It's an awkward but common situation. Your dinner companion doesn't tip fairly and there's no chance to discreetly slip the waiter some extra money. Do you use the "it's not you, it's me" line, throwing down some extra bills?
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Last week, I learned that many believe a server should never address a customer about a tip. Others chimed in to agree.
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I have never before said a word about a tip. Maybe my thank yous are slightly more emphatic when a tip is extremely generous, but I’ve never approached someone in the reverse situation and asked what was up. But Friday night, I felt different.
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If the bartender is simply opening a beer or pouring a glass of Scotch, $1 a drink may still make sense. But what about those bars where ordering a drink is more along the lines of ordering an entrée in a restaurant?
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If you're eating in a restaurant where you're spending at least $50 for dinner, you check your coat. But if you're just having a sandwich or a burger or a couple of tapas or a pizza and you're spending less than $20, should you be under that same obligation?
Shouldn't we be able to save those two bucks without feeling guilty?
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Until I started waiting tables, I had no idea that there were commonly held generalizations about how people act, order, and tip. In retrospect, it makes perfect sense. There are aphorisms about everything. Why should racism, sexism, and general ignorance disappear inside dining establishments?
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Waiter Rant asked his readers in the restaurant industry to comment on how their places fared on Valentine's Day, if they were in areas hit by snowstorms. It looks like a lot of restaurants may have lost money instead of making it, on what's usually one of the most profitable nights of the year, and also people were s-t-i-n-g-y with their waiters. Commenter Morgan: "Tips are notoriously worse on V-Day. They always have been, and they always are. My monthly average is 22%, and last night I was at 17%. It’s a little depressing to realize what I would’ve made if people weren’t used to going out to Applebee’s instead of fine dining, and had a concept of what they’re...
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Augieland hits the nail on the head most of the time he writes, but his essays on tipping, respecting your server, and not ordering filet mignon in a steakhouse get it especially right. Augs, on behalf of food-service workers everywhere, thank you....
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