Tipping

windowgazer · 04-05-2005 12:57PM

Grumpy trousers. Thats exactly how I mean it. I was never ever rude to cutomers (although some were to me!) and I generally have a friendly disposition and smile at people. But when you NEED tips to bring you up to a decent wage then you will be extra smiley and friendly in order to get a tip and consequently a little miffed when you don't. I wouldn't be cursing the customer, just a little annoyed inside.
Keyzer: I always tip now because I know what it's like to work in the service industry and it isn't always the waiter's fault when things go wrong. If they're personally rude to me, then of course I wouldn't.

MorningStar · 04-05-2005 01:08PM

windowgazer wrote:

I always tip now because I know what it's like to work in the service industry and it isn't always the waiter's fault when things go wrong..

WHy not tip people who work in shops. It's a service job! If the food is good a waiter gets a tip yet they have nothing to do with that. Tips are not a fair trade.

My mother works as a waitress for 26 hours a week. I work an IT job (that required I go to college) for 38 hours a week. She makes more money because of tips.

LoneGunM@n · 04-05-2005 01:17PM

I only tip if the service is good ... normally I'd stick in a fiver & so would everyone else!

I remember there was 20 of us in Thunderroad & we all threw in €5 ... the waitress was great & deserved it 'cause she pretty much dealt with us singlehandedly [sp?] ... talk about a happy camper when she was clearing away our table!!

funky penguin · 04-05-2005 01:35PM

Marts wrote:

I can understand why waiters/waitresses get tipped, but why do barmen/women? and I'm not refering to the ones that bring the drinks to your table, I mean the ones who stay behind the bar. I'm not really complaning, I am being trained in behind the bar atm, but it doesn't make any sense

I got tipped recently for giving a chap back a €20 note he accidently gave me while paying. I generally get tipped on quiet days when I have a better chance to converse with the customers. Plus I'm told I pull a great pint.

I don't expect a tip, but when I get one I always accept.

TheMonster · 04-05-2005 01:37PM

I bet not many people know that if a service charge is added in and you are unhappy you can ask for it to be removed.

What really gets to me is the ones that expect a tip on top of the service charge. Only if service is exceptional will I even consider adding to a service charge.

funky penguin · 04-05-2005 01:38PM

Keyzer wrote:

Not "would you like some parmesan sir" or something along those lines...

I don't care where I am, I would never expect a total stranger to call me sir, and vise versa. I reserve those titles for people that have earned them. Just my opinion though.

LoneGunM@n · 04-05-2005 01:41PM

funky penguin wrote:

I don't care where I am, I would never expect a total stranger to call me sir, and vise versa. I reserve those titles for people that have earned them. Just my opinion though.

I remember being in the steak restaurant [if you could call it that] across from Ster Century in Liffey Valley ... I was wearing a suit [having just finished a meeting with a client] & the waiter was bending over backwards to make sure I was well looked after & was constantly referring to me as Sir ... It was hilarious, even more so because he completely ignored the better half

MorningStar · 04-05-2005 02:06PM

LoneGunM@n wrote:

I only tip if the service is good ... normally I'd stick in a fiver & so would everyone else!

I remember there was 20 of us in Thunderroad & we all threw in €5 ... the waitress was great & deserved it 'cause she pretty much dealt with us singlehandedly [sp?] ... talk about a happy camper when she was clearing away our table!!

Do you really think her job was so hard dealing with 20 of you that (guessing 2 hours with you lot) she needed €50 an hour? We all have hard moments with jobs but don't get a monetery bonus. I am not surprised she was happy getting expert wages for a simple job.

funky penguin wrote:

I don't care where I am, I would never expect a total stranger to call me sir, and vise versa. I reserve those titles for people that have earned them. Just my opinion though.

I think it is rude for somebody who doesn't know me to call me by my first name. People deserve comon manners from the start you don't need to earn the title sir.

Lump · 04-05-2005 02:23PM

MorningStar wrote:

I don't think so. Your job required you to be there that's that. Not everybody who works on such holidays has the option of getting a tip. Tipping really shouldn't apply here due to the high minimum wage and the fact people don't pay tax on tips either. In the US they pay tax on tips.

A chef rarely gets any of the tip even though the food he provides is good. Tipping is generally an unfair practice.

No I didn't, if I hadn't gone in, the place wouldn't have opened. Anyway, christmas day was always a laugh. People were happy and generally delighted when we were open. Even cooked fresh rolls for them.

John

_Kaiser_ · 04-05-2005 02:36PM

MorningStar wrote:

I think it is rude for somebody who doesn't know me to call me by my first name. People deserve comon manners from the start you don't need to earn the title sir.

I'd agree with this, but there's soo many places (Banks, callcentres etc) that make the staff do this as a means of apparently forming a "bond" with the customer (sounds American to me)

Personally I think it's rather presumptuous...

Kernel · 04-05-2005 02:40PM

What about when you order chinese or something, and there's a delivery charge, but the drivers still expect a tip... what do you'z think of that? I don't tip.. am I mean.. ?

MorningStar · 04-05-2005 02:43PM

Lump wrote:

No I didn't, if I hadn't gone in, the place wouldn't have opened. Anyway, christmas day was always a laugh. People were happy and generally delighted when we were open. Even cooked fresh rolls for them.

John

So you went into work on Christmas Day by choice and then expected tips for it? :eek:
As I said other people working that day didn't get tips. They didn't have a choice to work. Many people working on such days are doing more important jobs than some petrol or fresh rolls. The expectation of tips for a job is getting ridiculous. Let an employer reward good staff not the customer.

Keyzer · 04-05-2005 02:48PM

funky penguin wrote:

I don't care where I am, I would never expect a total stranger to call me sir, and vise versa. I reserve those titles for people that have earned them. Just my opinion though.

I have chosen to go to this restaurant and to pay them money to feed me and look after me. I have chosen to drink ludicrously overpriced wine which can be bought in LIDL for 3.99. I have chosen to pay the markup on the food.

Therefore I expect some kind of service.
I don't expect to be treated like dirt. Sir and Madam is not to much too ask for. Nearly every restaurtant I've been in while on holidays do this. Why? Because the tourist in places like Greece etc. is invaluable.
They treat you well, apart from wanting you to enjoy yourself, but also in an effort to make you come back.
Here its like "your not happy, so what, I don't care. There's another 20 people lined up outside to come in here".....

Lump · 04-05-2005 02:56PM

I was rewarded by the management, and the Customers. Worked 4 hours on Christmas day, made about €300 it's all good in the hood. Thanks to the generous people out there.

John

Lump · 04-05-2005 02:58PM

Keyzer wrote:

I have chosen to go to this restaurant and to pay them money to feed me and look after me. I have chosen to drink ludicrously overpriced wine which can be bought in LIDL for 3.99. I have chosen to pay the markup on the food.

Or you're just a lazy illegitimate offspring of unmarried parents.

John

Stench Blossoms · 04-05-2005 03:00PM

I always tip the delivery man when i get chinese because when i dont i could be waitin up to an hour the next time i order for me food to come...

Keyzer · 04-05-2005 03:04PM

Lump wrote:

Or you're just a lazy bastard.

John

Yeah, thats it...

I thought it was called socializing, thanks for educating me...

MorningStar · 04-05-2005 03:11PM

Lump wrote:

Or you're just a lazy bastard.

John

As a moderator you know that is not suitable language!
Tips are great when you are a student but very different when you are working full time and paying all your taxes. I am guessing you have to get to this stage judging by your comments and your moderating tasks.
Try not insulting people!

*Sassy* · 04-05-2005 03:18PM

I don't tip is there is a service charge, simply because I find it extremely annoying. If I think the service was good, I will leave a tip, if not, I won't. However I don't mind if it says on the menu that there's a service charge for tables of over 4 people foe example.

When I do tip it's usually only 2 or 3 euros (if other people are throwing a few in as well). I can only actually recall my two or three times in my life where the good service has actually caught my attention. Usually they are just carrying out the basic requirements of their job.

I also NEVER tip taxi drivers, I would never have dreamt of it until I heard someone mention it to be honest. I have done it a few times when I'm drunk, but probably because I couldn't be arsed messing with change.

I don't tip hairdressers or beauty therapists anymore. The service is so bloody expensive these days and the raw materials used only constitute a tiny fraction of the cost. There are also very few people who actually go that extra mile.

Maybe I'm stingy, but I don't see why I should throw my money around and pay extra for something I've already payed enough for.....

PS. whoever said tipping was customary is Spain, you must have been referring to tourists. I have waited tables in 3 Spanish cities and the natives will leave you a tip of 10 or 20c. Maybe a euro if you're lucky! But that's highly unlikely. And they really make you work, ordering the most complicated concoctions and calling you over every 5 seconds (sorry, just a mini rant).

Keyzer · 04-05-2005 03:23PM

*Sassy* wrote:

Maybe I'm stingy, but I don't see why I should throw my money around and pay extra for something I've already payed enough for.....

No your not stingy and theres nothing wrong with you....

WizZard · 04-05-2005 03:25PM

MorningStar wrote:

As a moderator you know that is not suitable language!
Tips are great when you are a student but very different when you are working full time and paying all your taxes. I am guessing you have to get to this stage judging by your comments and your moderating tasks.
Try not insulting people!

Ah come on, he doesn't moderate AH, therefore he's just a normal Joe (John) Soap here, like the rest of us. He's entitled to post what he likes, providing it doesn't contravene the rules. If he steps out of line the mods will "stamp" on him just like they would anyone else.

Back OT:
I've worked in bars for years (in IT now), both in Ireland and NY. Tips are great, if they're deserved. I would find it an insult if someone tipped me a tiny amount, especially if they were getting good service. eg. 25c tip on a $10 round of drinks will get returned to you.
However, I think people in the service industry here in Ireland expect tips, even with the crap service they give. And until we as customers complain then nothing will be done about it.
Tips should promote high standards of service, and the tip should reflect the quality of the service. And if you don't tip, then explain why - most decent people will appreciate it, and when you manage a restaurant/bar, then that's the info you want from your customers.

funky penguin · 04-05-2005 03:30PM

MorningStar wrote:

People deserve comon manners from the start you don't need to earn the title sir.

Including Waitresses/waiters, but would you call one sir/madam?

Lump · 04-05-2005 03:43PM

MorningStar wrote:

Tips are great when you are a student but very different when you are working full time and paying all your taxes.

So people paying txes shouldn't get tips, but people living off the state/parents should be.

You're a silly person.

John

Kernel32 · 04-05-2005 03:46PM

Living in the US I always tip at a restaurant, usually 10% to 20% depending on service. When I am back in Ireland I do not tip. As I understand it wait staff in Ireland are entitled to minimum wages the same way as someone working in a shop. If I'm not going to tip someone for selling me a bag of crisps in a shop then I'm not going to tip someone who brings me my food in a restaurant.

The prices in irish restaurants are way too high, I am sure this is partly because the owner/manager has to pay minimum wage, the other reason being plain old greed. In the US they don't have to pay minimum wage, therefore the food is cheaper and the wait staff are motivated to provide good service to supplement their hourly wage. In Ireland the food is more expensive and the wait staff are not as motivated to provide good service and it shows. If they changed to rules to similar to the states and I was provided good service I would have no problem leaving a 20% tip.

MorningStar · 04-05-2005 04:11PM

funky penguin wrote:

Including Waitresses/waiters, but would you call one sir/madam?

If you knew some etiquette and manners you would understand that you would call them waiter or waitress unless they wear name tags then you are allowed call them by their first name.

Lump wrote:

So people paying txes shouldn't get tips, but people living off the state/parents should be

You mis-understand! Later when you are paying your own taxes maybe you might think twice about giving some money tax free on top of the highest minmum wage in Europe to anybody while you pay all your taxes.

jesus_thats_gre · 04-05-2005 04:14PM

On one occassion, a few mates were out for a massive feed in a local Chinese. The bill came to something like 350 euro including drink.

One of my mates insisted on paying for everyone. Naturally, I wouldn't let him and told him that if he paid for it, we would give each of our share of the bill to the waitress as a tip.

She ended up getting near 350 euro as a tip.. Poor girl dropped..

pickarooney · 04-05-2005 04:41PM

MorningStar wrote:

If you knew some etiquette and manners you would understand that you would call them waiter or waitress unless they wear name tags then you are allowed call them by their first name.

That's an appalling way to treat someone and a blatant double-standard (IMO).

skywalker · 04-05-2005 04:42PM

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

On one occassion, a few mates were out for a massive feed in a local Chinese. The bill came to something like 350 euro including drink.

One of my mates insisted on paying for everyone. Naturally, I wouldn't let him and told him that if he paid for it, we would give each of our share of the bill to the waitress as a tip.

She ended up getting near 350 euro as a tip.. Poor girl dropped..

thats just silly imo. What did she do to deserve that kind of tip?

Dr. Loon · 04-05-2005 04:42PM

I tip in a restaurant or a bar if the service is good. End of story.

I tip in a taxi if my journey was pleasant and quick and I don't want to hang around waiting for the driver to give me €1.23 in change or some cráp.

Other than that I don't tip people.

The times I've been to New York, I've tipped the barman $1 for every drink I buy. The only reason being so that I would continue to get served promptly for the rest of my time in that bar.

Tipping písses me off really.

Lump · 04-05-2005 04:54PM

MorningStar wrote:

You mis-understand! Later when you are paying your own taxes maybe you might think twice about giving some money tax free on top of the highest minmum wage in Europe to anybody while you pay all your taxes.

Eh, I live in London on a trainees wage, not bad in general, but not much for London. I pay taxes... about £300 a month and I wouldn't think twice about tipping someone. "It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice" my friend.

John

Tipping

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