No. I've encountered plenty of sub-par service before. I notice it, but I doesn't bother me or otherwise affect my enjoyment of my experience. It takes a LOT for me to not tip someone, and that has only happened a handful of times in my life. Um, ok. I have every right to suggest and want the people serving me to be paid a wage they can live on. Deal with it.
You sound like an idiot. If you don't want to be waited on in a restaurant (which includes answering questions about the menu, taking orders, resetting the table after each course and consistently checking to see you if you need anything with your meal) keep your dumbass at home or at the most, pick up the food to go.
For the ones that have worked in the industry (I haven't) and is telling us that the work is hard and getting tips is a means to an end...if that's the case then why are there waiters/waitresses that don't take their job serious enough to warrant a tip? And by seriousness, I mean actually providing good customer service as they are expected to do? If the restaurant's expectation is for me to tip/pay the waiters/waitresses, then is it unreasonable for me, the consumer, to expect good customer service? I've worked retail on commission before when I was young and it's almost the same principle: if you provide great customer service, you bring home a fatter paycheck. If you want to halfass at your job and just do things just to get by, then you go home with a less-than-desirable paycheck. Should restaurants pay their staff at least minimum wage? Probably but that wouldn't stop certain people (NOT ALL) from halfassing at their job being a waiter/waitress. It would actually condone that behavior because they wouldn't have to work as hard. Simple rules: Greet your customer. Make sure you get their order right. Make sure the drinks are refilled. Make sure you check on your customer at least once. Do all that and that's an automatic tip for most (I'd say 80%) customers. The "Being a waiter is hard, try being in my shoes one day" schtick is old. If you want to run three infusion cancer centers in my shoes for one day, then by all means I'll let you. Every job has its difficulties: it's whether or not you're doing enough to warrant your paycheck.
this. and by the way, I'm a great tipper, but enough of the pity party for waitstaff. They take the job knowing full well what it entails.
Then don't tip? I'm pretty sure there's other customers they'll put the xtra effort into and get tips from them.
I try to tip 20% every time...even for average service. Sometimes I begrudgingly tip (maybe 10-15%) for mediocre service. But there have been enough experiences where I can comfortably walk out not giving a dime in tips because the service was pathetic because these "hardworking" waiters weren't, well, working hard for their money.
And I do just that. Sure it's very RARE that I get atrocious service to the point where I don't tip but that's a right, as a customer, I have and I shouldn't be criticized for it because the waiters depend on the tips for a living. I'm not a hard to please customer either if that's what you're alluding to. As long as my drink is refilled and my food comes out correct and in a reasonable timeframe, I'm content.
I don't go out as much but the one thing I miss the least are bartenders. At least, the ones that make weak drinks and/or the ones that make you wait a long time while they serve the people around you. Those are the ones I would leave a bigger tip than usual to make them feel like crap and than find another bartender.
If the waiter wasn't working hard and wasn't giving good service, then by all means don't leaves good tip. Just don't group all waiters together. Just like if someone has your same job and is poor at it, I can't clump you together as being poor at it, if you're actually a good worker.
Waiters are paid $2.14 an hour to WAIT tables... and typically PAY 4% of whatever your bill is to the restaurant... so NO waiters are NOT paid to wait tables, they actually end up PAYING to wait tables. I waited tables in HS and some in college, it is a lot harder to do well, than you think.
Okay.... to prepare to have ****ty service when ever you go into a restaurant where the employees are making minimum wage. Waiting tables, especially at nicer restaurants requires more knowledge and leg work than many other jobs.
This is exactly why tipping will always exist in nicer American restaurants. I cannot fathom a waiter making $7 an hour waiting on me at a restaurant where my tab $300+. Part of the appeal is having someone that is clean, that knows the menu and and wine list, that is fairly well spoken and will get my food to me efficiently and in proper sequence. It is well worth it to me, to drop $100-150 when I am spending more for my food. No one should feel sorry for the wait staff at a restaurant, however people should be aware that it is not an easy job to be good at. If someone does their job appropriately, they deserve to be tipped appropriately... if someone does an especially good job, the tip should increase accordingly.
