What would you do?

I would have still tipped over that kind of change because you dont know what the intention was at all. It as just .63. If she was assuming that was her tip, she sure wasnt asking for much. I would have tipped her and tipped her good, if her service was good.

Now if if someone kept 40.00 from 100 of a 60.00 tab, I would have certainly asked for my change, without a doubt.

I (or my husband) probably would have not left a tip. We also have no problem leaving little or no tip for a crappy server. We tip based on the type of service we get, and I prefer to tip on the heavy side (20%+) so if a server doesn't get a tip at all that says something.

If she's a waitress, she knows money and wouldn't 'accidently' give you the wrong change back. I agree, I give tips according to the service. If it's good, 20% if it's not great, a whole lot less and if the waitress is rude or really bad I make it a point to leave my 2 cents for her.


________
Cat - owned by Maggie and Auggie

Originally Posted by mrblanche

Tipping in general is a whole different discussion! I personally think restaurants should raise their wages and their prices and just say, "No tipping."

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I completely agree with this!!
I would have still tipped though, even tho it's kind of tactless of her to assume she was getting a tip. It wasn't a big amount though...
I had a job as a waitress the summer before going to college and only lasted one week. It wasn't worth getting barely more than minimum wage. I went to work at pizza hut answering phones and got about $2 more than minimum wage (about $7 per hour, minimum wage was $5.15 then)
The thing that really annoyed me when i worked as a waitress was that, some people assumed that I would do a service for free, that i would bring food to their table and not get paid because that's pretty much what happens when they don't tip..If they dont' want to tip they should just go to a self service restaurant. I was making $2 per hour and the way I see it- the restaurant pretty much pays their wait staff for the amount of service they do at the restaurant- such as making coffee, iced tea, little chores waiters have aside from waiting tables. The customer pays for their service through the tip, and for it to be voluntary is totally unfair. Now that i've had the experience of being a waitress, I tip about 25% and a minimum of $5 no matter how much my bill is. My boyfriend is even more generous, he used to be a manager at a restaurant. Yesterday when we ate out he gave a $15 tip for a $45 bill.

I forgot to mention: I saw that a lot of people wrote that they would not tip if the service is crappy. Don't forget though, a lot of times the crappy service is not the waiter's fault. A lot of people get mad that their food arrives too late, but that's entirely the kitchen staff's fault, and not giving a tip only hurts the waiter while the cooks still enjoy their hourly salary. Again, totally unfair.

I would have left her another couple of dollars for a tip so she'd have $2.63 because that is easiest. I don't really care if she assumes some change as a tip, that doesn't bother me at all.

I know truck stop waitresses who make more than the truckers they're serving. And I know some who are starving, deservedly.

When we go on vacation, we usually go on a cruise. When we come back, we feel like standing on the table and shouting, "What's the problem here?!? You give us good food and good service, and we'll voluntarily give you money, even extra money! Don't you want our money?"

But I HAVE had to call waitresses over and explain that if the restaurant is giving her $2 an hour, and she expects to make another $8 an hour in tips, she's working for the customers, not the restaurant, and any lame excuse over anything will cut into any tip she might have earned. Some of them just flat need to starve out of the business, the sooner the better.

Things have changed recently, when I was working as a waitress we were charged taxes on an extrapolated amount of tips we supposedly made- and a lot of times i made less than that. It used to be, declaring taxes was up to the individual, the restaurant let their staff deal with it on their own because it's the waiter's responsibility not the restaurant. I dunno how this law came about but it's senseless, and that makes it impossible to make anything above $7-8 per hour. I cant imagine a waitress making more than a truck driver, unless it's at a fancy restaurant that is very busy and includes gratuity in the bill. Places where on average, people pay $10-$15 for their lunch, being a waitress is a minimum wage job, unless the waitress gets special treatment from managers, giving her more tables, etc. Because not having enough tables is the major problem.

Originally Posted by ut0pia

I forgot to mention: I saw that a lot of people wrote that they would not tip if the service is crappy. Don't forget though, a lot of times the crappy service is not the waiter's fault. A lot of people get mad that their food arrives too late, but that's entirely the kitchen staff's fault, and not giving a tip only hurts the waiter while the cooks still enjoy their hourly salary. Again, totally unfair.

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Oops, sorry I said 'service'. The tips I give are meant for the waiter/waitress service only. If the food stinks but the waitress is good, I will still tip 20%. I have been served by exceptional waitresses and also some really rude ones.

Originally Posted by lil maggie

Oops, sorry I said 'service'. The tips I give are meant for the waiter/waitress service only. If the food stinks but the waitress is good, I will still tip 20%. I have been served by exceptional waitresses and also some really rude ones.

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Most restaurants unofficially "require" that the servers put into a tip pool of which the cooks get the lion's share. In Calif. it's against the law to require, but most houses "strongly suggest" a percentage - in the good houses where I worked, I tipped out 35% to 40% of my gross tips. The theory is that it promotes better food & better service and a better team effort, but in breakfast houses, I've found that cooks (as opposed to chefs) are more likely to be dirty, lousy cooks, etc, and still expect to benefit from the tippool. The chefs are usu. so professional, they consider every plate of food as having their personal signature, so only the best will do
On the other hand, I found that breakfast/lunch servers are more inclined to be stingy with their tips, and can even consider their bussers as "peons"
When a server, I am prone to tipping my front staff (hostesses & bussers) separately because they can really set up the direction of the dining experience in a positive way

....now, back to the OP - not giving all the change is STEALING from your guest, whether deliberately or not ....and I've been slammed, beyond slammed, and I'm sure I've probably made mistakes that I'm unaware of of, and if I did, Oh NO - I've stolen ...it's my mistake and I'll own up to it. Period.

Originally Posted by Tara & Rob

I probably wouldn't have left her anything. If she automatically claims some of my change as her tip, then fine, that's what she's getting. I am also one of those people who has no problem leaving next to nothing when I get crappy service. One time I had horrible service and left a quarter. Figured it would get the message through more than leaving nothing. A friend of mine thought I was an absolutely horrible person for doing that, but I had to say "to each their own".

On the other hand, when I get good service and good food, we generally over tip. We once tipped 50% on a bill at one of my favorite restaurants because they had great service and great food. Usually we leave a ~30% tip for one of our friends when we go eat at the restaurant where he's a bartender (he usually always gives us free drinks while we're there).

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I was treating my hubby and daughter to dinner one night which of course the waitress had no way of knowing. She catered to my hubby (yes, he's good-looking), basically ignored me, did not take away my empty plate before bringing dessert (actually left my dirty dinner plate on the table even after she gave me my dessert). I overheard her telling one of the other waitresses that she hadn't gotten very much money in tips that evening. (I wonder why!) When she brought us the bill and handed it to my hubby, he passed it to me and thanked me for the treat. You could see her face drop.

I left NO tip. When she came to pick up the money, I told her exactly why she got not tip. She shrugged and said "whatever" and walked away.

Now, on the other hand, if I get good service I tip very generously as I know most of those folks are earning minimum wage (and some less).

When I eat at a restaurant, I always factor tip in the price and know I will be tipping for my service, provided the service is decent. That is how they make their living and I have had family members work as servers so I know what they go through. They have to rely on the goodness of others to make their wage, as sometimes they can do all the right things and still get cheated. That sometimes doesn't go so good and they make a low wage, other times they come out on top. But not always. It can be different every shift and will vary based on the restaurant and customer base.

I would still leave a tip as usual and as planned. I guess I am in the minority. I don't like change anyway.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

Tipping in general is a whole different discussion! I personally think restaurants should raise their wages and their prices and just say, "No tipping."

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I agree. I am very uncomfortable with tipping, i can't afford to give great tips, and wonder if I don't over tip them they think I am a cheap b..ch. I dislike the whole idea of having to tip.
The resteraunt pays them to do a job, why do I have to pay for food and then be excected to pay for their help as well. I think that it should be up to a cutomer to decide if they want to tip, the watresses may be better servers if they arent expecting a 20% tip. If they get paid by their boss for the job they do and then do a wonderful job i would give them a little tip for doing such a good job, but I shouldn't be expected to give them a tip, they should earn it. (and most really do, they work hard)

Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m bad about leaving too much tip if I get good service, I usually eat alone so my checks are smaller but I understand the server is spending as much time on me as they would for someone spending more money that would provide a higher tip. At a diner I used to frequent I had waitresses fight for my table because I was typically low maintenance and left big tips. I believe in being polite as I would expect someone to be to me, and try to be understanding on issues that are out of the serverâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s control assuming the server is doing everything they can on my behalf and keeping me informed.

With that said, nothing infuriates me more in a restaurant than a server assuming I am going to tip them – that is my decision and I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t like being pressured. Asking if I want my change, keeping any part of it without my consent or even returning with an excessive amount of $1 bills (if giving change from their apron its OK) will almost certainly reduce or eliminate any tip that was coming from me. I typically try to verbalize what I want in return when I pay with cash to prevent these situations. Example: “Thank you for your service, I only need $5 back.â€

In your case (assuming good service) I would have (nicely) told her that the change provided was incorrect and asked her to bring the rest. If she was polite about this when she came back with it I would have given her another dollar and allowed her to keep the change. If she gave me any attitude I would wait for her to return with the change and leave just that on the table for her.

Originally Posted by CruiserMaiden

or even returning with an excessive amount of $1 bills (if giving change from their apron its OK) will almost certainly reduce or eliminate any tip that was coming from me.

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Just a little info for you - Most businesses will have their tills and a change fund in back to break some larger bills. Most people when out spending will use twenties, fifties, and even hundreds. This usually means a lot of fives are given back for change. The end result is a change fund and tills full of larger bills and ones. On evenings, weekends, and especially holidays you have to just deal with it - there's nothing else to make change with. Quarters tend to run out quickly, too.

So if you get all ones for something under ten dollars, it's probably because there are few, if any, fives left to give out as change.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

I had lunch today at the "On the Border" restaurant close to the store I was delivering at. I had a lunch chimichanga and a diet coke, which came to $10.37. I gave the waitress a $20 bill, and she brought back 9 $1 bills as change.

So...she assumed she would get at least 63 cents as a tip. I left one of the dollar bills, and called it even.

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I think you did the right thing. Wouldn't it be funny if you said "Can you count the change back to me?" LOL! No one knows how to do that anymore, though right?

Originally Posted by Rockcat

I think you did the right thing. Wouldn't it be funny if you said "Can you count the change back to me?" LOL! No one knows how to do that anymore, though right?

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I'm going to take minor offense to that. I, and I'm sure others here, always count back change. It's too easy to make mistakes when in a hurry and that helps prevent it.

Originally Posted by ut0pia

I forgot to mention: I saw that a lot of people wrote that they would not tip if the service is crappy. Don't forget though, a lot of times the crappy service is not the waiter's fault. A lot of people get mad that their food arrives too late, but that's entirely the kitchen staff's fault, and not giving a tip only hurts the waiter while the cooks still enjoy their hourly salary. Again, totally unfair.

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You can usually tell when the service is crappy b/c of the kitchen, or b/c you just have a plain crappy server, and we tip appropriately. When we can tell it is an issue with the kitchen and not at all the servers fault, then we still give them a good tip. We also generally don't tip based on how long the food took to get out. That can very by how many people are there and what they are ordering.

We were at P.F. Changs the last time we didn't tip. Our waitress was beyond rude. We got there at 5:00, and there was about a 45 min wait. They told us if we got back by 6:40 we should only have to wait a few minutes before being seated, so we went over to the mall. We got back at 6:30 and we didn't get seated until after 7:15, while 3 groups that came in AFTER we were back waiting were seated before us. No, they weren't on the call ahead seating, b/c she was using two different charts. Hubby went up to ask and she had completely skipped past us. (I know this has nothing to do with the server, but it didn't start the night out very well).

We were seated and it took over 15 minutes for the server to even ask us for our drinks, and then it took forever for her to bring them out. Our appetizer was out before our drinks were. Since I was thirsty b/c of our spicy appetizer, I drank my drink fairly quickly. Trying to catch our waitress was difficult, but I finally did and asked for a refill. It never came, though the people at the table next to us had refills coming out their ears. At one time they had the drink they were currently drinking, plus TWO refills on their table. Our food took forever to come out, but the restaurant was busy so we attributed partly to the kitchen. We weren't the only ones upset, and we saw our waitress back by the kitchen talking to other servers the whole time, not doing her job. Like getting refills. We finished our meal and then expected to get our check or be asked for dessert...something. We sat there for almost a 1/2 an hour waiting to get our check. We had to be at a movie at 10pm, and finally at 9:40 we asked the manager if we could get our check and leave b/c we had to be somewhere. She went to find our waitress and to help us get going. At that point our waitress was mad and started giving us attitude. She wouldn't speak to us, and was pretty much throwing stuff around on our table. She packed our left over food to take home, but for some reason decided that DH didn't need rice. We were seated for 2 1/2 hours!! I only got one drink, no refills, and our waitress had attitude and was completely rude the whole time, not to mention how she was after we got the manager. She got absolutely NO tip. You can't tell me that was only due to the kitchen staff, and not her.

Around here (about 90 minutes from Mike's part of town), it's common for upscale restaurants to round off your change... though it's usually done in an upwardly direction.

Also, I think the tabs are often rung up for the servers by someone in the bar, so the server may or may not even be aware it's been done.