Originally Posted by
Punki
You know, JayhawkCO, if I were you, I think I would move out of Kansas and find a job in California, Oregon or Washinton.
Actually, I was a server in Seattle too. It's true that you get paid $7.63 an hour before your tips. But instead of tipping out 3% of my sales as I do in KS, it was closer to 10%. It all equals out.
Originally Posted by
opus17
Actually, that sounds more like a drunk. I wouldn't want to have people like that driving to and from a restaurant -- they'd be well over the legal limit.
If having three drinks makes you a drunk, you should see some of the teetotalers that come in my restaurant. A party of two might have a martini before dinner, share a bottle of wine, and then have a glass of port after dinner. Scandalous, I know.
Originally Posted by
uncertaintraveler
So whether one is considered an "amateur" or "experienced" diner presumably depends on the amount of money they are willing to spend on a meal?
Certainly not. You have to understand there is a difference between eating and dining. Eating is grabbing a sandwich and a coke. Dining is taking the time to make the dinner itself part of the entertainment. Some restaurants (Chili's, Applebee's, T.G.I.F., etc.) cater towards "eaters". High-volume, quick entrees (often fried). Other restaurants (Capital Grille, Morton's, Ruth's, etc.) cater toward "diners". People are going to come out to dinner and take their time to enjoy themselves. No one hops over to Morton's to quick "grab a filet", but people certainly do pop over to Applebee's to "grab a burger". I didn't mean to sound insulting when I used the term "amateur diner", but if you work at a restaurant where people come in and "dine", and instead have someone coming in just to "eat", you would see where there would be a distinction made.
Originally Posted by
bigguyinpasadena
While I don't know that I would label such a person a "drunk"belive me when I tell you that I know more about food and restaurant service than 80% (or more)than than the customers JayhawkCO is idolizing for the amount of alcohol they are consuming.
I don't idolize people for their alcohol consumption. If that were the case I'd hang out at the local college campus far more often, so please don't put words in my mouth. And you may very well know more about the industry than those people I referred to as "professional diners". But, if you know as much about the industry as you claim, you would know that tipping 15% before tax is no longer the "industry standard" for good service.
Originally Posted by
skofarrell
So, please, accept the fact that you're in a job where the supply of people willing to do the job outstrips the number of jobs available, accept the fact that you don't need to spend years in school to qualify for your job, accept the fact that you're working "on spec" (you can hit a home run one night and get screwed the next).
But don't whine about a "flawed system."
Again, I am making no claims whether or not the current tipping system is flawed, perfect, or otherwise. If I couldn't accept the risks and rewards of the job I would probably actually be using my degree. The fact remains I make more money at my current job than I would make at an entry level position with my B.A. If I actually knew what direction I wanted to head with my career, I would be in that field. Unfortunately I don't, so I might as well be making money at a job with a flexible schedule in the meantime. (Allows me to make those MRs
)
The
only thing I'm trying to do in this thread is to educate those that think we're a) getting paid tons of money in addition to tips (we're not, actually none) and b) think that not tipping on some portion of a meal is indifferent to their server (it actually makes him/her lose money).
Chris