I have always wondered when dining in the type of place (like Dennys etc) where you pay the bill at the till on the way out rather that paning the server, what is the best method of giving a tip? Do you leave it at the till when payning the bill, leave it on the table or hand it to the server in person.
I have done both - if paying by card and have no cash I would add it to the bill at the till and if I have enough cash will leave it at the table.
Even if you pay on the way out, they will know from the receipt who the server was, so the server will still get the tip.
Strangely enough I was in a Cracker Barrel today and asked the waitress if they got the tips from credit card payments. She thanked me for asking and said they got their tips at the end of their shifts, most restaurant expect you to wait until pay day. Obviously no tax paid on these tips!
As I paid the amount in the Cracker Barrel shop the assistant said that 'Christine' would get her tips at the end of her shift - it was a canny coinicidence that I had just raised the subject.
Clare R
My daughter, Charlotte, works in Macaroni Grill on the 192. Any tips they get (even cash left on the table) they enter in to the computer. They get to keep their tips from cash and card payments at the end of each day (minus some for tip share that goes to the hosts, bussers and chefs). When they get paid each month for hours worked, income tax is deducted for the tips also. Tips make up the main part of her income, so the tax usually wipes out most of her monthly wage check.
Originally Posted by Clare R
That's very useful information Roger, thanks.
May I ask just what is seen as an appropriate level of tip? I'm usually in the 15-20% range in restaurants but I never really know if I'm over or under tipping.
Me too and I am never sure. My wife thinks I over tip but I am always in the 15 - 20% area. I like to tip because it's the way thing are over there and I think you should respect the way of life wherever you are on holiday. However there are some servers who go out of the way to be pleasant and some who just do their job adequately and then there are those that just don't bother to be pleasant.
If someone has been good I want them to know they were appreciated and that's where my question over where to tip comes in. If i tip at the till then the server is not aware of it until I have left and probably will not remember people at the end of her shift, If I tip the server direct then the person on the till is not aware of it and I have had some bad looks and the odd question something like "was the service OK for you sir".
I have to say that some of the most attentive service I have had has been in places like Bob Evans and Perkins and the more up market I go the service seems less personal.
A 15% tip is the right amount for good service. If the service is outstanding then 18 - 20% is appreciated. The staff know that some people leave tips at the table, and some at the check-out or on the card, so no need to feel that the staff are assuming you have not left a tip just because they don't see you leave it. A good tip, when deserved, is always appreciated. Charlotte always comes back with stories about her great customers that left a nice tip, as well as nice customers who were very happy with everything, but left no tip.
The wage for servers is around $4 per hours so very low. Without the tips, it would not be worth going to work by the time you pay gas money and car running costs.
Where Charlotte gets upset is when she has worked really hard and would normally earn a good tip, but the kitchen mess up and perhaps the food is a bit cool, or someone gets the wrong dish due to kitchen staff making an error. She is then the one that gets no tip from the customer.
Visitors from the USA (either local or from other states) are generally the best tippers, followed by Canadians and Brazilians. English are some of the worst tippers, probably because it is not such a big thing in the UK. However the English complain about problems less than the Americans.
Over here, waiting can be a career (rather than just an evening job for a student). Good staff can earn way more than an average salary based on the tips, and with experience can move on to more expensive restaurants and therefore earn more. Top staff in high-end restaurants (that do a good job) can make a very nice living.
I think in this day and age it is appalling the Government encourages/allows businesses to carry on like this. They are allowed to assume that something like 25% of the hourly rate (even minimum wag) will be made up of tips and tax accordingly. Of course if the place isn't busy or the chef is lousy, those who have still worked an 8 hour shift etc. but not have customers to serve or they have not left tips because of food, will have that deducted from their wages automatically.
Babblin Boo
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