Should You Tip Less in a Recession?

You'll never understand until you work as a server

I'm a college graduate and actor who took a job as a server for flexibility. I can trade shifts to go to auditions and I can leave with money in my pocket. Of course I can get another job, I also work as a teacher for the arts, I have many skills, but serving is not a “last resort job”. Servers in California earn minimum+ tips. I took the job knowing that I would not have to live on minimum wage. My employers are expecting their patrons to tip, or else they would raise their prices and pay us higher hourly and no tip. There is also the option to work as a server for a catering company where one can earn $12-$20 an hour. Your tips will depend on which restaurant and which neighborhood. Sadly there is a cultural divide. Some folks will fight over the bill to pay for the whole family, order coffee and dessert for grandma when she’s totally full, then tip $5 and whisper “that’s just for you, don’t share with the busboy”.

If you can't afford to tip, then maybe you should not get the $2.99 coke, or skip the $2.50 avocado, or eat at home. I didn’t add the tip line to your bill, its standard. Feel free to leave a crappy tip, I’ll remember you, and you can expect crappy service next time. I always heard folks say "waitressing is a very hard job". Never believed until I worked as a waitress. Anyone can relay your order and offer suggestions with a smile, but people treat us like sh**. They think they are renting a slave for 45 minutes. They think we are miserable idiots and drones. Customer service pays at least $12 an hour in California, and that’s part of what we do as servers. We are people with rent and Sallie Mae to pay too ya know. If you hate tipping so much try Mc Donald’s or Hometown buffet. Buss your own table, get you own refill, scream at the cook in broken spanglish yourself. I personally love eating out, so when I serve I try and make it a pleasurable experience for my patrons. I know it’s expensive, so I only go out about 4 times a month, and when I do, I tip well. I even tip when things go wrong. I know that things happen that are out of the server’s control, but if they try to recover and keep me informed, I won’t punish them by taking food out of their kid’s mouth. If a server is rude or completely unhelpful and my food is bad, I leave an average tip and I don’t go back to that restaurant. If I get a bad tip myself and I know I’ve made some mistakes, I’m expecting it. But if I know I really tried to make a guest feel welcomed, I was funny, I was attentive and I was knowledgeable, they loved the food and I still get a bad tip, I assume the person is a cheapskate and I tell all the other servers so next time they won’t try so hard when they see you.

Janae of CA @ Nov 01, 2009 22:26:01 PM