Feedback on my "Verbal Tip" Post

Yesterday I told all my friends to check out my shiny, new blog. I'm very proud of it as I am not-so-computer-savvy.
One of my friends made a comment to me that a lot of people feel like tipping is unnecessary, as serving food is our job, we get an hourly wage, if we don't like it get a new job, and so on. Yes, serving food is my job and I happen to really like what I do. It's a fun job to have!

Now if you were to say, "I have no problem paying for the food, I don't feel I should pay for the service." Well, when you dine out you are paying for the experience, you are paying to get waited on, to have your food prepared for you and get served with a coke and a smile! If you don't want to pay for the service and simply pay for the prepared food, go to a drive thru.

Regarding the Hourly wage: Even if the state's minimum wage is say, $7.50 per hour, many states including the one I live in, make an exception for the tipped employee and pay food servers between $2.00 and $4.00 per hour. It isn't uncommon for a person to owe money on payday to cover the taxes in the tips we receive. And if we don't receive a tip we still have to pay taxes on the sale, because the government assumes that we made a tip. It can be a bum deal sometimes.

And last, regarding the comment, "If you don't like it, get a new job." This is what I chose to do for a living. You might be say, a Doctor. I wouldn't go to your office and say, "I'm just going to pay you for the cost of the flu shot, not the office visit. It's the flu shot I came for and it's your job to give me one, I'm not paying for anything else."
See where I'm coming from?
By the way, if every server in America 'saw the light' every time somebody said "If you don't like it, get a new job," and actually went out and got a new job, then who would be left to serve you when you went out? :)

First post...It's about tipping of course!

Tipping your server at a restaurant. We all do it, but do we know how? I will share with you an experience I had on 7/17/09 while working the Friday dinner shift at the local (and favorite) restaurant where I am gratefully employed......



I was waiting on a 2 top, (a party of two) it was a woman and her female companion. The table was easy enough, no special modifications to the menu, no complaints about the food, I shared pleasant chats with the ladies. It all went well until.....(quote from guest) "Oh honey, I just have to tell you that I go out to eat all the time, and I have never had better service! You really are good! And has anyone ever told you that you look like Ashley Judd?"



Crap. The verbal tip. Dreaded by food servers around the globe. "You were lovely to wait on." I say, with the hope of being wrong about the tip. The ladies leave, and sure enough, $1.53 on a $43.47 tab.



I make $3.35 per hour, tips are my paycheck. I need them to live. But alas! I have a plan! I will simply call my electric company and tell them that my payment will be late but not to worry, because I am the best server in all the world!

Give me a break 2 top lady.



(a verbal tip is pouring compliments on your server instead of giving them cash)