I do not mean to complain, but I have noticed that the
vast majority of European travelers who come to the
restaurant in which I work (in the US) seem to tip
according to European custom.
This may not seem like a problem at first, unless you
are the server. It seems to me that when travelling to any
country, one should investigate the local customs -
including tipping.
It is my understanding that in many European countries,
gratuity is included in the bill, and anything extra that
is left is a compliment. Otherwise, 10% is the standard
tip for satisfactory service. Please correct me if I'm
wrong. Also, many servers there receive hourly pay, or
some other form of guaranteed wage.
I just wanted to make it clear, on behalf of other
servers in the US, that we are not paid by the hour! If
the customer does not leave us a tip, we don't earn
anything! By law, our employers must pay us US$2.13 per
hour, but for most of us, this goes to taxes. So in the
US, servers work for tips, and tips are our only income.
Please note also that in the US, 15% is the minimum
standard tip for satisfactory service. A 10% tip (which is
what I and other servers tend to receive from Europeans) is
considered a slap in the face - an insult.
I am sure that this is simply a misunderstanding.
Nobody wants to travel to another country and deliberately
insult those who live there. Please spread the word to
others who may not know - at restaurants in the States, a
15% tip is customary, and gratuity is not included in the
bill (except some restaurants will include gratuity for
large parties, in which case you will be notified that
gratuity has been added to the bill).
Just like anyone else, servers work hard for their
money, and we are at your mercy. Please respond if you
have any insights that I may not have taken into account.
(By the way, I know that American travelers do not have the
best reputation for adhering to or even being aware of
local custom, and as a result people just don't like us
very much. This is unfortunate, because obviously we are
not all this way.)
As for myself, I try to be as thorough as I can in
researching local customs before I travel, and only ask the
same in return.
Thank you for your understanding and attention. I
appreciate any comments or questions that you may have.
[There are 11 posts - the latest was added on Wed 26 May, 8:38]
Use the form at the end of this page to add your own post.
Topics
| Thorn Tree
| Home
I can understand your dilemna, but if ever a restaurant
added the gratuity to my bill (large party or not), I would
refuse to leave any tip!
As for minimum wage for servers, well that is ludicrous!
Restaurants should pay their workers like any other
business, why should the customer pay the server when that
is their job and the restaurant want us to be patrons of
their establishment...the whole structure is bullshit!
If I were you, I would get another job.
many servers love thier jobs. the hours are flexible and
the money can be very, very good. even though servers in
the USA dont get paid hourly they can make a lot of money
in tips if they are good.
the best service I have ever received has been in the
united states because of the direct tie between good
service and tips.
dont criticize the custom/law in the USA - put the blame
where it belongs. i.e. on borish tourists who neglect to
learn the customs or are too cheap to follow them.
I feel suprised at the previous posts. The above posts are
only applicable to whereever those people are from. Server
wages in the States changes depending on the State or the
restaurant. I've been a server in multiple states and there
isn't any one straight answer as to what the server is
making unless you ask. I've been paid over $5 hr plus tips,
or no wage at all, just tips. Some servers (like in Key
West) are required to even give a percentage of their tip
money to the barkers and the bartenders. Only this one
thing is true, 15% is fine for good service. If you are in
a big group and only one server is doing your table (I did
15 Germans alone once-hefty drinkers too) and they do a
good job, tip more. Servers work harder than anyone thinks.
A server fights with the cooks to get decent food and
juggles 5 or more tables (that means at minimum one server
has to deal with 10 or more people besides you). Be cool
and tip accordingly.
I work as a server in Germany, and there are always a lot of
Americans at the place i work at, but they are the only ones
i never get any tip from, maybe they think german servers
earn enough money anyway...it┤s true that we earn a lot more
than americans, but we lose also a lot on taxes, and a lot
of us also really depend on tips. Most of the germans leave
normally 10%-15%, it always depends of what kind of place
you go to.
the first post says it all. why should customers
subsidise the capitalist owners who pay their workers slave
wages?
Yes it sucks that servers don't get a decent salary, and if
customers subsidise capitalist owners by eating in a
restaurant, they can't take out their disapproval of the
system on the server by not tipping decently.
The restaurants themselves are caught between a rock and a
hard place because they have to "hide" part of the overhead
- server's wages - in the tip in order to stay competitive.
If they paid servers what they are worth, (and got rid of
tipping) the prices on the menu would have to rise to cover
the cost, and since everybody else is hiding the cost, they
would look very pricey by comparison. People in general are
kind of blind that way - that's why there are prices like
$9.99 instead of $10.
Tipping ideally is a form of profit-sharing, as long as
people don't cheat the server. (I'm not a server by the way
- too stressful for me!)
Gratuity does not mean "you must pay me my wage because my
employer is too cheap to do so", but rather it is an
additional compiment to the good service received.
~
I once traveled to the States with an Aussie - he found it
ludicrous that evryone wanted a tip to do their job. I did
explain that they may or may not make a wage in additon,
and he stated quite simply that he would not tip unless he
received service to warrant it.
~
I feel this is fair - I once worked in the bar/restaurant
industry, where I saw some of the rudest and most terrible
service given by my co-workers to our customers, only to
have the server complain afterwards that they got only a
lousy 10% tip - so now, if I receive shitty service, the
tip I leave corresponds. Why give in the North American
mindset that we must reward bad service with an amount 20%
above and beyond the bill? If the service is good, then of
course you should tip well - but I refuse to reward
terrible service with a compliment to the server giving
it.
...but not in specific.
the main post's point is that for _good_ service people are
not tipping.
its inherent in the idea of a tip that it is a reward for
service. if that service is average then a tip is expected.
whether you agree with this sort of hidden overhead or not.
his/her gripe is that patrons dont understand this or dont
know the proper % to leave.
In NYC the general rule is 16% (double the tax) for
average/good service, and 20% for special service.
last week I had the worst service I had been the victim of
in a long, long time. I left one dollar on a $30 bill to
make it very clear that I didnt just "forget."
The same night I had coffee out and left $5 on a $20 bill.
The difference? Pleasant, excellant service.
Last night I tipped $10 to the friendly coat check gal who
made sure my delicate package was safely stowed away during
dinner.
am I rich? not at all, I am a student living on loans.
do I know the value of good service? absolutely.
that whether or not you agree with our system of doing
things (and most of the time I don't either, but I am stuck
here for the time being), this is how it is in the US.
Tipping at least 15% for good service is the custom.
The customs in other countries may not make sense to me
either, but to be courteous, I follow them nonetheless. If
you are traveling here, please remember this.
Michele is right - if servers were paid wages, food prices
would go up dramatically! Please keep this in mind, too.
And Otter also made an excellent point: servers usually
have to tip their bartenders, bussers, and sometimes (!)
the cooks as well. You don't have to tell me how much this
sucks - I have to do it every night! If you want an
example, here goes: If my food sales are $600 one evening,
and I make 15% of that ($90) - at my restaurant, I will
hand the busser $5, the cooks $4, and the bartender $9.
(this is mandatory, not based on quality of service, and is
calculated on a percentage of sales, not tips we make. In
other words, if we don't make 15% overall, we still have to
tip these folks the same amount). At another restaurant,
if I made the same amount, I would be required to give the
busser $9, and the bartender $6 (that place calculated
"tipouts" from what servers make, which is a little more
fair. Servers tip the busser 10% of their tips, and the
bartender gets 5%). Each restaurant has a slightly
different policy with regard to staff tipping, but it is
almost always present.
Anyway, you get the point. This is not an argument for the
American system of doing things - I think I've made it
clear that it's not my favorite. However, it is courteous
to observe local custom when traveling, and I just wanted
you all to know what the scoop is. I am at a loss for any
other way to reach the European community with regard to
this matter, and I appreciate everyone's responses and
attention. Cheers.
I agree that the customs of the country should be followed
when you travel. I also acknowledge that in the U.S., if
appropriate wages were paid, food prices would go up.
However, if I'm tipping (and I usually tip over 15% for good
service) my food price has ALREADY gone up. I believe that
everyone who works should be paid WAGES for that work, and
think it's reprehensible that employers leave workers to the
vagaries of unsure, unguaranteed good will. So what to do
about it? Get organized, you food service workers. Remember
the old days when labor unions actually worked? Do it again.
I'd much rather pay more for my food in a restaurant (and
then probably choose not to go out as often), then to
consciously participate in the exploitation of a group of
workers.
"Michele is right - if servers were paid wages, food prices
would go up dramatically! Please keep this in mind, too."
Geez, they couldn't get much higher than they are now!!
I was just in the US and I couldn't believe how expensive
the meals were so I felt quite resentful about having to TIP
*as well* for - quite often - offhand service. (not to
mention the tax & other hidden costs). The whole tipping
thing really pisses me off to be honest ... it's one of my
biggest gripes about holidaying in the US. I agree with
post #1. Aaaah, I've wanted a forum to say this for ages.
Thanks American server. (Also, are you one of those rude
servers that snarls everytime a European or Australian walks
into your restaurant because you worry that they won't leave
a tip?????)