Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

In Illinois most restaurant's add on a 15-20 % gratuity for groups of 8-10 or more.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

The whole concept of gratuity (tipping as we used to call it) is warped.

The idea that restaurant management expects the customers to pay their employees is just wrong.

They ought to be paying their employees and adjusting prices as necessary.

Good performance by an employee should be rewarded by management, not the customers.

Would it make sense to pay a plumber just based on how good a job YOU feel he did?

And pay shouldn't depend on how much cleavage you show - whether at Hooters or the plumber.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

And pay shouldn't depend on how much cleavage you show - whether at Hooters or the plumber.

Spilled my beer when I read this !!!!!
Have to show Mrs Ken this one !!!!

 

[CaptainPointless]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

Personally, I have no problem with leaving the required 15% gratuity when I go out with a group of 6 or more. It's more physically and mentally demanding on the wait-staff. However, I have had terrible service, and when that happens, absolutely nothing gets left on the table. I think this gets the point across. On the flip side of the coin, if I receive service that is above and beyond the accepted level, I leave a tip that is above and beyond the accepted percentage. As an example, when I went out with my friends for our prom dinner in high school, we received EXCELLENT service, and because of this, the wait-staff received EXCELLENT tips, in addition to the gratuity included on the bill.

I've always been a hard worker, in TONS of different types of jobs in various industries -- If I didn't do the job to the best of my ability, I would expect the pay to reflect that. I see no reason that just because someone IS working, they deserve the extra money I pay to commend good service. It's not a right, it's a privilege. That said, I don't believe that wait-staff wages should be anything below minimum wage. I think it's ludicrous that just because their job has the potential for tips, the government thinks that they deserve to have a lower minimum wage than workers in other industries. Waiting tables is hard, and it SUCKS! I've done it, and don't wish to ever do it again.

 

[pecheux]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

And that's Ok, I'll leave a buck or two for each person at the table, as long as when I come back with a fresh plate the old one is gone and the server is prompt about refilling the drinks. Do the Dadgum job and EARNIT

I am confortable with that also ...

 

[pecheux]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

What I don't understand is why waiter/waitress gets pay next to nothing when there is the Fair Labor law stuffs. I know they get tips and most of the time lot of tips, enough to make up for the 2 or 3 dollars/hr or whatever they get paid. Shouldn't they be paid at least the minimum wages? That way, gratuity would become gratuity again instead of required. Waiting table is a crappy job, physically and mentally demanding. They should be paid more then 2-3 bucks/hr. The other thing that I don't get is why a group have to pay mandatory gratuity? They pay the same price for the same item as a table of 2 would. As I type this, I realized that restaurants pay the way they do is probably to encourage exceptional service from their staff. It works most of the time but then we get the above story because some expect it regardless of service level. It seems that a lot more peoples nowaday think that they deserve something for nothing.

Normaly weekly tips for 30 hours work + basic pay = descent salary.

 

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

Personally, I have no problem with leaving the required 15% gratuity when I go out with a group of 6 or more. It's more physically and mentally demanding on the wait-staff. However, I have had terrible service, and when that happens, absolutely nothing gets left on the table. I think this gets the point across. On the flip side of the coin, if I receive service that is above and beyond the accepted level, I leave a tip that is above and beyond the accepted percentage. As an example, when I went out with my friends for our prom dinner in high school, we received EXCELLENT service, and because of this, the wait-staff received EXCELLENT tips, in addition to the gratuity included on the bill.

I've always been a hard worker, in TONS of different types of jobs in various industries -- If I didn't do the job to the best of my ability, I would expect the pay to reflect that. I see no reason that just because someone IS working, they deserve the extra money I pay to commend good service. It's not a right, it's a privilege. That said, I don't believe that wait-staff wages should be anything below minimum wage. I think it's ludicrous that just because their job has the potential for tips, the government thinks that they deserve to have a lower minimum wage than workers in other industries. Waiting tables is hard, and it SUCKS! I've done it, and don't wish to ever do it again.

I THINK THIS SUM'S IT UP PRETTY WELL.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

In australia no one tips anyone. It is just built into the price. Makes things much easier when you are drunk. Cab drivers, waiters, no one tips them. Unless it is something exceptional.
But beers were like 4-6 bucks a peice at the bars over there.

 

[HappierWet]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

And pay shouldn't depend on how much cleavage you show - whether at Hooters or the plumber.

NO, but the price of the chow might

 

[soggy_feet]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

What I don't understand is why waiter/waitress gets pay next to nothing when there is the Fair Labor law stuffs. I know they get tips and most of the time lot of tips, enough to make up for the 2 or 3 dollars/hr or whatever they get paid.

As I type this, I realized that restaurants pay the way they do is probably to encourage exceptional service from their staff. It works most of the time.

Pretty much answered that yourself, but as for making at least minimum wage... If they're getting $3/hr plus tips, and can manage to do a decent job waiting just one table with a $25/$30 bill in an hr, they're right around minimum wage. If they can't manage to do better than that, serves em right. Why should they get more?

I'll tip a buck or two if I can't get someones attention to get my beer refilled when i finish it at dinner, I'll tip 20% for decent service, like, having another cold beer on the table when I still have an inch or so in the beer in my hand, going up to 40% for a flirty girl with lots of cleavage.

 

[bandit86]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

what this world needs is a revolution, this sort of nonsense has to stop. Either jack up the server's wage and no tip or leave it low and give tip for good service. Mandatory tipping is not right, it is incometax fraud. I bet most of it isn't claimed

 

[trendsetter240]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

what this world needs is a revolution, this sort of nonsense has to stop. Either jack up the server's wage and no tip or leave it low and give tip for good service. Mandatory tipping is not right, it is incometax fraud. I bet most of it isn't claimed

Actually it's more likely to be taxed if there is a paper trail and it's on the bill.

I agree that there should be no mandatory tipping. It's a contradiction in terms. A service charge is another thing. If a restaurant imposes a service charge of 10 or 20% then it needs to be on a sign posted in the window for everyone to see before they walk in.

Under no circumstances should patrons be arrested for not tipping when service is bad.

 

[CaptainPointless]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

Normaly weekly tips for 30 hours work + basic pay = descent salary.

Not to sound biased, but when was the last time that you knew a waitress or waiter that was able to afford much more than the bare minimum? Not only have I been one, but I know many, and I can tell you that neither I, nor any of they, are/were able to pay much more than rent and bills based on a wait-staff salary. This may sound ok, if you don't expect the person to have any sort of social life. Worse if that person has a child and no supplemental income.

Shoot, I remember times when I would provide the same attentive service that is my norm, and while some people would leave great tips, some would leave average tips, some would leave the change left over from their bill, and still others would simply not tip at all. No change in my service from customer to customer. Bottom line is, TIPS ARE NOT GUARANTEED. As it has been stated before, tips are a privilege, not a right, and a business offsetting its payroll cost to the consumer is the wrong way to run a business. Solution? Simply increase the wage of wait-staff to minimum wage, and THEN they will strive to provide excellent service, especially if they know that the potential for tips is there.

Think about it this way...wouldn't you work harder in your job if you could earn a bonus (if your employer offers this)? How would you feel if you were getting paid only 40-50% of the accepted average for the majority of workers in your area? You'd probably hate going to work every day, and because of this, you'd be going in every day with a bad attitude. Personally, I can tell when a waiter/waitress is having a bad day -- it shows, whether they want it to or not. Just think how much better they would perform for an extra 2-3 dollars per hour. I know I would. At least that way, I wouldn't be depending on the mercy of customers to simply be able to pay my bills. Like I said, some people won't tip, no matter how good the service is.

 

[CaptainPointless]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

One more thing I meant to mention. Not only can you not count on customers tipping, no matter the circumstances, tipping is inconsistent. What tips are waiters/waitresses making when there is little to no one in the restaurant? Sure, they might make decent tips during dinner hour, but that might be the last 2 or 3 hours of their shift. So that leaves the previous 5 to 6 hours that their pay simply WAS NOT averaging above the 3 or 4 dollars an hour that is their base pay.

 

[jonesg]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

When I owned a French restaurant the waiters made $250 a nite CASHOLA,
I paid them $1.25 hr. Their paycheck was about $25 a week.
A lot of waiters can make a lot more, some tables TIP $250.
Good waiters are consumate professionals with 10+ yrs experience and they are skilled. They should know French and Russian service, not just drop the plates off. Bone a dover sole tableside and serve it without spilling anything.

A good cocktail waitress makes around $70K yr.
They don't just walk into those jobs, they have to start out bussing tables and work their way through the ranks.

When restaurants apply a service charge to a large party its usually because they had to call in extra help, waistaff will not come in unless they can make at least $75.

Some customers don't tip, I recall the waiter wouldn't give a guy a menu because he never tips. My partner had to serve him.

"What I don't understand is why waiter/waitress gets pay next to nothing when there is the Fair Labor law stuffs. I know they get tips and most of the time lot of tips, enough to make up for the 2 or 3 dollars/hr or whatever they get paid. Shouldn't they be paid at least the minimum wages? That way, gratuity would become gratuity again instead of required. Waiting table is a crappy job, physically and mentally demanding. They should be paid more then 2-3 bucks/hr."

The economics are set up to pay them low wages, the wait staff always makes more money than the skilled kitchen crew. If we had to pay them min wage that would mean someone in the kitchen loses their job.

Waiting isn't a crappy job for the pro's and they make more money than you.
No-ones going hungry or without.

I wouldn't do it, I'd want to slug someone in the kisser.
And gays make the best waiters ... bar none.
They take crap from diners then crap from the kitchen, then they laugh all the way to the bank.

 

[CaptainPointless]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

I hate to say it jonesq, but your examples are far from the norm. Just because the wait-staff in your restaurant made very good money, this is not indicative at all about the rest of the industry. Look at the demographic you were serving -- to quote, "...some tables TIP $250..." When was the last time you went to an IHOP, Applebee's, Chili's, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, or any number of other common high-volume table-service restaurants, and saw someone spend $250 on a tip? Come to think of it, how many people do you know that would even tip $30-$50 on a meal at one of these places? And how many of these places do you think you'd encounter someone who'd been working there, AS A WAITER, for 10 years? Even 5 years?

Like I said before, when my friends and I went out for our prom dinner, the service was EXCELLENT, and the tips reflected this. I think we spent somewhere in the realm of $200 on the tip, NOT INCLUDING the billed gratuity. But to their credit, the restaurant we were at wasn't serving dinner for any less than $30 a plate, and there were 14 of us, with 2 waiters. This comes to a low average of $420 total. Then consider the 15% gratuity that goes to the wait-staff. This comes to $483. So the waiters that night each made at least $130, not including their base pay (which I know for a fact was definitely NOT below minimum wage).

Again, it's all about the demographic. I know a few waiters that make really good money at their jobs -- they are working at high-end restaurants with wealthy clientele. I know far more that make just enough to survive. I personally have a bartender friend who works for a country club back home, and can make between $5000 and $7000 a week, during a good summer week. I also know bartenders who make the equivalent of just above minimum wage, tips included, and they work far harder for their money than my friend. Demographic is king in the world of waiting.

 

[204 Escape]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

I personally have no problem tipping, and tipping WELL !!! BUT, here is my interpetation of "tip".

It is a "reward" for services well rendered !!!!!! I do NOT get rewarded for shoddy workmanship, and I don't like "being forced" to leave a % of the meal as a tip.

YET, I do understand that not ALL people tip proper.

There is a solution to all of this though, and I follow it. I do NOT SUPPORT establishments that "force" this issue. AND, I have told the management so.

 

[KRH1326]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

I saw this article on MSNBC when it broke, and I left this comment:

Why are restaurants allowed to pay below minimum wage? Is it a law or an exemption?

I hear owners now, wah wah wah, I can't afford to pay minimum wage!
Then you got into the wrong business !

A tip is a tip, meaning, a gratuity for above and beyond excellence in service. It is not pay for a competant or less than, performance of duties.

Restaurant staff should stick it up the managment's vent, and flat out refuse to work for less than minimum wage. If the owner brings in illegals, call INS. If they bring in anyone working for less, call the labor board. If they pay out in cash, call the IRS. Fight back!!!!

If you willingly took the job for less than minimum, then whose fault is that?

I work at a very heavy and difficult job. I build industrial boilers and all of the pipe welding that goes with it. It is not "the deadliest job", but dangerous enough. Explosive gasses, electrocution, high falls, asbestos and on and on. If I do my job right, little children are warm in school, patients are warm in hospitals, etc. I don't get a tip for it.

When was the last time you tipped an airline pilot for getting you there intact and in one piece? Or the bus driver?

Have you ever tried to tip the fireman, police or the ambulance? They will just walk away.

Should the we tip our armed forces that are fighting and dieing to protect our freedom?

I know it seems that I am going in a strange direction, but my point is: Why is a restaurant allowed to do this when NO ONE ELSE DOES?

Wow that was exhausting....

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

I know it seems that I am going in a strange direction, but my point is: Why is a restaurant allowed to do this when NO ONE ELSE DOES

Not a strange direction at all, I've also wondered this myself. Living in Las Vegas, everyone seems to have their hand out for a tip. Personally, I can see waitor/waitress and if you are too lazy to park your own car then a valet, just part of the gig. But the guy who installed my windshield hinting for a tip? AC guy? Carwash dude at the car dealer?

The one that set it straight for me, as to who expects to be tipped, was the curb-side checking at the air port. I was running late and handed the guy my suitcase and ticket, he said "I'll be handling your bag from here"... thanks, gotta run, flight is leaving in 20 minutes. 1/2 way to the gate I kept running the guys words through my mind and wonder if he was hinting for a tip. When I got to my destination, and my bags weren't there, I knew he was hinting for a tip. It seems that somehow ,,, my bags went to LA instead of SFO

Heck, I perform service work and have never expected a tip or been offered one, doesn't bother me one bit. But it does bother me that a lot of people expect to supplement their income, just because they did their job. (I'm not talking about traditional tipping, waiter/waitress/valet/bell hop, etc.)

But as you point out, why should we have to tip at all? Do we tip the people at fast food restaurants, they got us our meal too. If I go to a restaurant and pay $60 for dinner, (3x what it would cost for fast food) why should I have to tip and make it almost 4x as expensive as fast food.

The only thing I can see is it weeds out the bad people and rewards the good. I know I don't want to put up with an attitude and poor service while having a nice meal.

Here's a good question for everyone. If you have excellent service on a $30 check for 4 people, how much do you tip? 20% is $6? If you have poor service on a $100 check for 4 people, how much do you tip? 10% is $10. Doesn't seem right to me that the poor service should receive more reward. Heck, I've tipped $10-15 on a $30 check before and $5 on a $60-80 check. I even tipped a penny once, yes the service was that bad, horrendous...

 

[HappierWet]

Re: Couple ARRESTED for not Leaving a TIP!! Unbelievable!!

The DA for Northampton County told the Bethlehem Police to drop the charges as of Tuesday 11-24. Anyone betting Bethlehem Pub is out of business in say 6 months or a year?