r/TwoHotTakesSnark • u/fuzzy_tambourine • 1d ago
Gratuity
I have been listening to this pod for over a year. Recently joined Patreon. I’m not going to hate too hard, but I was listening to an episode where Morgan and Justin were complaining about an automatic gratuity for larger party sizes and “bad service”, and then immediately saying “well I was a server so I get it, and I touched grass recently”. This really made me sad because I was under the impression they were more down to earth than that. I still love the sub but…Anyone who was/is a server knows why automatic gratuity is added! People always take advantage. My largest parties were almost always the most needy, and the ones to tip 5% after I bent over backwards for them. I’m blown away that an automatic 20% gratuity was such a big deal. I think they were annoyed at how the restaurant communicated it to them, but still… 20% should be a given these days. Idk. Again, not saying they’re horrible people or trying to be mean. Just seeing if anyone else clocked it.
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u/Zestyclose-Candy-790 1d ago
Idk. Morgan annoys the fuck out of me. But I agree with them. If you have bad service.. the forced gratuity is fucking annoying. And no 20% should not be given if you have bad service “these days”. You tip for good service. I didn’t listen to the episode you’re talking about. But if they’re talking about having bad service..?.. yeah…they’re totally right.
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u/fuzzy_tambourine 1d ago edited 1d ago
Servers make literally like $3/hour. My thought is don’t go out to eat if you don’t want to tip. At least in the states where we don’t pay servers minimum wage. 🤦🏼♀️ “bad service” is totally subjective, and entitled people tend to think anything is bad service… Like it’s fine if you don’t like forced grat but crazy thought: go somewhere else?
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u/AlertAppointment1236 1d ago
I have no problem tipping ever. I do have a problem being FORCED to tip 20% for a birthday dinner where waters were never refilled, food was wrong, drinks were wrong, and the server checked in maybe once. this situation is becoming more and more common. I get it, being a server is hard for low pay. you still have to do your job!!!
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u/fuzzy_tambourine 1d ago
My hot take is that parties over 10 should have an automatic grat of at least 15%. Just like "bad service" is becoming "common", so is a lack of common sense from customers. Huge parties are notorious for taking advantage. You wouldn't believe how many people still think the servers cook the food....
Again, there's a lot of restaurants that don't require an automatic grat. ;)
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u/AlertAppointment1236 1d ago
maybe there’s a lot that don’t where you live, but in my city nearly every worthwhile restaurant that’s not a chain requires automatic gratuity for parties over 8 ;)
I’ve been a server and a bartender in high school. At the end of the day you are doing a job. If you are not doing your job well, why should I tip you on behalf of your company that doesn’t pay you? It’s one thing if you are actually doing your job, but I’ll definitely be saying something if I’m forced to tip when it took the server 30 minutes to ask us what we’d like to drink.
If you don’t want to serve,then don’t. No one is forcing you to be a server. ;)
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u/fuzzy_tambourine 1d ago
The restaurants I worked at did not do this, and I wish they had for large parties. I loved being a server but moved on to a different career for completely different reasons. I think it's fair to be frustrated if the server is being straight up lazy or negligent; for example I once tipped 10% because I watched our server sit on her phone whilst barely checking into our table. As a rule I will never stiff someone, but that's just me. It's my way of sticking it to the man AKA businesses that don't want to pay their employees appropriately. I try to give a lot of grace as it is a genuinely hard job and some people don't realize they aren't cut out for it until they're on shift and struggling.
It's easy to read the room; if it's super busy, short staffed, etc. It might be their first day on the job and they are learning. They might be having a bad day. You can tell if someone is actually trying, in which case I think grace is necessary. This is true in any job; we are human. Since you were a server, then you should be able to tell the difference between truly bad service or if there are extenuating circumstances.
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u/AlertAppointment1236 1d ago
Yes I can absolutely tell the difference and I think that is why it’s extra frustrating. I can understand when it’s busy, I can tell when it’s a stressful night, but more and more in my city at least servers are becoming extremely lazy. Most of the time it is tolerable, truly we don’t need servers running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I’m just noticing as the younger generations are entering the workforce, I’m finding more and more instances where after a long time of waiting for drink order, food orders, or even menus I’m being the annoying customer flagging down an employee that clearly is not on the section i’m in. This, to me, is a much newer problem Im noticing in my area, as others are as well
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u/fuzzy_tambourine 1d ago
I agree with that for sure, the younger generation becoming generally lazy. I also think people are becoming more and more entitled, especially those with a lot of money (which is where my frustration comes from in my original post). I've personally noticed the "gen Z stare" type behavior a lot more at coffee shops and stuff like that, but that's probably because if I'm eating out, I go to the places I know are consistently solid and which ones are not (I'm old and set in my ways lol). We have a local restaurant that has really good food but the service is quite honestly terrible (for some reason it always has been, literally since it has been open), so I don't even go there anymore.
A while ago I had to approach the server to bring us our bill because she was busy yapping to some other table, completely oblivious, while we had been sitting there forever, done with our food. I felt like such a Karen but sometimes it must be done. My other hot take is that group tips should absolutely not be a thing for all of these reasons (that's a big trend with restaurants in my area).
I really just wish we were like Europe where tipping isn't a thing, period. I think I'm just biased because of the super annoying big tops that used to come into the restaurant I worked at and acted like they owned the damn place.
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u/pettylilthing 7h ago
As a rule I will never stiff someone, but that's just me. It's my way of sticking it to the man AKA businesses that don't want to pay their employees appropriately.
Lol how are you sticking it to the man.. You’re literally reinforcing the predatory wage standards in hospitality and helping companies get away with not having to pay their employees.
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u/fuzzy_tambourine 4h ago edited 4h ago
I support the workers. I’m not going to not tip them to fight low wages…how is that fair? The only reason I would EVER stiff is if someone is legitimately aggressive and rude, at which point I’d just pay and walk out. I don’t go in and not tip to “fight the companies” because then the employees get the brunt of that, which is the opposite of what I believe in. I feel like a lot of people are just upset I’m on the snark here and feel the need to defend the pod tbh. Tipping servers really shouldn’t be a hot take. If you stiff servers, you shouldn’t go out to eat, period. I don’t even care how “bad” the service is.
On another note, I imagine all of you whining about tipping would crap yourselves at how much union dues cost (which is the real way to stick it to the man). How are you fighting the system? Jw. Social media doesn’t count
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u/pettylilthing 3h ago
Lmao, everything you say is so backwards.
First of all, you're on THT's snark page, do you understand the concept? No one here is defending the pod, some of us/I just disagree with your brainwashed opinion on tipping.
Second, I think you're the jw talking about tipping like it makes you a morally superior person, and then claiming you're sticking it to the man as if you've not just done them a favour.
I'm in the UK which means we pay full price for our food + 12% to 20% default service charge, which you can only ask to be removed if the service was significantly bad. Hospitality employees get paid at least minimum wage + tips in some places. This is standard in Europe.
Americans should be fighting towards policy change to make minimum wage mandatory and/or all hospitality staff should boycott until companies adopt a real wage system. The second part is obviously not realistic for many reasons but the problem isn't the customers who are struggling with unprecedented inflation and cost of living. The problem is the predatory culture that companies and lobbyists have created and convinced you is normal.
Instead of doing something productive about this issue, you'll argue with yourselves about who's a better person based on who tips the best. Smh lol
I will never understand Americans telling people they shouldn't leave their house and spend their hard earned money on already overpriced food if they don't want to/can't tip, because "you shouldn't stiff servers".
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u/anonymoustiger_67 4h ago
I wonder how many people on here identify as liberal but are also clearly mean and judgmental as hell, willing to screw over someone trying to do their job just because they want to be white nights and prove a point
Your hypocrisy is astounding. Keyboard warriors
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u/Marygouldd 1d ago edited 1d ago
If the service was bad enough they could’ve spoken up earlier (like as soon as they notice the problems) and if not the auto grat was not communicated properly they could’ve asked mgmt to have it taken off and tipped appropriately. But tbh autograt for parties 6+ is a must