By Jackie Clews/The Daily
Posted 6:24 p.m., Feb. 7, 2008	E-Mail Article • Print Article • Post Comment

Blake - 02/08/08 7:01pm

And at the same time, please remember that WE are also college students, and don't always have enough money to tip more than 15-20 percent. I went to a nice restaurant with my girlfriend for valentines day a few years ago, and racked up around a 110 dollar bill. I expected this, but only placed enough money in my budget for around a 10 percent tip. An 11 dollar tip for 1 hour of labor seemed nice enough to me, but apparently, the server felt it as an insult. She was quick to tell this to her server friends, loudly, and in front of me. Now she was also of college age, but I would expect those same people to understand that we don't have much money. I shouldn't have to eat at taco bell all the time, as you say, just because I can't tip 30 percent. Sure, on a 10 dollar tip I'm willing to tack on 2-4 dollars, but if I shelled out 100 bucks for a meal, and you got 10-14 dollars for it, be grateful. You just got 14 dollars for an hour of work, and it's likely that I wasn't the only table. Your work is hard, and dealing with people isn't something everyone would take on, but be reasonable. We all have to eat, and when we choose to go out, it's because we want something different than fast food, not because we're attempting to "stiff" the wait staff. Have enough understanding and civility to not get upset by a 10-15 percent tip. And if you spit in someone's food, I hope you, or whoever has done it, gets fired. Congrats on having the job, you get more money than I do an hour, or have ever had an hour. ( I get that OTB isn't a 100 dollar a meal place, but still, lets say 20 bucks for 2 people, 4-5 dollar tip...4 tables, 1 hour, that's still like 16 bucks an hour. Chill out)

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Daniel - 02/09/08 8:41am

Great article, I am glad that customers can read this and maybe get something through their head. Blake, next time you are planning on a valentines day meal, don't forget to include a reasonable tip. Not only do the servers not appreciate it, but I am more than willing to bet that your date is watching to see how much of a tip you leave. I understand you are a college student, so are we. It isn't that hard to save an extra couple dollars. Grow up, learn to be responsible, or do not go out. Go to the grocery store, buy your own food, cook it, and clean up all the mess. That will save you more money than if you tipped the server less. Plus your date might appreciate it even more. (Not to mention that you would be eating something other than fast food.) If you go to a "$100" restaurant as a college student you my friend, are an idiot, or wealthy enough to afford the tip. The servers there undoubtedly do more work than the average joe restaurant and the managers make sure of it. There are reasons all of us do not work at those expensive restaurants. So please, keep in mind that we do not get paid much by our employer to work (about $2.13 an hour) and are usually limited in the number of tables we can have at one time. If you enjoy your meal and the service, tip us well. If you would enjoy us talking with you a bit instead of leaving you and your company alone barring minimal questions, ask us a question other than "How are you?".

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Daniel - 02/09/08 8:58am

I would also like to tack on that we work the holiday's that you normally get off. We would all love to have off for Valentine's Day, but someone has to be there to server your food, take your order, and put up with your b.s., so that's an even better reason for the server to be upset with you Blake.

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Ray - 02/09/08 10:11am

This has to be one of the most boorish columns I've read in the Daily lately. So, her point is basically if you can't afford to pay 15-20% tip, then don't bother wasting their precious time. Let me remind her that, first of all, tipping is VOLUNTARY. Personally I think it's a good practice, and I always leave at least a 15% tip, but please don't threaten to sabotage our food just because you didn't get what YOU thought you were ENTITLED to. Second, it's not the responsibility of the customers to make sure servers like her make decent wages; it's theirs and their employers'. Is it not enough that we patronize your establishment? Why must we subsidize your wages as well? I assume you make at least $10-$15 an hour; if you think that's not enough, then move on to another job that pays what you believe you're worth. You'll quickly find out there are not many jobs out there where students with basically no professional skills make $10-$15 an hour.

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Blake - 02/09/08 11:55am

To respond to the comments, a) I thought I did include a reasonable tip...12 dollars for one hour of work, for one table, that's pretty dang good. b)I am responsible with my money, but I don't always have enough. I live on a set amount of money each month, and I have to go off of that. c) I do cook my own food 90% of the time, it's that 10 percent when I feel the need to actually go out that I do you know...spend money to eat outside of my apartment. d)Calling someone an idiot for going to a nice restaurant once, to do something nice for their significant other, is idiotic in itself. I saved for months to do that, and no, the waitress did not do much outside of what I've seen from good staff at chilis. And once again, 2.13 an hour, PLUS the 5-6 tables (guessing here, but still), gives you a nice salary compared to those of us that have worked as grocery clerks, or at best buy. If this is your attitude from the start, that you're entitled to 16-20 dollars an hour, remind me to never tip again. If you're nice, and to me that is the most important part, I'll tip what I CAN. That's the idea, I'm tipping what I am able to give, on top of the bill. If this is 15%, be happy, if I was a server, and yes I understand it can be very difficult work, which is why no matter the place, if I can tip, I do, I would be happy with the money I got. And no, my date was not watching how much of a tip I had left, we had been dating for 2 years at that point, and actually thought the waitress was a **** for calling me out in the middle of the restaurant.

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Cody - 02/09/08 11:32pm

First, Blake, did you used to work at Best Buy?? Second, I can agree with both arguements here. Yes people should be happy with atleast SOME tip, and yes it is voluntary, but the thing is even if have a 100$ dinner and you leave 10$ for the tip, not all of that 10$ is going to the waiter. They usually have to share that tip with the house of other people like the bus boys, hosts, etc (depending on where you work). So sometimes the 10$ tip that you left maybe only 6$ of it goes to the server. So your 2.33+6 come out to only a few dollars more than minimum wage. Then take into consideration that a waiter has to put of with alot more BS then most other jobs. I personally work at Best Buy and make good money there and have a position dealing with customer BS on a regular basis but I would not even want to work in the restaurant business. My girlfriend is a server at a restaurant and she can tell me real horror stories. Being a server is a hard job, thats if you want to actually make good money, because if you suck people will tip less. I agree with Daniel that if you can afford to go out for a 100$ meal that you should be responsible enough to atleast provide 20%. 20% is the going rate now for a good tip, unless the server sucked hardcore ofcourse.

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stop whining - 02/10/08 6:37pm

I wish the author of this article had not mentioned she was from Plano, it doesn't help our image of being spoiled, rich kids. Face it, waiting tables pulls in far more money than most other jobs of that level. We all put up with crappy customers, so stop acting like you have it so tough.

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Terry - 02/10/08 7:08pm

Don't forget, too, that a server may have to pay taxes on those tips. Not only do tips often go into a pool for bussers and host/hostesses to share, but out of what's left, the student has to declare the tips as income. And if the student makes a certain amount of money, the student/server has to pay taxes. Perhaps a student library worker makes less money, but generally students on an hourly wage are tax exempt unless they make enough to be considered indepedent. That's a low threshhold, and a server reporting tips is more likely to fall in to that category than a library worker, who may in the end actually net more than a server at OTB.

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Robert - 02/10/08 9:19pm

Can someone please explain to me why the restaurant industry is exempt from the minimum wage law? I can't believe they get away with paying their workers only $2-$3 per hour. It seems to me that the servers and everybody else working at a restaurant ought to be paid at least the minimum wage. Like Ray said, it's not fair for us the customers to subsidize their workers. I think the real villains here are the greedy restaurant owners. I say pay these workers at least the minimum wage or post a sign outside the restaurant that says, "20% tip is expected."

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D - 02/11/08 4:59pm

Do your job right and you get your tip like you're supposed to. And dude above me, customers are always paying the server's wage, you're just getting to decide how much to pay instead of it being fixed into the cost of the meal.

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David W - 03/11/08 3:53pm

Please pardon us if we don't kiss your rings for deigning to serve us at the local restauarant. What the peevish, brattish attitude implies in this article is that you are *entitled* to a tip, which is all part of our contemporary entitlement mentality these days. I have no problem whatsoever tipping and tipping well for *excellent* service. I have a *great* problem providing a *tip* to a server who makes it seem like I, as a customer, am a pain in their collegiate lifestyle. If you don't like your $2/hr job, or the expectation of a service attitude that goes with it, maybe *you* should explore a future with Taco Bell. -David W

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Des - 03/14/08 1:17pm

+1 > David's Post! Taco Bell FTW!

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