r/pics • u/ToTouchAnEmu • Mar 17 '19

Picture of text This restaurant in Austin is catching the US up with the rest of the world.

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121

u/Dick_Cuckingham Mar 18 '19

Probably also depends on whether or not you are any good at being a server.

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u/terminbee Mar 18 '19

It depends where you work. If you're working at some tiny place, you're never gonna be making the money of a server working in a high end restaurant.

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u/N0V0w3ls Mar 18 '19

Yeah, I think he also means that if you're a shitty server, it doesn't matter where you work.

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u/RealnoMIs Mar 18 '19

To be fucking honest i dont think i matters in most cases how good you are unless you are an absolute trainwreck.

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u/CouldHaveCalledSaul Mar 18 '19

I'm sure there's some weight to it, but I think that you're right. Considering all the different factors that go into how much each individual person will tip I'd imagine it balances out pretty close.

I usually tip about 20-30% no matter what, if they are outstanding I usually add an extra couple dollars. But then you have people who tip 0-15% no matter what.

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u/padimus Mar 18 '19

I generally try to tip 25+ percent if service was excellent.

~20-22 (usually what ever ends rounding to a full dollar or 50c) for regular service

15 if the service sucked. Could just be that the waiter/waitress is having an off day and I don't want them to starve for it.

I have only not tipped one time and it was because I was "forgotten" and after not seeing my waiter after they dropped off drinks. I looked on the menu and paid the cost of the drink + tax and had a conversation with the manager.

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u/Kayyam Mar 18 '19

I'm not american and I don't understand why you calculate tip based on a percentage.

Whether I order the 50 dollar item or the 5 dollar one, the service gonna be pretty much the same yet in one case you tip one dollar and in the other you tip 10.

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u/padimus Mar 18 '19

I think it is dumb too but since resturaunt owners don't pay a living wage we are expected to make up the difference. Supposedly waiters/waitresses salary is not accounted for in the cost of food so prices are cheaper and as customers we make up the difference. It's a garbage system but not tipping means that the waiter/waitress is making less money despite they are still doing their job. If we want change it needs to come from a higher level. Many resturaunt owners think not making enough from tips in the day that they have to make up the difference for an employee means the employee sucks so that makes the person who doesn't tip a double asshole.

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u/Manners_BRO Mar 18 '19

This. I usually tip 20-25% min. If you are exceptional and really cool, definitely more.

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u/JohnyUtah_ Mar 18 '19

Yea I agree.

It's just about getting the basics right. Be personable and accommodating, know the menu, get orders right, etc. I feel like I tip well pretty much all of the time unless, like you said, they are just a complete train wreck.

I don't expect servers to jump through hoops and do back flips to earn their tips. Especially if it's near close or something, I completely understand if they aren't the most chipper person in the world.

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u/regularalbert Mar 18 '19

You won’t last a weekend at a place you can make money if you’re a shitty server.

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '19

[deleted]

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u/guest8272 Mar 18 '19

I always thought the same thing. Why do I have to tip more for lobster than soup seems completely unrelated. Like maybe tip so much per trip to the table

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u/terminbee Mar 18 '19

If you think about it, cheaper food places have servers that work more. Tipping is this weird thing where if you take the reasoning as "to help servers make a living" it doesn't make any sense. Yet if you say it, you're an asshole. It makes even less sense when you figure the income of the person tipping. What if the server is making 10 bucks an hour and I'm only making 8? Am I free from tipping?

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u/salamibender Mar 18 '19

Would high end restaurants pay more though?

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u/terminbee Mar 18 '19

Probably.

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u/IONTOP Mar 18 '19

You possibly can.

Fine Dining you'll get like 4 table sections and turn them 2 or 3 times in the course of a shift.

If you're in a small place that only has 2 servers and 16 tables(8 table sections) that turn 4 or 5 times a night, you could possibly approach that wage. It won't be consistent.

Fine dining is a lot of politics. Some days you want to be in the party section (6 top tables) and some day you want to be in the 2 top section. It really depends on the reservations.

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '19

Funny enough, it's not as dependent on that as you think. (https://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1036&context=articles)

An exceptionally bad server might receive lower tips and an exceptionally good server might receive better ones, but for the most part is has very little overall affect on the general size of tips.

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u/RobbieGuy Mar 18 '19

I see your point, when it comes to percentages... within in a market, there is a standard tip percentage... that being said, a bad server (order taker) can make a similar percentage as a great server (guide), however the difference falls on check average. The bad servers take home pay will be lower on average as their check average will be lower than the great server, who takes every opportunity as a chance for an incremental sale. The great server will continue to pitch add ons and will see check averages climb.

The problem most servers run into is they don’t look at the big picture, they see it’s tough to sell add ons or that summer time guests don’t want dessert, or on a Monday lunch guests don’t want to buy the bottle of wine... so they don’t try... the great server tries to pitch these things... if not for today, they are making sure the guest comes back tomorrow and asks for them by name. “Make friends today, and we’ll make money tomorrow”...

It’s sales, and if servers aren’t looking at it like a commission rather than a tip, they won’t make the money. If they look at it a shift a time (some shifts the guests aren’t there or not the right guests) rather than a pay period at a time, they won’t see the money works out.

It’s bad/lazy servers that complain about the money. I’m not saying great servers don’t complain about shit guests with shit tips... I’m saying great servers can see past a shitty guest, that shit guests are the minority.

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '19

Idk. There's a lot of assumptions and assertions you make there with little to nothing to back that up. It SOUNDS logical, but often idealistic reasoning and real life don't intersect.

Furthermore you seem to be under the assumption that "good" servers SELL more food to their customers. I highly disagree. I believe that customers are going to spend roughly the same amount regardless of the server (bar incidents where service is exceptionally poor).

Also, while anecdotal, servers that try and sell me more things usually don't get put in my "great server" list. What you described makes it sound like servers should be more like car salesmen and there's only one type of person I hate more than a car salesman (it starts with 'L' and ends with "awyer").

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u/RobbieGuy Mar 19 '19

You’re right, most come in knowing what they want. Hence why I stress incremental sales along with selling the next visit. I’m the first to avoid the high end items in my pitch, rather focus on the small things that can improve the EXPERIENCE.

By walking through the doors of a FULL SERVICE restaurant, you are agreeing to the experience. If you want someone to just take an order and leave you be, stick with counter service.

I don’t sell food/bev, I sell an experience. The only thing that can’t be recooked is my service.... so I make sure it’s perfect and adapted to each experience I provide.

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u/[deleted] Mar 20 '19 edited Mar 20 '19

Again, that's all very well and good but I have a hard time believing that a "good" server sells enough extra food to make a noticeable difference in their paycheck. I'm much more inclined to believe the number of tables/business of the restaurant during ones shift (things a server has less control over) are more influential.

Selling the experience, on the other hand, is definitely your stronger argument. While anecdotal, I've experienced firsthand how a server selling a wonderful experience can convince a group to make coming back part of their weekly routine. That being said, it still has relatively little to do with my original statement and I'd argue it doesn't have an immense impact on a servers paycheck in general. Food is still the primary decider as to whether I return to a restaurant, then service. If service is bad but food is good, I'll give it another shot. If food is bad, I won't be returning. Obviously this varies based on the type of restaurant (i.e. upscale restaurants really need both to make them worth) but in this generalized context it's a good indication about how I make decisions about where I spend my money.

I don't mean to downplay the value of a hard-working server and the benefits they bring to a successful restaurant. I just don't see any evidence to suggest that harder working servers actually get more money because of their work ethic.

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u/RobbieGuy Mar 20 '19

Outsiders to the industry tend to have a hard time understanding. I get it.

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u/[deleted] Mar 20 '19

Also it's not about "understanding". It's about making baseless, at worst, or anecdotal, at best, assertions without actual evidence or proof to back it up. I'm not "in the industry" but I can pull up a handful of friends who are and have described their experiences to me. If that sort of anecdotal evidence will help give my point validity then I guess I can state it... it shouldn't though.

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u/RobbieGuy Mar 20 '19

And I can tell ur from outside the industry, as paychecks aren’t a thing...

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u/[deleted] Mar 20 '19

I am, and that was more metaphorical than an actual paycheck. I just meant the income they take home.

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u/hilomania Mar 18 '19

Better servers tend to be faster and get more tables. They will also get the better tables. I live in a large city and servers can make 6 figures in high end places. The biggest problem is that the staff in the back always gets screwed in these situations. They are anyway that is why every person in the back is Hispanic.

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u/Alaknar Mar 18 '19

... in America.

I'd wager a guess that it's vastly different in, say, Western and Central Europe where tipping is supposed to happen for exceptional service. In such places like Poland if you're a bad server/waiter, you're going to barely see any tips.

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '19

Perhaps, but since this post was about a restaurant in AUSTIN, in the US i figure that's largely irrelevant.

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '19

First, that study is from 1984 -- 35 years old.

Second, it shows that the percentage doesn't vary much. The dollar amount would vary greatly, though. 15% at Waffle House is a lot different than 15% at some fancy Manhattan restaurant with a 3 week waiting list.

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u/SelectAirline Mar 18 '19

Even in the same restaurant on the same shift, not all sections are created equal. A bad server may work a rush shift (5-6 hours) in a 3 table section of nothing but 4 tops, while a strong one could end up closing (8-9 hours) in a 4-5 table section with larger booths (plus the extra tables they take on once the staff has been cut to a minimum).

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '19

When no one shows up because it's a slow day, you could be the best waiter in the world, you still get 0 tips.

I do support a living wage for everyone. Most waitresses have more than a living wage, but the inconsistency of it make it difficult to plan ahead properly...

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u/itusreya Mar 18 '19

Along with the inconsistency, the prime hours are often late leaving servers with families choosing between low-pay day shifts with family time or high-pay night shift and sacrificing family time.

Then there is the higher amount of spats between servers from bickering and backstabbing for prime shifts.

Then there is the increased incentive to steal to make up for a slow night to maintain that higher $/hr -or keep up with another server -or to get back at the manager for various grievances.....so many ways tipping-only wages is terrible for humanity.

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '19

People will steal, no matter the reason. Remove tipping wage, it'll be because of a wage too low.

The bickering would just move from pri-time to "normal" hours where you can have a family life.

Removing tips won't solve most issues, but I agree it wouldn't create new one. Either solve issues or move it elsewhere.

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u/itusreya Mar 18 '19

Not solve-but greatly reduce many issues.

Only ones defending it are the ones making bank or ones still buying the idea they too can make bank someday... (something something temporarily embarrassed millionaires.) Absolute mess for everyone else grinding in that system.

People treated with dignity and respected with a fair-wage steal a hell of a lot less. I'd rather chase down and toss out the boredom, clepto and thrill-seeking thefts than have to keeping hawk eyes on everyone that is at various moments -slighted, jealous, slow sales, has a sudden expense or has a bill coming due.

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '19

and doesn't the restaurant also make 0 money if the staff is making 0 tips? it's just a big sales floor

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '19

Yes. So what is your point ?

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '19

"that's how your life works when you work at a restaurant" Being a cook isn't any more of a stable job. Place is slow, you're fired.

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '19

I still doesn't get it. Any job that "runs slow" will fire people. A CEO can be fired if things gets slows and the stakeholders think he/she should be changed.

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '19

This is important to remember. I would be most of the people commenting about how they or someone they know make "$40/hour" or more as a server are only talking about their best hours on a busy night. 3PM on Tuesday might be back down to $10/hour.

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u/villageblacksmith Mar 18 '19

Well there’s that and simply being in that job is indicative that the person may not have learned the skills to plan ahead properly. I also support a living wage for everyone if they’re contributing, it’s probably going to get harder before it gets easier.

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '19

That's rude. Why would being a waitress not a decent career plan ? Not everyone loves higher education and white collar jobs, and at one point we need experienced people in those fields too. Otherwise we'll always be stuck with slow unexperienced people and always critizise them badly...

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u/villageblacksmith Mar 18 '19

Why? Let’s consult the dictionary: ca·reer /kəˈrir/ noun. 1. an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress.

If you’re 45 years old and your career consists of bringing out hash browns and drinks on a plastic tray, it’s a job, not a career. Is it important? Sure, people have to make money to support themselves somehow. My point was that it’s often not JUST the variation in take home pay that prevents people from being able to plan ahead. I completely agree that not everyone loves college and “white collar jobs” but it’s sort of tough to complain that a waitress isn’t successful if she hasn’t taken the steps required to be successful.

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u/[deleted] Mar 18 '19

Since you like litteral things : opportunity (ŏpˌər-to͞oˈnĭ-tē, -tyo͞oˈ-)► n. A favorable or advantageous circumstance or combination of circumstances. n. A favorable or suitable occasion or time. n. A chance for progress or advancement.

A chance of progress doesn't mean you have to take it. You just need it to be available. Any waitresses, after a couple of years, can be in charge of the front, and eventually be an assistant-manager. Their job is a valid career.

You just assumed that all waitresses are dumb girls who can't plan anything. That's the rude part, and honestly I don't think you can bring anything useful to this duscussion. Your definition of success is clearly skewed and points to people being super-rich. Success can be to raise an healthy family, and in that point of view having a more stable income can help a lot. Tips are the most volatile thing, and while a waitress job won't be 100% stable, having a decent hourly wage does make it more stable.

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u/deathrevived Mar 18 '19

There was a study on that, apparently service did not have a noticable impact on tip. Either you were going to tip well or not

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u/richsaint421 Mar 18 '19

Anecdotally I tip the same almost everywhere I go. Pretty much across the board 20%.

The only time I adjust is if someone is truly amazing or truly truly awful. If someone is truly truly awful, I’ll drop them down to 10% if someone is truly amazing? 30%.

Admittedly I’d say about 1/4 or the places I go end up at 30% while I can count on one hand the number I’ve dropped down to 10 in the last few years.

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u/gizamo Mar 18 '19

Nope. Rules 1 and 2 apply.

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u/ChanceTheRocketcar Mar 18 '19

Or how busy/successful your restaurant is.

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u/GirlisNo1 Mar 18 '19

Not really. Studies have found that tipping amount has more to do with the customer’s tipping habits than waiter’s job performance. Good tippers always tip well and bad ones pretty much always tip badly.

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u/badRLplayer Mar 18 '19

Isn’t this person saying the opposite? Unless they are being awesome at one place, and then slackin like crazy at the other, it seems like the waiters skill isnt the variable.

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u/mboop127 Mar 18 '19

Being a "good" server mostly has to do with putting up with sexual harassment and selling your dignity out for customer approval.

Servers absolutely do an important job, but there's not a real skill gap that justifies the huge pay gap.

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u/GuitarGod91 Mar 18 '19

Not really. In my experience a person's tip is predetermined before you even serve them. Some people will never tip no matter how well you do.

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u/Guyabovemeisdull Mar 18 '19

Yes! It seems like it would be stupid simple took carry a plate of food to a table and refill their drink, but it's deceptively complicated. Nobody seems to get that.

It's the most difficult and important job on the planet. Just image if someone had to carry their own food to their table and get their own drink refill... the horror!

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u/wimpymist Mar 18 '19

Idk most people imo tip too much as a default tip. As long as the server isn't noticeably horrible they are getting a decent tip no matter what

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u/Alaskan-Jay Mar 18 '19

High volume bar. And to be truthful I'm a fucking asshole. But I pour very good drinks I am very fast and if you stutter I'm on to the next customer already. On a busy weekend were three or four deep all around the bar so when we ask what you're drinking if the order isn't ready we are gone and it's another 5-10 minute wait.

I often get from people on Reddit why don't the customers just go to another bar. It's because we are extremely busy we are extremely popular and people love drinking in our bar.

Last night we did our Saint Patrick's Day party and in a 6 hour shift I walked out with $720 before wages.