Stop me if I’ve ranted on this subject before… okay, don’t… I think I’ve talked about it with reference to my mom at some point and likely will bring her up again. Tipping. not as in cow, not as in scales not as in o’ the hat and not as in a city in some Asian country (though I’m sure the Asian people everywhere in my college town think that’s totally funny every time they see it on a jar by a cash register *sar * )… but the kind of tip you leave a server or bartender or barista or valet or hairstylist or tattoo artist (yes, you should be doing this, if you are not… get a clue) even down to that dude/chick in the bathroom at your parents friends snooty (said oo like with your nose in the air, you know what I mean) country club where their daughter is marrying Dr. So and So of the Ladeda So and So’s.
Everyone has their own opinion on the subject. Those who grow up with parents in the “service” industry (get your mind out of the gutter) and those that have been in that industry themselves (really, out of the gutter!) know a few things about tips that the average joe/jane (why am I suddenly so politically correct???) does not. First they know that servers get taxed on a percentage of their sales. (This is 8% in California if you didn’t know) So whether or not you leave it they pay taxes on it. Now, does this mean you should tip well? Mr Pink says no. Not necessarily, but I consider the additional percentage as a part of my tab. The “standard” tip where I’m from is 15%, close to double what they pay in tax. This is a good system unless your tax rate is less than 8%. Another thing I know, since my mom was a server, is that those tips are counted on as wages, not just by them but by management and owners alike… They never get raises, they don’t get bonus’ and they don’t typically get tips from the big cheese of the days earnings didn’t meet the minimums. I also know there are the good times when someone leaves you a fat tip because it’s a holiday or just because. I know that my sixteenth birthday present came from my mom’s tips. But honestly does this matter to you or me?? Will it make a difference at your next meal?? And am I saying you need to tip the tattoo artist or hairstylist 15%… that’s a matter of preference. As to the bartender, that’s an entirely different blog. This one is about the everyday server that brings the food and beer to our table and makes us smile because we didn’t have to do it ourselves (lazy americans!).
Tonight I heard a group of college (surprise) boys talking about the bill at one of my favorite places. There was chatting about who ate this and you drank that and blah blah blah. In the end they split the bill 5 ways pus some for tax and tip. The money was collected and there was just under 15%. I think the splitting the bill 5 ways was great. If you go out with the same people all the time split the bill evenly and it comes out in the wash. Stop bickering over who ate what and how many because next time you may eat more and not have enough. I can tell you I’ve put in $45 when I had 1 beer and 1 appetizer and have no complaints…. Why?? Because there have been times I put in nothing and had the same. Regardless of how you split the tab, add the tip on first. That server was good to you. Unless they sucked then who knows, but I just don’t go back to places I get shitty service or ask to sit in someonelse’s section. The only reason to short a server is if they really suck. And I’m talking bowling ball through a garden hose kind of suck. Otherwise, think about it…. You could be the one running around with 8 tables of obnoxious drunken dudes and a bartender with molasses in his ass sweating your ass off all to find out you made $47 on an $800 night. You could’ve been out with ‘mater and the cows…
