Your Two Cents: Have You Ever Stiffed Your Server?

February 18, 2009

43 Comments

I agree with lilkimbo. i'd rather talk to a manager if i didnt like the service enough to not tio enough and to be seen as a bad tipper they might not think they were doing anything wrong.. the only time i stiffed someone was when they spoke so softly to me i couldnt hear and when i asked them again i couldnt hear she shouted at me and gave me attitude. look, just because you had a bad day doesnt mean i should take any crap. you dont like your job you get another one. i know being a server is hard i dont think i could do it because i would be bad at it. but i know enough not to give attitude where its not needed.

pinkerbell03 4 years 11 weeks

Not tipping is stealing?!? Where on Earth did you learn that? There is no minimum, especially for terrible service, and yes, I've worked in food service many a time.

Ladytron7000 4 years 11 weeks

Not tipping is stealing. Two dollars per person (one if it was coffee and a muffin) is the minimum for terrible service. Servers are people, it's a hard job, and they have bad days. If you are really upset, talk to the manager.

notoriuskitty 4 years 12 weeks

NEVER!!! My sister used to be a server and my mom is one since she doesn't really have to work but wants to, and I know that is where they make their money. I always leave a tip, and I even put my finished dishes at the end of the table, making it easy for them to bus.

ylovely 4 years 12 weeks

Never! Even if the service is questionable I've never not tipped. I have been more generous with some servers than others.

ylovely 4 years 12 weeks

Never! Even if the service is questionable I've never not tipped. I have been more generous with some servers than others.

saraedavila 4 years 12 weeks

It is rare, but I have done it. I was in the service industry for over 7 years so I can understand a whole lot. So for me to leave less than 15% or not tip all together you had to have really f'ed up.

saraedavila 4 years 12 weeks

danni2009 4 years 12 weeks

I live in the UK so it's not as important to tip over here I suppose...but I definitely don't leave a tip if the service isn't up to scratch. One recurring theme is that the service is good throughout the meal, then when you request the bill it doesn't arrive/takes ages to arrive....if that happens then I don't leave a tip. Why is it so hard to bring the bill?

xXFurygeistXx 4 years 12 weeks

I've never not left a tip, mainly due to I know how annoying I am and they deserve a reward for putting up with me. =p But seriously, I always tip. However, the servers disposition and treatment of me guages whether they get the bare minimum, versus a hell of a good tip. I don't go out much, so if I get a good server, I feel good giving them a large tip. Makes me happy and them too. Win win.

GlowingMoon 4 years 13 weeks

Yes, once. It was over ten years ago. The server was rude to my friend, who was my dining companion. On the other hand, one time, my husband and I were particularly generous to one server. We tipped 40%. She was hospitable, gracious, and handled a sticky situation really well. The table next to us had a family with a toddler. When toddler started fussing, she gently approached the toddler with a helium balloon. She cooed sweetly,"Do you want this?" With the parent's permission, she tied the balloon to the toddler's high chair. That balloon placated the child, and he happily played with the balloon, and stopped crying. We were already happy with her service, and when we saw how well she handled that crying child, we were really impressed. We decided to give her extra tip. She earned it.

foxie 4 years 13 weeks

"At any decent restaurant (and no Chilis does not count), I would think you would speak to a manager and figure out the problem." This response to the question "Have you ever stiffed a waitress" is where I'm getting that.

redmariquita 4 years 13 weeks

Yes, when servers have completely forgotten about me, or consistently messed up my order. Last time was a few weeks ago, when the server mixed up both my order and my husband's order, we got the food after people who arrived after us got their food, and she seemed to be paying better attention to other tables than ours, and she took friggin' forever

T S 4 years 13 weeks

Hello...no one said you didn't. Nor did anyone say the waitress deserves a tip if you talk to the manager. Were are you even getting that? The point was that if the service is bad, in my opinion the best thing to do isn't to just leave without tipping but to instead bring it up to the management. (aaand not leave a tip.)

foxie 4 years 13 weeks

Hello... some of us probably DID speak to the manager. And? Telling the manager that the waitress is being a b!tch doesn't mean she all of a sudden deserves a tip.

LaurenG22 4 years 13 weeks

Most of these places you all didn't tip sound like shit-holes. At any decent restaurant (and no Chilis does not count), I would think you would speak to a manager and figure out the problem.

merie33 4 years 13 weeks

Only once, and she was TERRIBLE! Well actually I didn't totally stiff...I left a penny.. She took forever to get to our table...expected us to order everything right then and there, brought the wrong drinks, then the wrong appetizer (one that was similar but not the same and looked like it'd been under the heat lamps for 20 mins) When we finally got the right appetizer, our meals were brought out after only a few minutes of having the appetizer...the story goes on and on... By the end of the meal I was so fed up I left her the penny in change and left

amybdk 4 years 13 weeks

I do not recall ever stiffing a server but I have definitely felt like doing so before. I also agree with lilkim about talking to management.

ilanac13 4 years 13 weeks

there have been MANY times that i've wanted to but i haven't yet. granted i may not have left much, but at least i didn't do the mean thing and not leave anything.

Carrie Sue 4 years 13 weeks

Only once. I recognize that servers are terribly underpaid with the intention of earning the rest from tips, so the service had to be pretty horrible for me to go that far.

aklatina 4 years 13 weeks

Yes, i have , because ive been a server and theres NO reason to treat a customer crappy or forget to check on them, thats terrible, if you dont like to serve DONT be a server.. ! ( but when they do a good job i do WELL over 20 percent) !

jennjennnbubba 4 years 13 weeks

even though I have been tempted quite a few times, I still leave a little something of a tip.

bextacular 4 years 13 weeks

Though I understand that a lot of people on here have their reasons for not tipping, as a waitress I hope you remember that if your food takes a long time IT IS NOT THE WAITRESSES FAULT!! The kitchen makes the food and the waitress just delivers it!! It sucks when I bust my butt on a saturday night to make sure a table is happy, but the food they order takes a while and they leave me a bad tip.

verily 4 years 13 weeks

I've done it when the service is inexcusably awful. I've had a similar Denny's experience where we waited ages for our food and we were one of only a few tables in the restaurant. Our waitress pretty much ignored us the entire time and our food definitely sat under a hot lamp for a long time.

imLissy 4 years 13 weeks

oh and they over charged my meal by $4 anyway. Frellers.

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