4eyedbuzzard
<font color=green>Earning My Ears Golfer<br><font
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2007
Just an FYI: If servers report all their tips to their employer AND keep written records they are only taxed on what they actually recieve, with the exception that IRS will pretty much assume AND rule that 8% of gross receipts is a bare minimum to be allocated amongst all tip receiving employees. Often times a server's base pay(often $2/hr or so) is not enough to cover tax and SS withholding on their combined hourly plus tip income, because the tip income is often paid and distributed on a cash basis even if the tip is left on a credit card. This is generally the basis of the comments on "negative $ paychecks".
I once left a two cent tip and a bitter note at Blackie's in Washington DC for a $150 dinner for two because the server was both exceptionally rude and inattentive. She deserved exactly what she got - my two cents worth.
I once left a 100% tip at a small diner in Kissimmee for breakfast for six(one was eating baby food) when the bill came to a whopping $10.99. This was 15 years ago. The waitress went out of her way so many times during a one hour breakfast with our 4 small children(.99 cent pancake breakfast for them, $1.99 for eggs and bacon for my wife and I). She replaced spilled milk, brought out extra juice, washed out our non-spill cups for the kids, kept our coffee filled, and even helped clean up one of our kids when they spilled juice all over themselves. In over 30 years of dining out, including some of the best restaurants in the world, I remember this woman's attention to service to this day above all others. She deserved a great tip.
A friend of ours who was a waitress once received a $2 tip on a $50 dollar meal. Her service was, as always, quite good. She gathered up the tip and ran out into the parking lot to the customers who were pulling away in their Mercedes. She gave them back the $2 with the comment that they obviously needed the $2 more than she needed an insult.
If you get REASONABLE service, and this means the GOOD SERVICE you have the right to expect at a restaurant, a 15% (before sales taxes) tip is a REASONABLE starting point. If you can't afford to tip at least 15% you should simply find a less expensive place to eat. 15 to 20% is pretty standard. Anything less is both unreasonable and quite bluntly, rude.
I once left a two cent tip and a bitter note at Blackie's in Washington DC for a $150 dinner for two because the server was both exceptionally rude and inattentive. She deserved exactly what she got - my two cents worth.
I once left a 100% tip at a small diner in Kissimmee for breakfast for six(one was eating baby food) when the bill came to a whopping $10.99. This was 15 years ago. The waitress went out of her way so many times during a one hour breakfast with our 4 small children(.99 cent pancake breakfast for them, $1.99 for eggs and bacon for my wife and I). She replaced spilled milk, brought out extra juice, washed out our non-spill cups for the kids, kept our coffee filled, and even helped clean up one of our kids when they spilled juice all over themselves. In over 30 years of dining out, including some of the best restaurants in the world, I remember this woman's attention to service to this day above all others. She deserved a great tip.
A friend of ours who was a waitress once received a $2 tip on a $50 dollar meal. Her service was, as always, quite good. She gathered up the tip and ran out into the parking lot to the customers who were pulling away in their Mercedes. She gave them back the $2 with the comment that they obviously needed the $2 more than she needed an insult.
If you get REASONABLE service, and this means the GOOD SERVICE you have the right to expect at a restaurant, a 15% (before sales taxes) tip is a REASONABLE starting point. If you can't afford to tip at least 15% you should simply find a less expensive place to eat. 15 to 20% is pretty standard. Anything less is both unreasonable and quite bluntly, rude.
