum wage as apposed to tipped income wages! I understand wanting to go out for a nice night, but the longer you sit at my table and the higher your tab gets…the more of a direct insult that becomes to your server! We have to pack our own lunches too! We are really just asking you to respect us if nothing else!

      Reply

  2. Elias :
    From what I understand, over the pond in jolly old England waitstaff are paid a decent amount. Do you know what that means? Servers won’t give a shit if their service is good or bad, either way they’re getting paid.

    Elias :
    And those of you who believe serving is a mindless job, then you’ve obviously never served at a restaurant before.

    How can you say that right after the first quote?! It seems very contradictory that you say that someone has obviously never done something before when right before you assumed service in England is terrible. They do a fantastic job!

    But yes, tipping originated from European countries to be brought here. However they don’t do that over there anymore. It’s now common to have a service charge automatically added on to the bill which will go to the waiting staff as well as cooks.

    Reply

  3. You don't know what it's like until you're a server. At my work, Indians ALWAYS walk in right when we are closing, and demand a thousand things, all the while with a look that tells me they're looking down on me because I'm a waitress. I'm human too, hello? I always smile at them and give them my best service anyways, hoping for a miracle, but 99% of the time I'm lucky to even get a dollar out of them, while I get at least $6 for a 30 dollar bill out of everyone else. Same goes for other Asians however they tip $3-4 instead of $1. I make less than minimum wage whenever I get tipped bad. And until you're in my shoes, you don't understand how it is; that it's not easy to quit and get another job when you need a job for school, food, bills, just to live basically. What am i gonna do with $3 an hour wage and $1 tip from my tables?! You're ignorant for writing this without even knowing what it is like, go be a waiter for a few days and you'll know. In the meantime, know that whenever you walk into a restaurant, servers are probably cussing at you behind your back, discussing your lack of etiquette, and you are probably going to get less than the minimum service you desire, because frankly, you don't deserved to be served at all. Go eat fast food please.

    Reply

    • In reply to Linh

      Lol! “How dare you smile and introduce yourself? you must be sucking up to me, to get a tip!” No dear, I’m actually just trying to get you out of here as fast as possible, because at the end of the night, you 42 cents is not going to make a difference!

      Reply

    • In reply to Linh

      I agree with everything you’ve said but I’m not understanding why it matters what the customers’ race is? People are people. We all have different attitudes, personality, opinions and so on. I guess what I’m trying to say is your tip is NOT going to depend on the race of your customer. Thats highly offensive and racist.

      Reply

  4. Why don't you go work in a restaurant for a week, earning $2.13 per hour, and see how you feel when you don't get a tip from a cheap arrogant customer such as yourself. If you can't afford to tip (whether financially or morally), then go fucking eat at McDonalds. If you don't want to interact with a server, then go fucking eat at McDonalds. Better yet…make your own food and stay out of restaurants entirely.

    Reply

    • In reply to KW

      I want to eat at a nice restaurant because of the effort of the CHEF. We could care less about the person who’s carrying our food to us.

      Funny how a tip is percentage-based, because the essentially means that servers get paid higher, the more expensive and better the CHEF’S cooking is. That just doesn’t add up.

      It’s not that we don’t want to tip of out cheapness. It’s out of principle. If I had the option to give my tip to the cook or chef instead, I would. Unfortunately because tipping is a social custom here, I do it, and I tip well. It doesn’t mean I think it’s right, though.

      Reply

      • In reply to jx

        Exactly. What I don’t understand is why is the tip percentage based? It makes no sense whatsoever. Does it take more effort to bring a $100 meal to my table than a $10 meal? Percentage based tipping is basically taking advantage of the chef’s cooking skills. If he cooks a delicate dish with expensive ingredients, its the server who gets a bigger tip. I would rather leave $5 for the server if he provided good service and tip the chef $20 to send my complements.

        Reply

      • In reply to Andy

        It’s based on sales. Like a commission. Servers build sales. A huge majority of guests haven’t a clue what to order or what’s good and why, especially first timers. Any sales job with commission has negligible pay, enough to cover taxes. As a certified corporate trainer for a restaurant with 150+ locations, I’ve trained cocksure individuals, with formal education, and “real” skills, and other work experience, with zip serving experience. Many flamed out, due to their inability to multitask in motion and help work as a team. Don’t tell me my job is unskilled. Especially not from the comfort of a computer chair.

        Reply

      • In reply to jx

        Actually it does. A high end establishment will expect MUCH more out of their servers in terms of professionalism, dress, and demeanor. Pay attention to the difference in service and attitude when you pay for that $10 meal as opposed to that $100 meal.

        Reply

  5. You know what? YOU trying living on $2.13 an hour! Server's wage does NOT go up with minimum wage, you know!Can't afford to tip? EAT AT HOME, you ignorant people.

    Reply

    • In reply to Sirius802

      Holy shit, your comment is the ignorant one here. Don’t tell people to eat at home just because they can’t fucking pay a stupid GRATUITY. Do you know what that word means? If you do, then you should know that people aren’t entitled to tip. YOU want a tip, then give me above and beyond fucking service. It’s not like I can throw money around willy-nilly either.

      Reply

    • In reply to Bhagwad Jal Park

      It’s different because beggars aren’t working for you. That seems to be a common theme in the mentality of the posters here: equating expecting compensation for begging. Tell me something, when you’re out at a restaurant and your drink runs dry, would you look over to the person eating next to you and tell them to go get you a refill? Probably not, because they don;t work for you and you wouldn’t expect service for nothing. However, you’re server refills you drinks, attends to your every whim and cleans up after you. They work for that money. expecting money for nothing=begging. Expecting money for services provided=work. Actually, your outlook is closer to begging as by refusing to tip, you’re expecting something for nothing.

      Reply

      • In reply to Kristi

        I agree with your point on the begging comment, but if someone’s already paid for the meal, then they aren’t technically begging based on your argument. They’ve already given what is expected. Now, gratuities, I don’t know why society has become so entitled as to expect them, but they should be earned, not given out groundlessly. Thus, if a waiter expected to be given tips for mediocre or worse service, then aren’t they the ones begging? The customer has already paid for what is expected. And don’t give me that “they don’t make enough money,” I get that. But that isn’t the way tips work. If you expect more, don’t call them tips, it’s misleading. Moreover, shouldn’t they be criticizing the system, not the customers? After all, the customers still fund the establishments, so whether you like it or not, you have to do it their way. Anyways, back to the argument. The customer has already paid money, hence they do not owe anyone anything. Therefore, its more like begging on the waiter’s part than the customers’.

        Reply

  6. Maybe because I'm an 18 year old student TRYING to get myself through school WHILE being completely on my own. I have no parents, thank you very much.Have you ever waited tables in your life? Probably not. There is so much we do behind the scenes that doesn't get recognized.

    Reply

  7. Wow, that was one of the most ignorant things I've read in a while.

    First of all, a lot of servers are 18-25 year olds in putting ourselves through college. So yeah, we're working to earn money, not to get stiffed and insulted.

    It kind of sucks that you think of me (and other servers) as 'conveyor belts.' "I will pay for what I value-food. Not you." I'm not a machine, and I don't appreciate being treated like one. If you send your child to a private school, do you want to pay only for the teacher to lecture, straight from the book? No, you want the teacher to get to know your child, care about him, and make sure he learns in a happy environment. If you merely wanted your kid to be spoon-fed information, you would buy a DVD player and play educational movies all day long.

    Long story short, if you're looking for a "conveyor belt" for your food and nothing more, go to a vending machine.

    Furthermore, it's insulting that you openly rebuke friendliness and civility. When your server introduces herself, asks how you're doing, etc., that shouldn't be cause for insult. I don't understand why being friendly is such a horrible thing.
    I worked in a very upscale old age home that had waitservice at every meal. We were not tipped, as the meals were included in the monthly fee that the residents paid. However, this didn't stop me from smiling, asking how they were doing, wishing them a happy birthday/holiday, etc. I had no motivation to do this, as tips were in fact prohibited, but guess what? I was kind and conscientious anyway.
    Maybe, just maybe, your server is smiling at you because he or she is a genuinely friendly human being. All we want is a pleasant dining experience for the both of us. And yeah, tipping is a part of that. But in your case, we'd really just like it if you stopped being a prick.

    Reply

    • In reply to Lily

      You’re being ignorant as well. I completely understand the conditions students live in, being one myself, and this guy is a asshole for not being considerate of people who genuinely do well and go above and beyond with their work. However, you’re ignoring a large majority of people who want to have a good time going out, but perhaps can’t afford to pay extra. For instance, as a student you should understand that pretty well. For instance, I try to pay tip as often as I can, but it can get difficult in tough situations. Moreover, there are some really shit waiters out there that really don’t deserve tips. Also, don’t overlook the definition of tips – it is, ultimately, a gratuity, something given out to individuals who deserve it.
      Another issue I have with your argument is that you imply that you aren’t getting paid when you don’t get tips. I’m sorry but that is just not true. If the customer pays for the meal, then he owes nothing. I’m sorry if you have a shit pay, but that’s not the customer’s fault, it’s the system’s. The teacher doesn’t get tips, the construction worker doesn’t get tips.

      Reply

  8. Wow, I think i waited on you once or twice. And I hated you. You never have to worry that I will pretend to like you. Nope. I don't like you. I'm glad your picture is there. Makes it easier to avoid you in the future.

    Reply

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