wages

That's a tough tough question that's made more difficult due to the recent economic events. Ball park? I'm sure some bartenders can still pull in a couple hundred a night in the off season but others might only make 50. Those are absolute ball park numbers, so no one please jump on me one way or the other. Best of luck to you.

My wife's friend worked at the Green house for many years, another @ Tickles,& another @ Love Shack.
ALL agree a certain segment of locals don`t tip, are bossy & rude (I`ll leave it up to you to figure out what segment this is).
Those that have been around awhile don`t work on "local band " nights & call in sick or whatever.
So,if it were me, I`d find a hot spot that doesn`t cater to those certain locals!
Some say supper bowl & such nights really bring in the bucks!

tips are always at the discretion of the customer, last i heard.

I don't agree with the discretion of the customer thing. I waited tables when I was young. The state I worked in only paid $2.13 an hour. So if someone didn't tip it really hurt. If the waiter does their job WELL, is pleasant, keeps your drink refilled, etc..they should get their 15% tip. I don't think you should go out to eat if you can not afford to tip. These people live on tips, its just cruel to stiff them.

The waiter is not responsible for how your food tastes or looks or when it comes out, BUT they are responsible for being attentive to you and trying to correct all problems that arise. If your steak comes out MW and you ordered it M, they should take it back right away and get you a new one. The manager should discount your bill but you should not stiff the waiter, they are not responsible for the cook.

I waited tables for about 5 years and I have to agree their was definitely a segment of the pop that rarely tipped. And a table full of women, that wanted seperate bills was often the kiss of death. I always tip extra when I'm out with girlfriends now. 🙂

I`m told in Europe, waiters & bartenders are payed well & get insulted if an American tips them.
Gratuities for the above I`m told is a American idea.

The workers are underpaid with the concept that most of their income is derived from tips!
In fact, if you look at your tax from 1040if you PAY taxes, you would notice line one is income from wages,TIPS & salaries!
The Government knows MOST income from these professions comes from TIPS!

Back in 1992, my wife tells me Green houses base pay was $3/hr.!!! Could YOU live on that?????

Now we have all had $15/hr. government employees chups their teeth when one of us disturbed them from doing her nails.
Point is that example is paid to have a pulse, while the other has to EARN their pay!
I think if your waitress or bartender chups his/her teeth at you when you approach or order from them, then I would agree a tip would be optional (I`d leave a penny).

regardless of how i feel, tips are always at the discretion of the customer.

Davis,

It's also anyones option to be evil. Thats obvious.

Not tipping when you receive average, good or excellent service is wrong. Most people do the right thing and tip.

I always tip and it always bugs me because my tip for lousy service isn't all that different from my tip for great service (15% v. 20% just isn't that much of a difference), especially since great service is what I'm supposed to get every time. I think restaurants should pay wages for which they can find employees willing to work without tips. I tend to think those who choose jobs that rely on tips do so either because they make more than they would in a straight hourly wage job (especially when they under report their tips to the tax man) or because they can't get a job that pays a living wage.

I prefer tipping vs. servers making a living wage. Obviously, if the restaurant has to pay more, the cost will get passed on in the price of the meal, and if the server knows they are making money anyway, there is no incentive for excellent service. Yes, they could get fired, but that's not likely.

My husband is a 20%, plus tipper for bad, indifferent, good or excellent service. I have been trying for years to get him to adjust that to less for bad and more for good! I worked for tips for years, and I keep telling him I find it to be a personal insult that he tips well for really lousy service. I encourage him to tip REALLY well for great service. He is getting better (or tired of listening to me).

I prefer tipping vs. servers making a living wage. Obviously, if the restaurant has to pay more, the cost will get passed on in the price of the meal, and if the server knows they are making money anyway, there is no incentive for excellent service. Yes, they could get fired, but that's not likely.

juanita, that is why i object to gratuities being automatically added onto tabs, except for larger parties. there is then no incentive to work harder. whether i tip is up to me, and for lousy service i leave no tip. it is not required, and that it what should always be on the mind of the staff member who is taking care of me.

It is so very important to tip based on service(not the food as Betty said,not the waiter/waitress fault).
Yes,it IS about incentive(as Juanita indicated), tip poorly for poor service, well for good service, & beyond for extraordenary service!

I once had a waitress at Ihop, who didn`t serve us for 45 minutes (we always tip15-20% there as the service was good-great).
I noticed although, we were seated in her section(the people in front, behind & one side got served).
When we approched the manager, we were informed the waitress didn`t like to serve certain groups(being PC),i asked then why were we seated here?
She said the hostess is new & doesn`t know the floor staff.

We got moved,served within 5 minutes & got free coffee(big deal),but very good service for the rest of our meal(& tipped accordingly).

Anyway, I spoke with the first waitress,& informed her she could learn alot from the Taxi guys,they know who tips!

In the end,IHOP went out of business as the owners said poor service & WAPA put them out of business(my guess,in that order).

I worked my way through college and grad school on managing restaurants. I also made the $2.13 per hour, and depended on tips. As such, I do thing that tipping is important, however shitty service is just that. Often, now, I will pull someone aside (wait staff) and explain that although I am going to leave a tip....I really feel it is not warranted. I explain things like someone having a bad night is not my problem, being rude or inattentive is just not acceptable. That is the reason I do tip, to reward someone for making an evening all that much better.

Through years of supervising large staffs, I always found some people to make excellent money, while others, who complained incessantly about the customers made very little. Given the common pool of people, the variable was the service. In that vein, I try whenever I have the energy to do so, how to make better tips, and that tips are not a guarantee. They are a reflection of the service provided.

If people think they are being singled out of everyone else and screwed.......they probably are. Perhaps another field would be good.

Sorry if this sounds blundt, but I grew up the hard way. Just trying to make it easier on others,

Dan

Dan,
A couple of years ago, we had dinner at a restaurant over on the southeast side of STX. We told the waiter we were not leaving as big a tip as we might have because we were not happy with the service, and we told him why. As we were leaving, the owner of the restaurant came running out into the parking lot yelling at us "Are you the people who were mean to my brother?"

This is JUST my opinion, and certainly does not apply to all, but I do believe there are a hugh number of restaurant employees, managers and yes, even owners who simply don't care. They get to bitch and moan that you didn't leave enough tip, and then it's on to the next victim. These are the people who believe tips should be included. They make a living on quantity, not quality.

And when you make a couple hundred in tips you will be robbed at your doorstep, like the young lady a week ago Friday stepping out of her ride home at 2 a.m. The thieves came up the road after they passed by followed the vehicle she was in. When she got out of the car they took all her tip money $200.

Davis,

It's also anyones option to be evil. Thats obvious.

Not tipping when you receive average, good or excellent service is wrong. Most people do the right thing and tip.

it's not necessary to cast aspersions on the characters of those who do not choose to live as we do.

When someone's doing something wrong I think it is. Waiters have to pay taxes on their overall gross sales. The federal govt is assuming waiters will make a certain amount of tips based on those gross sales. If someone gives you average, good or excellent service and you do not tip, that waiter is paying for a portion of your meal on top of waiting on you! How in the world is that not evil/wrong whatever you want to call it?

Actually you get taxed on the 2.13 per hr (or base pay) & only on the tips REPORTED.........notice I say reported!!
Rule of thumb is 15-20% tip to the server if you feel the service was good. Tipping is not a given, it is up to the discretion of the guest.
It's the servers responsibility to give the best service regardless of the circumstances. Also be honest with the guest, if things are backing up, tell them. It's a hard job & I applaud those who do it & do it well, for I've been in there! With that said, I also tip poorly for poor service & not affraid to tell them why 😉

I agree it is reported. However if you don't report the 10% to 15% of your gross sales you are Definitely opening yourself up to be audited. Stateside this is usually a automatic report that waiters have to enter everynight at the end of their shift. With most tickets being on paper here and not computer I'm not sure if this is done honestly or how they do it at all.

When someone's doing something wrong I think it is. If someone gives you average, good or excellent service and you do not tip, that waiter is paying for a portion of your meal on top of waiting on you! How in the world is that not evil/wrong whatever you want to call it?

we'll have to agree to disagree on this one, because every job has its pitfalls. if people choose not to tip, they are not bad people. it is at their discretion to tip. tipping is not a requirement of dining out, except when it is automatically added to the bill.

2 jobs about 80 hours a week,i live on tips,my choice

I Think a sign should be posted on the door of a restaurant that would say " Be Kind to the Help Customers I can always get". Oh yes there is a requirement to tip in our society. The amount of compensation paid to a server is a joint venture between the owner and the customer, it's been that way for a long time. So the etiquette of tipping becomes the norm. Some people are so full of themselves they may not understand this concept.

it is not customary to tip with all people. tipping is a practice but not a requirement of dining out. it is considered good etiquette to tip for good service, but it has never been required of anyone.

It is not customary to tip with all people. ROTFLMAO!

It is also considered to be very bad etiquette to not tip. I would not want to know anyone who didn't. I've been in situations with new people who didn't tip and when I was young I would pretend not to noitce and go back and tip for them. Now I call them on it. Its absolutely absurd in this day and age to think you should not tip when you go out. I'm sorry but I cannot agree to disagree, I do find this evil and absolutely wrong.

Just tell me what possible reason you could have to go out to dinner, received good service and not tip??? I'm really interested in what a person with a conscience would say. You keep trying to dance around the subject but what you are saying is horrible.

Tipping is not a practice in the US, it is a requirement. We all know these people usually make less then minimum wage because they are suppose to receive tips for good service. Not tipping to me is NO better then dining and dashing when you receive good service.