Why would you leave a 15% tip for terrible service?! Waitresses and waiters EARN their tips. If you tip them for lousy service, you’re paying them for NOT doing their jobs.
For service that’s average, by which I mean adequate, I will tip 15%. For good service, it’s 20% or more. For poor service, I don’t tip at all – because they didn’t earn it – AND I talk to the manager and explain just what it was that sucked.
But if the service goes beyond poor to absolutely terrible, they’ll get a penny. That way not only does the manager get to hear how bad the service was, but the waitress also knows that not only did the service really suck, but she also failed to give any reason for it.
Throughout the course of the meal, I’ll give her plenty of opportunity to tell me if she’s having a bad day, or if they’re shorthanded, or if there’s SOME reason why I’m not being treated as a valued customer. If she DOES give some explanation – or tries to give one, or even just averts her eyes, like maybe it’s something she just doesn’t want to talk about – I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, and give her a decent tip anyway. So I don’t need to discuss it with her afterward, and I’m not “avoiding conflict”.
I don’t like having to talk to a manager about one of their people, but I do it, because if they don’t know there’s a problem, it won’t get solved.
Why would you leave a 15% tip for terrible service?! Waitresses and waiters EARN their tips. If you tip them for lousy service, you’re paying them for NOT doing their jobs.
For service that’s average, by which I mean adequate, I will tip 15%. For good service, it’s 20% or more. For poor service, I don’t tip at all – because they didn’t earn it – AND I talk to the manager and explain just what it was that sucked.
But if the service goes beyond poor to absolutely terrible, they’ll get a penny. That way not only does the manager get to hear how bad the service was, but the waitress also knows that not only did the service really suck, but she also failed to give any reason for it.
Throughout the course of the meal, I’ll give her plenty of opportunity to tell me if she’s having a bad day, or if they’re shorthanded, or if there’s SOME reason why I’m not being treated as a valued customer. If she DOES give some explanation – or tries to give one, or even just averts her eyes, like maybe it’s something she just doesn’t want to talk about – I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, and give her a decent tip anyway. So I don’t need to discuss it with her afterward, and I’m not “avoiding conflict”.
I don’t like having to talk to a manager about one of their people, but I do it, because if they don’t know there’s a problem, it won’t get solved.