Originally Posted by
ADLFO
Then why don't you ask management to do away with the auto gratuity? If you say nothing, they will take that as your tacit approval of the policy. While I have no way of knowing what your true feelings are, I would think that most servers like the insurance policy of a guaranteed 18% tip (which may cost them 2 - 7 % on average) over a non-guaranteed tip. Add me to the group that normally tips 20%+ but refuses to do so if an auto tip is included. If you really believe you would be better off without the auto tip, you should speak up. Perhaps not in your case, but the auto tip has to take away some of the motivation for some servers to provide good service.
Actually, I have addressed this with management. Unfortunately, when you have a mixed clientèle consisting of (what I called earlier in this thread as was chided for) both experienced diners and more "novice" diners, there will be times where you are punished by not adding the gratuity to a table. The auto gratuity makes your income more consistent, but if you consider yourself a good server, I think it holds us back more than it helps it. I'm a gambler by nature (hence being in an industry without a guaranteed wage), so I'm willing to take the swings, but some of my colleagues are not, so management keeps the policy in place.
Chris