lionroars
Active Member
15% unless circumstances are unusual.
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Question of the Day: Will you be watching the FIFA World Cup Final?
How much do you tip your waiter?
- Thread starter MartinGB
- Start date
Genesistt
Well-Known Member
I tip 10% purely because it's the easiest to calculate in my head.
RoosPM
Active Member
Usually, 10%, then rounded up. It certainly depends on service, and then the tip could be more. Last week, 0% because of long wait and the food was cold.
redspark
Expert Member
ten%
Why should a pizza delivery guy, for example , get twice the tip for delivering a sealed box containing a crayfish / truffle pizza, rather than a basic margarita ?
His input is the same, and he has no part in the sale.
If the delivery charge is R40 let that cover it, unless he/she goes out of their way in their service/attitude.
droplet
Expert Member
this is something i am passionate about, so here is my incoming essay. it's worth the read though.
TL;DR
tip overly generously for memorable service.
praise waiter to management for good service, or give constructive criticism for bad service (ranting is not cool).
if someone served you well the previos time, as for that waited the next time you come.
10% bare minimum. terrible service gets a (constructive) mention to the manager on duty - the owner if possible.
good service with an excellent attitude, generally 20%. with a mention to the manager on duty - the owner if possible.
someone looks after my kid well - whatever i tip the waiter, i tip the same to them. if the waiter is terrible, i give the waiter 10% and a super huge tip to the child minder.
perfect service, something truly memorable... anywhere up to whatever my budget allows. i've given R500 rand on a R40 bill before, just because the experience was so memorable. naturally, a mention to the manager on duty, and if the owner isn't there an email. head office as well if it's a franchise.
we budget the tip into the outing and love finding that one waiter who works hard and gives their all. those people deserve being rewarded.
having worked as a waiter for over a decade, i realise that going the extra mile really does result in gratitude from customers - and good tips. average waiters might average 10%, good waiters 15%, truly great waiters will routinely get 20 to 30% on a shift. not everyone will tip generously, but serving everyone like royalty is a must so that those who do tip generously for memorable meals will have good reason to.
giving people a great time is worth it; it always brought me great joy to see happy customers leaving. putting one's heart into the service and understanding that for many people the outing is something special to them, and then trying to make the experience memorable, is what a waiter should be doing. sometimes that means going unnoticed while everything is where it should be when it should be, with no frustrations whatsever; sometimes it means cheering someone up when they're having a day from hell; sometimes it means giving mom a break and making sure she is free of her hyper kids in a way that puts her mind at ease; sometimes it means putting some proper gees into celebrating oupa's 70th; sometimes it means making sure someone never has to ask for a second glass of water.
examples of things that help make a meal memorable: when i order a glass of water, don't ask bottled or tap, ask whether i want ice or lemon; and when it's almost empty bring a nother one without asking. let me know ahead of time that the kitchen is backed up and the meal might take a little longer than usual to arrive, with a suggestion of other choices that might arrive quickler. have the bill ready when i want to pay! and then process the payment promptly! that is such an easy thing to get right, and it's the last thing that happens before a tip... and yet it is rare to see it done right. keep my table clean - mean always clean; no empty glasses, no spills on the table, no grimy condiments (just bring clean ones halfway through the meal if necessary), bring a fresh plate for my prawn shells when my current one is half full...
doing these things consistently nets one regular customers. regular customers choose their restaurants based on servive as much as other criteria. when someone walks in and requests you as a waiter, you've done your job well. and the tips will show it.
by the way, if someone serves you well, be absolutely sure to tell management or the owner. that feedback from customers results in better shifts, better sections and better treatment overall. in some ways it's even better than a huge tip.
TL;DR
tip overly generously for memorable service.
praise waiter to management for good service, or give constructive criticism for bad service (ranting is not cool).
if someone served you well the previos time, as for that waited the next time you come.
10% bare minimum. terrible service gets a (constructive) mention to the manager on duty - the owner if possible.
good service with an excellent attitude, generally 20%. with a mention to the manager on duty - the owner if possible.
someone looks after my kid well - whatever i tip the waiter, i tip the same to them. if the waiter is terrible, i give the waiter 10% and a super huge tip to the child minder.
perfect service, something truly memorable... anywhere up to whatever my budget allows. i've given R500 rand on a R40 bill before, just because the experience was so memorable. naturally, a mention to the manager on duty, and if the owner isn't there an email. head office as well if it's a franchise.
we budget the tip into the outing and love finding that one waiter who works hard and gives their all. those people deserve being rewarded.
having worked as a waiter for over a decade, i realise that going the extra mile really does result in gratitude from customers - and good tips. average waiters might average 10%, good waiters 15%, truly great waiters will routinely get 20 to 30% on a shift. not everyone will tip generously, but serving everyone like royalty is a must so that those who do tip generously for memorable meals will have good reason to.
giving people a great time is worth it; it always brought me great joy to see happy customers leaving. putting one's heart into the service and understanding that for many people the outing is something special to them, and then trying to make the experience memorable, is what a waiter should be doing. sometimes that means going unnoticed while everything is where it should be when it should be, with no frustrations whatsever; sometimes it means cheering someone up when they're having a day from hell; sometimes it means giving mom a break and making sure she is free of her hyper kids in a way that puts her mind at ease; sometimes it means putting some proper gees into celebrating oupa's 70th; sometimes it means making sure someone never has to ask for a second glass of water.
examples of things that help make a meal memorable: when i order a glass of water, don't ask bottled or tap, ask whether i want ice or lemon; and when it's almost empty bring a nother one without asking. let me know ahead of time that the kitchen is backed up and the meal might take a little longer than usual to arrive, with a suggestion of other choices that might arrive quickler. have the bill ready when i want to pay! and then process the payment promptly! that is such an easy thing to get right, and it's the last thing that happens before a tip... and yet it is rare to see it done right. keep my table clean - mean always clean; no empty glasses, no spills on the table, no grimy condiments (just bring clean ones halfway through the meal if necessary), bring a fresh plate for my prawn shells when my current one is half full...
doing these things consistently nets one regular customers. regular customers choose their restaurants based on servive as much as other criteria. when someone walks in and requests you as a waiter, you've done your job well. and the tips will show it.
by the way, if someone serves you well, be absolutely sure to tell management or the owner. that feedback from customers results in better shifts, better sections and better treatment overall. in some ways it's even better than a huge tip.
KikzAzz
Expert Member
Agree in principle that restaurants should pay their waiters. Unfortunately this is not the case and the waiters tehrefore have to run around to serve you for no pay.
Forum Reader
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If enough people don't tip, the waiters will quit. So restaurant owners will be forced to pay them. The reason the whole system works like it does is because of people tipping.
Do people who tip restaurant staff also tip everyone else they encounter in life? For example giving shop assistants, etc. a tip, say 10% of what you're buying? What about the kitchen staff in the restaurant? You must surely tip them for making a good job of your meal. Bus drivers? The person that checks your ticket at the cinema?
If tips are pooled then you're screwing everyone on the staff because of alleged poor service from one member. Do you ask at each restaurant how they handle tips?
Tipping is completely arbitrary as we can see from people's wildly varying expectations of what constitutes good service in a restaurant. Restaurants should just pay their staff appropriately. Particularly ridiculous are restaurants that automatically include a tip amount. Just put your real prices on the menu instead of pretending the food is cheaper than it really is. It's no wonder the industry has a reputation for being particularly scummy.
It doesn't surprise me that tipping tends to be related to corruption and bribery. Remember next time that you're not bribing a cop, you're just giving them a generous tip for the excellent service they're providing.
If tips are pooled then you're screwing everyone on the staff because of alleged poor service from one member. Do you ask at each restaurant how they handle tips?
Tipping is completely arbitrary as we can see from people's wildly varying expectations of what constitutes good service in a restaurant. Restaurants should just pay their staff appropriately. Particularly ridiculous are restaurants that automatically include a tip amount. Just put your real prices on the menu instead of pretending the food is cheaper than it really is. It's no wonder the industry has a reputation for being particularly scummy.
It doesn't surprise me that tipping tends to be related to corruption and bribery. Remember next time that you're not bribing a cop, you're just giving them a generous tip for the excellent service they're providing.
It's nice to know that you'd discriminate against someone who might just be different.
So basically the restaurant owners are just liars.
So you mean if it is extremely bad? That's memorable. Even more so if the waiter stabs members of the party with a fork.
So does that mean dragging them out back and chopping off their heads?
What if I want them to ask bottled or tap, even though they're the same thing? What if I want lime in mine? Then I get this terrible waiter who dares to ask if I want lemon. The nerve of some people. The last thing I want is the waiter delivering drinks without another being requested unless I specifically stated in advance that they should supply another any time I run out. What if I really want mine refilled 4 minutes after I empty it?
So you're looking for a psychic not a waiter.
That would drive me crazy. I want the waiter to go away and not bother me again unless I call them over.
Unfortunately the only options are unions or the state stepping in. That's what they had to do to stop restaurants stealing money from their staff when customers left without paying or things got broken.
FiestaST
Honorary Master
lkpat
Executive Member
Who else is going to foot it? How do you propose avoiding this?
NathanDrake
Well-Known Member
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RedViking
Nord of the South
They get salaries now. No need to tip anymore.
They have been getting salaries for years. The hospitality industry basically still rely on customers to tip waiters. Their salaries are shite. They work for the tips.
RedViking
Nord of the South
It is not like they work harder or smarter than a domestic worker, most you even have to read the menu for them and when you ask them a question "oh, let me go check for you". /facepalm. In fact, my domestic worker can make and serve a better cappuccino than most waiters.
Gabe Owner
Executive Member
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So you're one of those that don't tip. None of my business.
RedViking
Nord of the South
Tip for what. They already get paid.
Do you tip a Spar or woolies cashier? Do you tip the Car Wash? Do you tip petrol technician? Do you give R2 at KFC?
Restaurants already make a profit.