NuevaVida -> RE: How much do you tip your waitress? (6/9/2010 10:29:29 PM)
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~Fast Reply~ Wow, what a thread. My thoughts: Factors in choosing a restaurant - ambiance, type of food and yumminess of food, service, budget, purpose (grab a quick bite before a movie or a nice evening out with a friend, etc.). I don't go out to eat a lot, namely because I'm on a weight loss plan and dinners out don't factor in very well. However, I will tip about 20% - more for great service, slightly less for mediocre service, much less for really bad service. I spent years waiting tables in my earlier days. I know what a bad day of service is, and I knew when to expect a crappy tip. It came with the territory. I also knew when I gave exceptional service, and my overall tips for the night reflected that. When I worked in a restaurant, I served and I also was their bookkeeper. Orders were computerized and End of Day reports were run to calculate the amount of food and beverage sold, per waiter, per day. A percentage of that was reported to the IRS and payroll taxes were removed from the server's check. Had nothing to do with what anyone personally reported, or credit card slips. It had to do with what each waiter's sales were for the day. At the end of my shift, a portion of my tips went to my busser, my bartender, and the kitchen "expediter" (the guy who put all the garnish on the plates and assembled the plates on the tray to be delivered). I made minimum wage because in this state anyway (California), it is a known fact that wait staff lives off tips. Just like car salesmen live off commission. It is a well known fact that those in the service industry receive tips. I don't find myself going to 5 star restaurants much because it's not in my budget to tip the maitre'de, valet, bartender and food server. I do, however, periodically frequent a few medium end places and I tip them quite well. I'm not really sure what this adds to the conversation, but here you have it. [;)]
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