re: Did I Undertip the Pizza Man? I Guess Times Have Changed

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That's crap. I am not paying the person at a burger joint for handing me my bag of fries and burger. Do you tip at Wendy's? I paid for the food. The person at the counter hands it to me. I don't tip. That's dumb.

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We’re not talking about a Wendy’s. We’re talking about an establishment with table service, as was described by the person you responded to - who referenced his waitress.

LINK

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As has been pointed out upstream, a lot of what a waiter gets paid for is other people's work. The gratuity is a collective earnings. But you imply that's only when it works in their favor. Shocking.

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None of those other employees are relying on your gratuity for their earnings. The hourly hostess seating you at a table near a bathroom shouldn’t reduce the tip of a server who provided great service. Likewise, as long as the server does everything they can to fix an error made by someone else, they shouldn’t be penalized by you for overcooked or underprepared food, etc.

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Once again, the tip is voluntary. And if they're not going to do a suitable job and they ignore me, they're not getting a tip. Don't like it, make the tip mandatory and I'll go somewhere else.

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Not a single person here has asked you to tip someone who ignores you.

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The only reason you're lost is because you think the worker has no responsibility, that they are a victim of circumstance, which is not true. That's communist tripe. They decide where they work, how they work, etc. Their work ethic will be reflected in their tip. Once they get good at their job, they can go work at nicer restaurants where the tip is required. I can't imagine why anyone who has to work in a real job for a living would be offended by this.

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None of this is an accurate depiction of my stance on the matter, in fact the opposite is true. The harder you work, the more should be paid. The same is certainly true for wait staff. If they work hard, then they should certainly expect to be paid more. Unless they serve you, apparently. The second half of your statement isn’t something that’s been reflected in your attitude towards the topic. “Your work ethic will be reflected in your tip...”

Unless you’re serving me at a “burger joint.” And unless someone completely different sits me at a table I don’t like. And unless... and unless... and unless.

It doesn’t seem to be much about work ethic at all, in fact.

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We’re talking about an establishment with table service.

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I've been to Steak and Shake. I'm not sure dropping your basket of fries on the table constitutes table service.

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None of those other employees are relying on your gratuity for their earnings.

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In no way changes the point. If you get to earn tips through their service, it stands to reason your tip would be affected by their poor service.

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Not a single person here has asked you to tip someone who ignores you.

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Louisiana Lady just did.

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“Your work ethic will be reflected in your tip...”

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I've actually been very clear on the fact that I tip based on service, but don't consider it mandatory. If you're all incensed because I don't tip at Steak and Shake, sorry. Get a better franchise.

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Louisiana Lady just did.

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No I did not. I most certainly did not.

I said that if someone next to you is known to tip very well, and you're a cheapass (which is clear at this point), don't act up in arms if you're not #1 priority.

You're conflating chicken and egg.

You act like a respectful, polite, generous customer.. you get it all. I haven't paid for like 50% of my drinks (depends on where I am) in ages. And that includes with my SO with me so not a gender thing. We are just kind to service people.

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I've been to Steak and Shake. I'm not sure dropping your basket of fries on the table constitutes table service.

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Bringing food to you and refilling your drinks is providing a service you’d otherwise have to do yourself. It’s absolutely not a Wendy’s, which is what you compared it to.

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In no way changes the point. If you get to earn tips through their service, it stands to reason your tip would be affected by their poor service.

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Why on earth would you punish the one person in the equation who relies on the tip for an income, if they did their job exceptionally well? That’s not logical. You’re tipping for the service provided by that waiter. If that waiter didn’t provide (and had no control over) the portion of the experience you’re unhappy about, they shouldn’t be punished for it.

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Louisiana Lady just did.

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There’s a difference in being ignored in the context that you initially mentioned, vs. other guests receiving more attention. That may happen for a variety of reasons, and I’m sure you’d agree that someone who comes in regularly and tips generously is going to receive more attention than an average guest. Being flat out ignored is a completely different matter. If your needs aren’t been met, I’m not going to lecture you about your tipping habits. If your needs are being met and you’re still not tipping - I’d rather be friends with Nanci Pelosi.

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You're the guy no one likes to go to dinner with because you'r always an a-hole to the servers and you never want to split the bill fairly. Cheap motherfricker.

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The guy who offers to pay the whole bill to impress his friends, but tips $10 on a $200 tab, and his friends slip the waiter an extra $20-40 because they’re embarrassed by him.

Let me put it this way.

My 20-somethingth? birthday (I'm old now), we went to dinner and I invited all my friends. One of my friends tipped like 4% and I didn't know it. Apparently the waitress came back and was like "I'm so sorry.. did I do something wrong??". I didn't even notice.

My brother told me later and I was pisssssed. When I confronted my friend, she said "excuse me I gave $3!!!" (her bill was $70).

You do what you want, Squid. But understand people are going to talk shite because you are not being polite or respectful in your ways. If you wanna own that, own it baby. I have plenty friends who don't tip much.. its whatever, I love them. But if you're entering a discussion online, OWN IT. Don't try to blame the staff who are largely completely competent.

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The guy who offers to pay the whole bill to impress his friends,

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I learned in my years in the service industry that even though its a total bitch, separate tickets are the way to go. Better overall %.

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I understand you have reading issues. Try again.

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I've read this whole thread. You're a cheap, condescending a-hole who looks down on waitresses and restaurant staff. Own it.

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My definition of the waitress doing their job exceptionally well is not allowing me to be seated next to the bathroom and making sure my food gets there on time.

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The waiter has a section assigned to them at the beginning of a shift. Part of the issue here and throughout this thread is that you have absolutely no idea how restaurants operate. Most people don’t, but most people also don’t dig their heels in so deeply on a topic they’re so uninformed about.

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There's not. I'm paying them for the service to me. If someone else gets the attention, the other person can pay for their time.

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You’re going to need to explain that to me. How is the service you’re provided in any way impacted by the service they provide someone else? If your needs are met, what metric are you using to determine you’re being slighted?