When the meal is great but the server isn't...do you ever go back?

thomas998

Well-Known Member
LOL, I was not thanking you for anything, I was attempting to give you a reality check, but that just went flying right over your little head.

No restaurant that I've ever worked for has ever "made up for lack of tips". I've asked numerous friends in the service industry and it just does not happen. Quite the contrary.

A Times Square restaurant that I worked at years ago had a notorious lunch shift that was always packed with non tipping foreign tourists. Waiters who worked that shift were stiffed royally, and constantly, to the point where it was not unusual for servers to actually have to PAY to work that shift, leaving with negative dollars. Why? Because when you are stiffed, you still have to tip out busboy, bartender, food runner, and sometimes the host OFF SALES, not off tips you received. If your lunch shift was dominated by a giant table of Japanese tourists who rang up a $600 check and stiffed you (this was before the days of auto gratuity for large parties), guess what? Not only are you not making any money from that shift, you are PAYING to work that shift.

This has been confirmed on here on various tipping threads by multiple individuals.

Luckily for me, my waiter days are long behind me so I don't have to worry about waiting on little piggys who think it is oh so witty and lesson-teaching to leave pennies or dimes and I don't have to worry about going to prison for following them to the parking lot and inserting said coins into a slot where the sun doesn't shine.

If a 100 people don't know the law it isn't my problem... You can complain about how your ignorance of the law resulted in your not getting the money you deserved all you want, but if you want to be angry at someone be angry at yourself for not bothering to read up on laws related to your pay. Even more funny is that none of your friends that were waiter knew about this fact, everyone that I knew that ever waited tables was well aware of it which is how I was told about it in the first place. I guess it says something about the quality of your friends.
 

BuddyThomas

Well-Known Member
If a 100 people don't know the law it isn't my problem... You can complain about how your ignorance of the law resulted in your not getting the money you deserved all you want, but if you want to be angry at someone be angry at yourself for not bothering to read up on laws related to your pay. Even more funny is that none of your friends that were waiter knew about this fact, everyone that I knew that ever waited tables was well aware of it which is how I was told about it in the first place. I guess it says something about the quality of your friends.
Again you are missing the point, but let me say that in a language you are more likely to understand:
Oink oink.

;)
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
Again you are missing the point, but let me say that in a language you are more likely to understand:
Oink oink.

;)
You must have me confused with your mother... I know your mother and I are wiser than you and it probably upsets you but she's the only one going oink oink.
 

BuddyThomas

Well-Known Member
You must have me confused with your mother... I know your mother and I are wiser than you and it probably upsets you but she's the only one going oink oink.
Excuse me, what are you, 12?

And my mother died in August, but thanks for just having proved my point.
 

Andrew C

You know what's funny?
Alright, alright...this is getting out of hand now. Fighting over something silly that we know is the law, which has led to insults (insults by myself as well). Lets end it.
 

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
It is a federal law. If you worked somewhere that it didn't happen then they were breaking the law. It has been that way for years and year.
From the government website:

"
What is the minimum wage for workers who receive tips?

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires payment of at least the Federal minimum wage to covered, nonexempt employees. An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 an hour in direct wages if that amount plus the tips received equals at least the Federal minimum wage, the employee retains all tips and the employee customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the Federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference.

Some states have minimum wage laws specific to tipped employees. When an employee is subject to both the Federal and state wage laws, the employee is entitled to the provisions which provides the greater benefits.

"

It is one of those things that more people should be aware of but for whatever reason most people don't understand it and continue to tip assuming that its the only way the waiter will be paid... not getting minimum wage is a myth, probably perpetuated by the word of mouth from bad waiters that want to guilt people into enabling their bad customer service.
Well I guess nobody reports it because I have never seen it happen either.
 

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
Not sure I understand the logic in that... So you would go to a place that has food that is bad just because the service is great? You do realize that when you are paying the check you are paying for the food, it is really bad food why would you continue to go back?
I think your missing my point. If I go out for a night with my wife and the food at the restaurant is blah but the service is amazing...I might give the place another try, especially if it's a bar type place. Because I can have good time still if the service is top notch, if the food is great and the service is terrible, then that can ruin my night.
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
I think your missing my point. If I go out for a night with my wife and the food at the restaurant is blah but the service is amazing...I might give the place another try, especially if it's a bar type place. Because I can have good time still if the service is top notch, if the food is great and the service is terrible, then that can ruin my night.
I understand when you add in the bar type place to the equation... because then you are basically doing what I do when I go to character meals where the food isn't great... we're both supposedly paying for the food but are really paying for something else be it the venue or the characters the food is ancillary.
 

French Quarter

Well-Known Member
I think your missing my point. If I go out for a night with my wife and the food at the restaurant is blah but the service is amazing...I might give the place another try, especially if it's a bar type place. Because I can have good time still if the service is top notch, if the food is great and the service is terrible, then that can ruin my night.

I get what you are saying. I feel the same way. I don't make it a point to eat at places with bad food but service is definitely more important to me.
 

SW_matt

Well-Known Member
To be honest, coming from the UK everywhere we go in the US the service is comparably amazing. I'm not a huge fan like somebody mentioned of being waited on hand and foot as it feels a little awkward but I'm normally more interested in the theming of the restaurant etc. Honest to god in places like rainforest cafe or the likes of boma I would happily go and fetch my own meal!

With regards tipping, as a brit the US' attitude towards serving staff salaries (and many other things) baffles me but we normally tip because its the done thing.
 

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