restaurant/buffet tipping?

[ANVIL]

what are your guys opinions on tipping at food places? generally i tip 10-20% depending on service. sometimes ill leave more or less if service is really bad/good.

a recent time i can think of NOT tipping was at red robins last week. I go there like once a month and always get great service except for this most recent time. went with my gf, son and my sister and her son. first our appettizer came late (with the food) and my sisters, PLAIN cheeseburger came out about 20 min after everyone else's food. shes really specific about her PLAIN cheese burger and it came out with bbq sauce on the bun. so we talked to the server and she said they would make a new one on rush, about 5 min later she comes back out with a new burger. my sister takes it out of wrapper and the bbq sauce is still there! wtf, they just rotated the burger so the bbq side was on the inside of the wrapper! we complained to the manager and got her a new burger free of charge, to go, and also appitizer was free. also had to nag to get refills on our drinks

do u guys tip at buffets?

[stiizy]

I tip at Buffets just the minimum though and at other places depends on service

[Sleepy240]

Buffets absolutely not, not that I can recall going to one in recent memory. However I think the most irriating are the waiters/waitresses who wait for extended periods of time to get refills for beers/sodas etc. Especially when they WALK by your table multiple times! I usually tip 10-15%, bartenders usually towards the higher end especially if its a place you frequent, they remember and service stays good if not gets better. The girls and I favorite bartender tends to give us free drinks simply because we tip her very well.

[Brian]

I tip based on how the server did.

if (s)he sucked, a dollar at the most.

[JeremyR]

buffets get no tip. sizzler type place doesnt either.


my lady and i eat out alot so we pretty much judge the waitressing everywhere.

after being seated did they take long to take our drink/and or appetizer order?

i hate waiting. i came to your restaurant because i was hungry and want to eat, not sit around while you do other things.

bring drinks back promptly. ask if we are ready to order or need more time. if we need more time, it generally means 2 minutes, not 10.

when we do finally order, do NOT try and be a salesmen. this goes for when ordering drinks/appetizers. i'm 22 years old and i rarely drink, and since i drove to your restaurant, im definatly not going to drink. my lady is 20, and although she drinks, you wouldnt give her a drink becusae she's underage ANYWAY. so do not try and sell me your overpriced alcoholic drinks, or appetizers. you are there to take my order, not sell me shit. i feel like a douche when you ask if i want a beer or wine or a mixed drink and all i respond with is "i'll have a coke". do not automatically assume everyone in the world drinks. if i want a godamn beer i'll order a godman beer. if i want those 10 dollar nacho appetizers i would order them too.

anywyas so when i do order, DO NOT tell me i cant have it the way i want it. i can go to burger king and get it my way, same should apply if i want mashed potatoes with my fish, even if its not part of the "dish" you can put that shit on the side and bill me for it and i wont complain at all. i was at this diner in santa cruz. good food but shitty service. the menu says no substitutes when its busy, and i can udnerstand that. but my lady want a veggie omlete with avocado, and the veggie omlete they had listed did not have avocado, so she asked for it. the waitress siad she could not do that, but she can order the "build-your-own-omlete" and get it that way. uhh how about instead of being a bitch, you take the order, and just write it down as a build your own omlete. needless to say, she got a weak tip.

you should not have to ask for a re-fill. ever. you should be on the ball with is. and use it as an exuse to ask if the food is okay. do not ask if the food is okay and not give me a godamn refill. i put the empty glass on the edge of the table for a REASON
hell you should dring the refill no questions asked. when we are done DO NOT take forever to bring the check. you may ask if i want desert, but only once. and do not push the issue if i dont want any.

the mainthing i hate is going out and the waiter is a fucking salesperson for the place they work. stop trying to make your company money, and start trying to make yourself money. if you are trying to hike up the bill cause you think you'll get a bigger tip, dont. becuase you wont get a bigger tip, you will get a smaller tip for being rude and trying to sell me 8 dollar lobsteritas that i dont fucking want.

being a waiter is not a hardjob i dont care what anyone says. there have been times were i get awesome service and i give huge, huge tip. and there are times where i write down ON THE CHECK that the service was shitty and not tip worthy. its kind of like a comment card and i can only hope that whoever is in charge will notice. i dont give a fuck if waiters live off tips. nobody made you become a waiter. if you dont like rude customers find a new job.

[theicecreamdan]

I try to always tip at buffets, sometimes it is easy to forget though.

[Jimmy Up]

I cant tip less than 10% as long as they are not rude...

Usually just double the tax.

Sizzler- I tip

Hometown- I dont...

[CrimsonRockett]

I had a really bad experience at Cocary in Monterey Park.

Usually, I always tip $3-$4 because we get a certain waiter that's really helpful throughout the entire time we're there.

So, my gf and I head over around noon for lunch. It's practically empty besides another family eating a couple tables away.

We walk in. It takes our waitress over 15 minutes to seat us(she was no where to be found).

Once we've sat down, she has to bring our grill and drinks so we can get whatever food we want to cook up out of the fridge. It took her a good 15 minutes to get that as well.

I'm slightly annoyed at this point, but I'm hungry. So, I let it go.

So, we're eating and stuff now. I tend to drink whatever I have pretty fast. So, I needed a refill.

She walked past us several times to help out the family a couple tables away, but any time i'd try to stop her to ask for a drink, she'd give me a hand signal pretty much telling me to wait.

After finishing up the rest of my food without a drink, she walks past us (i'm over the drink at this point) and I ask for the check. She replies "okay, i'll be right back".

We waited another 20 minutes for the check to come so we can get on out of there. The entire service overall was terrible. My gf and I decided not to tip because that shit was ridiculous.

So, I sign the check, she looks at it and sees I didn't put anything in the "tip" section.

She stops us and starts giving us shit over it. Making a scene because we didn't tip her. "That's the American way!"

I'm pissed off at this point because I didn't even get to enjoy my lunch. I responded "You want your tip...? Here."

I grabbed the check back, but a big fat O on it with a line going through it, and told her to get the hell out of my face.

We haven't gone back since. Now, we just drive to the Cocary in City of Industry. It's a good 25 minutes away, but it beats having to deal with that bitch again.

Point of my story is, I only tip when I see it fit.

Give us crappy service, no tip.

Give us satisfactory service, decent tip.

Give us great service, great tip and we come back often.

[drftwerks]

you really need to be a server, before you answer or complain about servers, it will be an eye opening experience for you.

it ill make you have more respect for the profession.

bryon

[SochBAT]

Tip based on service.

Went to a denny's, mehh food, but i always dug the service i got from the local one near my place. Waited 30 minutes to get our orders in, another 30 for our food. Didn't get our drinks until a few minutes after that. Me and my sis up and left and told the manager whats up. We were in a rush, the place was not busy at all (5 people there MAX) and he was pissed. SHitCity.

[atom]

I always tip at buffets, at least the good ones. I figure most of the time at decent buffets the waiters are actually doing more work since they are bussing more dishes for you than a regular restaurant.

For other restaurants it depends on the service. If I get really shitty service I don't have a problem leaving no tip. But usually it's 5-10% for sub-standard service and 15-20% for good service. I think the highest tip my friends and I have left for a waiter was like 60% (she gave us free appetizers and a free bottle of wine though).

[Sleepy240]

Originally Posted by drftwerks

you really need to be a server, before you answer or complain about servers, it will be an eye opening experience for you.

it ill make you have more respect for the profession.

bryon

This is probably one of the dumbest statements I have ever heard...
When I was 17 I had a waiter job and it was probably one of the easiest jobs I have ever had in my life, and let me tell you thats why they get paid like shit. The job is what you make of it. The better you treat the customers the better they treat you, ITS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER SERVICE INDUSTRY.

Back to the OP, I feel obligated to always leave SOMETHING, granted it might not be alot. Otherwise I just feel like a real dick, maybe thats just me though.

[theicecreamdan]

Originally Posted by xdarkrune

Blah blah blah, I'm SO FUCKING IMPORTANT.

wow, you sound like a major douchebag. You're right, its not a hard job. But come on, you put the time and effort in to drive to a restaurant, maybe you should relax and chill out instead of trying to be in a race to get out of there.

And its their job to mention specials and make suggestions, get used to it. Making your company money is how you keep your job.

[theronin]

Originally Posted by drftwerks

you really need to be a server, before you answer or complain about servers, it will be an eye opening experience for you.

it ill make you have more respect for the profession.

bryon

exactly, until you have done the job you cannot possibly know what its like. ive been waiting tables a long time, im an exceptional server, when people leave me like a buck, its like a slap in my face. ive given tips back to people before. and almost gotten fired for it.

[palmdale_mob]

Originally Posted by xdarkrune

you should not have to ask for a re-fill. ever. you should be on the ball with is. .

I feel you on this
I hate finishing my drink then you see them walking past your table
Then you have to stop them and ask
I am already paying $3-4 dollars for the damn drink and I want my moneys worth

[atom]

Originally Posted by theicecreamdan

wow, you sound like a major douchebag.

LOL. I was gonna say something too but decided not to.

[Brian]

I served before.
Always got good tips.
DO a little extra for them, they'll give a little extra for you.

[theicecreamdan]

Originally Posted by atom

LOL. I was gonna say something too but decided not to.

There's no rep anymore, its safe to call people out.

The refill thing really chaps my ass too. Most of the time I drink water, and its a pain in the ass to get refills because he waiters thing they get less of a tip from a water drinker such as myself.

Also when I'm drinking something alcoholic and its empty, and they never ask me if I want another. Back when I was earning tips, keeping the alcohol topped off is where the money is at.

[Sleepy240]

Originally Posted by Brian

I served before.
Always got good tips.
DO a little extra for them, they'll give a little extra for you.

Exactly, I don't quite understand why people can't figure that out! Nobody is asking the waiter/waitress to DO anything but THEIR FREAKING JOB. Do it well and earn well. /done

[C. Senor]

some one real close to me is a server. she kind of fills me in on stuff about serving. but she recognizes when service is good or bad. has helped me judge servers thus far. as long as the service was decent, i tip 15%. if it was exquisite then more, and if was real crappy then less. i usually have a pretty good experience with servers. i think the worst service i ever got was at a hooters. they seriously took like 30 minutes to bring my wings and almost the same amount of time to bring my beer. it's hooters both those are on tap. the service was ridiculous. manager was talked to that time. i hate doing that because the server gets in trouble. only because i'm a porter/detailer, and i get in trouble when one drip of water shows on a car and the customer complains. i hate that crap.

but since i usually go to either olive garden or to the mission inn in riverside, which is a fairly nice place, the service is always good. fill the drinks up without waiting for me to say something, change drinks if i find out they had something i didnt think they have, bring the food, and ask like twice if everything is ok. shouldn't ask more than twice, then it gets annoying. tip as much as 25%.

and no i dont tip at a buffet. although i've been to one, i didnt.

[woodchuck]

for me, tipping varies depending on the restaurant. i usually don't tip at a buffet since the only thing the server does is clear your table. regular restaurants i tip 15% -25% if the service is good. instant 25% tip if the waitress is hot.

i really hate places that add gratuity to the bill when you have a huge party. one time i was in a party of 10 and the serviced sucked. we had to complain to the manager and he just gave us 15% off the bill....a tip should be earned and not automatic because your party was greater than 7 persons.

[drftwerks]

Originally Posted by Sleepy240

This is probably one of the dumbest statements I have ever heard...
When I was 17 I had a waiter job and it was probably one of the easiest jobs I have ever had in my life, and let me tell you thats why they get paid like shit. The job is what you make of it. The better you treat the customers the better they treat you, ITS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER SERVICE INDUSTRY.

Back to the OP, I feel obligated to always leave SOMETHING, granted it might not be alot. Otherwise I just feel like a real dick, maybe thats just me though.

if your a shitty server in a small not busy place in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, then sure.

if you work hard and people dont appreciate that then, it has makes a diff to you.

and every customer is subject to profiling, and sometimes people surprise you, but most of the time you initial though can be right on the money. its all the first impression.

the worst is when people come in from the start with a bad attitude or the attitude that "its not a hard job, or how hard can it be"

just think of how you act as the server first greets you, that makes the biggest difference in the world.

[DUFFM4N]

i usually double the tax and then round up if the service was good
if the service was bad....$1-2

the last time i went to a buffet was last year in vegas...The Rio...think it was like $30/person (i didnt tip)..hell i didnt even pay my way to go in

[mrmephistopheles]

We generally tip 15% if the service is good, 20 if it is excellent, and as little as $.50 if it is poor.


It is important to discriminate between the service of the wait staff and the service of the kitchen. Most places, the tips ONLY go to the wait staff, so if your order is wrong you shouldn't blame your waiter/waitress (unless it NEVER comes out right). Now if the server is absent-minded, lazy, or inattentive, you're absolutely within your right to withhold a typical tip.

We've had great servers and we've had very poor servers. One year during March madness, we made the mistake of eating at a Bennigan's. We got our food in a somewhat reasonable time, but when we needed refills on our drinks, the wait staff (ALL OF THEM) were nowhere to be found. Turns out they were on the patio watching basketball. We ended up having our entrees comped and a free dessert. (or maybe the whole meal was free). The manager was livid with them.

Another time at a Hard Rock Cafe, it took 15 minutes to be seated (nobody waiting), another 15 for our server to come out, 30 after that for our appetizers. Now all things considered, this isn't too bad I guess - save for the fact that it took another 45 min. to get our entrees. So, 1:45 after we arrived, we finally had our entrees. It took another 45 min to get our check, at which point we asked for the manager. It's one thing for service to be slow, but dinosaur slow for no apparent reason (the restaurant was maybe at 1/3rd capacity) is ridiculous. We got that meal comped and the manager gave us vouchers for another dinner for two. Luckily the next time we went, things were WAYYYY better.

[SochBAT]

You know a tip isn't required, right?

Its something that we, the customer, give you EXTRA.

If your service was exceptionally well, we'll tell you "Hey, good job. Thanks for the service." TIP. If your shit is whack, thats it.

Did you know in a vast majority of asian cultures it's rude to tip? Not slap in the face rude, more like spit in the face, shit on the table rude.

[JeremyR]

Originally Posted by theicecreamdan

wow, you sound like a major douchebag. You're right, its not a hard job. But come on, you put the time and effort in to drive to a restaurant, maybe you should relax and chill out instead of trying to be in a race to get out of there.

And its their job to mention specials and make suggestions, get used to it. Making your company money is how you keep your job.

you're right
i am a major douchebag.
yeah i put in the time and effort, so should the staff.
im not in a race to get in and out, and no where did i say i was. if i was in a hurry i would of gotten fast food.
but in the same sense i do not want my service to be slow.
the service should be fast and prompt. if i choose to eat quick and leave than i will. if i choose to take my time and chill for a while, i will.

hell places like chilis advertise quick lunches and shit.


i know its there job to mention specials an try and sell shit. i used to sell tires so i know all about that shit. but when i want to "relax and chill" like you say, i dont want to feel like i'm being sold something. i want a nice enviroment with prompt service friendly polite staff who do not pressure you on what you order. if i had a rough day at work and i want to unwind by going out to eat at a sit down joint, i dont want people telling me what i should order.

fighting on the internet is retarded so im not gonna talk shit back to you.
i expect a certain level of service when i go out to eat. and it is 80% of the time great. there are always the select few that put me in a shitty mood, and thats who im commenting about.

[theronin]

Originally Posted by Soooshi

You know a tip isn't required, right?

Its something that we, the customer, give you EXTRA.

you do realize that we as waiters get taxed 8% whether u tip or not. if a tip was really jsut extra than we shouldnt get taxed on them. but the govt assumes we are getting tipped and they tax us for it. just some food for thought. shit, if waiters didnt get taxed on their tips, serving jobs would be some of the best jobs.... ever.

[SochBAT]

why do you even account for your tips? I never clocked my shit in.

[mrflip69]

Originally Posted by CrimsonRockett

So, I sign the check, she looks at it and sees I didn't put anything in the "tip" section.

Always put a zero if you aren't going to leave tip. Waiters can easily tip themselves if given the chance.

Originally Posted by theicecreamdan

The refill thing really chaps my ass too. Most of the time I drink water, and its a pain in the ass to get refills because he waiters thing they get less of a tip from a water drinker such as myself.

Water drinkers! Yes... hahaha--you can almost feel the service change when all you order to drink is water LOL!

Originally Posted by xdarkrune

yeah i put in the time and effort, so should the staff.
im not in a race to get in and out, and no where did i say i was. if i was in a hurry i would of gotten fast food.
but in the same sense i do not want my service to be slow.
the service should be fast and prompt. if i choose to eat quick and leave than i will. if i choose to take my time and chill for a while, i will.

You actually don't come off as much as a douche in that reply.

I agree, customers really shouldn't have to wait for service if the waiter/waitress is on the ball.

See an empty cup? Fill it up! Why wait for me to ask?

Food is finished? Couldn't hurt to offer the check if we look bored and ready to get out.

Most of my experience with servers has been good, but then again I'm easy to please. When a server is working their ass off, it's pretty damn obvious, and hopefully they get rewarded for it.

[bunnathp]

bad service = no tip. unless youre extremely generous.
when i go to asian restaurants, they tend to always have bad service and that is why i dont tip them. they just take your order and bring your food. they will never come and ask how you are doing and if everythings fine with the food. you have to bug them for things.
L2customerservice.