Tipping and You

Truant · Post by **Truant** » August 4, 2005, 5:57 pm

Wiever wrote:
Truant wrote:And weiver. Try paying taxes on all 100% of your tips

Not quite sure what you mean by this, but I never receive paychecks either if that is what you are referring to. Or are you referring to the fact that you claim all your cash tips?

Yes, we're required by law to declare 100%. In fact, it's not even allowed to be in our hands. Our employer is required by law to report our tips to the IRS for us. As far as I have been able to discover, we are the only tip income job in the country where this is required.

Zaelath · Post by **Zaelath** » August 4, 2005, 9:31 pm

Wiever wrote:In all restaurants where I have worked if you are to employ less staff you can bet the level of food/service, and quality of the experience will drop dramatically. Also the volume that the store is capable of pumping out will be lost.

Every restraunt in this country has less staff than any restraunt I've seen in the US, somehow they still manage to bring me a drink, bring me food, bring me a bill without significant waiting time in most cases. Prices are similar or cheaper, and they all seem to be making money.

Yes, I occasionally have to stop/attract a waiter if the restraunt is really busy instead of waiting for them to appear at the table on the next 5 minute cycle to ask if I would like a top-up of my 80% full drink.

I would think that the number of tables and the kitchen staff would have a greater determining factor in the throughput of a restraunt, rather than the number of waiters; in theory the getting the order and delivering the order should be what, about 10% of the time someone is in a restraunt?

Perhaps I'm being unfair and it's not that the staff have too few tables to serve, but they're just fantastically efficient and manage to create extra time to hover about with apparently nothing better to do

Anyway, I wasn't seriously suggesting A restraunt could pay it's staff more and employ less numbers. They all could though, but it won't happen, since that would put the risk back onto the restraunt instead of the employees.

Kilmoll the Sexy · Post by **Kilmoll the Sexy** » August 5, 2005, 12:05 pm

The thing about the U.S. system is that really good service people can make a ton of cash. Except when they have to serve euros. Maybe they should just refuse to serve euros or put them in a special section where they can rot in hell and wait.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » August 5, 2005, 12:46 pm

When I worked in the service industry I always got decent tips from europeans, as long as I conformed to the way they do things. It's beyond ridiculous to expect to have to change your habits based on how someone SERVING YOU likes it done.

The american way of how waiting tables is done is severely flawed and needs to be fixed regardless.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » August 5, 2005, 1:05 pm

I have to disagree kyo. How often do you hear euro's bitching about how people from the US go to other countries and expect people to conform to how they do things.. So why are the euro's so special that when they go somewhere else its suddenly ok for them to do the same thing they bitch about us doing?

miir · Post by **miir** » August 5, 2005, 1:32 pm

How often do you hear euro's bitching about how people from the US go to other countries and expect people to conform to how they do things..

It's one thing to prefer service that you are accustomed to.It's something totally different to demand it.

No joke.
I was in a restaurant about a year ago and there was Americans sitting a few tables away. The gentleman at the table was berating the waitress for something (I didn't hear what). I was floored when he said 'If this were America I wouldn't have to put up with lousy service like this'.

If a euro or canadian doesn't like the service, they tip poorly.
If an american doesn't like the service, they tend to piss and moan and yell and scream and demand to be served in the manner in which they are accustomed.

You see the difference?

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » August 5, 2005, 1:38 pm

I see the difference in the situation you presented, but I have a hard time believing that is the way that the MAJORITY of Americans would act in that situation.

I sure know that I wouldn't, and that nobody I know would.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » August 5, 2005, 1:40 pm

Damn those filthy euros, think their so great!

miir · Post by **miir** » August 5, 2005, 2:02 pm

Funkmasterr wrote:I see the difference in the situation you presented, but I have a hard time believing that is the way that the MAJORITY of Americans would act in that situation.

I sure know that I wouldn't, and that nobody I know would.

I'm not at all saying the majority of americans are like that but there are enough of them to perpetuate a negative stereotype.

Ask a non-american what they think of americans and the most common response will likely be 'loud, rude and obnoxious'.
Ask a non-canadian about canadians and the most common response will probably be 'friendly, polite and helpful'.
Other than being poor tippers, it's pretty difficult to pin stereotypes on euros because there are so many different countries and cultures.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » August 5, 2005, 2:10 pm

I wasn't trying to stereotype that euro's are rude in general or anything of the sorts, I was just commenting on this particular issue.

Tenuvil · Post by **Tenuvil** » August 5, 2005, 2:15 pm

kyoukan wrote:When I worked in the service industry I always got decent tips from europeans, as long as I conformed to the way they do things.

I guess they liked that thing you do with your tongue

Zaelath · Post by **Zaelath** » August 5, 2005, 8:16 pm

Funkmasterr wrote:I have to disagree kyo. How often do you hear euro's bitching about how people from the US go to other countries and expect people to conform to how they do things.. So why are the euro's so special that when they go somewhere else its suddenly ok for them to do the same thing they bitch about us doing?

We're polite about it, and it comes down to motivation.

In the American system the server has to motivate the customer to fork over a nice tip so they can live, lots of motivation. Unfortunately, most seem to translate that into being repellant psychophants that remind me more of young kids hassling you for candy than anything else.

Euros tip, and they tip well, for real service.

You don't have that motivator when the servers are being paid real money, the motivation is that if they don't serve well the customers stop coming to the restraunt and they lose their job (probably long before since the boss doesn't want to lose his business). This means they concentrate on the central part of the business; getting you seated, fed, and the fuck out. More turnover is better for business than your 15% while you sit around and talk loudly about how great America is and how shithouse the service in these third world countries are for hours.

You can and will get better/more relaxed service in restraunts that are charging you rent on your table (you think their prices are 2-5x the price because their chef is that good with rosemary?), and along with that you'll get more attentive service.

It still won't be the same as America, we're just not built to emulate the bobbing niggers of old. Yes massah, can I fill your glass again massah? is everything ok massah? good food huh massah? You shore is funny massah!

Janx · Post by **Janx** » August 5, 2005, 8:43 pm

miir wrote:Ask a non-canadian about canadians and the most common response will probably be 'friendly, polite and helpful'.

Just dont ask that on here /cough.