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.
if you believe this you should try working in the industry because it’s damn hard. I am just trying to put myself through school and pay rent. Please understand that if you do not tip, the server is then PAYING to serve you, out of her own pocket, because we have to rip out at least 5% of all our sales. you order 100$ of food and don’t tip and we have to pay 5$ of our own money to serve you. How is that fair to us? Please understand how things actually work before you come to conclusions. Please make your own food at home.
In reply to Naomi
That’s a flat out lie. A server’s employer is legally responsible for ensuring they make Federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour with or without tips. Minimum wage is all the job is worth. It is unskilled labor.
How your employer tips out is not our problem – we didn’t choose the job, and we aren’t making you do it. Nobody is holding a gun to your head. Either way, your employer must make sure your take home pay (before taxes) is minimum wage.
In reply to That’s a lie
The federal minimum wage for servers is $2.13/hour. If you’re going to rant at least to some proper research.
I am not a huge fan of tipping but I understand the importance. If you’re going out to eat I believe the service should already be paid for in the meal. But if you have a heart and a brain, which clearly you don’t (figuratively speaking), you’d at least respect their job and do real research before you even try to discredit them.
http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm
http://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/faq/esa/flsa/002.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipped_wage_in_the_United_States
http://raisetheminimumwage.org/pages/tipped-workers
Look, that wasn’t so hard. And two of them are government websites — who would have thought that actually using brain was easy?
In reply to Annabella
*do some proper research
*using a brain was easy
Damn touch-screen typing.
In reply to Annabella
And again, that’s a flat out lie – the minimum wage with tip credit is $2.13/hour, sure, but the employer must still make sure the employee gets at least $7.25 per hour with or without tips. If the server does not make at least $5.12 per hour in tips, the employer may not claim the full tip credit and must make up any difference in wage to bring the server’s pre-tax income to $7.25 per hour. It’s even in one of the links you posted yourself!
“If an employee’s tips combined with the employer’s direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the Federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference.”
http://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/faq/esa/flsa/002.htm
You tell people to do research when you can’t even be bothered to read the stuff you’re posting?
In reply to That’s a lie
I was a server for 15 yrs, NEVER ever did an employer make up the difference in pay. Ever. This is not regilated, no one does it. If you earn 20$ in tips for 8 hours, thats it. Plus your government allowed wage of 3.25 an hour. The reason they pay you that low wage, is because its a TIPPING PROFESSION, and the government expects you will make the difference. It is customary to tip, and about 60% of restaurants now add gratuity because of people like you. So you can all thank this guy and ones like him that dont tip. They will eventually just add it to your bill all the time, 15%, no matter what. Just stop being a cheap asshole. No one wants to talk to you, and charm those $3 out of you. They have to, because it’s how they earn a living. Your so uninformed and ignorant when it comes to the service industry, its quite obvious you’ve never done anything but serve yourself.
In reply to K.ann
Regulated.** sorry
In reply to K.ann
If you don’t report it, that’s on you. If you don’t sue your boss for lost wages, that’s your problem.
Other servers have specifically mentioned how there is a process for collecting the difference in pay where they work.
Another standard thing people say here is that they have to share their tips with people in the back. That’s against the law, too. The tip pool is only legal if it’s among employees in a position that regularly collects tips themselves.
If your boss is breaking the law and you don’t report it and/or sue for it, then you’re the one to blame. Especially if you keep working there.
In reply to That’s a lie
Dude just stop…You can make the most logical argument with as many facts as you want but it doesn’t matter because.
1. You’ll get shitty service any place you go regularly.
2. You may convince a few hundred other fuck faces like yourself to agree. That’s it. Most People even most of the shitty ones will always tip.
If you wanna be the 1/10 fuck faces in the word that doesn’t tip, go for it I’m suuuure it will work out well. Don’t complain when you get bad service lol.
Good luck getting refills.
In reply to The server
Seeing as you admit that they are facts, the summary of what you’re saying is, “It doesn’t matter if servers don’t deserve tips, we’ll give you poor service if you don’t.”
What’s funny about that is it not only justifies anti-tipping behavior, but that you imagine any server at a reputable establishment would keep their job after providing poor service to a customer. There are several people here who have commented on getting a server fired just for complaining they didn’t get a tip.
This is especially hilarious when you bring up regular customers. Do you somehow imagine that your boss will let you treat a customer who regularly drops several hundred dollars poorly? Especially with social media these days. All it takes is a poor review about how awful the service is, and if you think a retort of, “You’re a poor tipper!” will help, the response will quickly be, “You don’t tip for poor service.” This is a sentiment shared almost universally.
So go ahead, treat your customers poorly for not giving in to your extortion. See how long you keep your job. lol
In reply to That’s a lie
What don’t you understand?
Did some waitress fart in your face or what?
In reply to Naomi
People like you’re so full shit. Nothing more needs to be said.
Considering the fact you’re a cunt that’s more than enough of a reason as to why you should tip your server. Having to serve a person like you. Go cook your own fucking food, since you have so much time on your hands to write some bullshit reasons of why you don’t tip. God to think there is children starving out there and a person like you gets to eat food. I hope you starve to death you degrading fucking piece of shit. Rot in hell fatass.
In reply to Not a cunt.
I love your logic. If it weren’t for the customer, servers wouldn’t even have a job to whine about.
At the same time, you’re not even providing a reason to tip the servers. Maybe it’s because every one of the reasons people give has been debunked either by bhagwad or by the commenters and the best you can do is simply bitch? Why not bitch at the employers, whose job it is to actually pay their staff, instead of the customers who are the reason servers even have a job?
You talk about starving children out there, but do you know who provides the most relief to those starving children? It’s sure not the servers making their minimum wage.
In fact, you’re coming here insulting people and wishing death upon them. That sounds like a pretty cunt thing to do.
In reply to What a joke
A server/bartender position is not only physically demanding but it’s also mentally challenging to deal with idiotic people like you and the others that share your opinion. I am not stupid or lazy ;) I work less hours than most and make tremendous tips that make up for the cheap bitches like yourself that don’t tip. I’m also NOT jealous of people with money lol because we all have money. I have supported myself and three children with what I make and am going to college. You should also go to McDonald’s or somewhere else especially since you KNOW the servers/bartenders depend on tips as part of their salary. You CHOOSE to go to places like that., you cheap ass
In reply to kimberly
Do me a favor – Google “most stressful jobs.” Now google “jobs with highest suicide rates.” You’ll find all sorts of lists with different rankings, but they won’t have “waiter/waitress” on them.
Every job has stress, every job has to deal with shitty people. You know what’s nice about being a server? That asshole is going to be gone in an hour or two and chances are you won’t have to deal with them again any time soon.
Servers/bartenders don’t “depend” on tips any more than McDonald’s workers because they get paid the same.
In reply to What a joke
Are you high? People in the service industry make a smaller wage than minimum wage, because its a tipping profession. Its allowed under the federal law and ranges between 2.50 and 5.25 in almost all the states, besides a few. Why do you think they make a regular wage? This shows how absolutely little you know about the service industry. Your facts are completely wrong. If your going to try to “reply ” to everyone like your so intelligent, at least get your facts straight.
In reply to kimberly
Ignore his reply Kimberly. He’s clearly an attention whore.
I want to commend you for what you did as you supported yourself and your 3 children. Don’t let an asshole like him discredit you. You are strong. Thank you for being a good role model and mother to your children.
In reply to Annabella
Ah yes, I’m the attention seeking whore simply for stating facts, but not kimberly for whining how “hard” their job is and how they have 3 children to take care of.
I was a single parent while going back to school and yet I didn’t whine and act like people should feel sorry for me and give me money I didn’t earn.
In reply to Not a cunt.
http://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/faq/esa/flsa/002.htm
Your job is unskilled, and not even worth minimum-wage. Lucky for you that law ensures you still make minimum-wage even if you make ZERO TIPS.
Two things in my mind you confirmed for me:
1) Servers are really stupid and lazy.
2) You are jealous of people with money.
In reply to $Bill
A server/bartender position is not only physically demanding but it’s also mentally challenging to deal with idiotic people like you and the others that share your opinion. I am not stupid or lazy ;) I work less hours than most and make tremendous tips that make up for the cheap bitches like yourself that don’t tip. I’m also NOT jealous of people with money lol because we all have money. I have supported myself and three children with what I make and am going to college. You should also go to McDonald’s or somewhere else especially since you KNOW the servers/bartenders depend on tips as part of their salary. You CHOOSE to go to places like that., you cheap ass
Let’s break this down.
When you eat in a restaurant, you are conveying you are interested in receiving a hospitable experience to revilitize and nourish food and drink senses :)
There are different branches to buying food. Sure, go to McDonalds, where they do make federal minimum wage. Each McDonalds employee probably spends about 5 minutes with each order, socially. Then to prepare it, less than ten minutes. But if I’m wrong in that understanding, I’ve only ever worked in casual and fine dining, so my perception may be skewed.
**I make it a point not to assume I fully understand and detest something if I’ve never had to personally experience it. ;)
This is a fast food industry standard to my experience and knowledge. And, generally speaking, what you pay for the food is (supposed to be) proportional to the quality.
That being said, if you are interested in nourishing your senses with nicer food and drinks from a restaurant but not necessarily interested in the hospitality, then not to worry! :) Plenty of options.
1.) Plenty of restaurants, if not all, have a take out option. If you truly do not desire any social interaction, this way you can cut out the middle man like you please :) you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home OR (which brings me to my next point)
2.) Lets say you would simply like to purchase a cocktail or beer without any social interaction. To avoid hospitality coming from the bartender, you can simply order a drink, go sit in the lobby or away from where people are receiving a hospitible experience, and enjoy your drink in solace :) if you would like more, simply walk up to the bar, and order another drink!
3.) Almost all restaurants will allow you to eat their own food and drinks hanging out in the lobby. Or, if you were in my restaurant, I’d be more than happy to get you a table toward the back of the restaurant at a swing hour when we aren’t busy.
Almost like you would get your own drink at home or at a fast food restaurant! Only someone will pour it for you. :) Free of charge whether we like it or not.
But when there’s guests who would like to be taken care of and compensate appropriately for it, it’s not fair of me to treat you the same as I would treat them with compassion and urgency because they were more than happy to pay for that experience I gave them. And I was happy to do it.
Now that I hope I have presented some alternative options to you of how you receive an experience closer to what you’re looking for, I would love nothing more than to humor your request for logic and reasoning behind tipping in America. :) I agree you haven’t had a thorough one yet.
Back to my point, sitting in a table at a restaurant conveys you would, indeed, appreciate a hospitable experience while you enjoy drink and food. When you sit in a tipped employees section, you are occupying the real estate I have been trained and certified to handle.
Before you retort with “It’s a worthless job”, I AM trained AND certified. And if you want proof and discussion on how so, I would relish the conversation :)
You are choosing to occupy real estate intended for hospitality.
I think it’s borderline humorous to bring up the federal minimum wage in your defense of not tipping…. If you’re occupying real estate, intended for hospitality, and you are being taken care of for the duration of your meal… Let’s say, one hour…. That’s one hour of expecting someone to tend to your every need, agree with everything you say, and do every last thing you ask, no matter how frivolous. And your right, as long as that person gets paid and is at work, you deserve a smile to go along with it :)
But besides what you see me do, there is a lot you don’t see me do. Unfortunately, no matter how I explained it, you wouldn’t understand. Because you’ve never done it.
But just a small part of my day… According to my step-o-meter- I average about 5-7 miles per five hour shift.. That means on busy Friday’s when I run around doing whatever favor guest asks me… My shift is generally 14 hours on Fridays… I walk/very-quick-walk up to 20 miles. And lord forbid I feel under the weather sprinting 20 miles to do favors. Because my tips suffer. If I’m not ecstatic to cater to you or move slowly because I’m a pregnant waitress with morning sickness, you think I deserve to buy less groceries than I needed?
Oh and is this a good time to state that in the State of Texas, labor laws go out the windows for employees? Needless to say, I don’t even ask to sit down anymore. No regrets, because I love my job :)
But I make a mistake and you decide when my rent is made?
Sir, if everyone had everything they deserved, we ALL would be in a terrible place.
I could only imagine your entitledness would cause you to disagree, how ever. ;)
But I’m a little confused. You pay for food and drink that funds a company. You said you wish the full cost of what you are paying for was just included in the price…. You know I make 2.13 an hour (Texas), but your defense on not to tip is I am supposed to be making minimum wage?
Servers tried to tell you on here, and it’s obvious you never have served before, and they are right. It. Doesn’t. Work. That. Way.
Filing for tip compensation does not start until the end of the month for most companies, in which case a server has to come fourth with proof that they averaged less than minimum wage for the ENTIRE PAST MONTH. Then, after that appeal, human resources has to validate the appeal, and you will hopefully receive your compensation in a check within the next month or so.
Does this normally happen? No. That’s why the system around it is pretty shotty.
If you sit in my section and tell me you don’t want to tip me, you just want to order food from me and I bring it and you eat and pay- I will make that happen too! And I would greatly appreciate your honesty! Because this is how I’m trying to pay for school. School so I can get a career and pay for my sisters school. I can’t afford to spend an hour pleasing you for you to take money out of my pocket- YES YOU ARE TAKING MONEY OUT OF MY POCKET BY STIFFING.
Within restaurants, servers are almost never the only tipped employees. But they’re usually the most in quantity. That’s why, while the company that works vicariously through us expecting us to each be salesmen, accomidaters, and happy professionals, they also expect us to pay for bussers and bartenders and food runners and hosts and most front of house by forcing anywhere from 2%-5% tipshare on servers because they are the most In quantity, and that adds up.
Note. If this was 2-5% of overall tips, yeah. Not a big deal.
No. This is 2-5% of SALES. THAT MEANS THE RESTAURANT CHARGES US FOR WHAT THEY CHARGE TO PAY EMPLOYEES.
Companies rely on a 20% tip average, it’s true, so that servers can pay the rest of their employees. But if this was never so, food and drinks at restaurants would be insanely more expensive…
In your world, sir, can’t you just order take out food or sit in the lobby instead of this over zealous plan to make dining actually more expensive for everyone…?
Because you never did, let’s actually discuss the ORIGIN of tipping.
Tipping was not custom in America until Prohibition. Before prohibition it was considered shady, but stereotypical behavior from wealthy persons to bribe the waiter for good service. And ACTUALLY accepting these bribes was considered undignified, because truthfully any guest should be entitled to the experience they deserve ;)
(I just think it’s funny because you talked about “bribing” the delivery boy earlier and how that’s not really a tip, hahahaha)
After prohibition, there were no federal systems in place to compensate for the lost revenue to local business for not being able to sell liquor that makes up as much as 40% of profit to a restaurant…. If not much more than that.
Yes, employers took this loss of revenue out on employees paychecks. Why? Not because employers and big businesses are greedy…. ACTUALLY casual and corporate dining weren’t a concept until the 60’s, the first concept being TGI Fridays.
This means all those businesses that took the hit were local business owners, just trying to make a living with doing what everyone can enjoy. And it wasn’t their fault… But that’s when servers were encouraged to accept tips.
This was only to avoid increasing food costs and losing the ENTIRE INDUSTRY all together. The economy actually, in retrospect, would have taken a much more horrifying decline if the origin of tipping never started. This wasn’t big business tycoons.
This was back in the day when the owner and the server were actually closer to co-owners of the business.
Enough of this talk about your faith in federal government for your excuse to ACTUALLY PAY LESS THAN YOUR FOOD IS WORTH, TECHNICALLY.
But I’ll play to your argument, sir, because I can tell just how small the world you live in is.
Next time you go to a restaurant, if you’re truly such a fan of EXACT FEDERAL COMPENSATION, your waitress deserves exactly $5.12 for every hour you are there. And depending on your tab, some money still might come out of her pocket because of you.
YOU ARE HIRING YOUR SERVER WHEN YOU SIT IN THEIR SECTION.
This waitress might be supporting herself like me or possibly children. But I know that woman will figure it out and be okay in the end. It’s only the people who have to take a stance on greed and an industry they haven’t been a part of or researched, but feel entitled enough to pass judgment.
It’s those people who need that extra $5 in their pocket, and I understand :)
But next time, if you’re the grown ass man you wanna act like, get up and make your own food and drinks. Or go fetch! :) pick and choose your lane though bud. And next time, check your facts. ;) I’ll be over here making more money than you for honestly…. Being happy to take care of people :)
Get back to me! :)
In reply to Lexi
Let’s break down the crazy crap you said:
“When you eat in a restaurant, you are conveying you are interested in receiving a hospitable experience to revilitize and nourish food and drink senses :)
There are different branches to buying food. Sure, go to McDonalds, where they do make federal minimum wage. Each McDonalds employee probably spends about 5 minutes with each order, socially. Then to prepare it, less than ten minutes. But if I’m wrong in that understanding, I’ve only ever worked in casual and fine dining, so my perception may be skewed.
**I make it a point not to assume I fully understand and detest something if I’ve never had to personally experience it. ;)
This is a fast food industry standard to my experience and knowledge. And, generally speaking, what you pay for the food is (supposed to be) proportional to the quality.
That being said, if you are interested in nourishing your senses with nicer food and drinks from a restaurant but not necessarily interested in the hospitality, then not to worry! :) Plenty of options.”
Servers make federal minimum wage, too. By law. http://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/faq/esa/flsa/002.htm
Realistically, a fast food worker does everything that a waiter or waitress does, or some equivalent, in a shorter period of time, and they also have to do some food prep. The reason fast food restaurants are cheaper is largely the quality of the food, not the quality of the service because you can bet your sweet ass that if the fast food worker acts in any way other than a respectful manner expected of any sort of service worker (which they are), they’ll be fired just as quickly as any server would for the same reason.
“1.) Plenty of restaurants, if not all, have a take out option. If you truly do not desire any social interaction, this way you can cut out the middle man like you please :) you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home OR (which brings me to my next point)
2.) Lets say you would simply like to purchase a cocktail or beer without any social interaction. To avoid hospitality coming from the bartender, you can simply order a drink, go sit in the lobby or away from where people are receiving a hospitible experience, and enjoy your drink in solace :) if you would like more, simply walk up to the bar, and order another drink!”
Business interactions are not supposed to be social interactions. “Friendly” chatting is not the same as taking your order and bringing a person their things in a friendly manner.
“3.) Almost all restaurants will allow you to eat their own food and drinks hanging out in the lobby. Or, if you were in my restaurant, I’d be more than happy to get you a table toward the back of the restaurant at a swing hour when we aren’t busy.
Almost like you would get your own drink at home or at a fast food restaurant! Only someone will pour it for you. :) Free of charge whether we like it or not.”
No restaurant lets people just hang out in their lobby unless they’re waiting for a table, at least certainly not the majority. And certainly not eat there. I have no idea where you’d get that idea. I’d hazard a guess you’ve never been able to afford a decent restaurant.
“But when there’s guests who would like to be taken care of and compensate appropriately for it, it’s not fair of me to treat you the same as I would treat them with compassion and urgency because they were more than happy to pay for that experience I gave them. And I was happy to do it.”
Any patron of a restaurant is already paying for the service whether you’d like to believe it or not. If there are no patrons, the servers don’t have a job. Doesn’t matter if the patrons are tipping or not – no patrons, no servers. End of story.
“Now that I hope I have presented some alternative options to you of how you receive an experience closer to what you’re looking for, I would love nothing more than to humor your request for logic and reasoning behind tipping in America. :) I agree you haven’t had a thorough one yet.
Back to my point, sitting in a table at a restaurant conveys you would, indeed, appreciate a hospitable experience while you enjoy drink and food. When you sit in a tipped employees section, you are occupying the real estate I have been trained and certified to handle.
Before you retort with “It’s a worthless job”, I AM trained AND certified. And if you want proof and discussion on how so, I would relish the conversation :)”
There’s no requirement to be trained or certified. The fact that you’d waste money doing so instead of training or certification for a real job just shows your lack of intelligence. By bragging that you’ve got training and certification for a job that doesn’t ever actually require it is like crapping your own pants and taking pride in it.
“You are choosing to occupy real estate intended for hospitality.
I think it’s borderline humorous to bring up the federal minimum wage in your defense of not tipping…. If you’re occupying real estate, intended for hospitality, and you are being taken care of for the duration of your meal… Let’s say, one hour…. That’s one hour of expecting someone to tend to your every need, agree with everything you say, and do every last thing you ask, no matter how frivolous. And your right, as long as that person gets paid and is at work, you deserve a smile to go along with it :)”
First off, *you’re. And again, no patrons = no servers, fast food workers do just as much work (more, even) with time constraints.
“But besides what you see me do, there is a lot you don’t see me do. Unfortunately, no matter how I explained it, you wouldn’t understand. Because you’ve never done it.
But just a small part of my day… According to my step-o-meter- I average about 5-7 miles per five hour shift.. That means on busy Friday’s when I run around doing whatever favor guest asks me… My shift is generally 14 hours on Fridays… I walk/very-quick-walk up to 20 miles. And lord forbid I feel under the weather sprinting 20 miles to do favors. Because my tips suffer. If I’m not ecstatic to cater to you or move slowly because I’m a pregnant waitress with morning sickness, you think I deserve to buy less groceries than I needed?”
Do you have a picture of somebody holding a gun to your head the entire time you’re working there? How about when you signed the agreement to work there? Did somebody hold you down and, upon threat of death, force you to fill out an application? No? Oh, that’s right, I forgot – you not only chose the job, you chose to waste money getting certified to do it.
You have absolutely no reason to whine because you chose the job and, believe it or not, there are people who work far harder than you. Your job really isn’t as difficult as you seem to think it is. You want people to think your job is hard? Prove that getting their job and succeeding at something better is so much easier.
“Oh and is this a good time to state that in the State of Texas, labor laws go out the windows for employees? Needless to say, I don’t even ask to sit down anymore. No regrets, because I love my job :)”
If you love your job then stfu and quit whining like you’ve done several times here. Your job does not guarantee tips, and should never expect them.
“But I make a mistake and you decide when my rent is made?”
Again, your fault, you chose the job that pays minimum wage.
“Sir, if everyone had everything they deserved, we ALL would be in a terrible place.
I could only imagine your entitledness would cause you to disagree, how ever. ;)”
Sorry, but I need to point out here that you’re the entitled one. You are EXPECTING to be paid a tip that you do not deserve simply because you believe you deserve it. You’re already being paid for your job. Yes, it’s shitty pay, but that’s the shitty pay you signed up for. You don’t do any more work than any other minimum wage worker regardless of how delusional your belief is that you somehow are.
“But I’m a little confused. You pay for food and drink that funds a company. You said you wish the full cost of what you are paying for was just included in the price…. You know I make 2.13 an hour (Texas), but your defense on not to tip is I am supposed to be making minimum wage?”
As shown above, you make the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, by law, with or without tips. Your employer is REQUIRED to make up the difference. If they don’t, they’re breaking the law, and you have a right to sue them.
“Servers tried to tell you on here, and it’s obvious you never have served before, and they are right. It. Doesn’t. Work. That. Way.
Filing for tip compensation does not start until the end of the month for most companies, in which case a server has to come fourth with proof that they averaged less than minimum wage for the ENTIRE PAST MONTH. Then, after that appeal, human resources has to validate the appeal, and you will hopefully receive your compensation in a check within the next month or so.
Does this normally happen? No. That’s why the system around it is pretty shotty.”
Again – YOU CHOOSE TO WORK THERE. It’s not the customer’s problem. You want to bitch about your pay? You want to whine about your company’s policies? Take it up with them. It’s still not the customer’s responsibility.
“If you sit in my section and tell me you don’t want to tip me, you just want to order food from me and I bring it and you eat and pay- I will make that happen too! And I would greatly appreciate your honesty! Because this is how I’m trying to pay for school. School so I can get a career and pay for my sisters school. I can’t afford to spend an hour pleasing you for you to take money out of my pocket- YES YOU ARE TAKING MONEY OUT OF MY POCKET BY STIFFING.”
It’s not stiffing you because they don’t owe you anything. You’re being paid to do your job. If you don’t like those terms, then tough luck, it’s your choice to work for them. But there is no requirement for tipping, it should never, not EVER, be expected, because you honestly don’t deserve it. The fact that you’re going to school has nothing to do with it – underprivileged people in the US have access to grants. They also get priority on scholarships if they earn them. It’s still not the customer’s job to pay for your schooling. There are plenty of jobs that pay more and are willing to work around your schedule.
“Within restaurants, servers are almost never the only tipped employees. But they’re usually the most in quantity. That’s why, while the company that works vicariously through us expecting us to each be salesmen, accomidaters, and happy professionals, they also expect us to pay for bussers and bartenders and food runners and hosts and most front of house by forcing anywhere from 2%-5% tipshare on servers because they are the most In quantity, and that adds up.
Note. If this was 2-5% of overall tips, yeah. Not a big deal.
No. This is 2-5% of SALES. THAT MEANS THE RESTAURANT CHARGES US FOR WHAT THEY CHARGE TO PAY EMPLOYEES.”
And yet no matter how much they take out of your tips your boss is still required to make sure every employee is paid at least the Federal Minimum wage at the end of the day.
Also, fun fact that people in your position seem to be ignorant of, but tipped employees must be allowed to take home all their tips either directly or through a tip pool (as you suggest). However, the law also says that the ONLY employees who can be part of a tip pool are those in careers that are customarily and regularly tipped. While this includes the servers, bartender, and even bussers, it does not include the cooks or any other staff that wouldn’t generally get a tip from a customer under normal circumstances (they must be in a position that earns $30 per month in tips). If your boss is splitting your tips with the guys/gals in back, they’re breaking the law. See “What if I am a tipped employee? ” here: http://www.overtime-flsa.com/am-i-entitled-to-overtime/
“Companies rely on a 20% tip average, it’s true, so that servers can pay the rest of their employees. But if this was never so, food and drinks at restaurants would be insanely more expensive…”
This has been repeatedly shown to be an insignificant amount, and actually considerably less than the amount being paid in tips (especially at expensive restaurants). Less than a dollar average per customer.
“In your world, sir, can’t you just order take out food or sit in the lobby instead of this over zealous plan to make dining actually more expensive for everyone…?”
Again, most restaurants won’t let you just sit and eat in the lobby.
“Because you never did, let’s actually discuss the ORIGIN of tipping.
Tipping was not custom in America until Prohibition. Before prohibition it was considered shady, but stereotypical behavior from wealthy persons to bribe the waiter for good service. And ACTUALLY accepting these bribes was considered undignified, because truthfully any guest should be entitled to the experience they deserve ;)
(I just think it’s funny because you talked about “bribing” the delivery boy earlier and how that’s not really a tip, hahahaha)”
This isn’t exactly true. As discussed in other comments, it wasn’t so much bribing for good service as a matter of rich Europeans showing off how much money they had and how much better they were than the server. More “LOL Look what these commoners will do for a franc!” than “If you pay them extra money, they’ll get your food quicker!”
“After prohibition, there were no federal systems in place to compensate for the lost revenue to local business for not being able to sell liquor that makes up as much as 40% of profit to a restaurant…. If not much more than that.
Yes, employers took this loss of revenue out on employees paychecks. Why? Not because employers and big businesses are greedy…. ACTUALLY casual and corporate dining weren’t a concept until the 60’s, the first concept being TGI Fridays.
This means all those businesses that took the hit were local business owners, just trying to make a living with doing what everyone can enjoy. And it wasn’t their fault… But that’s when servers were encouraged to accept tips.
This was only to avoid increasing food costs and losing the ENTIRE INDUSTRY all together. The economy actually, in retrospect, would have taken a much more horrifying decline if the origin of tipping never started. This wasn’t big business tycoons.
This was back in the day when the owner and the server were actually closer to co-owners of the business.”
Where the hell did you come up with this? There were no laws in place regarding work hours and compensations for ANYONE until after Prohibition. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was the first time a minimum wage of any kind was established, along with a standard 40 hour workweek. At the time, a “tipped” employee’s minimum wage was actually 50% of standard minimum wage. It wasn’t “frozen” and separated from that until 1996.
The tip credit itself didn’t even EXIST until 1966, and in 1974 that was amended to require employers to INFORM employees about it to be able to take part in it (if they don’t they have to pay them the Federal minimum wage even with tips).
“Enough of this talk about your faith in federal government for your excuse to ACTUALLY PAY LESS THAN YOUR FOOD IS WORTH, TECHNICALLY.
But I’ll play to your argument, sir, because I can tell just how small the world you live in is.
Next time you go to a restaurant, if you’re truly such a fan of EXACT FEDERAL COMPENSATION, your waitress deserves exactly $5.12 for every hour you are there. And depending on your tab, some money still might come out of her pocket because of you.”
And it’s the responsibility of their employer- the restaurant – to compensate them for that.
“YOU ARE HIRING YOUR SERVER WHEN YOU SIT IN THEIR SECTION.”
Uh, no. First off, you generally don’t get to pick your section, and have no idea whose section it is when you’re seated. While you might get to choose a general area of the restaurant, nobody cares or knows what server is handling that section that night.
Second off, there is no employment. An employee has some form of contract with the employer. There is no such contract – physical or verbal – between a customer and a server. The customer is a patron of the restaurant. They are paying the restaurant for the service. The server is an employee of the restaurant. If the server were an employee of the customer, they would legally have to list the customer as their employer on tax forms (and no, writing your tips on taxes doesn’t count as listing every single customer as your employer), or list themselves as self-employed, which they do not.
I realize this is a long response for a single line, but the fact that I even have to explain this to you is absurd.
“This waitress might be supporting herself like me or possibly children. But I know that woman will figure it out and be okay in the end. It’s only the people who have to take a stance on greed and an industry they haven’t been a part of or researched, but feel entitled enough to pass judgment.”
Again, not the customer’s problem. The waitress took the job knowing what it pays (minimum wage). If they’re trying to support a family on that, then they’re shitty parents who obviously don’t care enough about their kids to get a better job that pays enough to properly care for them.
“It’s those people who need that extra $5 in their pocket, and I understand :)
But next time, if you’re the grown ass man you wanna act like, get up and make your own food and drinks. Or go fetch! :) pick and choose your lane though bud. And next time, check your facts. ;) I’ll be over here making more money than you for honestly…. Being happy to take care of people :)”
Again, and I can’t stress this enough – without the patrons there is no point in there being servers. If no patron paid tips, there would still be servers. If no patrons showed up for service, the servers would all be fired for their uselessness.
For somebody who is telling bhagwad to check their facts, it’s pretty clear you don’t know yours.
In reply to What a joke
Extremely well put lexi. Many facts you stated people NOT in this industry don’t understand. Thank you so much for enlightening the opinionated greedy , ignorant people that don’t understand ALL the aspects of being a server/bartender especially about the take out suggestion and hospitality and ABOUT our attitudes reflecting our tips. and defending how much walking we do as we are not lazy. But at least many got to read all the facts you pointed out, but the few that made the narrow minded comments about the service industry probably will still be greedy LAZY and unappreciative enough to STILL come in to dine. ;)
In reply to kimberly
Thank you Kimberly.
In reply to kimberly
It all comes down to this. You get minimum-wage even if you get zero tips. Your job is unskilled and requires zero education. Nothing you do is special or unique.
Serving people for a living simply means you have no skills to get a real job.
You have delusions of grandeur thinking anything you do is special.
To me, you are not even worth Federal minimum-wage.
Even when I go to the most expensive 5 star restaurants. I am there for the food, not the scum of the earth servers. The only experience to be had is the food. The servers add nothing to the experience because they are simply the conveyor belts that brought me the food and drink.
In reply to $Bill
Saying because someone chooses serving as entry level work they deserve to live below the poverty line is hate fueled and discrimination… I’m so disappointed. I was hoping this could remain intelligent.
In reply to Lexi
“Saying because someone chooses serving as entry level work they deserve to live below the poverty line is hate fueled and discrimination… I’m so disappointed. I was hoping this could remain intelligent. ”
This is simply a basic fact, I don’t understand why you think otherwise. Taking the job is agreeing to do the work for what it pays. The pay offered is what the job is “worth.” Making the choice to do the job is making the choice to get paid what it pays.
In reply to $Bill
Your wrong. Minimum wage is 7.25. Servers on national average make 2.50, because the government deems it a tipping profession. Morons. The whole thing about the business making up the difference in pay, does not happen, never has happened and is not regulated by anyone. It’s really sad that people blindly believe thats these 1000s of restaurants are paying their servers that extra money. Their not.
In reply to K.ann
First off, tips count as income, so unless you’re counting the tips you’re not accurately portraying the income.
Second off, it is federal law to make up the difference. Not only that, the full law says they have to inform servers as such or they can’t apply the tip credit. If a server makes less than the Federal minimum wage between pay and tips, the business must LEGALLY pay the difference. If they do not they are breaking the law.
In reply to What a joke
I don’t get how just because it’s “Federal Law” that you blindly believe employers are making up the difference. Cause, I can assure you, probably 70% don’t. Businesses break the law all the time, regardless of what kind of business. This is no exception.
You’ve never done the profession. Quit pretending you know the ins and outs of it.
In reply to Ann
The reason you don’t hear about it is because waitresses make a ton of cash from suckers tipping them. Even a horrible waitress probably makes at least $10/hr. in tips alone. You don’t hear about it because hardly any server makes under minimum wage. If they do and the owner refuses to make up the difference, you can sue and the owner may face felony criminal charges.
In reply to Ann
If your employer is breaking the law it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to deal with it. Your responsibility to report it. Your responsibility to sue for it. It’s not the customer’s job to pity your poor choices (and yes, it’s YOUR choice to work for an employer who stiffs you).
In reply to What a joke
The points you accused me of making up were…. 1 point? And it seems like it completely went over you head as I actually agree with all the dates you brought up?? Haha yes… There was no set wages until after prohibition… Servers still took a pay cut in general to what they did have before prohibition. A wage based off the restaurants sales…
You accused me of whining throughout your rebuttal…Even though I stated often I would love to accommodate and am happy with my job… But also called me blanket insults. Hahaha.
You tore my analogy apart to be literal… But the analogy you could offer in return was “taking pride in shitting in your own pants…”
I’ll let the eloquency speak for itself.
Much because it’s obvious you as a “freelance writer” are replying in comments on your own forum.
Your misery comes across in all forms.
I never once said I was entitled. I said let me break this down :) I actually stated I don’t need your $5… Obviously you do.
Oh and last but not least your repetitive judgments on the industry and blanket incorrect statements that make it obvious you don’t know what you’re saying…
Like I said, I’ll let the eloquence speak for itself. I’m so sorry about your happiness, truly. And I wouldn’t take your money. I hope you would sit in my section because I love the challenge of getting assholes to smile :)
In reply to Lexi
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“The points you accused me of making up were…. 1 point? And it seems like it completely went over you head as I actually agree with all the dates you brought up?? Haha yes… There was no set wages until after prohibition… Servers still took a pay cut in general to what they did have before prohibition. A wage based off the restaurants sales…”
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Hmm, going back through I count… at least 11 points that were outright lies or nonsense.
Again, you clearly have no idea what you’re talking about in terms of wage histories. There is absolutely no evidence backing what you’re saying, and your implication was that the laws made it worse for servers. The fact is before the Fair Labor Standards Act, unskilled labor (including servers BUT NOT LIMITED TO THEM) were paid pittance, scrip, or in-kind. And that’s if servers were hired at all. The FLSA was what forced owners to pay unskilled workers a minimum wage. As I said, the tip credit didn’t exist until ’66, so between 1938 and 1966, servers had to be paid the standard minimum wage. The tip credit allowed them to deduct from the server’s pay (again, something that didn’t exist until ’66) up to a certain percentage if the worker received tips. The law was not (and is not) intended to “help” restaurant owners. The entire point was that restaurant owners were saying, “This is BS, I’m paying them for their work and they’re getting all this extra money on top of it. Why should they get paid double for the job?!” and Congress agreed. In fact, as time went on, that tip credit increased more and more to where it is now simply because Congress has repeatedly agreed that it’s BS that servers make more than minimum wage with tips.
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“You accused me of whining throughout your rebuttal…Even though I stated often I would love to accommodate and am happy with my job… But also called me blanket insults. Hahaha.”
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Being snarky does not mean you weren’t whining. You repeatedly whined about how “hard” your job is, and how much “work” you do.
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“You tore my analogy apart to be literal… But the analogy you could offer in return was “taking pride in shitting in your own pants…”
I’ll let the eloquency speak for itself.”
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No, I took the fact that you said you were taking pride in being “trained and certified” to being like taking pride in shitting your own pants. Your point was a statement of fact, not an analogy, and my analogy lacking elegance is part of the point – it’s vulgar stupidity, just like taking pride in money wasted on a throw-away job.
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“Much because it’s obvious you as a “freelance writer” are replying in comments on your own forum.”
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It’s not my forum, I’m just a commenter.
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“Your misery comes across in all forms.”
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Actually, I’m pretty happy. I have a pretty good life, to be honest, especially given where I came from. But I’ll tell you this: I never once stooped to whining about how crappy my job was before I graduated Uni for handouts from random people.
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I never once said I was entitled. I said let me break this down :) I actually stated I don’t need your $5… Obviously you do.
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You repeatedly stated in various ways that servers not only deserved tips, but that not giving them tips was in some way “stiffing” them. You even outright stated the absurdity that customers are “HIRING” their server. Your comment is right there for anyone to read so why you’d even bother to try to lie about it is beyond me.
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Oh and last but not least your repetitive judgments on the industry and blanket incorrect statements that make it obvious you don’t know what you’re saying…
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None of my statements were incorrect, they were simply facts. You’ve not once made a verifiable counterpoint to anything I stated throughout your rambling here, you’ve only (apparently) tried to lie and say you said things you didn’t, or didn’t say things you did. You’ve demonstrated lack of comprehension, and what seems to be indicators of psychological delusion. Again, this is simply statement of fact. Whether you’re delusional or not depends on whether you actually believe what you’re saying to be true despite the clear evidence to the contrary.
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Like I said, I’ll let the eloquence speak for itself. I’m so sorry about your happiness, truly. And I wouldn’t take your money. I hope you would sit in my section because I love the challenge of getting assholes to smile :)
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I smile quite a bit, actually. I make a decent amount of money, and I earned it. I did a lot of work to get where I am, and make the money I make. I have plenty of friends, and – the best part – I have money to treat my friends and family (who have been there with me through everything) to nice things. I don’t just keep my money to myself. I donate to charities and scholarship funds.
While this may not be true of everyone commenting here, I worked my way up. But I never once whined about the crappy jobs I’ve had and crappy pay I received because I’m intelligent enough to realized that it took no effort to get the job or do the work. I also never expected customers to pay for me to do what I was already being paid to do, and was my employer’s responsibility to pay. I also certainly never blamed the customer for the shitty pay.
In reply to What a joke
I’m not going to count misconstruing points…. I would like to leave you with I’m not saying labor laws created the loss in revenue… You keep misunderstanding. Servers received a pay cut in prohibition. I never said labor laws made people lose money…. Servers were encouraged to accept tips under the table to make up for loss wages. It became the norm. Hence the tip credit in the sixties (a year after the first corporate dining chain was established, so once again, I agree with your dates).
If you’re so happy and I’m such a low life then why can’t we just be happy seperatly? Why do you want to spend time tearing down how people support themselves if it truly has no affect on you? You seem like you want to be miserable in a restaurant, honestly, so I don’t understand why you keep going.
I brought up comprimising points so we could hopefully all be happy, but your agenda doesn’t truly seem to be understanding the service industry or even being a happy customer! (state you know facts all you want. You misrepresent constantly, and everyone can tell you’ve never worked for hospitality and have no idea what your talking about. But I won’t insult your character for your misunderstandings.)
Blaming who for my shitty pay? As also stated multiple times, we make fantastic money we are very grateful for because of our guests. :) it’s a blessed pay for an entry level job, truly.
It is an entry level job. It’s not hard, but stressful at times. And oh so rewarding. No regrets.
Live and let live. Don’t tip, your choice. But stop insulting servers characters because you can’t judge someone till you’ve been in their shoes. That goes for ALL jobs and I hope you treat ALL people with respect.
Choosing not to tip is not disrespectful. It’s a choice. Your discrimination toward servers, which could be considered. “minority” to people with “money” such as yourself, indicates you pass judgment quickly on things you don’t understand and I wouldn’t be surprised if you have other discriminations in place.
Until you have met every single server, or UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN A SERVER, you CAN NOT make blanket statements about their jobs AND DEFINITELY NOT THEIR CHARACTER without elements of discrimination.
You deserve love sir. Please never forget that.
In reply to Lexi
“I’m not going to count misconstruing points…. I would like to leave you with I’m not saying labor laws created the loss in revenue… You keep misunderstanding. Servers received a pay cut in prohibition. I never said labor laws made people lose money…. Servers were encouraged to accept tips under the table to make up for loss wages. It became the norm. Hence the tip credit in the sixties (a year after the first corporate dining chain was established, so once again, I agree with your dates).”
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I’m not misconstruing anything, and the dates were never the issue, your statements were/are.
Servers didn’t take a “pay cut” during prohibition because unskilled labor never received decent compensation, as I pointed out. And, again, it wasn’t just servers. It had absolutely nothing to do with “hardships” experienced during prohibition. Being a server then, the same it is now, was never meant to be a job for a person to support a family on. Often servers were just family members helping out (like Bob’s Burgers), or people who roomed with the owners (which is why laws allowed deduction of room and board from wages). The money was supposed to be just a little extra, generally for young people, if actual money was paid. Again, this was not JUST servers, but all unskilled labor.
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If you’re so happy and I’m such a low life then why can’t we just be happy seperatly? Why do you want to spend time tearing down how people support themselves if it truly has no affect on you? You seem like you want to be miserable in a restaurant, honestly, so I don’t understand why you keep going.
I brought up comprimising points so we could hopefully all be happy, but your agenda doesn’t truly seem to be understanding the service industry or even being a happy customer! (state you know facts all you want. You misrepresent constantly, and everyone can tell you’ve never worked for hospitality and have no idea what your talking about. But I won’t insult your character for your misunderstandings.
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I’m simply pointing out facts and reality. I haven’t once misrepresented anything, and have even provided official links to back up my major points (ones that aren’t simply opinion pieces).
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Blaming who for my shitty pay? As also stated multiple times, we make fantastic money we are very grateful for because of our guests. :) it’s a blessed pay for an entry level job, truly.
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Your pay is minimum wage. $7.25 an hour. While your tips are taxable income, they are not a wage.
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It is an entry level job. It’s not hard, but stressful at times. And oh so rewarding. No regrets.
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No, it is not an entry level job. Entry level jobs are part of an employment hierarchy, at the bottom, with movement upward. Do you get promoted to dishwasher? How about busser? Will you eventually become the cook? While you may eventually become a host/hostess, or a manager, there really isn’t a hierarchy. There isn’t very far to climb.
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Live and let live. Don’t tip, your choice. But stop insulting servers characters because you can’t judge someone till you’ve been in their shoes. That goes for ALL jobs and I hope you treat ALL people with respect.
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The fact you are here commenting at all contradicts your entire point here. You not only didn’t simply leave things be (requisite for a “let live” philosophy), you felt the need to spout misinformation to attempt to say people were wrong. Take your own advice here – work a minimum wage job that doesn’t get tips then tell us how much worse serving is. Finish school and find a real job in a competitive market where every aspect of you is judged.
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Choosing not to tip is not disrespectful. It’s a choice. Your discrimination toward servers, which could be considered. “minority” to people with “money” such as yourself, indicates you pass judgment quickly on things you don’t understand and I wouldn’t be surprised if you have other discriminations in place.
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Wowwww. Not only does this ignore the fact I have stated I started out poor (my mother left me homeless, in fact, when I was 18), but it ignores the fact that almost everyone has worked a crappy, low paying job at some point in their life.
The proletariat are not, by any means, a minority group.
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Until you have met every single server, or UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN A SERVER, you CAN NOT make blanket statements about their jobs AND DEFINITELY NOT THEIR CHARACTER without elements of discrimination.
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I can certainly state facts about their job and their choice to do it. Facts are facts. It is a fact that it is unskilled labor (your training and certification are not a requirement of the job in any general way, and to imply otherwise is in misinformed ‘blanket statement’). It is also a fact that the wage offered for a job is an indication of the difficulty of getting the job and the effort required to do it. If this were not true, people would not accept that wage and work that job. Accepting a job is a choice, regardless of reason.
I also find it funny you’ve repeatedly jumped to strange conclusions about me despite knowing nothing about me. This seems a bit of a hypocrisy on your part, given your repeated insistence regarding having to know a person to make judgements about them.
In reply to What a joke
Face it. She burned your ass. And it is obviously getting to you,as you continue to take apart anything she says piece by piece, in desperation. It’s really quite sad. The more you try to force your incorrect facts, sputtering and repeating yourself , the more clear it becomes that you are ignorant. And clueless. Really,….stop…I am embarrassed FOR you.
In reply to K.ann
I take apart everything she says piece by piece to show how nothing she says is true.
Not one server has come here and said a single reason to tip that hasn’t been demonstrably false or utter nonsense.
In reply to What a joke
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11931692/The-most-stressful-job-Waitressing-say-scientists.html
https://munchies.vice.com/en/articles/scientists-say-its-more-stressful-to-be-a-waiter-than-a-neurosurgeon
http://buzzpo.com/top-10-lowest-paid-stressful-jobs-america/
http://www.payscale.com/career-news/2015/12/4-scientific-reasons-why-waiting-tables-is-the-most-stressful-job-out-there
In reply to Lexi
Funny, you link articles that indicate “scientists say” this or that, but not the actual study or data. You also clearly searched for articles that simy said what you want them to say instead of searching general terms, as I suggested.
Being the “most stressful low paying job” doesn’t make it more stressful than other jobs which are listed on countless sites. Most of those lists are constructed by scientists as well, and they are based on stress related illness and causes of death.
You honestly imagine that waiting tables is more stressful than being a firefighter? Or a police officer? Or a CEO? What happens if a server screws up? The worst thing that can happen is they get yelled at and/or fired. A CEO screws up and a company could lose millions, and hundreds of people lose their jobs. A CEO gets fired and they aren’t going to be getting a new job any time soon. A waitress gets fired she can just walk down the street to another restaurant or any other place that requires no skill to get a job and apply.
Since you can’t be arsed or competent enough to do a simple task, here you go:
https://www.google.com/search?q=most+stressful+jobs
You will find again and again that the reason these jobs are listed as most stressful is because of the high amount of responsibility in them. Even Business Insider, which lists 27 jobs and lumps together many from other lists doesn’t include waiting tables. They even include telephone operators! You know why? Because few people call in when they are happy about things. A telephone operator pretty much gets bitched at every day, several times a day. A waitress only has to deal with assholes (and no, a person not tipping you doesn’t count as an asshole) on occasion.
In reply to What a joke
Just because it isn’t the “MOST STRESSFUL JOB” doesn’t mean it ISN’T stressful. When you complain about your job (if you even have one, which I’m assuming you don’t simply for the sheer volume of comments you’ve posted) do people tell you to shut up because it’s not the most stressful job ever? You’re not a firefighter? Job can’t be stressful. Nopenopenope. Dude, enough is enough.
In reply to Ann
Every job is stressful, dumbass. Every job. Even the guy who works the lever at the carnival is under stress. Servers constantly whine about how stressful their job is as an excuse for giving them tips, but their job is definitely not as stressful as other jobs that don’t get tips. That’s the point – the fact that servers have a stressful job does not entitle them to tips because it’s not significantly so.
Oh, and I can comment as much as I do because my hard-earned job affords me the time to do it. I worked very hard to get where I am, where I am allowed to check my phone throughout the day. However, if I screw up at work, the company I work for loses contracts for millions of dollars, or costs dozens of man-hours for several people. That’s the trade-off. I worked through (stressful) school where I had to (stressfully) maintain a high GPA or lose my scholarships to get a job where I am allowed more freedoms, but have significantly more responsibility.
Oh, and I only get paid for 40 hours even if I work 60, or even 90, because salaried positions are overtime exempt. Guess what? Servers who qualify for the tip credit ARE paid overtime of time and a half, and NOT at the tipped minimum wage but the standard. Where are MY tips?
In reply to Lexi
Exactly right. And nothing he says when He replies will matter. Because He doesn’t know what he is talking about. Period.
I did want to add to your defense, any serious name calling, threatening to taint your food, or the defense it’s a hard job and people starve somewhere… Are all unprofessional and irrelevant. And some of your stereotypes I understand in consistency with entry level jobs in general… But the blanket statement servers are lazy…. I would hope if your goal is to appear intelligent, I don’t have to explain how blanket statements and a misunderstanding/detriment of an industry make you appear uneducated, close-minded, and far from solution oriented…..
Ironically, very similar to the server comments you despised. Hahahaha :)
In reply to Lexi, again, sorry
**misunderstanding/detestment
In reply to Lexi, again, sorry
Waitress job application:
You need to be stupid and lazy
If you didn’t graduate high school that is a plus
Live in a trailer park
Do drugs, smoke, or alcohol to excess
Kids from multiple fathers out of wedlock
Have no desire to better yourself
Lots of gross looking tattoos
Collect welfare and food stamps
Have family members or friends in prison
If two or more of these qualifications apply you, congratulations dumbass you can be a waitress. Welcome to a life of poverty.
My god you are an asshole
In reply to …
You might think he is an asshole, but it could be a real application. Those qualifications sound realistic to me.
I think tipping is bad for everyone, simply because it irks too many customers, and causes too many problems. I think the minimum wage should be raised to $10 or $12 at least, and restaurants should just raise the prices on food to compensate.
In reply to gp
Minimum wage should not be raised because it is unskilled, uneducated labor.
Unskilled jobs should always be low paying.
FUCK YOU YOU ARE PEACE OF SHIT! THAT’S HOW SERVERS MAKE THEIR MONEY, IF YOU DON’T TIP, THAN SIT AT HOME AND EAT YOUR OWN SHIT OR GO TO MCDONALDS YOU IDIOT, IF I HAD A BOMB I WOULD THROW IT RIGHT NOW IN YOUR FUCKING FACE!! I WISH YOU WILL BURN IN HELL FOREVER AND CURSED BE YOUR WHOLE FUCKING GENERATION, I CURSE YOU LET SATAN RULE OVER YOU AND MAY YOU DIE IN AGONY AND PAIN NASTY PIG!
In reply to Victoria
After reading this I am so glad that I never tip. I hope that all no tippers sit in Victoria’s section from now on.
In reply to Victoria
If you are a server, the only money you should make is federal minimum wage. Tipping you extra money for doing your job is silly and is never going to happen. Victoria you must be a poor uneducated gypsy. I thought people like you made your money from prostitution and stealing.
Fun reading the comments and the article.
I completely agree that tipping is not an acceptable practice and needs to be abolished. Similarly “Service charges” are equally BS, but at least more honest.
Simple reasons why tipping should be abolished:
1. It is unfair towards workers to rely on emotionally blackmailing customers in order to get a reasonable wage.
Let’s face it, it IS emotional blackmail. The ONE argument that supports tipping is, “But look how little money I make, do you really have no heart? Don’t you understand that if you don’t give me money, I don’t make enough to live on?” Never mind the fact that fed. law requires restaurants to guarantee at LEAST the federal minimum hourly wage even if tips do not add up to this amount. And it all comes down to choices. You chose to become a service worker. You chose to accept this wage. You most likely made choices in your own life that put you into a situation where being a service worker was your best option. I’m not holding that against you all, but let’s take some personal responsibility here.
2. The service work isn’t WORTH extra money.
I go to a restaurant and I might spend 1 minute giving my order, 1 minute receiving food, 1 minute getting a drink, 1 minute for any extra request (ranch please!), and 1 minute for getting/paying the check. So because you spent maybe 5 minutes doing YOUR JOB you feel I owe you somewhere between $5 and $20 (depending on the cost of the Bill)? Come on now. Let’s be real, your skills involve walking (most humans can do this), memorizing a menu (almost all job require a similar amount of company-specific knowledge), carrying something (while sometimes impressive what you can carry, it’s not “skilled work”), and being polite (which everybody should be!). While I fully appreciate what you do, it is not an important part of the experience (I’m here because I didn’t feel like cooking, damnit). If I was allowed to go up and grab my food or fill my own drink, I would!
Waiters might complain that the work is hard or stressful. But most work is hard and stressful. And honestly the level of difficulty and stress isn’t impressive. So what happens if a waiter makes a mistake? Okay, they might have to comp the customer or get disciplined (or at the worst, fired). I make a mistake, my employer might lose a multi-million dollar business deal, we might be found fraudulent of presenting incorrect data, or I may be sent to prison for 10+ years. So no, your level of responsibility or stress doesn’t impress me. Oh, and to top it off I also have to show great customer service to my fellow co-workers and partner companies. Obviously I get paid much more than a server would for this responsibility, but the point I’m making is the work you are doing is NOT special (and neither is mine, for the record). It’s a job, and you should be expected to do it correctly. And of course, there is no shame in waiting tables. Do your job with pride. But why does your job deserve charity? Why shouldn’t your employer just pay you the fair market value of your skillset? There is no answer to that, except the “emotional blackmail” mentioned in my first point.
3. Many waiters laugh their way to the bank with the money they can make off tips.
A waiter, which is unskilled labor, has extremely high earning potential because of tips. If it’s a busy restaurant, and you have say 10 tables in an hour, and each table tips $5, that’s an extra $50 an hour. That’s MAJOR money. Compare that to other unskilled jobs. Waiters are making MUCH more than fast food work, non-commission sales representatives on the floor, or front desk people. Hell, even if you compare that to skilled work. Office workers, medical assistants, EMT, and school teachers make nothing compared to what a waiter at a busy restaurant might make. Not only that, waiters have the convenience of being able to pretty easily (illegally) misreport their tipped earnings to the IRS, meaning they get a portion of their income not taxed! Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me. But wait. You get this for…being able to walk, carry things, memorize a menu, and be polite? Get out of here! Unskilled work, whether you are great at it or not, is still unskilled work. There is no reason a waiter should be making more than a medical assistant or a school teacher. Absolutely no reason whatsoever. Yet it is so often the case.
4. Tipping is being used as an excuse for restaurants to have corrupt employment practices.
This one is pretty obvious, but no business should be allowed to pay a worker $3/hour in 2016.
5. Tipping being based on percentage makes no sense.
I’d like a $3 cup of coffee and a $4 cola drink. A 15% standard says I should tip about a dollar for this.
On a different day I might want 2 $12 alcoholic beverages. A 15% standard says I should tip about $3.50 for this. What is the difference in work the server did between the 2 cheap drinks vs the 2 expensive drinks? In both cases the server spent literally SECONDS picking up two glasses, walking across the room, and placing them at the table. There is no logical reason why the second example should receive a higher payout, yet with a percentage based system, it does. What would make more sense would be a per person or per plate service fee. At least that would logically map back to actual service rendered.
Also, for the record, a percentage based service charge is nothing more than a forced tip. It’s at least “up front” about it, but the real honest business practice would be to say, “Here is a service/product, here is what it costs, that is what you can expect to pay.” Charging a percentage punishes people who buy more expensive dishes without requiring any additional work to be done.
———-
To finish up, I’m sure many will call me a liar, but I don’t find service work demeaning or “not a real job.” I would do it, if I needed to. I would work at Subway, if I needed to. But I don’t need to, so I don’t. There is nothing wrong with working any honest job, but the fact is that some jobs are harder than others, or require much more than others. Waiting tables simply is NOT a difficult or skillful job. I think waiters should earn a wage in line with other non-skilled work. But I think that NO jobs should require its workers to rely on charity from customers for their pay.
And I DO tip. Although I don’t enjoy it. The social backlash is too severe to make it a point of contention between me and my friends/family/acquaintances. I usually order takeout and pick up myself rather than worry about tipping. But if I am forced to eat in a restaurant, I’ll tip. For all the wrong reasons.
Well sorry for writing so much. This happens to be one of the things that bugs me most. I work with logic and numbers and tipping is just such a illogical practice, it bugs me.
In reply to not A tipper
I forgot to click to Email me updates :(
In reply to not A tipper
I think federal min wage is fair pay for a waitress period.
In reply to $Bill
I think what’s fair can be found through the free market.
In reply to not A tipper
It’s a shame waitresses make at least $7.25 an hour. $2.13 an hour is very reasonable for the easy work they do.
In reply to Jimbo
Don’t be a Poe, baka.
In reply to Jimbo
I agree, waitresses are way overpaid. $2.13 an hour is what they are worth.
To all Smartypsnts.
Don’t make it sound so reasonable not to tip.
Everything happens for its reasons which probably more reasonable than any intelligent.You are a very dark side of intelligent by the way.
Have you ever gone through all the suffers of learning how to be a really really good server in any restaurant? Shitty server might not deserve good tip but it doesn’t mean all servers deserve shitty tip
from you!(or no tip at all lol….!!?? )
Professional servers do exist!
But you don’t deserve to see one.
In reply to Light walker
You are either high on drugs; lazy, stupid or uneducated.
Nothing you said makes any sense.
In reply to $Bill
Still learning how to grow up without being bitter?Ohhhh,it’s ok,do not be ashamed by your own darkness.Let Satan be your guide to underworld.From now on there shall be whole bitter darkness in your life.
Let’s get a taste of you own medicine.
“I don’t tip”
“Servers only deserve 2.13/hr” etc etc.
Things that only entitled ASSHOLES who have never been in a position where they had to take a shitty job serving aforementioned ASSHOLES in order to support themselves or get through school. Have a little bit of fucking compassion for your fellow human beings. Objectifying us as conveyor belts is fucked up. We are all just trying to earn a living. Just because I don’t make my money writing ignorant garbage on the internet doesn’t meat I deserve less respect than you. Pull your head out of your ass and think about what it would be like to have to earn your entire living as a server. You can’t even take perspective on both sides of the arguement because you’ve only ever experienced one. Go wait tables for a month and I’ll bet you’d change your tune…and be careful, because the server that you stiffed today could be your doctor tomorrow.
In reply to Baghwad doesn’t deserve 20%
I’ve stated several times I’ve been as much as homeless and had to work shitty jobs.
I also know I was compensated fairly for the difficulty of the job and didn’t have some sense of entitlement to more money than what I agreed to be paid for the job.
Stop acting like a fucking victim.
In reply to What a joke
You’re the one acting like a victim Mr I’ve been homeless. No one takes a shitty serving job based on minimum wage. It’s min wage plus TIPS. Have yo ever seen a sever paycheck for a 60+ hr workweek? (which doesn’t include tips) Let me tell you it’s a sad amount to deposit to the bank. Before you respond ,go try it yourself for a while. Nothing you respond with can possibly have any merit without considering and taking perspective from both sides of the arguement. I mean just look at the original list..the “reasons” you laid out are fucking comedy..comedy..
In reply to Baghwad doesn’t deserve 20%
That’s because the tips are counted as part of your income you halfwit, and is the entire reason your employer can claim a tip credit off your wage. It doesn’t mean the work, which isn’t difficult no matter how much you want to believe it is, deserves more pay than minimum wage.
And I’m not at any point playing a victim, I’m pointing out that I’ve had it difficult yet I don’t whine and cry that I deserve money I don’t earn because my life is hard.
In reply to What a joke
You know nothing about my paycheck so just stop. My check shows tips I’ve claimed but if we lived in your fucked up fantasy dreamworld where I only made minimun, I’d only be takin 200 (if even) to the bank every pay period. You’re obviously the one offended and victimized by the notion of rewarding a server for good service that you had to write this ignorant blog for which you really know nothing about. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not playing the victim here. I’m doing my job and continuing my education so that I won’t be an ignorant twat who thinks he’s doing the world a favor by posting hate, ignorance and garbage all over the internet.
Btw..you know nothing about how difficult the job is, so fuck off with that until you’ve served tables at peak hour in a busy restaurant where you have 20+ in your station all asking you for things at the same time.
In reply to Baghwad doesn’t deserve 20%
You understand that’s the point, right? That waiting tables only DESERVES $7.25 an hour. Of course your paycheck is crappy. It should be. It takes no skill to do the job. It’s not a difficult job (again, no matter how much you want to think it is in your little delusional world).
Servers are rewarded for their “good service” in their minimum wage paycheck. Because it’s their job. That’s how jobs work – you get paid by your employer to do the job and they pay you to do it. Try providing poor service and see how long before you lose your job.
And you also know nothing of my life. I know exactly how hard the job is because I know people who have done it who have outright admitted it was the easiest job they had. Hell, the fact that you are going to school proves that it’s easy. Did you need to go to school to get the job as a waiter?
Hell, I’ve told you flat out I went from being homeless to working crappy jobs to (obviously) going to school, graduating, and getting a REAL job, so I know what difficult truly is, and waiting tables certainly isn’t it. You also claim you’re not playing the victim when you are whining about how little you’d be getting paid if you got what the job actually earns instead of your shameless acceptance of tips. It’s pretty clear you’re an entitled little child who has never had anything truly difficult in your life and the fact that you have to actually earn something for once is “so difficult.”
In reply to What a joke
Exactly
In reply to not A tipper
Excuse me!I don’t think anybody can be a server .
If you have wrong charactor ,maybe you look like construction worker ,too muscular,speaking ungentlely,unclean look,strong body odor etc,etc.
You don’t have to be handsome ,just a friendly face with socializing attitude and a knowledge of knowing how to sale good foods and good drinks.Not to talk about knowing how to create a magic moment for customers .Great server don’t have a problem open a bottle of 500 dollars .
The sale goes to the restaurant ,with that effort he or she gets great tip that sharing with busboys,food runners,and bartenders.
Great servers bring great customers,this is why they can
tell their manager to go take your order.You know what?
Allow me to bring my dishwasher at your table so he can take your order instead!!
And enjoy your co2 on the rock,sir.!!!!
In reply to Baghwad doesn’t deserve 20%
Go wait table for a month is not enough for him.
He should get fired every month from this job again and
again and again unntil he knows how to be a really good server .
In reply to Light walker
Okay, I’ve been mostly leaving you alone because it’s pretty clear you’re mentally handicapped by the things you’ve said and the way you say them.
But here’s the thing – it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been a server, the job is no more difficult than any other job. There is a reason it’s considered unskilled labor – and no matter how much you want to believe otherwise, it definitely is.
You don’t need a degree to be a server. They train monkeys to be servers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeSQ5Rv7eH8
Having long-term experience and being a “professional” server is something to be ashamed of, not be proud of. It means you’re too lazy or simple to do the work to get a real job.
Here’s the simplest proof of the matter – anyone who believes it to be more difficult than other jobs (ANY other job) is free to prove it by quitting their waiting job and getting an “easier” job that pays more than minimum wage.
In reply to That’s a lie
Dug yoir own grave woth the money thing. Haha yeah you can train a monkey to do it, but I bet you still couldn’t handle it. Your manager would pull your ass off the floor in a heartbeat. Lol
In reply to Baghwad doesn’t deserve 20%
You, uhh, you do realize that there are five people commenting at this time, right?
There’s the $Bill person, What a joke, that Light walker kid, you, and myself.
How did you manage to get into school with that lack of deductive reasoning? You keep commenting with the same name, so you could easily assume that everyone else commenting with the same name is their own person…
In reply to What a joke
Haha wow, typed my own name instead of that That’s a lie guy XD
In reply to What a joke
Check your own deductive reasoning. I responded to the correct person, so don’t try to change the subject by attacking my reasoning. Ignorant fuck, go back and break down some of your own arguement and the question your own deductive reasoning. Fucking idiot.
In reply to Baghwad doesn’t deserve 20%
Before you jump on my typos, I apologize, on a shitty phone typing fast.
In reply to Baghwad doesn’t deserve 20%
I mistook your comment about “the money thing” to be a reference to that $Bill guy, so sorry about that, but it’s still a valid point “That’s a lie” made.
Since the issue is ENTIRELY about money (in this case tips) and why servers think they “deserve” them, it makes sense to specifically make that point. Serving is a minimum wage job. If a server believes that their job is more deserving of the money than the person paying the tip simply because it’s “difficult,” then why not prove it?
Hell, you yourself are proving that it’s not difficult compared to other jobs, even if it’s crappy (crappy does not mean hard). You’re going to school to (hopefully) get a better job. You didn’t have to do that to get (and keep) a serving job, so that in-and-of itself is more difficult because it has a requirement.
I just hope you didn’t pick an Art major…
In reply to That’s a lie
And why do have to be too preudice about it?
Too preudice!!!
In reply to Light walker
*Prejudiced against what? I only stated facts.
In reply to Baghwad doesn’t deserve 20%
I don’t care if you are poor, or have to work shitty jobs. Your purpose on earth is to serve rich entitled people.
Stop bitching and run to the bar. I need another 30 yr old bottle of Macallen single malt scotch.
In reply to $Bill
And this is where I rest my case. You can’t argue with people like you, but Karma will be back to bite you in the ass for being such a terrible person. You can stiff your server but you can’t stiff Karma. Karma..there is no escape.
In reply to $Bill
Shut up! You are drinking moonshine,boy!