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Waiter Gets Frustrated When Customers Tip Him Only $3.28, Doesn’t Expect This Surprise The Next Day
Rokas Laurinavičius BoredPanda staff
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First impressions can be very hard to change, but these teenagers did everything they could. Celebrating their homecoming, a group of 13-year-olds went to a restaurant. Due to their young minds, however, they didn’t reward their waiter with an appropriate tip. “Nothing more frustrating than when I get little to nothing for a tip and the customer is smiling and thanking me profusely as they exit,” he said. His attitude towards the guys changed drastically the following day.
“I’ve been serving a long time,” the waiter said. “Nothing like this has ever happened to me, or anyone [I know].” Scroll down to check out what made him to change his mind, restoring his faith in people and parenting!
RELATED:
Waiter’s job is hard, especially if you’re doing the job well and customers don’t reward you with an appropriate tip
Image credits: Ken Eckert
This happened to one waiter who spent an evening making sure a group of teens was fully satisfied to find they left him just $3.28
Image credits: getupstudio
Next day, however, he received this letter:
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Here’s what he had to say to the teens:
People also congratulated the teens on quick thinking
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Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.
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Author, BoredPanda staff
Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.
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What do you think ?
Agata Kucharska 6 years ago
I know that in the US giving a tip is a standard, but I still do not understand why. Waiters are doing their jobs and they are paid for it by the employer. Shouldn't that be enough. In Denmark for example, leaving a tip can be offensive to the waiter and the restaurant owner. As if you were suggesting that they are not paying their employees rightfully for the job that they are doing.
Amina Hays 6 years ago
I've also wondered why tipping is mandatory in the states. Don't they get minimum wage? If not, isn't that illegal? I really have no idea.
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Dave Roger 6 years ago
Servers don't even get minimum wage in most states. They are generally paid between $2-3 per hour plus tips.
Barbara Watson 6 years ago
minimum wage for servers can be as low as $2.00/hour. Shameful and wrong.
H4unt3dF0r3sts 6 years ago
They don't get paid enough for their hard work. It's such a shame too, because I've met a lot of amazing servers. Some of them have even become my mother's friends!
Olivia Kuczynski 6 years ago
Tipping is not mandatory in the United States; however, it is customary, as servers do not receive minimum wage. Tipping is proper for good food/service. 15-20% of the bill is standard for the most part.
Kiss Army Premium 6 years ago
I don't understand hpw they get away with it but a lot of places in the US are allowed to pay just over $2 an hour to staff that receive tips as part of their "wages". If the tips they make do not add up to minimum wage then the employer is supposed to make up the difference. However, they continually get away with paying substandard wages because tipping is expected to make up for their short paying their staff while they pad their pockets. I agree that it should be illegal and I'm not sure why it isn't.
Josh Weaver 6 years ago
In the US, tips are the majority of the waiters wage. They do not get minimum wage (not even close). Tips are considered an incentive for good service and are not mandatory. The worst service I've ever received was in France but also in other European countries where tipping is not expected. I'm OK with tipping here and so are most waiters. Restaurants that have tried to do away with tipping by paying higher base wages have all returned to the tipping structure because good waiters do not stay long and they can't keep the front of house staffed. The good waiters soon find they can make far more at other restaurants.
Crazy Horse 6 years ago
No, they don't get minimum wage. The tips are a big part of their income. I know this because my brother was a waiter once.
John L 6 years ago
Amina, when I was in graduate school, my late wife was a veteran waitress. And she made very good money, because she was organized and had a great personality. There are tricks to the trade, and the best waiters/waitresses rise to the top and eventually wind up working in the very best restaurants where they do exceptional well.
Susan Surdow 6 years ago
Even minimum wage in the US is too low to afford housing in almost all cities. For example, Minimum wage is now up to $11 hr as of January 1st 2018. However, rent for a studio apartment in the Greater NY area starts at @$800 and goes up from there. Minimum wage is not a livable wage. Servers have it much worse. They make $2-3 per hour and have to share a percent of their tips with bar and kitchen staff.
Wilma Dague 6 years ago
Most servers in the United State are supposed to make minimum wage via tips. If they do good, and if they don't too bad. Servers are paid as little as 2.00 and hour here.
Luis Torres 6 years ago
There are some restaurants that keep waitresses past dining hours for the same tip wage instead of minimum wage. Since they make enough tips to cover for those hours, the restaurant doesn't have to pay them back and they basically stay for almost free.
Death Metal Kitty 6 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_vivC7c_1k Is it true, could be, but it was a quick and fast primer as to how the tipping custom came about.
Cassie 6 years ago
Dave Roger is correct. Because tips are expected, it is believed that waiters can make a lot of money on tips, so employers are permitted to pay them a base pay that is well under half minimum wage. Some people are really good and can make more than minimum wage from tips. Personally, I'd rather wash dishes for minimum wage and know what I'm getting paid than risk not getting enough tips (especially since I am clumsy and forgetful and that makes for a terrible waitress).
Mascha Claessens 6 years ago
$2/hour?! Holy s**t, that's just... so close to being slavery. :/ No wonder tipping is that important. Why, just why, do federal minimal wages not apply to servers?! Here everyone has the same minimum wage (€9,11/hour).
Karol CH 6 years ago
its a part of their culture. Guests think - it is a job like any other, but if you were a waiter/ess you know it is a hard job, sometimes mean and unsatisfied guests, poor wages. everyone likes to go to the same places, for example for holidays, appreciate that someone here wanted to come and serve - otherwise your favorite place may be closed next year - easy - empathy is the keyword :)
Laura Pantazis 6 years ago
The minimum wage for waitresses is lower to account for tips. The waitress and restaurant must keep tally of how much tips the waitress receives. If at the end of the week, the waitress does not make the Federal minimum wage after adding up the tips and the hourly rate she received, then the restaurant must pay her the difference. All waitresses are entitled to at least the Federal minimum wage rate after tips and hourly rate are accounted for. (Now, I have heard online from some waitresses that some restaurants don't do this. However, they would be violated the Federal labor law if they do no provide at least minimum wage after hourly rate and tips).
Steve Hall 6 years ago
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We are talking now about NON-US folk NOT starving, because of US policy...
George Robertson 6 years ago
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No you blithering IDIOT waiters do NOT get minimum wage. THEY GET 2.13 p/ hour DINGBAT. Yes, it IS legal and been common for 100 years. On top of making only 2.13 per hour they have to tip 1-3% of sales to bu$ers who clean your tables, hostesses who seat you and bartenders who make their customers drink. Get woke and stop asking stupid a*s questions lije this.
Pungent Sauce 6 years ago
In my US state the waitstaff wage is $2.33/hr. Tips are “figured in” at $202 for 40hrs making for $7.38/hr, $0.08/hr more than the Federal Minimun Wage. PLEASE tip your waitstaff if you come visit us, they work harder and put up with more BS than you will ever know. Thanks!
Ben Smith 6 years ago
Dave, bro, you're right: we don't agree and that doesn't make you a troll. Your constant screaming and childish name calling makes you a troll. Ok, bro? Now, I won't be looking at this again so if you want to respond, feel free, but I won't see it. Oh and, bro, I forget you exist when I leave this website. Later, bro.
Dave Roger 6 years ago
Alex, Daniel stated he does not tip. His position may be fine, but his actions are abhorrent and only punish the server.
Dave Roger 6 years ago
Hi Ben, Just a lil FYI: Just because we don't agree on anything doesn't make me a troll, k kiddo? Also, I'm not your f*****g bro. And another thing: using obscenities doesn't mean I'm angry or unpleasant. I just like to swear. Now calm down and stop letting me get to you so much.
Dave Roger 6 years ago
Daniel, Hi.... You're a F*****G A*****E. Sincerely, NEVER ever go out to eat you selfish f*****g prick.All you're doing is f*****g a hard working person over by not tipping them.
Daniel (ShadowDrakken) 6 years ago
No, don't tip the wait staff, boycott any business that doesn't pay their wait staff a living wage. Stop relying on tips in the first place. Also, it's illegal for the business to guess at your tips, you're supposed to be logging and reporting them correctly and your company is supposed to be paying you the difference to ACTUALLY get you to minimum wage if the tips aren't.
Perry Swift 6 years ago
Waiting staff in the US are paid next-to-nothing and rely on tips. It's not like in parts of Europe, where being a waiter is actually quite a good job.
Sansa Blacktyde 6 years ago
My understanding is that wait staff in the US are not paid a decent wage and it is expected that they make up wages in the form of tips. I believe 20% is the usual for good service.
Jan-Eric Pietralla 6 years ago
20%? WTH? In Europe, that would be showing off and probably be considered arrogant by most waiters...
Kristel 6 years ago
Daniel, I just read this: "I'm a server in Mississippi.... I make $2.13 an hour. By the time taxes come out, I'm LUCKY if i get check for $100 every two weeks.... And that's for 80 hours worth of work.". And you think tipping 20% is insane? Become a waiter for a year and then comment again! Do your research before you comment! I am not even from the US and I found out about this in under a minute!
Aahzmandus Pervect 6 years ago
@Daniel And your going to get the businesses to pay their staff minimum wages or more by not tipping? Get real, man. You're not helping, you're not fighting the good cause, you're simply being an a**hole.
Daniel (ShadowDrakken) 6 years ago
20% is insane, even in the US. They've simply become greedy at this point. Growing up it was 15% for exceptional service, and 10% for good service. Honestly, I've stopped tipping altogether for multiple reasons. 1) Tipping is a horrid habit based in slavery and classism. 2) businesses are required by law to pay wait staff minimum wage IF their tips do not bring them up to minimum wage (if their tips do reach minimum wage though, then the company only has to pay them something like 1/3 of a normal wage) 3) Businesses should be paying their employees correctly to begin with, not making them beg for scraps. Roll the difference in the wages into the costs of running the business and charge for the food accordingly.
Daniel (ShadowDrakken) 6 years ago
Laury M.: So first off; Minimum wage for wait stuff starts below the federal minimum wage, wait staff are supposed to report their tips to their business. If the combined of their wage and the tips does not add up to federal minimum wage, the company is legally supposed to fill the gap and bring that combined total up to minimum wage. That's the LAW. However, many companies don't do this, they skirt around it by not informing their wait staff, or in the case of many mom and pop businesses not even realizing it themselves. Secondly; my argument is that we need to start paying our wait staff correctly in the first place and do away with tipping. LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD. Tipping has its roots in slavery and classism. It was a way of showing off wealth. It's been shown time and time again that it doesn't improve performance, and can often make it worse. Kristal: I have done my research. I've actually commented on some of it. All you've done is b***h.
SnoopyCereal 6 years ago
It all started during prohibition, when the restaurant business was doing awful because there was no booze. Before that time, waiters were bribed, but denied it because it was illegal and offensive. Then when prohibition started the restaurant owners encouraged them to take the bribes because they couldn't pay them their full wage. Now we uphold that practice, even though it's really stupid. It allows managers to pay their employees less than minimum wage, makes people stress out at the end of a meal, and it doesn't even benefit that waiter when they do well. Studies show that when they do well, they don't get paid much more. It also allows pay discrimination, which is illegal. Studies have proven black waiters get tipped less than white waiters. All in all, tipped should be banned in the US.
Kristel 6 years ago
SnoopyCereal, I am really saddened that this is the reality of waiters and waitresses. I don't get why waiters and waitresses even exist. Maybe because they can't find any other job or other reasons. I just wish they got paid a minimum wage. And still get tips if they gave great service to the customer(s). Only smaller tips in this case, like 10%, which over there is the amount of perfect for a bad waiter job. If they just got paid minimum wage, 10% is not bad: I guess, because I do not know what the minimum wage is in the USA. And the racial discrimination in tipping is also very sad. I wish for justice for these incredible people who do such a hard and great job!
Ntosh 6 years ago
It is standard in South Africa too. I don't mind giving a tip but being forced to give a tip even when the food was not good and the waitress did a bad job infuriates me. It makes me feel like I am rewarding poor service. and the tip is 10% of the bill :(
Nomadus Aureus 6 years ago
It's ten in most of Europe as well. Personally, I have no problems with adjusting that to the service I've received. Last time I had the misfortune of eating at an establishment with good food, but horrific service. I haven't left any tip.
Greg Hoggarth 6 years ago
Recently on a visit to the states, I ate at a couple of restaurants. The service was really no different or better than what I receive in New Zealand, so this idea that you get better service in general is probably not true.
Captain Planet 6 years ago
I cannot agree more. It's fundamentally wrong. The restaurants should pay proper minimum wages or more and the prices on the menus should accomodate for it since people have to pay for it anyway since tips are expected and not optional. Then it's completely transparant. The problem is the industry and restaurants. Not people refusing or forgetting to tip. Tipping is r******d. Also susceptibel to restaurant owners withholding their tips.
Ashley walker 6 years ago
I'm a server in Mississippi.... I make $2.13 an hour. By the time taxes come out, I'm LUCKY if i get check for $100 every two weeks.... And that's for 80 hours worth of work.
DancingToMyself 6 years ago
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@Ashley, wow :( That's horrible! I'm sorry
Kristel 6 years ago
Ashley, I am so sorry! If you like being a waitress and this is considered "normal". I can not comprehend why people of ANY job can get paid less than the minimum wage! It is not called a minimum wage for nothing. It is ridiculous that tipping is considered mandatory, because you waiters and waitresses get paid so little. Over here in the Netherlands it is 10% and they definitely get minimum wage (or maybe more, I don't know this). I am sorry and I hope you get tipped a lot! Mayor respect for you to continue this job while your salary is this little, and even so little after tipping! Sending you love and strength!
Kristana Dunn 6 years ago
In the US, the servers are working for tips. Because tipping is part of the culture, restaurants are allowed to pay their waitstaff less than minimum wage. The restaurants will tell you that thus keeps their food costs down. That being said, I have been to a couple of restaurants that advertise that they pay their staff a living wage & tipping is discouraged. & while their menu items are higher than similar type restaurants, my overall bill was not higher than a place where I would have tipped 18 to 20 percent.
Jacqueline Redward 6 years ago
In Australia everyone in any industry has a minimum wage. We don't need to tip. Taxes are included in the prices of everything we buy. You know before you leave what the bill will be. There are tip jars in some restaurants and cafes and usually customers throw in their loose change. This is shared by the whole staff.
Priscilla Freeman 6 years ago
I have not waitressed in many years since I am now retired. Most restaurants do not pay their waiters a living wage because they are "tipped" regardless of how little the standard pay is. At the time I did this for a living I was paid $2.50 an hour in 1998 and had to depend on my tips to help make ends meet. Even in a good dinner restaurant people with money can be as stingy as a banker. I served a well know TV anchor at the Tinney/Silver Dollar restaurant in Hondo, New Mexico on Thanksgiving. He and his wife left me a $3.00 tip. I was stunned.
Karen Klinck 6 years ago
We have a well-known restaurant where the prices are atrocious: you pay for the 'ambiance' (and the fact that the nearest ladies' room is in the service station across the street--the restaurant's is down a long hallway studded with spears, etc!) and the owner takes HIS cut of the tips *first*, then puts the rest in a common fund, so the best of the staff is trying to pay the rest.
frederic eeckman 6 years ago
They are paid 3.5$/h, so basically the tip is how they make money to live...
Nomadus Aureus 6 years ago
How is that even legal?? Jut HOW? Even if the minimum wage doesn't equal living wage, anything below a the legal minimum should result in criminal charges.
Jo Bebe 6 years ago
In Some states they are not even paid minimum wage because the Govt. takes into account their tips as income. So for instance in Texas they make like $2.30 an hour WOW no one would survive on this, but tips balance it out. Where as in California they make minimum wages + Tips. When I was a server in California, USA I averaged $23 dollars an hour as a waitress. I would never work as a waitress for less !! People are super rude and demanding, not worth 2.30/hour that's FOR SURE!!
BREAK YOUr perceptions 6 years ago
people who get paid tips have a much lower minimum wage than non-tipped jobs. so they actually rely on tips to survive. we are talking about a 6 dollar an hour difference from tipped to non tipped jobs minimum wage rate.
José Solis Corps 6 years ago
It's evident you are completely ignorant of the fact that their employers are NOT paying them rightfully. They pay of most servers is less thatn $3 per hour, and they're supposed to make the rest of the minimum wage with tips. No, I don't think that is fair. I think they should get paid like any other employee, but that's not the case.
Marge Coyman 6 years ago
Servers in the US are not paid even minimum wage. Their salary is dependent on tips. It does seem wrong, but that’s how it works.
Barry McMiles 6 years ago
Many waiters in the US are only paid a retainer plus tips. A system that works out far better than the one in Europe where it is added to the bill and split up between the staff. This socialistic idea rewards the rude, lazy and mediocre equally as those who really do an excellent job. The US system is merit based, a far better and fair situation.
Michael Zlogar 6 years ago
minimum federal wage for tipped employees is $2.13. yes, that's right, two dollars and thirteen cents.
Kelly Paz Soldán 6 years ago
Our tipping system in the US is awful. It's archaic and unfair to the server and the customer. We have to tip out of guilt rather than when someone has provided exceptional service. It's more paperwork for the employers and also the employees and it results in some servers making $200 an hour (because we're tipping based on the cost of the food) and some servers not even making a living wage. I hate everything about it.
Juliana Russell 6 years ago
In the US, you tip your server because they are only paid about $2.13 per hour, while other workers in the US are paid at least $7.25. They literally work for their tips.
Audrey Nickel 6 years ago
They AREN'T paying their employees "rightfully" for the job they are doing. In the U.S., servers are paid WAY below the minimum wage, and are expected to make that up in tips (for which they are taxed, by the way, whether they actually get the tips or not). It's a stupid, sucky system, but it is what it is, and not tipping your waiter is not only an insult, it means that that person made substantially less than he or she should have that night.
Marcio Badra 6 years ago
Average wage for tipped employees is around $2.50/hour. Does that explain why tips are so pervasive in the USA?
Robert Frenchu 6 years ago
IN many places wait staff is legally paid BELOW minimum wage with the idea that they will make it up in tips.
Lorgen Gerard Magpantay 6 years ago
:') Adam offers explanation/s on Why Tipping Should Be Banned - Adam Ruins Everything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_vivC7c_1k
Lorgen Gerard Magpantay 6 years ago
Adam offers explanation/s on Why Tipping Should Be Banned - Adam Ruins Everything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_vivC7c_1k
Benj 6 years ago
I fully agree. I do live in the States and find the idea of tipping ridiculous. especially the part of where it's "expected", yet not official. If it's expected, add it into the bill. I've always thought that a tip should be ONLY if the person goes above and beyond what is expected - not someone who is nice or does a good job, but someone who does something totally unexpected. THEN you can give them a bit more as a thank you. People often bring up that they only get paid minimum wage, and that they rely on their tips. I feel like this is unfortunate, but they picked that job - there are lots of jobs out there. if you want to gamble, that's fine, but don't b***h when you get a bad hand.
cc 6 years ago
I've noticed that some restaurants in the UK are encouraging customers to give tips, but it's illegal to pay staff less than the minimum wage over here, so the tips are not essential like it is in the US. I'm not falling for that scam.
Carol Hall 6 years ago
In UK I have never tipped by percentage. Good service I give what I consider to be a good tip, ok service I will still tip, anything bear minimum to acceptable or below I don't tip. Reading this thread in US I would be tipping everything that was bear minimum and above, it's not ok for people to come to work and not make minimum wage, even if they only just making it to be acceptable. If a manager is putting a shoddy waiter on the floor then just as with shoddy food I would just not go back but I still want that waiter to make minimum wage, poor staff conduct is the manager's problem not the customer's
Joe Reaves 6 years ago
It's always been customary to tip in the UK - you make it sound like a new thing. However, the difference is our wait staff get paid the regular minimum wage, not a reduced amount to take account of tips. As such you tip for good service and it is not unreasonable to refuse to tip if the service sucked (although if you're doing that please be aware the food sucking is different than the service sucking, don't punish your wait staff for the kitchen messing up).Also we tip around 10% whereas that's considered the bare minimum it's reasonable to leave in the US if the service was bad and 15-20% is the standard for good service.
Tiziana Gagliano 6 years ago
Minimum wage is different for waiters. It can be a few dollars instead of the local minimum wage. Waiters in the US heavily rely on tips in order to make ends meet.
Jim Takahashi 6 years ago
America, The New World, is actually the old world, which is a conservative, backward, class society.
Justina Harrell Jennifer Pierce 6 years ago
In the states the salary for servers is in the top range $3.50 per hour and even lower I've seen some as low as $2.14. Yea, its legally allowed. These people earn a living on what you decide thier worth. Oh, and another thing they are taxed on pre set amount doesn't matter if they are tipped or not or how much cash they earn a shift by your tips. So if they don't earn more than the tax thier getting less than 4.00 an hour.
Patti Hand 6 years ago
Waiters in the US aren't paid minimum wage because it is expected that they will receive tips to make up the difference.
Judy Metcalf 6 years ago
In the states, I live in Missouri and I have been serving for over 30 years. We as servers, only get 3.85 an hour plus tips and our job doesn't just involve waiting on customers. It's up to us to clean and everything else. So here, it is an insult to not leave a tip. A waiter/ waitress job is not easy. We deal with a lot of rude and grumpy people who run us to death sometimes for nothing . But the nicest caring people sometimes makes up for the ones who think they shouldn't tip, or are just I'll informed of what servers actually get paid an hour.
Patricia Lauten 6 years ago
Because in the United States the companies that employ restaurant workers refuse to pay them a living wage. Instead, they pass on the obligation to pay the worker’s to the public who comes to eat there in the form of tips. Essentially, when you eat there you are paying their wages and not their employers.
Diane Nottingham 6 years ago
Sometimes all they receive is the tip, they don’t get paid by the employer.....in our state anyway.
Jim Wyatt-Lees 6 years ago
Waiting staff in America do not earn a lot - probably less than what we, as Europeans, expect to be minimum wage and nowhere near living wage. Tips then represent a contribution to their income and Americans understand this so tip well or else they will have their steak rubbed round the toilet bowl.
Diane Daniels 6 years ago
I live in Canada and we do tip, the machine gives you a choice, 10%, 15%, 20% or Other if you wish to give more or less. I generally tip 20 - 25% but if we go to a high end restaurant the tip is generally 18% and it is added to the bill as part of your total. Here yes they make minimum wage but just try to live on minimum wage, especially in a larger city. Rent alone would take up your wages, then how do you eat or pay other bills? Now that they are raising minimum wage to $15 per hour that should be easier for people but I sure wouldn't want to try to live on $15 per hour so yes I will tip, I don't notice it and it makes someone else have just a little easier time making their bills.
Mary-Anne McDermott 6 years ago
In Terms of Canada - at least in Ontario. Minimum wage is now $14/hour. Wait staff & bar tenders get $12.20 / hour. So, yes they do get paid somewhat less, but nothing like in the US.
Michael Zlogar 6 years ago
agata, i replied to you on the main comment board, because a lot of people seem to have had the same question. i hope this helps you navigate the treacherous waters of eating out in america! and believe me, it isn't the only thing we have here that we wish was more like denmark :) anyway, happy dining! Skål!
Earnie Bailey 6 years ago
You my not understand that servers or service industry worker make a lower than minimum wage relying on tips to make up the difference. This practice help keep costs to operate within the company structure.
Scott Bricker 6 years ago
You want good service? You Tip what you're suppose to.. 18% at least.. If you want him to take your order and give you your food and check the same time, without refills on your drinks, taking dirty dishes away, making sure your order is correct, fixing any mishaps by the kitchen and dealing with your mood when you come in.. then you will know to tip 18% or more if you had a server sing happy birthday. The employer should pay his staff min wage as a server.. but Tips are from guests who KNOW they want a good dinner with a good server!
Nicholas Stix 6 years ago
Scott Bricker You're kidding, right?! Nobody is "suppose [sic] to" tip at least 18%. If you want to show off and overtip, that's your prerogative, but don't lie to other people.
Greg 6 years ago
In the United States, server pay is set low with the expectation of receiving tips. Often, it is below the legal minimum wage that would apply to other jobs in the area. There are a few restaurateurs (I've only heard of them in New York City, but there may be others) who are trying to change this, by paying their serving staff appropriately, and making their restaurants "no-tip". But in most establishments, the restaurant owner is basically putting it on the patrons to supplement his employees' earnings. It's a state of affairs that I dislike, but I'm not going to take it out on the serving staff. So as long as this is the state of things, I will continue to tip generously.
Ioan Craciun 6 years ago
no the waiters are not pay by the employer the salary per hour is $2 this why you have to give tip
Nanis Gui 6 years ago
Actually there are some states where pay rate for servers is lower than minimum wage, it is considered a Tipped Wage , here is more info https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipped_wage_in_the_United_States
Barb Logan 6 years ago
"some states"? Try "most states". Most states pay servers $2.13/hour and that along with tips are taxed.
Elizabeth Smith 6 years ago
They aren't paid much. My neighbor was a waitress, and earned a whopping $2.10 per hour.
Chris DeCanio 6 years ago
Most servers in this country are paid a, "servers minimum wage" this consists of $3. less than the rest of us get for minimum wage. They rely on tips to balance out their income. Most restaurant owners are cheapskates. They make a fortune and, refuse to pay a decent wage. $5.10 was a good wage....in 1980. Hope this answers your question.
Michael Stoltz-Bradley 6 years ago
Because that is the custom in US...also, what "tipped employees" make varies from state to state, and the federal mandatory minimum wage for tipped employees is absurdly low...here is a link to a table with the different states minimum wages for tipped employees https://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm
Cynthia Reaves 6 years ago
In Denmark, waiters are paid a working wage and have health benefits and other benefits that you find in full-time employment. Here, in the United States, servers are paid $1-2 an hour and have to make up the balance in tips. Under Trump, our government just passed legislation that allows the business owners to collect the tips and allocate them as s/he sees fit...or not at all, which is oppressive for these workers, IMO.
Deryk Cink 6 years ago
They are not paid for it by their employer. Not even enough to cover ones taxes for the year.
Nicholas Stix 6 years ago
Deryk Cink People that earn so little have no tax bill at the end of the year, and get money back from the feds and their state. The First Law of Lying is plausibility.
Kate Trotta 6 years ago
In the United States, waiters are not paid much by the hour, tips make up the difference. Perhaps in Denmark,waiters get more per hour, and are appreciated for the hard work they do.
Alexandra Roth 6 years ago
In the US, waiter pay is based on the assumption of a tip. It is way less than minimum wage. They get paid maybe $4-5 per hour, so if you don't tip, they don't make a living wage. There have been attempts to change this nationally but never successfully.
Steven Fern 6 years ago
Minimum wage in the US is set by state. In some states it is less than $3/hour for tipped workers, less than half of that for untapped workers. As a former waiter I know it is an imperfect system, but it is the system here. A tip is simply a part of the cost of eating out intended To Insure Promptness. I applaud the young people who discovered and corrected their error.
Chas Jon 6 years ago
unfortunately its not enough. The government allows the employer to pay waiters less than minimum wage because they get tips- and they tax you on 15% of your receipts so if you don't get a tip you are still taxed as if you did. In some states waiters make as little as $2.13 per hour.
Diane Diggs 6 years ago
Actually, as I have always understood it, waiters here in America are NOT very well paid by their employers. Their tips are supposed to help supplement their pay. I am not sure why this is, but it has always been this way.
Jami Russell 6 years ago
Servers are paid way less in the US - as low as $2.13 an hour - and expected to make up the rest of their wages in tips. Only hostesses, kitchen staff, and table busers actually earn at least minimum wage. The IRS also taxes according to projected tips.
Lucina Sandoval-Gordon 6 years ago
Your last sentence answers the questions. Servers don't get paid enough.
Kathleen Hill 6 years ago
My daughter has tried to explain it to me, but it's true that not all waiters/waitresses get paid minimum wage. Most of them rely heavily on tips to make up the difference. And it's legal. I still don't understand, but that's the way it is here in the good ol' USofA.
Asper Rated 6 years ago
Please don't PRETEND cluelessness here. If you're old enough to go out (21 lets say...) you also KNOW a server is paid LESS then minimum wage. Again, you have an opinion don't you? You must have known this right? How else would you come up with such an entitled response. Your types sicken me. If you're not pretending to be clueless to save a buck or 2 on tipping, you make everyone around you sick with your know-it-all entitlements.
Chess Wizard 6 years ago
If your talking about the story, the tippers were 13. If you are referring to folks in the comments, there are a great many people here who aren't American, and aren't familiar with the custom of tipping.
Joyce Berman 6 years ago
This is the United States, and that's the way we do it. If someone gives bad service, we leave nothing or something small. A 20% tip tells the waiter that he's done a good job. It encourages the good ones, and a small tip tells the bad ones to get their act together, that it's a customer service business. My son got tips at a fast food restaurant where he worked when he was 15-1/2 because he gave such good service. That doesn't hardly ever happen, but it was a message to him that he was doing a good job. The owner of a restaurant is not necessarily able to tell who's doing a great job, and who isn't.
Pamela Storer 6 years ago
This is also the case in Australia generally - or was when people were more fairly and better paid. Many waiters would be offended if offered a tip, saying "I am paid perfectly well". It was seen as being like tossing coins to a beggar. However, when, as a single mother and student I used to waitress, those times people left me a tip I was so very grateful for. The tip is because you went out of your way to be good at what you were doing, and it's know it's not a well paid job. It's a practical way of saying "thank you". A couple of times by tips bought bread and eggs for my kids - so please, dont look down on it - and think about it next time someone gives you good service.
Guadalupe Serrato Jr. 6 years ago
Your cheap you know that a waiter makes 2.13 an hour plus tips so figure the Math plus your probably are the ones that are so demanding and run your server I suggest for you to go McDonalds
Betsy Knox 6 years ago
Minimum wage in the US is around $7 to $8 per hour. Tipping is meant to compensate for this extremely low rate of pay. It's not mandatory, in terms of law, but it is considered very rude. The approximate guidelines as percentages of the bill: average service = 15%, great service = 20%, bad service = 10% or less.
Kristel 6 years ago
Thank you for this information. I did not know the amount for the minimum wage in the US. And as a European, I still think $7 to $8 is very low. I am on disability-benefit and get a lot more in a month than this. That is only $280-320 a month for 40 hours of hard work a week! That is insane! I hope for justice one day (rather as soon as possible) for these waiters and waitresses. Even the minimum wage is so low! And they get only $2 to $3 and have to live of tips. This makes me so sad!
Kent Obediah Hayton 6 years ago
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My activities/notifications tab is screwing up. Any idea why
DancingToMyself 6 years ago
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It's just karma. Don't worry about a thing :p
Kristel 6 years ago
Because you seem to collect downvotes! You are offensive and rude in every article I have seen you comment. Get a life! And be kind to others for a change. Actually, I can't believe I am replying to you, because you are just seeking attention. But I had to say it. Don't comment if you only have offensive and rude things to say!
Booth Pohlmann 6 years ago
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You are obviously ignorant of how waiters are paid in the US. Do, until you educate yourself, shut your f’ing mouth. You add nothing to this conversation. Being Intentionally ignorant is not exceptable.
Aunt Messy 6 years ago
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Waiters in the US are NEVER paid a living wage. Restaurant owners will hire waitstaff, schedule them to work 30-35 hours a week, and since they can then call them "part time", they do not have to pay minimum wage or provide any benefits at all. ... There are waiters that make as little as $3.00 an hour in this country. If it weren't for tips, they would be homeless. ... Now. Stop being smug when you have no idea how things work here.
Saint Eva Marie 6 years ago
Gosh, what an exceptional writer for a student her age! She is well read.
Ivolution 6 years ago
I am actually wondering if a 13 year old wrote that...and how much the bill was for the 13 years old if they left 22$ tip
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Diana Stevens 6 years ago
I know huh ?!! In the photo of the bill it said $12.97, so if this was say 1 of 4 individual checks, the total spent was maybe around $60.00 give or take. An 18% tip would have been $10.80, so they ended up giving that waiter double + what he should have gotten !!
Saint Eva Marie 6 years ago
I taught middle school and high school for a few years and yes that seems feasible for an 8th or 9th grade student. You can tell this student reads a lot because they have such varied and complex sentence structures.
Mixedupste 6 years ago
Good parents!! But why do you guys tip? i really don't get it. You earn a wage and if someone wants to tip then fair does but you shouldn't be forced to leave a tip, even when you have amazing or bad service. Shouldn't have to beg for your wage.
Jana DesForges 6 years ago
service staff do not earn a decent wage. they live primarily on tips. that’s just the current system.
Load More Replies... Kristel 6 years ago
Mixedupste: I am not from the US, and in under a minute I learned that most waiters and waitresses only get paid $2 to $3 an hour! So yes, as long as restaurants pay them this little, TIP the waiters and waitresses. Reading your comment, I guess you are not from the US, like me. Read first and then comment please. Maybe these comments weren't up yet when you wrote this. In this case I understand you. But then still, do your research. In (I guess) most European countries tipping is not expected to be mandatory. But I would WANT to tip waiters and waitresses who get this little money for this amount of hours of hard work and dealing with ungrateful costumers.
Mixedupste 6 years ago
Pipe down love!!!! Do they not have a minimum wage in the US?? Why would i want to research this when it clearly doesn't affect me? This is my opinion which i am entitled to! Plus, why should you tip a waiter or waitress for doing their job!? That is like me tipping the postman for delivering my letters or tipping a shop assistant for serving me in the shop. Also, if they don't like the job, change!!! Everyone can change their won destiny!!
Asper Rated 6 years ago
Another clueless entitled "person of the world" I see. BEFORE you make such a stupid comment, why not find out what you're talking about. You haven't a clue and you're how old?
Agata Kucharska 6 years ago
I know that in the US giving a tip is a standard, but I still do not understand why. Waiters are doing their jobs and they are paid for it by the employer. Shouldn't that be enough. In Denmark for example, leaving a tip can be offensive to the waiter and the restaurant owner. As if you were suggesting that they are not paying their employees rightfully for the job that they are doing.
Amina Hays 6 years ago
I've also wondered why tipping is mandatory in the states. Don't they get minimum wage? If not, isn't that illegal? I really have no idea.
Load More Replies... Dave Roger 6 years ago
Servers don't even get minimum wage in most states. They are generally paid between $2-3 per hour plus tips.
Barbara Watson 6 years ago
minimum wage for servers can be as low as $2.00/hour. Shameful and wrong.
H4unt3dF0r3sts 6 years ago
They don't get paid enough for their hard work. It's such a shame too, because I've met a lot of amazing servers. Some of them have even become my mother's friends!
Olivia Kuczynski 6 years ago
Tipping is not mandatory in the United States; however, it is customary, as servers do not receive minimum wage. Tipping is proper for good food/service. 15-20% of the bill is standard for the most part.
Kiss Army Premium 6 years ago
I don't understand hpw they get away with it but a lot of places in the US are allowed to pay just over $2 an hour to staff that receive tips as part of their "wages". If the tips they make do not add up to minimum wage then the employer is supposed to make up the difference. However, they continually get away with paying substandard wages because tipping is expected to make up for their short paying their staff while they pad their pockets. I agree that it should be illegal and I'm not sure why it isn't.
Josh Weaver 6 years ago
In the US, tips are the majority of the waiters wage. They do not get minimum wage (not even close). Tips are considered an incentive for good service and are not mandatory. The worst service I've ever received was in France but also in other European countries where tipping is not expected. I'm OK with tipping here and so are most waiters. Restaurants that have tried to do away with tipping by paying higher base wages have all returned to the tipping structure because good waiters do not stay long and they can't keep the front of house staffed. The good waiters soon find they can make far more at other restaurants.
Crazy Horse 6 years ago
No, they don't get minimum wage. The tips are a big part of their income. I know this because my brother was a waiter once.
John L 6 years ago
Amina, when I was in graduate school, my late wife was a veteran waitress. And she made very good money, because she was organized and had a great personality. There are tricks to the trade, and the best waiters/waitresses rise to the top and eventually wind up working in the very best restaurants where they do exceptional well.
Susan Surdow 6 years ago
Even minimum wage in the US is too low to afford housing in almost all cities. For example, Minimum wage is now up to $11 hr as of January 1st 2018. However, rent for a studio apartment in the Greater NY area starts at @$800 and goes up from there. Minimum wage is not a livable wage. Servers have it much worse. They make $2-3 per hour and have to share a percent of their tips with bar and kitchen staff.
Wilma Dague 6 years ago
Most servers in the United State are supposed to make minimum wage via tips. If they do good, and if they don't too bad. Servers are paid as little as 2.00 and hour here.
Luis Torres 6 years ago
There are some restaurants that keep waitresses past dining hours for the same tip wage instead of minimum wage. Since they make enough tips to cover for those hours, the restaurant doesn't have to pay them back and they basically stay for almost free.
Death Metal Kitty 6 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_vivC7c_1k Is it true, could be, but it was a quick and fast primer as to how the tipping custom came about.
Cassie 6 years ago
Dave Roger is correct. Because tips are expected, it is believed that waiters can make a lot of money on tips, so employers are permitted to pay them a base pay that is well under half minimum wage. Some people are really good and can make more than minimum wage from tips. Personally, I'd rather wash dishes for minimum wage and know what I'm getting paid than risk not getting enough tips (especially since I am clumsy and forgetful and that makes for a terrible waitress).
Mascha Claessens 6 years ago
$2/hour?! Holy s**t, that's just... so close to being slavery. :/ No wonder tipping is that important. Why, just why, do federal minimal wages not apply to servers?! Here everyone has the same minimum wage (€9,11/hour).
Karol CH 6 years ago
its a part of their culture. Guests think - it is a job like any other, but if you were a waiter/ess you know it is a hard job, sometimes mean and unsatisfied guests, poor wages. everyone likes to go to the same places, for example for holidays, appreciate that someone here wanted to come and serve - otherwise your favorite place may be closed next year - easy - empathy is the keyword :)
Laura Pantazis 6 years ago
The minimum wage for waitresses is lower to account for tips. The waitress and restaurant must keep tally of how much tips the waitress receives. If at the end of the week, the waitress does not make the Federal minimum wage after adding up the tips and the hourly rate she received, then the restaurant must pay her the difference. All waitresses are entitled to at least the Federal minimum wage rate after tips and hourly rate are accounted for. (Now, I have heard online from some waitresses that some restaurants don't do this. However, they would be violated the Federal labor law if they do no provide at least minimum wage after hourly rate and tips).
Steve Hall 6 years ago
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We are talking now about NON-US folk NOT starving, because of US policy...
George Robertson 6 years ago
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No you blithering IDIOT waiters do NOT get minimum wage. THEY GET 2.13 p/ hour DINGBAT. Yes, it IS legal and been common for 100 years. On top of making only 2.13 per hour they have to tip 1-3% of sales to bu$ers who clean your tables, hostesses who seat you and bartenders who make their customers drink. Get woke and stop asking stupid a*s questions lije this.
Pungent Sauce 6 years ago
In my US state the waitstaff wage is $2.33/hr. Tips are “figured in” at $202 for 40hrs making for $7.38/hr, $0.08/hr more than the Federal Minimun Wage. PLEASE tip your waitstaff if you come visit us, they work harder and put up with more BS than you will ever know. Thanks!
Ben Smith 6 years ago
Dave, bro, you're right: we don't agree and that doesn't make you a troll. Your constant screaming and childish name calling makes you a troll. Ok, bro? Now, I won't be looking at this again so if you want to respond, feel free, but I won't see it. Oh and, bro, I forget you exist when I leave this website. Later, bro.
Dave Roger 6 years ago
Alex, Daniel stated he does not tip. His position may be fine, but his actions are abhorrent and only punish the server.
Dave Roger 6 years ago
Hi Ben, Just a lil FYI: Just because we don't agree on anything doesn't make me a troll, k kiddo? Also, I'm not your f*****g bro. And another thing: using obscenities doesn't mean I'm angry or unpleasant. I just like to swear. Now calm down and stop letting me get to you so much.
Dave Roger 6 years ago
Daniel, Hi.... You're a F*****G A*****E. Sincerely, NEVER ever go out to eat you selfish f*****g prick.All you're doing is f*****g a hard working person over by not tipping them.
Daniel (ShadowDrakken) 6 years ago
No, don't tip the wait staff, boycott any business that doesn't pay their wait staff a living wage. Stop relying on tips in the first place. Also, it's illegal for the business to guess at your tips, you're supposed to be logging and reporting them correctly and your company is supposed to be paying you the difference to ACTUALLY get you to minimum wage if the tips aren't.
Perry Swift 6 years ago
Waiting staff in the US are paid next-to-nothing and rely on tips. It's not like in parts of Europe, where being a waiter is actually quite a good job.
Sansa Blacktyde 6 years ago
My understanding is that wait staff in the US are not paid a decent wage and it is expected that they make up wages in the form of tips. I believe 20% is the usual for good service.
Jan-Eric Pietralla 6 years ago
20%? WTH? In Europe, that would be showing off and probably be considered arrogant by most waiters...
Kristel 6 years ago
Daniel, I just read this: "I'm a server in Mississippi.... I make $2.13 an hour. By the time taxes come out, I'm LUCKY if i get check for $100 every two weeks.... And that's for 80 hours worth of work.". And you think tipping 20% is insane? Become a waiter for a year and then comment again! Do your research before you comment! I am not even from the US and I found out about this in under a minute!
Aahzmandus Pervect 6 years ago
@Daniel And your going to get the businesses to pay their staff minimum wages or more by not tipping? Get real, man. You're not helping, you're not fighting the good cause, you're simply being an a**hole.
Daniel (ShadowDrakken) 6 years ago
20% is insane, even in the US. They've simply become greedy at this point. Growing up it was 15% for exceptional service, and 10% for good service. Honestly, I've stopped tipping altogether for multiple reasons. 1) Tipping is a horrid habit based in slavery and classism. 2) businesses are required by law to pay wait staff minimum wage IF their tips do not bring them up to minimum wage (if their tips do reach minimum wage though, then the company only has to pay them something like 1/3 of a normal wage) 3) Businesses should be paying their employees correctly to begin with, not making them beg for scraps. Roll the difference in the wages into the costs of running the business and charge for the food accordingly.
Daniel (ShadowDrakken) 6 years ago
Laury M.: So first off; Minimum wage for wait stuff starts below the federal minimum wage, wait staff are supposed to report their tips to their business. If the combined of their wage and the tips does not add up to federal minimum wage, the company is legally supposed to fill the gap and bring that combined total up to minimum wage. That's the LAW. However, many companies don't do this, they skirt around it by not informing their wait staff, or in the case of many mom and pop businesses not even realizing it themselves. Secondly; my argument is that we need to start paying our wait staff correctly in the first place and do away with tipping. LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD. Tipping has its roots in slavery and classism. It was a way of showing off wealth. It's been shown time and time again that it doesn't improve performance, and can often make it worse. Kristal: I have done my research. I've actually commented on some of it. All you've done is b***h.
SnoopyCereal 6 years ago
It all started during prohibition, when the restaurant business was doing awful because there was no booze. Before that time, waiters were bribed, but denied it because it was illegal and offensive. Then when prohibition started the restaurant owners encouraged them to take the bribes because they couldn't pay them their full wage. Now we uphold that practice, even though it's really stupid. It allows managers to pay their employees less than minimum wage, makes people stress out at the end of a meal, and it doesn't even benefit that waiter when they do well. Studies show that when they do well, they don't get paid much more. It also allows pay discrimination, which is illegal. Studies have proven black waiters get tipped less than white waiters. All in all, tipped should be banned in the US.
Kristel 6 years ago
SnoopyCereal, I am really saddened that this is the reality of waiters and waitresses. I don't get why waiters and waitresses even exist. Maybe because they can't find any other job or other reasons. I just wish they got paid a minimum wage. And still get tips if they gave great service to the customer(s). Only smaller tips in this case, like 10%, which over there is the amount of perfect for a bad waiter job. If they just got paid minimum wage, 10% is not bad: I guess, because I do not know what the minimum wage is in the USA. And the racial discrimination in tipping is also very sad. I wish for justice for these incredible people who do such a hard and great job!
Ntosh 6 years ago
It is standard in South Africa too. I don't mind giving a tip but being forced to give a tip even when the food was not good and the waitress did a bad job infuriates me. It makes me feel like I am rewarding poor service. and the tip is 10% of the bill :(
Nomadus Aureus 6 years ago
It's ten in most of Europe as well. Personally, I have no problems with adjusting that to the service I've received. Last time I had the misfortune of eating at an establishment with good food, but horrific service. I haven't left any tip.
Greg Hoggarth 6 years ago
Recently on a visit to the states, I ate at a couple of restaurants. The service was really no different or better than what I receive in New Zealand, so this idea that you get better service in general is probably not true.
Captain Planet 6 years ago
I cannot agree more. It's fundamentally wrong. The restaurants should pay proper minimum wages or more and the prices on the menus should accomodate for it since people have to pay for it anyway since tips are expected and not optional. Then it's completely transparant. The problem is the industry and restaurants. Not people refusing or forgetting to tip. Tipping is r******d. Also susceptibel to restaurant owners withholding their tips.
Ashley walker 6 years ago
I'm a server in Mississippi.... I make $2.13 an hour. By the time taxes come out, I'm LUCKY if i get check for $100 every two weeks.... And that's for 80 hours worth of work.
DancingToMyself 6 years ago
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@Ashley, wow :( That's horrible! I'm sorry
Kristel 6 years ago
Ashley, I am so sorry! If you like being a waitress and this is considered "normal". I can not comprehend why people of ANY job can get paid less than the minimum wage! It is not called a minimum wage for nothing. It is ridiculous that tipping is considered mandatory, because you waiters and waitresses get paid so little. Over here in the Netherlands it is 10% and they definitely get minimum wage (or maybe more, I don't know this). I am sorry and I hope you get tipped a lot! Mayor respect for you to continue this job while your salary is this little, and even so little after tipping! Sending you love and strength!
Kristana Dunn 6 years ago
In the US, the servers are working for tips. Because tipping is part of the culture, restaurants are allowed to pay their waitstaff less than minimum wage. The restaurants will tell you that thus keeps their food costs down. That being said, I have been to a couple of restaurants that advertise that they pay their staff a living wage & tipping is discouraged. & while their menu items are higher than similar type restaurants, my overall bill was not higher than a place where I would have tipped 18 to 20 percent.
Jacqueline Redward 6 years ago
In Australia everyone in any industry has a minimum wage. We don't need to tip. Taxes are included in the prices of everything we buy. You know before you leave what the bill will be. There are tip jars in some restaurants and cafes and usually customers throw in their loose change. This is shared by the whole staff.
Priscilla Freeman 6 years ago
I have not waitressed in many years since I am now retired. Most restaurants do not pay their waiters a living wage because they are "tipped" regardless of how little the standard pay is. At the time I did this for a living I was paid $2.50 an hour in 1998 and had to depend on my tips to help make ends meet. Even in a good dinner restaurant people with money can be as stingy as a banker. I served a well know TV anchor at the Tinney/Silver Dollar restaurant in Hondo, New Mexico on Thanksgiving. He and his wife left me a $3.00 tip. I was stunned.
Karen Klinck 6 years ago
We have a well-known restaurant where the prices are atrocious: you pay for the 'ambiance' (and the fact that the nearest ladies' room is in the service station across the street--the restaurant's is down a long hallway studded with spears, etc!) and the owner takes HIS cut of the tips *first*, then puts the rest in a common fund, so the best of the staff is trying to pay the rest.
frederic eeckman 6 years ago
They are paid 3.5$/h, so basically the tip is how they make money to live...
Nomadus Aureus 6 years ago
How is that even legal?? Jut HOW? Even if the minimum wage doesn't equal living wage, anything below a the legal minimum should result in criminal charges.
Jo Bebe 6 years ago
In Some states they are not even paid minimum wage because the Govt. takes into account their tips as income. So for instance in Texas they make like $2.30 an hour WOW no one would survive on this, but tips balance it out. Where as in California they make minimum wages + Tips. When I was a server in California, USA I averaged $23 dollars an hour as a waitress. I would never work as a waitress for less !! People are super rude and demanding, not worth 2.30/hour that's FOR SURE!!
BREAK YOUr perceptions 6 years ago
people who get paid tips have a much lower minimum wage than non-tipped jobs. so they actually rely on tips to survive. we are talking about a 6 dollar an hour difference from tipped to non tipped jobs minimum wage rate.
José Solis Corps 6 years ago
It's evident you are completely ignorant of the fact that their employers are NOT paying them rightfully. They pay of most servers is less thatn $3 per hour, and they're supposed to make the rest of the minimum wage with tips. No, I don't think that is fair. I think they should get paid like any other employee, but that's not the case.
Marge Coyman 6 years ago
Servers in the US are not paid even minimum wage. Their salary is dependent on tips. It does seem wrong, but that’s how it works.
Barry McMiles 6 years ago
Many waiters in the US are only paid a retainer plus tips. A system that works out far better than the one in Europe where it is added to the bill and split up between the staff. This socialistic idea rewards the rude, lazy and mediocre equally as those who really do an excellent job. The US system is merit based, a far better and fair situation.
Michael Zlogar 6 years ago
minimum federal wage for tipped employees is $2.13. yes, that's right, two dollars and thirteen cents.
Kelly Paz Soldán 6 years ago
Our tipping system in the US is awful. It's archaic and unfair to the server and the customer. We have to tip out of guilt rather than when someone has provided exceptional service. It's more paperwork for the employers and also the employees and it results in some servers making $200 an hour (because we're tipping based on the cost of the food) and some servers not even making a living wage. I hate everything about it.
Juliana Russell 6 years ago
In the US, you tip your server because they are only paid about $2.13 per hour, while other workers in the US are paid at least $7.25. They literally work for their tips.
Audrey Nickel 6 years ago
They AREN'T paying their employees "rightfully" for the job they are doing. In the U.S., servers are paid WAY below the minimum wage, and are expected to make that up in tips (for which they are taxed, by the way, whether they actually get the tips or not). It's a stupid, sucky system, but it is what it is, and not tipping your waiter is not only an insult, it means that that person made substantially less than he or she should have that night.
Marcio Badra 6 years ago
Average wage for tipped employees is around $2.50/hour. Does that explain why tips are so pervasive in the USA?
Robert Frenchu 6 years ago
IN many places wait staff is legally paid BELOW minimum wage with the idea that they will make it up in tips.
Lorgen Gerard Magpantay 6 years ago
:') Adam offers explanation/s on Why Tipping Should Be Banned - Adam Ruins Everything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_vivC7c_1k
Lorgen Gerard Magpantay 6 years ago
Adam offers explanation/s on Why Tipping Should Be Banned - Adam Ruins Everything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_vivC7c_1k
Benj 6 years ago
I fully agree. I do live in the States and find the idea of tipping ridiculous. especially the part of where it's "expected", yet not official. If it's expected, add it into the bill. I've always thought that a tip should be ONLY if the person goes above and beyond what is expected - not someone who is nice or does a good job, but someone who does something totally unexpected. THEN you can give them a bit more as a thank you. People often bring up that they only get paid minimum wage, and that they rely on their tips. I feel like this is unfortunate, but they picked that job - there are lots of jobs out there. if you want to gamble, that's fine, but don't b***h when you get a bad hand.
cc 6 years ago
I've noticed that some restaurants in the UK are encouraging customers to give tips, but it's illegal to pay staff less than the minimum wage over here, so the tips are not essential like it is in the US. I'm not falling for that scam.
Carol Hall 6 years ago
In UK I have never tipped by percentage. Good service I give what I consider to be a good tip, ok service I will still tip, anything bear minimum to acceptable or below I don't tip. Reading this thread in US I would be tipping everything that was bear minimum and above, it's not ok for people to come to work and not make minimum wage, even if they only just making it to be acceptable. If a manager is putting a shoddy waiter on the floor then just as with shoddy food I would just not go back but I still want that waiter to make minimum wage, poor staff conduct is the manager's problem not the customer's
Joe Reaves 6 years ago
It's always been customary to tip in the UK - you make it sound like a new thing. However, the difference is our wait staff get paid the regular minimum wage, not a reduced amount to take account of tips. As such you tip for good service and it is not unreasonable to refuse to tip if the service sucked (although if you're doing that please be aware the food sucking is different than the service sucking, don't punish your wait staff for the kitchen messing up).Also we tip around 10% whereas that's considered the bare minimum it's reasonable to leave in the US if the service was bad and 15-20% is the standard for good service.
Tiziana Gagliano 6 years ago
Minimum wage is different for waiters. It can be a few dollars instead of the local minimum wage. Waiters in the US heavily rely on tips in order to make ends meet.
Jim Takahashi 6 years ago
America, The New World, is actually the old world, which is a conservative, backward, class society.
Justina Harrell Jennifer Pierce 6 years ago
In the states the salary for servers is in the top range $3.50 per hour and even lower I've seen some as low as $2.14. Yea, its legally allowed. These people earn a living on what you decide thier worth. Oh, and another thing they are taxed on pre set amount doesn't matter if they are tipped or not or how much cash they earn a shift by your tips. So if they don't earn more than the tax thier getting less than 4.00 an hour.
Patti Hand 6 years ago
Waiters in the US aren't paid minimum wage because it is expected that they will receive tips to make up the difference.
Judy Metcalf 6 years ago
In the states, I live in Missouri and I have been serving for over 30 years. We as servers, only get 3.85 an hour plus tips and our job doesn't just involve waiting on customers. It's up to us to clean and everything else. So here, it is an insult to not leave a tip. A waiter/ waitress job is not easy. We deal with a lot of rude and grumpy people who run us to death sometimes for nothing . But the nicest caring people sometimes makes up for the ones who think they shouldn't tip, or are just I'll informed of what servers actually get paid an hour.
Patricia Lauten 6 years ago
Because in the United States the companies that employ restaurant workers refuse to pay them a living wage. Instead, they pass on the obligation to pay the worker’s to the public who comes to eat there in the form of tips. Essentially, when you eat there you are paying their wages and not their employers.
Diane Nottingham 6 years ago
Sometimes all they receive is the tip, they don’t get paid by the employer.....in our state anyway.
Jim Wyatt-Lees 6 years ago
Waiting staff in America do not earn a lot - probably less than what we, as Europeans, expect to be minimum wage and nowhere near living wage. Tips then represent a contribution to their income and Americans understand this so tip well or else they will have their steak rubbed round the toilet bowl.
Diane Daniels 6 years ago
I live in Canada and we do tip, the machine gives you a choice, 10%, 15%, 20% or Other if you wish to give more or less. I generally tip 20 - 25% but if we go to a high end restaurant the tip is generally 18% and it is added to the bill as part of your total. Here yes they make minimum wage but just try to live on minimum wage, especially in a larger city. Rent alone would take up your wages, then how do you eat or pay other bills? Now that they are raising minimum wage to $15 per hour that should be easier for people but I sure wouldn't want to try to live on $15 per hour so yes I will tip, I don't notice it and it makes someone else have just a little easier time making their bills.
Mary-Anne McDermott 6 years ago
In Terms of Canada - at least in Ontario. Minimum wage is now $14/hour. Wait staff & bar tenders get $12.20 / hour. So, yes they do get paid somewhat less, but nothing like in the US.
Michael Zlogar 6 years ago
agata, i replied to you on the main comment board, because a lot of people seem to have had the same question. i hope this helps you navigate the treacherous waters of eating out in america! and believe me, it isn't the only thing we have here that we wish was more like denmark :) anyway, happy dining! Skål!
Earnie Bailey 6 years ago
You my not understand that servers or service industry worker make a lower than minimum wage relying on tips to make up the difference. This practice help keep costs to operate within the company structure.
Scott Bricker 6 years ago
You want good service? You Tip what you're suppose to.. 18% at least.. If you want him to take your order and give you your food and check the same time, without refills on your drinks, taking dirty dishes away, making sure your order is correct, fixing any mishaps by the kitchen and dealing with your mood when you come in.. then you will know to tip 18% or more if you had a server sing happy birthday. The employer should pay his staff min wage as a server.. but Tips are from guests who KNOW they want a good dinner with a good server!
Nicholas Stix 6 years ago
Scott Bricker You're kidding, right?! Nobody is "suppose [sic] to" tip at least 18%. If you want to show off and overtip, that's your prerogative, but don't lie to other people.
Greg 6 years ago
In the United States, server pay is set low with the expectation of receiving tips. Often, it is below the legal minimum wage that would apply to other jobs in the area. There are a few restaurateurs (I've only heard of them in New York City, but there may be others) who are trying to change this, by paying their serving staff appropriately, and making their restaurants "no-tip". But in most establishments, the restaurant owner is basically putting it on the patrons to supplement his employees' earnings. It's a state of affairs that I dislike, but I'm not going to take it out on the serving staff. So as long as this is the state of things, I will continue to tip generously.
Ioan Craciun 6 years ago
no the waiters are not pay by the employer the salary per hour is $2 this why you have to give tip
Nanis Gui 6 years ago
Actually there are some states where pay rate for servers is lower than minimum wage, it is considered a Tipped Wage , here is more info https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipped_wage_in_the_United_States
Barb Logan 6 years ago
"some states"? Try "most states". Most states pay servers $2.13/hour and that along with tips are taxed.
Elizabeth Smith 6 years ago
They aren't paid much. My neighbor was a waitress, and earned a whopping $2.10 per hour.
Chris DeCanio 6 years ago
Most servers in this country are paid a, "servers minimum wage" this consists of $3. less than the rest of us get for minimum wage. They rely on tips to balance out their income. Most restaurant owners are cheapskates. They make a fortune and, refuse to pay a decent wage. $5.10 was a good wage....in 1980. Hope this answers your question.
Michael Stoltz-Bradley 6 years ago
Because that is the custom in US...also, what "tipped employees" make varies from state to state, and the federal mandatory minimum wage for tipped employees is absurdly low...here is a link to a table with the different states minimum wages for tipped employees https://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm
Cynthia Reaves 6 years ago
In Denmark, waiters are paid a working wage and have health benefits and other benefits that you find in full-time employment. Here, in the United States, servers are paid $1-2 an hour and have to make up the balance in tips. Under Trump, our government just passed legislation that allows the business owners to collect the tips and allocate them as s/he sees fit...or not at all, which is oppressive for these workers, IMO.
Deryk Cink 6 years ago
They are not paid for it by their employer. Not even enough to cover ones taxes for the year.
Nicholas Stix 6 years ago
Deryk Cink People that earn so little have no tax bill at the end of the year, and get money back from the feds and their state. The First Law of Lying is plausibility.
Kate Trotta 6 years ago
In the United States, waiters are not paid much by the hour, tips make up the difference. Perhaps in Denmark,waiters get more per hour, and are appreciated for the hard work they do.
Alexandra Roth 6 years ago
In the US, waiter pay is based on the assumption of a tip. It is way less than minimum wage. They get paid maybe $4-5 per hour, so if you don't tip, they don't make a living wage. There have been attempts to change this nationally but never successfully.
Steven Fern 6 years ago
Minimum wage in the US is set by state. In some states it is less than $3/hour for tipped workers, less than half of that for untapped workers. As a former waiter I know it is an imperfect system, but it is the system here. A tip is simply a part of the cost of eating out intended To Insure Promptness. I applaud the young people who discovered and corrected their error.
Chas Jon 6 years ago
unfortunately its not enough. The government allows the employer to pay waiters less than minimum wage because they get tips- and they tax you on 15% of your receipts so if you don't get a tip you are still taxed as if you did. In some states waiters make as little as $2.13 per hour.
Diane Diggs 6 years ago
Actually, as I have always understood it, waiters here in America are NOT very well paid by their employers. Their tips are supposed to help supplement their pay. I am not sure why this is, but it has always been this way.
Jami Russell 6 years ago
Servers are paid way less in the US - as low as $2.13 an hour - and expected to make up the rest of their wages in tips. Only hostesses, kitchen staff, and table busers actually earn at least minimum wage. The IRS also taxes according to projected tips.
Lucina Sandoval-Gordon 6 years ago
Your last sentence answers the questions. Servers don't get paid enough.
Kathleen Hill 6 years ago
My daughter has tried to explain it to me, but it's true that not all waiters/waitresses get paid minimum wage. Most of them rely heavily on tips to make up the difference. And it's legal. I still don't understand, but that's the way it is here in the good ol' USofA.
Asper Rated 6 years ago
Please don't PRETEND cluelessness here. If you're old enough to go out (21 lets say...) you also KNOW a server is paid LESS then minimum wage. Again, you have an opinion don't you? You must have known this right? How else would you come up with such an entitled response. Your types sicken me. If you're not pretending to be clueless to save a buck or 2 on tipping, you make everyone around you sick with your know-it-all entitlements.
Chess Wizard 6 years ago
If your talking about the story, the tippers were 13. If you are referring to folks in the comments, there are a great many people here who aren't American, and aren't familiar with the custom of tipping.
Joyce Berman 6 years ago
This is the United States, and that's the way we do it. If someone gives bad service, we leave nothing or something small. A 20% tip tells the waiter that he's done a good job. It encourages the good ones, and a small tip tells the bad ones to get their act together, that it's a customer service business. My son got tips at a fast food restaurant where he worked when he was 15-1/2 because he gave such good service. That doesn't hardly ever happen, but it was a message to him that he was doing a good job. The owner of a restaurant is not necessarily able to tell who's doing a great job, and who isn't.
Pamela Storer 6 years ago
This is also the case in Australia generally - or was when people were more fairly and better paid. Many waiters would be offended if offered a tip, saying "I am paid perfectly well". It was seen as being like tossing coins to a beggar. However, when, as a single mother and student I used to waitress, those times people left me a tip I was so very grateful for. The tip is because you went out of your way to be good at what you were doing, and it's know it's not a well paid job. It's a practical way of saying "thank you". A couple of times by tips bought bread and eggs for my kids - so please, dont look down on it - and think about it next time someone gives you good service.
Guadalupe Serrato Jr. 6 years ago
Your cheap you know that a waiter makes 2.13 an hour plus tips so figure the Math plus your probably are the ones that are so demanding and run your server I suggest for you to go McDonalds
Betsy Knox 6 years ago
Minimum wage in the US is around $7 to $8 per hour. Tipping is meant to compensate for this extremely low rate of pay. It's not mandatory, in terms of law, but it is considered very rude. The approximate guidelines as percentages of the bill: average service = 15%, great service = 20%, bad service = 10% or less.
Kristel 6 years ago
Thank you for this information. I did not know the amount for the minimum wage in the US. And as a European, I still think $7 to $8 is very low. I am on disability-benefit and get a lot more in a month than this. That is only $280-320 a month for 40 hours of hard work a week! That is insane! I hope for justice one day (rather as soon as possible) for these waiters and waitresses. Even the minimum wage is so low! And they get only $2 to $3 and have to live of tips. This makes me so sad!
Kent Obediah Hayton 6 years ago
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My activities/notifications tab is screwing up. Any idea why
DancingToMyself 6 years ago
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It's just karma. Don't worry about a thing :p
Kristel 6 years ago
Because you seem to collect downvotes! You are offensive and rude in every article I have seen you comment. Get a life! And be kind to others for a change. Actually, I can't believe I am replying to you, because you are just seeking attention. But I had to say it. Don't comment if you only have offensive and rude things to say!
Booth Pohlmann 6 years ago
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You are obviously ignorant of how waiters are paid in the US. Do, until you educate yourself, shut your f’ing mouth. You add nothing to this conversation. Being Intentionally ignorant is not exceptable.
Aunt Messy 6 years ago
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Waiters in the US are NEVER paid a living wage. Restaurant owners will hire waitstaff, schedule them to work 30-35 hours a week, and since they can then call them "part time", they do not have to pay minimum wage or provide any benefits at all. ... There are waiters that make as little as $3.00 an hour in this country. If it weren't for tips, they would be homeless. ... Now. Stop being smug when you have no idea how things work here.
Saint Eva Marie 6 years ago
Gosh, what an exceptional writer for a student her age! She is well read.
Ivolution 6 years ago
I am actually wondering if a 13 year old wrote that...and how much the bill was for the 13 years old if they left 22$ tip
Load More Replies... Diana Stevens 6 years ago
I know huh ?!! In the photo of the bill it said $12.97, so if this was say 1 of 4 individual checks, the total spent was maybe around $60.00 give or take. An 18% tip would have been $10.80, so they ended up giving that waiter double + what he should have gotten !!
Saint Eva Marie 6 years ago
I taught middle school and high school for a few years and yes that seems feasible for an 8th or 9th grade student. You can tell this student reads a lot because they have such varied and complex sentence structures.
Mixedupste 6 years ago
Good parents!! But why do you guys tip? i really don't get it. You earn a wage and if someone wants to tip then fair does but you shouldn't be forced to leave a tip, even when you have amazing or bad service. Shouldn't have to beg for your wage.
Jana DesForges 6 years ago
service staff do not earn a decent wage. they live primarily on tips. that’s just the current system.
Load More Replies... Kristel 6 years ago
Mixedupste: I am not from the US, and in under a minute I learned that most waiters and waitresses only get paid $2 to $3 an hour! So yes, as long as restaurants pay them this little, TIP the waiters and waitresses. Reading your comment, I guess you are not from the US, like me. Read first and then comment please. Maybe these comments weren't up yet when you wrote this. In this case I understand you. But then still, do your research. In (I guess) most European countries tipping is not expected to be mandatory. But I would WANT to tip waiters and waitresses who get this little money for this amount of hours of hard work and dealing with ungrateful costumers.
Mixedupste 6 years ago
Pipe down love!!!! Do they not have a minimum wage in the US?? Why would i want to research this when it clearly doesn't affect me? This is my opinion which i am entitled to! Plus, why should you tip a waiter or waitress for doing their job!? That is like me tipping the postman for delivering my letters or tipping a shop assistant for serving me in the shop. Also, if they don't like the job, change!!! Everyone can change their won destiny!!
Asper Rated 6 years ago
Another clueless entitled "person of the world" I see. BEFORE you make such a stupid comment, why not find out what you're talking about. You haven't a clue and you're how old?
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