I’m not sure what your definition of many is, but all the ones I’ve been involved with the Tips were only split amongst the Wait Staff (Servers, Busses, Bartenders and maybe the Hostess). The kitchen staff normally doesn’t get cuts of the tips. If they do it would normally be a very small percentage. Of course there are exceptions to every rule.

Wait staff also normally get taxed on the total sales. Last I checked Servers get taxed ~8% for Federal Taxes on their sales. So in the case where the server got stiffed he actually made negative $ by serving Veggie Lover, since he would still get taxed on that sale.

Why wouldn't they accept credit cards?

They don't want to pay the fees
They don't have enough credit to get a merchant account
They don't want to report all the transactions
They want to run a cash business

It's really not that uncommon to come across restaurants that do not take cards, if I don't see the logos on the way in, I always ask if I don't have the cash. As already mentioned, many in New York do not, or don't take Amex for example

I also feel it's totally unreasonable for you to blame the restaurant for any of this, they apparently had sineage up that you missed, and you didn't check on the way in.

I had an interesting experience at the Hudson Hotel in NYC many years ago.
The restaurant was really busy in the evening and we had a meal there (for 8 of us), which was not great. The service was very poor, in the sense that it was excrutiatingly slow!! (At the time we were all in the Catering industry)Every course we had, we had to ask how much longer it was going to be? Our waiter kept saying "soon". At the end of the meal my boss paid (with CCard) and the waiter went off, but did a U turn about 10yds away and came back. He said that we had forgotton to put the Tip on! My boss said "no, the service was really slow and the food mediocre!!" The waiter let rip at my boss, that it wasn't his fault that the service was slow, but the fault of the Chef as he couldn't cope with the number of orders... and why should he be penalised for the slow chef!
My boss got a bit a shock at his vehemency, so ended up giving 10%.
So do you tip the waiter or the overall experience?

(1) I tip on the overall experience.
(2) I won't eat at a restaurant if they don't take Visa/MasterCard.

I've worked several restaurant jobs and always earned great money but I also went out of my way to provide a pleasant experience.

The waiters� job is more than just carrying food from the kitchen and setting it on your table. The job entails providing a nice experience and overcoming obstacles. If the silverware is visibly dirty, the waiter should apologize and get a new set. If the food is burned, the waiter should be my advocate with the kitchen staff.

When I receive this type of service from a waiter I usually give a 20% tip. On the other hand I don't feel one bit bad about not tipping. For a waiter to ignore me for a half hour, let my drink sit empty, roll their eyes when I point out crusty growth on the silverware....why be surprised if I don't tip? What if I showed up at my office several hours late, were rude to clients, disappeared for half-hour "smoke breaks" and then wondered why my boss gave me a poor performance review?

What Irks me most in the USA is the Mandatory 20% for Parties of 6/8/10 or more at many restaurants.

Last week my Servers Tip for uncorking some overpriced wine came to more than the wholesale price of the wine. Wholesale price of wine $8.60..sold at an massively marked up $44 plus Tax..meaning a $9.50 Tip for x 4 bottles for approx 10 minutes work. i.e $38.

I'd never accept burned food. If the waiter responded appropriately and promptly to my reaction to the burned food, I would likely tip my typical amount. If he/she expressed disinterest, the tip would go down. The waiter doesn't make the food, nor can he/she read my mind, so it's not fair to penalize him/her for something beyond his/her control or if I don't voice my objections.

Also, if I was served burned food, I would expect to see the manager almost immediately after I raised my objection. I would also expect that my meal would be discounted significantly, though I would still base my tip percentage on the original price of the meal.

And going into a restaurant without enough cash to cover the bill is just foolish, in my opinion. What if your card was declined for some reason? Not having a backup plan is just asking for trouble, as illustrated by the OP.

Some do not take credit cards and I always look for the logos in the window

However if they have signs posted that say "$10 min for credit cards" or "$2.00 service charge added to all credit card transactions" is 100% illegal and prohibited practice by the merchant (restaurant) Basically they can not charge extra for the cost credit cards charge.

I work for a credit card processor and places that do are mailed a warning letter that they must sign and if it is a second or third warning it usually results in a $5 000 USD fine and or blacklisted by all credit card companies

so if you ever see places that charge that min/surcharge.. simply state that you refuse to pay it as it is a prohibited practice to the merchant agreement the restaurant signed and then call your credit card company up and state "so and so restaurnt refused to take my credit card without charging a minimum/surcharge"

Yes, it is the attitude that matters.

In the OP's case, the waiter should have been the liason between him and the manager which did not happen!

Also, the absolute worse thing that a waiter can do is to complain or confront you about the tip. If he/she would inquire as to why there was no tip and attempted to make up for it, I would tip without hesitation.

Well said. As someone who worked as a waiter (albeit a long time ago), waiters are at the very bottom of the restaurant totem pole -- only busboys and dishwashers are lower. Waiters can't determine restaurant policy and, as with any job above minimum wage in this economy, good waiting jobs are hard to find. Withholding tips should be a response to one thing and one thing, only: poor service. Displeasure with management policies or, for that matter, poor quality food, should be directed to management. I have had to walk out of a restaurant a couple of times for reasons unrelated to the service. I [U]always/U] left a tip because, by occupying a table at the waiter's station, I prevented other diners, who would have left a tip, from sitting there. Each time, however, I made a point of asking for the manager, explaining my dissatisfaction and why I was leaving, and specifically explaining that it had nothing to do with the waiter, who I made sure to take care of.

If there is a problem with food or service, it is time to start negotiating the base price of the food items as opposed to just paying what is marked or posted.

A good place to start is to offer 2/3 of the total. A typical expectation is splitting the difference which incidentally with tip is about the same as the original bill amount without tip.

I missed where the OP stated that, or how exactly the Server was expected to Liaison with the manager. The OP did not have an accepted form of payment and was inconvenienced by the requirement to obtain the payment. It appears that absolutely everything is the Servers responsibility, and any deviation is a reason to not tip at all.




So what you are saying is that if you stiffed the waiter, but then they asked you about it you would then tip? I'm not even sure that there is much difference between confronting and inquiring.

At most places I’m out the door before they would even have a chance to see what the tip was. So I guess they would just need to chase me down in the parking lot to inquire why they got stiffed.

The difference is in attitude! If they are yelling at you or trying to blame it on the kithcen staff, there is no way that they will earn back their tip. If they are polite and inquire if there was anything that was not as expected, they might earn it back.

And yes, I have been chased down in the parking lot! That is crossing all lines! Will never go back!

I think a lot of people see tips as a right. They are a privilege and are 100% based upon the customer's satisfaction!

This hits the nail on the head, as long as you give the server the chance to fix any problems. Food quality and management policies are beyond the server's control, and shouldn't be factored into the tip, unless the server makes no effort to share your thoughts with the kitchen staff or management (if you make them known to him/her).

I've got to say, I've never tried this, and I would be curious to know if others have and what happened. ("The menu price for that steak was $26.95... tell you what, I'll give you $15.00. OK? Now, the baked potato is listed at $3.95...")

I can't imagine doing that.

You have to be joking! How is it in ANY way the server's responsibility that the OP couldn't pay for the dinner? The server was inconvenienced by having to wait 30 minutes for the OP to get some cash--no one else in the party could cover the $30? The only inconvenience experienced by the OP was self-inflicted.

If anything, the restaurant should have an ATM located on the premisis or at least know of some nearby options that patrons in the OP's situation can use. And they should warn patrons before they order. But to not give a tip for one's own mistake is pretty low.