Originally Posted by
kipper
A $10 plate of pasta usually takes less work than a $30 steak, and your tip doesn't go just to the server. They usually have to tip out bus people, bartenders, and in some restaurants, now, kitchen staff. Cooking a steak takes more effort than a plate of pasta or a pizza, because people are usually very particular with their steaks.
As far as tipping mail people, garbage people, etc., I leave a present for my mail person at Christmas, and usually leave something for the garbage people as well. It's called being generous and appreciative.
No they don't. It's a per restaurant practice. Restaurants I worked at the tip didn't get shared even with the bus people. They were getting tipless min wage, while I was getting my $2.75/hr or w/ever that was.
As for tipping the mailman, etc, I am a network engineer. I make sure you Internet works at home daily. Why aren't you tipping me for Christmas? The main point is the culture of tipping is arbitrary and illogical. Your mailman and your garbage man already get a salary to bring you the mail and to take your garbage out. What are you tipping them for?
Originally Posted by
kipper
The server isn't doing more, but the kitchen staff is, and as of not too long ago, servers may need to tip out kitchen employees too.
How is that relevant? Cooks get a pay that is meant not to depend on tips while servers get a pay that assumes tipping. And yet still you are missing the point. The steak is harder to make than pasta, yes, which is why it's $30 and not $10. I am already paying for the complexity of the dish when I pay for the dish. I fail to see how the tip is supposed to include the complexity of the dish.
Originally Posted by
JBord
A server, even in a low-end restaurant, is a kind of guide to your dining experience. Their job is to make sure you're having a good experience. That includes greeting you, explaining the menu (if necessary) and any specials, offering suggestions, checking in to make sure things are good and you have what you need, etc. They need to understand the menu so they can answer any questions customers have about preparation or ingredients. It's also their responsibility to make sure your order is accurate, as it goes into and comes out of the kitchen.
It's not about plopping a plate of pasta or a steak down in front of you. I'm pretty sure the restaurant industry could train monkeys to do that -- and they work for bananas. Tip based on the experience, not for simply receiving your food. And I'm still in the camp that adequate service receives 15%. Poor service receives less, and excellent service receives more. I'm sure a lot of people disagree with those numbers, and that's ok with me.
The key words are "their job". They just need to do their job and get paid for it by the proprietor who should be promoting the "experience" you are referring to. This is to say that every server in the restaurant should be providing a similar and good experience to you which should be included in the cost of your food. How the fact that "it's the server's job" factors into "we therefor need to tip the server" is completely beyond me.
And then just to drive this home, if you tip or a service charge is separately included on your bill, it's not like you have a choice to not use the service or not pay it. It's a compulsory item on your final bill. You can't go get your own steak from the kitchen if you don't want the service. So explain to me again why is the "bringing of the steak" or "explaining which burgers are popular" a separate line item?
The second i can go into a restaurant and say "i will put my own order in and pick it up and take my plates out", I will see the point of tipping. Otherwise, since the service is compulsory, it should just be included in the price of the dish.