Waiters are understandably upset about why I don’t tip and have given many illogical reasons in support of this ridiculous practice. Here’s a rebuttal of the most common ones.
Bullshit 1: We only Pay for the Food. Service is Extra
The menu price doesn’t include just the cost of preparing the food and paying the chef. It includes the restaurant setting, the tables, the cutlery, the effort and investment that the restaurant owner has put into the dining area. Now guess what? Since I’m paying for it, the restaurant has to give it to me. And how do they accomplish this?
Waiters. Ding ding!
See without waiters, the restaurant has no way of delivering the dining experience to me that I’m paying for. I’m paying for sitting down in a nice place. I’m paying for the air conditioning. I’m paying for the nice tablecloth and for my food to be delivered to me in a reasonable time. The menu price covers all this. Waiters are just the restaurant’s way of bringing me my food. Of fulfilling their part of the contractual obligation.
Bottom line. Servers are not independent contractors. They’re not an “extra” that you have to pay for. By hook or crook, the restaurant needs to deliver the product. Whether they use waiters or conveyor belts (a term that many seem to object to), is not my business. I don’t care. The waiters can just melt into the background and let me enjoy my food in peace. If the menu includes free refills or whatever, then waiters are required to deliver that as well. Why? Because…wait for it….I paid for it!
Bullshit 2: It’s the custom. It’s ‘merica!
Yeah right. You do realize that not all customs are created equal don’t you? Slavery was a “custom” back in the day and so was race and sexual discrimination. Anyone with an ounce of integrity does what they feel is right. There are many harmless customs in the world like bowing instead of shaking hands, or using chopsticks instead of forks etc that are morally neutral. It really makes no difference if you follow them or not.
But tipping? Hell no! It’s not morally neutral. If you get better service because you’re a good tipper, then you’re essentially paying a bribe to servers to get them to do their job properly next time. All customs have a limit. And tipping is such a convenient custom isn’t it? Hell, I wish I had a custom in place for people to just throw money at me.
And just in case someone feels I don’t appreciate the US, there are many great things about this country that I love and I’ve blogged about repeatedly. Freedom of expression, the way Americans show respect to their armed forces, the politeness of people as you walk by on the road, the work culture, the individuality.
I just don’t like tipping. It’s not as if a person has to blindly accept everything in a country without judgment. There are good things. And there are bad things. Just like everywhere else.
Bullshit 3: The cost of food will increase dramatically
Someone needs to do basic math. Increasing the price of food to pay minimum wage to waiters will not double the price of food. Some have even gone so far to claim that it’ll increase 4-5 times. Ridiculous. Totally, utterly ridiculous. Let’s dissect this rubbish.
As an example, I’ll take Chili’s. A waitress at Chili’s was so kind as to comment saying that the price of food at her restaurant will increase by 3 times – $30 for a $10 burger. Using the statistics she herself gave in her comment, there are 12 waiters (at full capacity) who need to be paid minimum wage. That’s $5 extra per hour per waiter making it a net total of $60 per hour that has to be added to the price of food on a full day.
$60/hr? For 12 waiters. That’s it! It’s peanuts. If you assume even that each waiter is serving just four tables. That’s $5 an hour extra they have to make from four tables. Even if we say that each table sits for a massive two hours, the extra paid per table is way less than $5. On the total bill. Worst, worst case scenario.
You know what? Customers won’t even notice. So stop the garbage about the prices of food going up several times to pay minimum wage. It’s utter nonsense. The only reason waiters don’t want this system in place is because they earn a hell of a lot more than than minimum wage using our tips. And they come across as the victims.
Waiters are Struggling Mothers/Students
Look, it’s not as if I don’t have sympathy for those who struggle in life. I just don’t think it’s my problem. And I specially don’t like it being impinged upon me. Generosity is one thing. Having money demanded from you is something totally else. Any tip I give is out of the generosity of my heart and I expect some gratitude for helping those in need. It’s not something I have to do since…refer to Myth 1.
Bottom line: Socially mandated tipping is a scam. I can’t believe how intelligent people have been hoodwinked into it. Probably because they like to come across as “nice” people and feel sorry for servers who hover around looking expectantly. Well, I find that irritating and I won’t buy into it.
I didn’t take the time to read through every comment, but here goes.
You can choose to be a dick and not tip, in a tip based system. That’s ok. But seriously, tip your waiter/tress.
And you can choose to tip regardless if there is a tip based system or not.
But in the end, if they work the waiters salary into the food prices, or just charge every customer a set fee then you wouldn’t expect to tip. Everyone wins then. So quit your talking, and either keep the tip based system and actually tip every time, or change it so you have to pay anyways.
Hey there, you disgusting, foul odor, diarrhea spewing, Hindu cow worshiping, retarded accent sounding rude ass Indian piece of shit – you’re an immigrant to my country, so how about following our customs? If you don’t like it, go back to your open sewer, trash filled, corrupt excuse for a nation and stay there. I hate your disgusting kind with a passion. You’re people are an infection. And I’m sick of hearing your goofy ass accents every time I call tech support. Troll Calcutta dipshit, Americans hate your kind.
In reply to American
You’re retarded and that’s probably because you’re American. You can’t even use the right contractions for your and you’re. Waiters are being paid in the price of your fucking $15 burger. Unless they go above and beyond what their actual job description says they need to do, then they don’t DESERVE a tip. Does a salesman demand a tip for selling to you? Don’t be ridiculous you fat piece of shit.
In reply to American
What a shame that you used so many vulgar and foul terms to justify your need to get free money from people who are already paying for what they are consuming! I ‘am an American (born and bread) who has served in five war/conflict zones with our military and civilian service. I did my job for you above and beyond the call of duty. I did not rush back to your house house and wag my head asking “Is everything OK?”, hoping that you might dig in your pocket for some spare change! There simply was not time or practicality in that. Anyone who has ever served you and done that job in proper fashion deserved a “TIP” from you so, you better get on it and start paying the mail person, the checkout clerk, the police, the fire department , the military and every other person who makes very basic salary/wage doing something for yes, “YOU”! You have only brought shame on America with your post. If you want to get real then let’s here back from you!
And this my friends is why I charge an 18% gratuity fee to EVERY Indian couple / party that walks through my doors. On top of this I dont listen to their special requests, I dont pay them any attention, and I dont tell them anything interesting about the place they are visiting. They get substandard service because I know its what they want, and what they are willing to pay for! Because my restaurant is high end we rarely have foreigners come in and when we do we slap an 18% gratuity charge on them… Why because this is fucking America and we can!
So, Congrats Dipshit! You are not only making everyone think your cheap, but consequently your entire race. I have met Indians that tip well, but Ive also seen a solar eclipse that turns day into night. Both happen with the same frequency.
P.S. We get down on one knee and talk to you like our friend because we want you to be comfortable dining at our establishment. Not because Im trying to work you over for another 5%… Do you think anyone is like well that waiter got down on one knee so I should give him extra… NO… let me tell you NOONE thinks like that. We act like your friend because most of us in the service industry genuinely like to talk to people and share our restaurants culture. But your too busy getting into a rage shitfit because Im acting like you actually matter to me… Another reason to treat all Indians like shit when they come in… Its what they want! :)
Again Congrats on making your whole race look like inferior cheap ass hats.
In reply to Matthew
Guess what. We do not care about your attention, we do not care about telling us anything interesting about the place. Just bring the food and shut the fuck up and leave. If you want more money, get education but you do not have the iq.
In reply to Michael
These non tippers cant afford nice restaurants, of course who needs a server at the Olive Garden. oh, you thought Olive Garden was a nice restaurant? Lol
In reply to Matthew
Matthew, have you read your post two or three times back to yourself? Man, whatzup? You don’t speak for most Americans and I can tell you this straight up! I’m American 100%! I have shed my blood, had my bones broken and laid my brothers and sistersin the ground after they had given all that they had for you and your family. You see, I served you and your country as a military man. I have had my home, my reputation and my dreams destroyed by “MY FELLOW AMERICANS” who stole money in my name intended for humanitarian purposes. I severed 23 plus years and many days were full of pain and anguish. There were NO TIPS and I did not ask for any!
You have the chance to get another type of job because you are “AMERICAN”! Stop hating and focus your efforts on being that “Great American” that you are boasting about.
In reply to Matthew
18% “gratuity” charge? If you did that to me, I’ll be actively telling people AGAINST your “establishment” for dishonest pricing. Fucking America, hell yeah!
People come to restaurants for FOOD. If they want to chit-chat, they bring friends. If in any situation I would tip, then it is TO SHUT UP and STOP INTERRUPTING our conversation every 2 minutes.
If you are charging $10 for a meal and expect 20% tip, how hard is it to make the price $12, damn it?!
In reply to Carl
Maybe they would not interrupt every two minutes if you and your jack hole friends didn’t keep pounding down those unlimited refill cokes or need another stupid question asked if what you want to eat is ok with your allergy. If you don’t want to be interrupted then make the meal for your friends at home and host yourself.
Oh wait that’s why you came to a restaurant, to be waited (hosted) upon. What does a host do – make sure everyone has food, make sure they have drinks, and TALK TO PEOPLE!
I will agree with you on gratuity. %18 for someone to serve a table of 8 or more rather then 4 don’t really understand the logic. Same amount of work…. WAIT NO ITS NOT! If for nothing else all the times I have to go back and refill your water is enough for me to want to charge you more.
And to wrap it up and I am so tired of telling people this is how it works because no one takes the time to learn the facts because they are lazy. The government sets up the system of how servers get paid. Even if they raise it to $12 you will still be expected to tip and your server will make the same amount as when it cost $10.
In reply to Carl
As a server that makes over 120k a year I find this entire article completely fucking hilarious. I am basically on par with the pay for a nuclear scientist with an eight year degree. I never graduated high school and my college time was spent studying the student body at a local city college on the California coast. I sell on average about $4,000 dollars a night of food and drink, I average out at a 27.5% tip ratio over a monthly period. After taxes, holidays, and my month long hiatus wherever the hell I want to go, I typically make over 120k / year. I also have dedicated bussers, food runners, and bartenders that treat me like a mini god because I tip them twice what the other workers do. Whatever I need, whenever I need it. I could literally talk to my tables all night long not run a single drink, a single meal, a single napkin, and still walk with over $700 (that is after I tip out, I usually pull $1000 before tip out.) Am I the average…hell no…I am the rogue server, the ringer, the renegade, the hulk when it comes to crushing tables and I make almost twice what some of the other servers do at my restaurant. Why? Am I great waiter? No not really, I typically forget drink refills (if I even get them) and could care less if your upset with our choice of sugars or liquors or bread available. Am I a chick with big tits…sadly no…Im a white guy with some muscles and some slick facial hair. So why do I make so much goddamn money more than twice the national average. Because I may be the most charming motherfucker you’ve ever met. My pay tells me so. My tables tell me so, and well my girlfriend she already knows. I get at least one 40 or 50% tip a night. Average check at my place is a few hundred dollars. How am I so charming? Well it all comes down to one thing personality, personality, personality. I am the server they have always wanted but never knew about. I’ve got it and everyone wants a piece of it. I’ve been offered at least thirty different job positions from CEOS, and I have turned down every one. Why? Because fuck that! Wear a suit and listen to dicks all day. Ive got my gang to run your food while I barley lift a finger. The most Ill do is shale these guys down for some stock tips but most of them are useless douche nozzles. Waiting tables is the best gravy train I have ever had the pleasure of taking an extended nap on! Thank god chumps like you come in and pay me. Oh and to everyone hating…please…my restaurant doesnt need you, I dont need you, no one needs you. You can be as pissed off as you want at us, we like it when we make you mad because the reality is if you had enough money and class to dine at my restaurant you wouldnt be caught dead leaving a less than 15% tip even if I threw up on your wife’s lap (which has happened before…I can do it on que…they left a 30% tip because they felt so bad…on a $3,500 tab nonetheless…) If your upset about this custom go fuck yourself and move somewhere else. If not Welcome to America, you want our quality of life, you want our good jobs, you want our culture hodgepodge of everything that is fucking cool and hip with the world then deal with it. If not go back to whatever backwater shit hole you crawled out of oh and take this $5 with you your going to need it.
I am appalled at this article and I am appalled at the racist responses. Arrogant moronic douchebags with God complexes come in every color, size, sex, religion, guys. Get it together. Let’s just focus on the fact that this guy is a complete asshole to people in the service industry and not on his race/religion. You guys are making yourselves look twice as ignorant and crazy.
In reply to Sara H.
The author trully is an asshole. To arrogant and greedy companies who do not pay their employees.
You clearly don’t realize that arbitrarily adding a gratuity to people’s bill just because they look foreign to you is SUPER illegal. So your claim that “this is America and we can” is just patently false. You can’t treat people differently in a professional/business setting just because they are a different race or ethnicity. That is what the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act are all about, so you’re the one who looks like the “dipshit.”
I work in an establishment where, if tipping were abolished or greatly reduced, I would not be able to work. Therefore, this particular company is getting an employee that is worth nearly double what they are paying, and that is all because of gratuities from good-natured patrons. If you decide to take advantage of the extra service and quality of a restaurant, coffee shop, taxi-cab… without giving a little extra, that speaks to your character. And furthermore, writing an article in an attempt to defend your actions speaks more about your character than anything in the article itself.
In reply to Joe Tipper
I served 23 plus years in your country’s service and my employer paid me well below the min wage every hour that I spent responding to armed conflicts, natural disasters and scheduled alerts. I hope that you will send me your address so that I can maintain contact with you as I’am sure that you want to TIP me for my service! I was never late but often early to serve you. I never quit when I was wounded or sick but I kept my resolve even when my wife and friends rejected me for my patriotism and my dedication to your security and freedom. I have served you and now ask that you honor you own request that those of “US” in the service sector be tipped for doing our jobs!
In reply to Pazorec
I thought we tipped our veterans with tax free everything?
In reply to Pazorec
Dude, get off your high horse. You are one of hundreds of thousands that served. To say you got paid below minimum wage is a joke! If you weren’t a complete dirtbag, after 23 years of service you were at least an E8. You are bringing home a very nice retirement check (at 45ish?) not to mention any VA disability.
Tipping is part of the cost of going out to eat. If you don’t want to accept it, go clog up the lines at the commissary like all the other retirees and cook your discount groceries your damn self.
Source: 8 year veteran and current DoD civilian employee.
In reply to Joe Tipper
You need $50. But you charge $40. And whoever does not pay extra $10 is a douche. Why the hell not charge $50 in the first place?!
Paying extra when it is not needed does speak volumes about ones character. Such as not throwing away money. Do you pay $200 when the bill is $178 at Walmart too???
In reply to Carl
Is anyone aware that by letting restaurants not pay their workers minimum, we are allowing for AND HAVE indentured workers in America. Do you realize that this is the system that is allowing Americans to actually own other people? It is the greedy and deceitful restaurant workers who complain about not getting tips so they can make plenty of extra cash who aggravate me. They are just encouraging the tipping process, and only for their own gain – and will try to fool you into thinking they have it rough (but make $10-$15/h). Encouraging this process of unfair working wages so they can cheat the system and make more money. Try to ask one of the workers at those creepy-extremely cheap Chinese restaurants you go to about their salary, and terms. Why do you think we have these laws which allow us to not pay workers minimum wage? Many of them are owned and forced to harsh working terms (not only including their restaurant service) for years until they are able to buy their way into a free life. American Slaves. Still have those.
Seriously, all the conflict in this world and you all go to town on each other over tipping. Son of a bitch. Humans will never co-exist with fucking heathens like you people.
Quit hating. Quit fighting. Quit worrying about one person’s opinion. I personally don’t agree with his opinion either, but you know what? He only convinced me of why tipping is proper. I don’t have to reply and call him every racist and derogatory name I can think of to validate that.
I know this is hard to believe, but his opinion doesn’t invalidate yours at all. If he wrote this post, your hate and belligerence isn’t going to sway him, it’ll only make him steadfast in his resolve. You can reply with your counter, but try being a little more civil.
In reply to Really?
While I understand what you are saying, I think you need to understand no change ever happens unless there is a voice! Doesn’t matter how small it may seem the only way things change is from people speaking out.
Sure there are bigger things going on in the world, yet at the same time you did come to this post and read it and the comments of others. For people that make their living as a server this is a big deal. For them this is a serious issue and this is how they survive. To use a example in this post – there is a mother out there that is a waiter. There is a student out there that is a waiter. If they don’t get paid properly look at the repercussions it has later on down the line. That mother doesn’t pay rent on time or goes hungry so she can feed her child. Or that student that is working super hard can’t afford text books or extra schooling. Its all about perspective. They may be small in our world but to a single individual that could be all they have.
If none of what I just said makes sense or hit home with you then I urge you to stop reading posts like this and use your energy on “REAL PROBLEMS” like: LNT, Gender equality, and gay rights.
LNT will take up enough of your time by itself and its a rather minor issue in comparison to the other two.
You forgot to mention that a waiters job is to clean up the big shit streaks assholes like you leave laying around their restaurants. So not only no tip, but you left a big ol’ shit stain that will forever be identified as yours.
In reply to anon
Might be a good point to mention to your manager when asking for a raise?
It doesn’t matter to me whether or not you tip me. But it does to your friends, coworkers and other Indians who live in America and embrace the culture. This isn’t a race thing really but it is a culture and social norm lesson. The fact of the matter is, other Indians and your friends who live in this country care that you tip and show respect to our customs and social norms as you would if we were in your country.
So often I’ve seen your friends and co-workers look at you (the cheap guy, not necessarily the Indian) with pity and shame and often tip me under the table after you spew your rhetoric and leave. In fact, I LOVE guys like you in fact because your friends always come back and tip me a good 25% or more when your not looking. White people tend even tip HIGHER because they think you’re sending all your money home to Indian and can’t afford it. (Okay so that’s a bit racist of them but they still do). So they feel a need to cover for you. “Poor guy, must have a big family to take care of back home.”
Your inability to adjust to social norm is not my problem nor your friends but by not tipping you in fact hurt your own culture and ethic group far more than you hurt my income. Don’t tip. I will not spit in your food, I’ll be professional and you will still get good service from me… But maybe a little slower service next time you come in.
In reply to Not the custom
“But maybe a little slower service next time you come in.”
So essentially a tip for you is a bribe. The fact that your employer is knowingly not paying you enough to survive is not a custom. Or, it is a custom like slavery used to be.
It just happens that this “custom” helps you make tax-free dollars.
In reply to Carl
Get it through your THICK skull, they are NOT TAX FREE DOLLARS!
In reply to Carl
Also, just like you can CHOOSE to not tip, they can CHOOSE to not work to their full potential. Sucks for you, you get what you pay for.
I have never read a more ignorant set of posts in my entire life. I read your first post on the subject and was just going to post on that one then I read this and was even more disgusted and blown away by how uneducated you are on this subject.
First off you, NO YOU ARE NOT JUST PAYING FOR THE FOOD! If you were just paying for the food then why are you not at home making it yourself? You decided to come out and have people provide a service for you. That goes from being seated (Host), drinks and food order (Server), Cooking your food (Cooks), and having your mess cleaned up after you (busser). If you want to talk about where your money goes when you pay for just the food there is another million places it goes. Restaurants make very little food profit. Most profits come from that diet coke or vodka soda you drink every time you come in.
SO NO ITS NOT A CUSTOM!
SECOND AND THE ONE YOU NEED TO LEARN THE MOST. We don’t make a paycheck! Servers in almost every state get paid well under minimum wage. In the state of Colorado we get paid $4 a hour. Want to know how this magical number came into existence? There is a system set up that decides what the average person should be tipping, what the normal tip %’s look like, and how restaurants are doing. Then they take that information and try to calculate what we would make and put tax numbers into it and they get this $4 a hour. This amount of money by the way is just enough for taxes so every cent you give us is the only income we are making.
AND WHERE DO YOU GET OFF trying to compare this to slavery!? You say you are kind and have sympathy for people. Yet for some reason leaving $3-$5 extra for your lunch that you were to lazy or unskilled to go home and cook yourself is such a big deal. $3 is not a lot of money but to your server it makes a huge difference.
I strongly encourage you to reply to me. I would love to take the time to ram every actual fact about the food industry down your mouth.
Until then STOP GOING OUT TO EAT AND LEARN TO COOK YOURSELF YOU SELF CENTERED SNOB! Since money is such a big deal to you. Its cheaper and you can learn a bit about how much work goes into your food. Plus you wont have to pay for anyone to polish and clean all that silverware and cooking supplies.
In reply to Brian
Everything you just said was precisely what I was thinking. I’m a server, and a good chunk of my nightly tips goes to the busser, host, kitchen staff. At some jobs I also had to pay a service charge if I was tipped on a credit card. That money doesn’t just go to me; it gets calculated by my food sales, and disbursed to my colleagues. If someone dines and dashes, I pay for that meal. If everyone thought like this asshole, I would literally pay others for their hard work out of my own pocket too. Same goes for any mistake I make in the computer. It can be very lucrative, and also very soul crushing.
Before I worked in the industry, I used to be like him. Not a down right no tipper, but an under tipper. I was cheap, and didn’t understand the importance of understanding how much effort it DOES take to remember that rogue water refill when you are in the weeds, and the expo is rammed. It takes a lot of effort to memorize extensive menus; learning every ingredient in all the dishes, cocktail recipes, random beer information, plus vegan and gluten free options, India Pale Ales etc. I do have an education, and being a server requires a very well rounded personality. Especially in the economy we live in, really? There are people belittling someone for wanting to make ends meet by doing the best job they can find right now? Now I want to tip everyone, the barista at Starbuck’s, the lady who cleans the fitting rooms at the gym. It’s acknowledging that they do their job well.
It has nothing to do with race. Anybody can be cheap.
In reply to Tessa
If you don’t tip you will get shitty service because that’s what you deserve. You aren’t promised to get your food at a decent time or refills when you’d like them or even a server who doesn’t treat you like shit. You pay for your food. You pay that you will get your food. Not how, not when, not pleasantly. That is what costs extra. So if you don’t tip and you have a really bad time and get your food 45 minutes after you order then you deserve it and have no reason to complain.
In reply to Lauren
No. If you don’t tip, you get a regular service. If you tip, you get AMAZING service.
Your employer not paying you? Well, you decide who is a dummy here – employee or an employer.
All business pay their own employees, yet restaurant and few others don’t. And customers are being the bad guys for not throwing extra money at them. Really?
In reply to Carl
And what exactly is “AMAZING” service to you? Because you just seem like an unpleasant jerk who will never be pleased and since you won’t tip you will ALWAYS find a reason your service wasn’t AMAZING! You want amazing? Do it yourself!
In reply to Brian
Again, a customer is a snob!! Hey, your f-ing employer is not paying you. The restaurant you work for is the bad guy! $3 is not a big deal and is not the point. But if your company issues a bill that says $23, why do you expect people to pay $30?! Or $35? The more the better, right? If the bills says $35 (include the damn tip in the bill!), I have no problem paying $35.
People at Walmart are busting their asses off too, you know. You are a self centered snob for not leaving $10-20 to a cashier every time you shop there!
Stop portraying people not tipping as douches as in reality YOUR RESTAURANT IS A CHEAP BASTARD NOT PAYING THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES!
In reply to Carl
You uneducated fool! Haha…haha…ha
I am going to spell this out for you in a way that a small child will get it since you did not understand the first time.
Your $30 meal is $30 instead of $35 because there are laws that make it that way. Pure and simple there is is. I already tried to explain to that there is a government system in place that determines how much serves get paid based on percentages and all that stuff but I guess you decided not to read that part of my post. Also you do realize that by putting tip into the price of food as you suggest you just put auto gratuity in your bill. So enjoy the automatic %20 tip you just gave your server. THATS WHY THEY DONT DO IT!
As far as your Walmart argument you almost made me have to go to the hospital because I couldn’t stop laughing or my brain shut down and shrank because of that comment.
I think out of the 5 times I have been to a Walmart I might recall one employe looking like they enjoyed life even a little, know the answer to what I needed to find, then point (very rude to point) in the direction I needed to go then walked away not offering any more help. That is now why I shop at target but back to what I was saying. They also get benefits and get paid higher then minimum wage, not much but they do.
And to finish lets talk about my brain stopping and getting smaller. If a Walmart casually walking, pointing, punching numbers into a computer then it telling them exactly how much to give back, stepping up two ladder rungs to put back the volleyball someone didn’t want, is considered busting there ass then you need to go do some hard labor to learn what that is.
Please feel free to rebuttal. This is like arguing if reading is good for you or not. I am going to win. Why you ask? Because i use facts.
In reply to Carl
You realize Carl that you make absolutely NO SENSE WHATSOEVER right? You say you have absolutely no problem paying the extra money but you want it to be in the bill. WTF matters if it’s put on a piece of paper or not?? If you really had no problem with it you would just pay it, stop lying out your ass!