In case you didn’t know, waitstaff make, as far as I know, less than $3/hour across the board with no benefits. So yeah. This is completely valid.
In the US the rule of thumb is half of the state’s minimum wage.
In FL, a server makes 2 bucks and some an hour.
In NY, a server makes 4 bucks and some an hour.
Also, responding to this with a list of criteria and instances under which you have or would not tip? Don’t do it. Yes yes, I’m sure your server was aggressive/rude/unhelpful or something SO TERRIBLE happened you had no choice not to tip. Shit happens. I stiffed a waitress once because she literally disappeared mid-service. Brought our drinks, brought our apps, then disappeared from the premises. We had to go get the host to come take care of the rest of our order. We tipped him.
Not tipping because there was a problem with your food = unacceptable. That’s up to the kitchen to fix and the server to facilitate the fixing of.
Not tipping because the server is busy/in the weeds = unacceptable. The server does not control who is sat in their section, if they have unruly or noisy children, how many are sat in their section, or when. That’s up to the host stand. I have been screwed by the host stand many a time.
In the US of A, %15 IS NOT STANDARD. %20 IS NOT FOR EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE.
%20 is standard. If you receive exceptional service, tip more.
%15 is for problematic but effective service. Maybe they were slow, maybe they put your order in wrong, maybe they brought you wrong kind of soda and then didn’t offer a refill.
In the US, tips are not a reward. They are PAY. They are the server’s PAYCHECK. The server who is expected to be friendly, competent, fast, anticipate the needs of a bunch of people they’ve never met before, be responsible for knowing if any of those people they’ve never met before have had too much to drink, and subsidize the paychecks of everyone else in the restaurant- bartenders (who get their own tips), busboys, foodrunners, etc.
If you can’t afford to tip, don’t go out to eat. Easy. Done.
And as a bonus exercise, the next time you do, think about what you expect to get paid for your time, or would if your job consisted of manual labor. If you order $10 worth of food and take up a table for an hour, during which time your server continues to check in with you and refill your beverages, and you’re going to leave a two dollar tip, maybe reconsider.
HOLLA BACK!
Everyone has a secret they haven’t shared. Everyone has a past no one’s heard about. Everyone has talents that people don’t notice. Everyone has weaknesses hidden inside. Everyone has a story left untold, so never start judging someone thinking you know them back to front. Because the truth is, you probably don’t.
Beats all the lies you can invent
Surround yourself with people who will inspire and motivate you to be better.
Don’t stick around people who will hold you back.
