The Etiquette of Tipping from a Former Waitress
1.) Was the waitress friendly? By friendly, I don't mean was she doing standup all night entertaining your party, I mean was she polite and courteous? Some people get the impression that a server's job is easy and that they have all night to stand at your table entertaining you, that is not the case. A server is just that, a server. She is there to serve you food and make your meal enjoyable. If entertainment is what you are looking for, go to a movie afterwards.
2.) Was the waitress prompt? Did she check up on you after you've cut into your steak? Did she keep your glasses full? Did she clear your dirty plates in a timely matter?
Those are really the main two things to consider. It's all about the service. One thing to keep in mind is that a waitress is a human being and they get bad days like everyone else. Personally, when I had bad days, it was because of the customers. I always left my personal life at home. Some customers are really rude and when you deal with rude customers all day, they tend to get to you. You will find that if you treat your server with the same respect she shows you, it makes everyone's experience a more pleasant one. Here are some tips for bettering a waitresses day:
1.) If you call her over saying you are ready to order, be ready! Don't wait until she gets there to finish up your conversation and then try to decide what you want to order. Remember, waitresses have a million things to do and watching you tell your ridiculous jokes to your friends isn't one of them.
2.) Treat her like a human being. I've had people that would look me up and down, making me feel like dog meat just because of my job. It would lead to bad service because I would try to avoid that table if all necessary. Who wants to deal with that? They sure wouldn't and I shouldn't have to. You can keep your dollar and I'll keep my pride.
3.) If you plan on leaving a decent tip, personally hand the tip to her instead of leaving it on the table. I felt very flattered when my customers did this, it made me feel that I gave great service and I was respected enough for them to make sure I got the tip. Also, we remember faces this way, so this guarantees excellent service for you the next time you dine with us.
4.) If you dine with a large party of 10 or more, plan on leaving at least $1 per person. I don't think that's too much to ask.
5.) If you dine with a large party and you drink your soda in one gulp while I'm still taking orders, don't expect me to stop taking orders just to go get you a refill. Show some respect for me and your party.
6.) If you like to sit in restuarants to only drink coffee, try to limit your time to an hour. We used to have this group of about 8 guys that would come in every single night after work just to drink coffee, smoke cigarettes and shoot the breeze. They would sit for at least 2-3 hours and drink pots and pots of coffee only to leave 25 cents a person. They took up my time and my tables.
7.) Don't take up a table for more than 2 hours, especially if you plan on leaving a crummy tip and there are people waiting to be seated at the door. A restauant is not a hangout. It is our place of employment and we cannot make money if you are taking up our tables for this long. The main way to learn how to tip and how to show respect to your server is to become one. The old saying "You can't really understand another person's experience until you've walked a mile in their shoes" couldn't be any closer to the truth.
Published by Nicole Scott
I am 31 years old. I am married with three children. I currently work full time from home. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with family, writing and selling on ebay. View profile
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11 Comments
Post a CommentBeing polite to your waiter or waitress will hopefully mean better service. I would be nice to the waiter or waitress and tip them well if they are courteous in return.
Im a waitress, and theres nothing more i hate is when my customers think i can read minds! if you need me please flag me down! it's not my responsibilty to watch your every move, god forbid you don't have something in 2 seconds. I have other chores to do at my place of employment such as making salads, desserts, cleaning, restocking, checking credit cards out etc.
Also, to any non waiters/waitresses, please, if you know what you want to order put the menu down in front of you, this is how i know to go over and take your order. Numerous times people keep holding their menus as if they are still looking. It throws me off, so don't do it.
As a customer, Dont refill my drink especially if its coffee when only a swallow or two been drank. If coffee, dont refill, ask first. I dont like fresh hot coffee into half cold coffee. Get the customer a fresh cup or wait til they finish their current cup.
Dont come over before I had a chance to taste the food and ask if everything is ok. Give me a chance to try the food.
If I feel you provided poor service you wont get much for a tip. If you provide fair service then 10 percent but if you provide excellent service then I have no problem going over 20 percent. I have given 15 dollars on a 35 dollar dining bill.
When I return dont hover over me all night and expect to get a good tip. Im in there with others that I want to be with or talk to. If im by myself, im there to eat not to socialize with the wait staff. Just as you dont want my life story, I dont want yours either.
Its not my job to know if you had a bad day, have a headache or whatever. Its still your job to over
I just wrote a similiar article about how to tip appropriately. I'm a waitress now and people are just awful sometimes. 10%? Not enough, esp when you've got me running everywhere. Thanks for the article!
This is great. I just had an article published that is the top 5 reasons why you should tip your waitress 20%. Check it out
i wait on tables for living and its the best job ive had and nope i didnt make a stupid life decision i%27ve had many great jobs but the one that has payed me the most has been being a waitress i used to be a manager to a this buzy restaurant and i saw them waitress making more money then i was as a manager I changed from manager to waiting on tables so if your a great waiter or waitress youo can make it a living at it just like i am and never had i had money problems therefor i have money everyday dont have to wait for paycheck every week or 2 weeks i make more money in a day then a person getting 15 dollars or so an hour %21So chris dont make fun of people having a job as a waiter sometimes it simply pays more then any other job because some people like you also tip 20%25 or more thankyou
Waiting tables for a living means you have either no priories, made stupid life decisions, or are uneducated. I tip +20% because I've done my fair share of waiting tables...but I certainly didn't try to make a living at it. Quit your whining and get me my steak.
Totally agree with nicole. i wait tables for a living. there is so much responsibility in waiting tables. People like to be frugal and tip 10% or even less sometimes which is just a slap in the face when i provide the best quality service i can. i think we need to educate fellow americans about tipping properly, and make them realize that we work EXTREMLEY HARD just for them. if your reading this and your a non or 10% tipper, why dont you tip? even if you tip 10% you might as well not even be tipping!! I dont come acrss bad service to often anymore. People say they cant afford it, if you cant, then dont come to our restaurants stuff your faces, run our asses off, and leave nothing. it is as simple as that. next time your in any resaurant, pay attention to the service. Find out what bad service and good service means!!! -julie
true! Because waitresses have a lot more to do when the restaurant is closed! Sometimes it takes hours to re stock everything, mop the floors, add up their tickets, then tip out the cook, the bus boy and sometimes the hostess.
She couldn't have written that better!