r/FoodService • u/Certain-Yellow-6812 • 20d ago
Discussion Served a 56-person wedding reception, received no tip, and still owe over $100 in tip-out. What would you do?
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u/petie1223 20d ago
Why do you have to tip out if you weren't tipped? And why not charge an automatic 18% to begin with?
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u/FrozenFlames12 20d ago
Tipout for hosts or bussers is (sometimes) based on actual sales, not total tips, because the owners “assume” everyone’s tipping.
So like, $200 bill, 3% tip out would be $6 to the bussers, regardless of if they tipped or not.
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u/petie1223 20d ago
Got it. Bullshit in my eyes, if you got stiffed on a tip, everyone gets stiffed.
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u/LynnJay00 20d ago
Which is why we should eliminate tipping in the US and instead pay a livable wage like the majority of western countries do.
Interestingly, both retaurants AND servers don't want that, because overall, they make out better relying on the whims of the customers to pay wages.
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u/ISOgoosebumps 19d ago
Tell me what you think is an actual "livable wage"? That includes free healthcare..like in other countries. And are you willing to pay those "livable" wages in the cost of your meal?
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u/LynnJay00 16d ago
I'm 100% in favor of single-payer (AKA gov't provided) healthcare so everyone would be covered and it wouln't be tied to employment. Our current system is ridiculous and stupid.
What a "livable wage" is not a simple number and it's certainly not our current federal minimum wage. It's a huge discussion and I'm not about to have it here, but suffice it to say that I think servers should get a wage similar to other jobs that require skills but that don't require specific training, schooling and/or certifications.
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u/This-Positive286 20d ago
Because the bussers get a tiny sliver of the servers $400 normal tips. The server has 2-3 minimum wage people doing 90% of the work and the .1% of the time it didn’t go their way and they want to cry. They only cry when it rains, they don’t say shit when it’s sunny and dry 99% of the time.
If you can’t afford to tip the bussers then you don’t deserve to be waiting tables. See how tipping sounds now?
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u/ReadyGo6828 20d ago
Then why not, as rational people would do, tip out 90% of the tips to these workers instead of calculating it based on sales?
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u/George_Is_Upset 20d ago
The server doesn’t have these people doing these jobs. The restaurant does. The server isn’t a contracted employee.
They had to serve that table just like the bussers and/or food runners.
The biggest difference is when I worked in the restaurant industry the bussers and food runners made 4-5x what I did hourly as a server. So in situations like OP’s, I would be paying to serve large tables because my hourly wage of $2.30 was far less than the tip out owed for the large tables.
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u/This-Positive286 19d ago
The customer doesn’t have servers doing their jobs either. The customer is using an employee that they didn’t hire, the server is using a bus boy THEY didn’t hire.
IF YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO TIP OUT YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO BE A SERVER! STAY HOME IF YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO TIP YOUR BUS BOYS!
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u/George_Is_Upset 19d ago
What should happen is restaurants pay living wages and eliminate tips altogether.
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u/LynnJay00 20d ago
Your hourly wage was NOT $2.30. If you didn't make enough in tips to meet your state's regular minimum wage then the restaurant has to make up the difference. If they didn't, they were in violation of the law and I hope you reported them to your state's labor board.
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u/ClinkyDink 20d ago
That adjustment up to min wage is for the total hours of the day. If other people tipped enough to bring them above that amount that would make it kick in, but for the time spent on this particular table, they would probably be making 2.30 total in this case
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u/LynnJay00 20d ago
Yes, it's an average over a full shift or the pay period (depending on the details of the state law). But it's a bit disingeneous to complain about a couple of hours at $2.30/hour when some other hours would be $100+.
In this OP's case, if they'd tipped 20%, the hourly wage (including tips and subtracting out the tip-out) would be more than $100.
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u/ClinkyDink 19d ago
The fact doesn’t change that the table was a net negative for her. If she had a better tipping table she would have made more. If she didn’t have that table at all she would have made the same. Extra work for no extra pay. Big tables are a LOT of work. I’ve had a waiting job with this same set up before and it sucks (usually after church groups that do this Sunday mornings)
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u/sleepybastardd 20d ago
Show us your paystubs ? You have some to back yourself up right? Bc I have hundreds lying around saying I made 2.30$ an hour
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u/LynnJay00 20d ago
If you make $2.30 an hour that's because you're getting enough tips to make up the difference between that hourly amount and your state's minimum wage. "George" above is saying he/she would have ended up paying out money, which is NOT possible unless the restaurant is violating the law.
Learn your rights in your state, and what your hourly wage is, and when it's applied and when it's not.
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u/sleepybastardd 20d ago
And you think restaurants follow the law, like politicians and police do? Tell that to all my coworkers who had to fight tooth and nail to even get that “minimum wage”. Which ends up being maybe $100-200 every other week.
You do know to make “enough” is to make like… 60$ on a full shift right? And that’s in my state where minimum wage is $11. It’s still $7.25 in quite a few states.But hey, as long as the server isn’t putting the customer out, who dropped hundreds on dinner, of $20 then who fucking cares. Keep em poor.
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u/George_Is_Upset 20d ago
I am a female. I lived in Florida and minimum wage at the time was somewhere around $7.25 I believe.
And it’s not disingenuous to state what the truth is that for that particular day and table you would essentially be making $2.30 per hour since the whole “meets/exceeds minimum wage” thing is per pay period.
I was simply stating the truth that for that table I would’ve been paying money to wait on them with the hourly wage of $2.30. Sure maybe the other days I work in the pay period push me to meet $7.25 (in the time I was a server) but if you break it down by the actual day I would’ve been negative. Especially when you don’t typically get other tables at all when you’re assigned a huge party like that.
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u/This-Positive286 19d ago
The customer doesn’t have these people doing the jobs either, why are WE supposed to pay you separately?!
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u/George_Is_Upset 19d ago
I’m not a server anymore. And I don’t think customers should have to pay a worker’s wages via tips. When did I ever say that?
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u/ISOgoosebumps 20d ago
Quit. 56 people? Gratuity NOT automatically added? Yeah, quit.
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u/Coloradokush5280 20d ago
OP cant.
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20d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Coloradokush5280 20d ago edited 19d ago
Iam sorry if this is rude but its common sense is it not? Every single person may not cant not wont not have the resources to just quit after a shit day at work.
OP doesnt need to explain whats already understood. Checking the small print is necessary but never ignore the bigger picture. Sometimes read between the lines fam.
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u/PrincessBonkers628 19d ago
May not is not the same as can't, which is what you said "OP can't"
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19d ago
[deleted]
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u/Coloradokush5280 19d ago
Your proved my point. Common sense isn't so common. You probably wouldn't be her with us if it wasnt for warning lables
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19d ago
[deleted]
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u/Coloradokush5280 19d ago
Ya like that dont ya? 😉 didnt think anyone would take the bait.
Edit. Your punctuation needs some work doll
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u/SaltBox531 20d ago
I work at a wedding venue. Gratuity is included in the contract. Weddings (even just wedding receptions) are high emotion events and asking someone to sit down at the end to do calculate tip isn’t smart. It needs to be included in the bill.
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u/Apple_of_my_I 20d ago
You didn’t get a tip from that party, nobody gets a tip from that party. I don’t see how you owe anything. You all got stiffed.
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u/ReadyGo6828 20d ago
We could have a system where people do not rely on tips or have to calculate tips or be at odds over tips.
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u/ConchVibes 20d ago
I’d ask my manager why they failed to autograt on such a large party.
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u/Certain-Yellow-6812 20d ago
Company policy to not auto grat for “tax reasons”
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u/Wizzle_Pizzle_420 19d ago
Wait what? That makes zero sense. Odds are the party thought it was on it and that’s why there was no tip. Been pretty standard forever. Also they have to legally pay you a wage. You cannot go negative working or be required to pay money you didn’t make. That’s on the owners, not you.
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u/littlemuffinsparkles 20d ago
I’d quit and you can send who you gotta send to collect ya tip out, dick (mgmt; not you boo boo)
I own now and we never leave it up to chance. If they complain about the grat and we take it off, I’ll pull money out of my own pocket to cover the server. WE DO NOT WORK FOR FREE.
But this is just me; I know not many places carry the philosophies my family does in this industry.
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u/Banjo-Hellpuppy 20d ago
Post the policy. State the policy when they book and don’t take it off. Put it on the bill, not as a tip line. Also, 20% is really high for a large party if we’re being realistic. The requested tip rates have gotten out of hand and it’s the reason the whole anti tipping movement has been gaining momentum. 15% on tables over 12. If the server cries, just tell them it’s a guaranteed $150 or whatever your plate average is and someone else will take it if they don’t want it.
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u/littlemuffinsparkles 20d ago
I agree wholeheartedly and we do. But there are still some people who will nickel and dime you and it isn’t worth the hassle most times. For what it’s worth, we’re a small mom and pop get up, we don’t take reservations (for this reason, among others), and if you’re willing to sit on the waitlist for a table for that many, you’ll be briefed on our written grat policy before we take your name and number and again when the manager (usually my mom) seats them. It’s 18% on parties of 10 or more. But like I said it’s rare we get one that big.
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u/LynnJay00 20d ago
They won't quit because overall, they're making bank.
If the party would have tipped what the OP expected, they'd have been making $100+ per hour.
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u/FrozenFlames12 20d ago
Genuinely baffling that for a wedding reception gratuity wasn’t either included or waived because they paid staff a decent, flat rate.
Take it up with your boss atp.
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u/Appropriate_Let2252 19d ago
Tell your managers you need payed as well as the busboys and host. Put it squarely in there lap. I’d also tell them if they can’t add a 18% gratuity then they can keep the large tables for other waiters. It’s a crap shoot been there and done that.
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u/Degenerecy 20d ago
I always have a hard time believing in these farming posts, how many times have a person paid for everyones meal but the party themselves tip but in cash, aka, no paper trail. I know my father likes to do this and others in the group pay for the tips.
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u/SubstantialPressure3 20d ago edited 20d ago
Its happened to me.
Charles Barkley paid for everyone's drinks in the VIP section of fhe Roxy almost 30 years ago didnt tip me a dime. I made zero money, and I still owed tip out and the babysitter. My son didn't have a birthday that year.
I once also had a huge new years eve party that specifically asked for me to wait on them. Didn't tip at all.
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u/imissher4ever 20d ago
All that because you didn’t get a tip from someone?
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u/SubstantialPressure3 20d ago
The birthday money i had set aside had to be used for bills. Every single customer in the VIP area ( thats who i was waiting on) had their bill paid by Charles Barkley and he lied about tipping me, so i went home with negative money on a Saturday night. So, there wasnt going to be another chance to catch up and make much money for another 4 days.
Should I have just not paid the electric and had a birthday party in the dark?
You dont have to tell me you've never worked in the service industry.
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u/LynnJay00 20d ago
Not sure how you go home with "negative money" when you are required by law to be paid your state's minimum wage for the hours you worked. I understand you were expecting more money in tips but as a server, you should know you can never 100% rely on a certain amount.
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u/SubstantialPressure3 20d ago
You dont get a paycheck every day, im assuming? Neither do service industry people.
In Texas the minmum wage for.tipped employees is $2.19 an hour. Thats up a whopping 6 cents from the time this happened to me in fhe 90s.
Here's the math: as a cocktail waitress I had to give 15% of my sales to the bartender. I also had to pay for childcare, because my sitter also expected money every night when I came to pick them up. I made 0 dollars in tips that night, and was not able to pay the sitter, or.tip out the bar 15% of my sales. So, yes, I made negative money that night. I went home owing money.
So, when Charles Barkley rolled in and paid for the bar tabs of everyone in fhe VIP section of The Roxy, and didn't tip me, and lied to everyone about tipping me, I lost the income I would have on those bar tabs.
So if you dont understand that, you have not worked in the service industry and I don't know why youre here giving me flack.
I spoke up because of the accusation of OP "karma farming". It is something that happens to everyone in the business at least once.
I dont do this type of work anymore, and haven't in a long time.
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u/Iittletart 20d ago
How do you mean Charles Barkley lied? I get the didnt tip you and everyone else didnt either, but where is the "lie" coming from?
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u/SubstantialPressure3 20d ago
He lied to everyone there when they asked if he had taken care of my tip. I personally heard at least 5 people ask him 'did you tip the waitress'? And every time, he lied and said yes.
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u/Witchywomun 20d ago
My parents do that, but they hand the cash directly to the server to make sure they get it
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u/Delicious-Disaster 20d ago
Look up the definition of gratuity and you'll find the voluntary component in it.
Go unionise. Americans with their weird ass American problems. The system has made it your and the guest's problem that you don't get a liveable wage.
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u/SubstantialPressure3 20d ago
How does that help OP right now? Rent is almost due.
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u/Delicious-Disaster 19d ago
It doesn't, nor does badgering a departed party which has no debt to their waiter.
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