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When dining out, don't forget
a tip is part of the price
By Seth
Bracken
October 31, 2008 | The lowest level of Hell is reserved
for those who received good service at a restaurant
and either didn't leave a tip at all or left some insulting
amount that amounts to less than 5 percent of the check.
When you enter into a restaurant and expect to eat,
you are requesting a service from the wait staff. We
as waiters have a responsibility to bring you drinks,
get your order right and whatever need that you may
have, extra napkins or extra ranch sauce, etc. That
is our job and the service that we provide. And like
any other service offered it comes with a price. Usually
the tip is determined by how much your meal cost. I'll
keep it simple -- if your check is $30 and you received
good service, your drinks were filled and your order
was correct, then at the end you owe the server at least
15 percent, or in this case $4.50.
This is not optional. When you do not leave a tip
or leave less you are stealing from that poor waiter
or waitress who busted their butt to try and earn a
few dollars. Stiffing a server is no worse than stealing
a candy bar from the store. You receive a service and
you are expected to pay for it. If you don't want to
leave a tip then go to McDonald's.
I have no doubt that karma or god or something punishes
those who stiff us waiters, and if I get a chance I
do it too. We servers have a damn good memory, we can
remember the drink orders of up to 30 people at a time,
and we remember faces. If you stiff me and then come
back into the restaurant, I promise you every server
will know that you are horrible person and do not warrant
our time. We will be slow to seat you, your drink will
be last and if it takes 20 minutes to get your order,
we will feel no shame.
You see, there is no reason to waste time on those
who do not pay. It is the same if you went to a mechanic
and paid them just for a new set of tires but not the
service, drove your car off, and then had the audacity
to come back to that same mechanic expecting to receive
good service!
Waiters in Utah receive $2.13 an hour, and the bulk
of our checks just goes to paying taxes. Although minimum
wage has increased for regular workers, it is not the
case for those that have tip-based pay. Waiters have
not received a pay raise since 1997.
Adding to the woes are those that are trying to eliminate
the little pay that we already receive. Senator Rick
Santorum (R-PA) sponsored a bill that would cut the
$2.13 that is required and the waiters would work for
tips only.
Stealing is against the law. And yet I am robbed on
a daily basis. It's a crime that is never prosecuted
and many are guilty of heinous offenses. Many argue
that if they pay for the food then they are exempt from
leaving a tip. However that would be like going to a
doctor and only agreeing to pay for the medication and
not for the service that the doctor provides.
If you consider yourself to be a moral person with
good values and then stiff your waiter or waitress you
are living a lie. So next time you go out to eat don't
forget the wait staff, they deserve a fair wage too.
NW
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