This is for a great number of Brits out there, travelling the world, dining out, and just being so mean. I am 100% sure that they are not as unaware as they pretend to be about tipping practices in the countries they travel to. I am of course a waitress who has been the receiver of such meanness for the past 12 years. I live and work in L.A., and even people who regularly come to the restaurant I work for, friends of the owner, most of the time getting free stuff, will still at the end put down max 15% of the check. If they had a free bottle of wine, which I opened and served for them, or I brought free desserts, or the owner picks up the whole check for them, they do not feel compelled to make sure I am taken care of. What’s up with that Jerry would say!
Finally what brought me to write this was last night’s five English and one American wife. One couple who are regular patrons comes in with two other couples, slow night of course (is Jewish New Year Holiday). They sit at one of my patio tables, they order, everything is fine, they order three bottles of the expensive Brunello Di Montalcino wine, food is fine, they are happy, except for having to fan themselves with menus since diners next to them are smoking. I tell them that since the other diners (who are nice tippers) are finished with their food, I will drop off the check in the hope they will leave and by so doing please them. I do and after not too long they leave.
After a while the person at the table who had ordered the wine asks for the check and when I pick it up, thanking them, I noticed that on $664…. he has left $44…which is barely 15% on the food. I was really distressed, how rude is that, and on a slow night, and even if he is fresh from British Airways, why didn’t our regular customer or his American wife make sure I was not stiffed like that? What’s up with these people? Plus I did open the wine, brought our best glasses out and poured it! I think that if you can afford to buy $360.00 + tax worth of wine you should be able to tip on it.
Distressed Waitress
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Being British-American, I am offended by this review! Britons are renowned for their manners and etiquette, especially at the dinner table. Perhaps you had some particularly rude customers but that gives you no right to call all Britons “mean,” based on your experiences with five! Beginning a review with “This is for a great number of Brits out there, travelling the world, dining out, and just being so mean” garners little sympathy from me. It’s like saying that “a great number of” Americans are stupid (which they are not!). Furthermore, what on earth does BA have to do with anything?
Were you in the UK, 15% would be a very generous tip; normally, you would be tipped 10%. While I do agree the customer should have been familiar with tipping etiquette in different countries, he at least thought your services to be good enough to substantially increase your tip, according to UK standards.
I’m distressed by this whole letter for lots of reasons. I am also a server and I like to be appreciated for my hard work. Let me first start by saying two things. One: Even if the service was not real great I still leave some kind of tip. Two: Gratuity is just that. No one has to leave you anything no matter how rude you think they are or how great you have been. Complaining when you have received a tip regardless of size is the rude part. I see people getting far less and working twice as hard. It’s not fair but it is life. Please remember it could always be worse.
Dance like no one is watching, work like you don’t need the money and love like your heart has never been broken. Send out good and good comes back to you.
I am a server at a fine dining restaurant in Orlando, and we have a high volume of British and European visitors. It is so frustrating to hear, time and time again, that they don’t know the tipping ettiquite in the U.S. Bullshit !!, I once got into a conversation (out of work ) with a British couple and the subject of tipping came up. They were aware of the American custom, but felt that they shouldn’t have to pay a server’s salary, the restaurant owner should compensate the staff. See, that’s fine with me, everytime a European comes into any restaurant in the U.S., there should be a different menu with a 20% price increase built into the cost of each item, thereby making it feasible for the restaurants to compensate the staff. This way, those cheap ass, no teeth, sun burned, socks and sandals wearing losers will not have to tip, or compensate the staff.
After living in Europe, Asia and the US. I say the US tipping system for the bulk of one’s wages has got to go! All food service workers should be paid by the restaurant for their work. First, its a demeaning way of “paying” someone, that depends too much on things such as the cook and the mood of the customer, the worker has no control of. The tipping system came from when wenches were often indentured servants that had their meals and housing paid for by the establishment. So tips were in addition to their real wage. 2nd it will reduce “shrink” at restaurants, since servers will be less inclined to “comp” food for bigger tips. 3rd Regardless of how much or little one is tipped the US government taxes at 8% of total sales. So it would be easy for places to just add 8% to the sales so that they insure a living wage for the workers, and once again that would reduce “shrink” and food costs.
Yes, this would make it “more expensive” on the menu, but it would make it more honest as the price on the menu is the price paid. The North American practice of tipping food servers is not paying workers what they are worth. I’ve been to about 20 different countries and the service is as good or better where workers don’t work for tips. In Sweden the minimum wage is about $15/hour, which is a living wage and all food is expensive. However one can still have a meal for about $12. Who is getting the money in the US? Maybe the same scoundrels that work for AIG or a hedge fund.
What a whiny childish post. If you don’t like getting a nice $20-odd dollars an hour added to your pay, go away and find a job cleaning toilets.
There is NO tipping in civilised countries where the workers are paid a proper wage. Go complain to your local government member or go complain to your boss for paying you peanuts. Guess what, if it had been me paying, I would have left you $5. And then you could run to the internet and cry about how rude we Australians are. And after you did, all of us would read your post and decide that you’re a typical greedy American. How’s that for a few nationalistic stereotypes?
This something that I get angry about. Tipping is extortion! I don’t care if they are not getting paid enough at the dinners. Then leave the job and get a new job or two. I don’t owe them anything. I am paying for my food and my food only. I have worked in the food industry before & I did not get paid enough so I got a new job. If more people would do that then they would be forced to pay them the correct pay. I don’t we people say if they paid them correctly then they would transfer the cost on the customers. If they raise the price of things in the dinner then we will stop going there and close down the business. We need to use our consumer power and make a stand. I don’t people unless I got super service. Tipping extortion!
Jesus what a bunch of tight assed misers on this site. Tip people. Nobody cares if you think the restaurants should pay more – they don’t. So please tip your servers.
I have worked for many years in restaurants, from the finest of the fine to the lowest of the low. I absolutely hate poor tips. However, $44 for sucking up a little and doing a job anyone with a little class and wits about them is a dream. You are making more per hour for a job that requires NO formal education than 99.9 percent of others without formal education. I am a teacher for a high school, one of the best I may add who did 5 years of formal education, who makes (averaged out) 11 dollars an hour, and that is what I chose. You want to make more? Go to medical/law school and pay for it.
Right on, Mr. Whirly! I say serve them cheese and crackers as a go with.
Seriously? You are that pissed about a 15% tip? 15% is average. If the service is fantastic then it goes up to 20%. Also, you got tipped on the tax as well. Therefore you got more than 15%. Suck it up.
$44 dollars for 2-3 hours of work? Works out to about what most people make, so I don’t see the problem. You were also paid an hourly wage on top of that.
I fail to see the problem. You earned a lot of money to put up with BS. Guess what kiddo, that’s like everyone else.
At least you work in CA so your min. wage is $8 as a server. Here we get paid $2.13 and a $44 would be considered a good tip.
Hey Kweh!
UK standards? She wasn’t IN the UK! Face it dipshit, you Euro-trash jack-asses don’t bother to read the travelling edicate part of the Lonely Planet Guide and expect us to accomodate to YOUR culture in OUR country. Take your head out of your ass and assimilate.
jaymoney, its etiquette, not edicate.
Assimilate? In the UK tipping is seen as a reward, not a right!
Just a further example of he difference in cultures.
Thank your stars that you got people that nice. I wouldn’t even have been bothered to tip you that much
You are only supposed to tip 5-10 pervent on wine, so you actually got a nice tip overall
To quote Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs: “This tipping automatically thing…its for the birds!”
Though I hate to sound nationally-biased, I’m an American, myself, and I must say that all of us in this stuck-up country REALLY, to quote jaymoney, need to get our OWN heads out of our asses (sorry for the expletive). To me, a reply like that just reinforces why the rest of the world hates us and our culture so much. I don’t blame them one bit, I hate it myself and what it’s become; we are arrogant, bigoted, overly patriotic, close-minded sticks-in-the-mud. If we, as jaymoney has very kindly reinforced, can’t even accept or consider the cultures and standards of others, why should we ask others to do the same with our culture. I’m sorry, but people like you, jaymoney, not only infuriate me, but sicken me. I’m not going to be typical and go political or religious here, and I’m not ABOUT to be politically correct, but why is it that when an American has something to say, everyone listens, but when a European, Asian, African, etc, has even a single protest, even a legitimate and polite one, as Kweh’s was, then the entire nation bears its fangs? THAT, fellows, is hypocrisy, and because of it, I now feel as though I have to apologize for my American passport. If it weren’t for convenience, I’d trash it in the nearest waste heap where the rest of the American attitude lies. As for the review, itself:
-Cat, Meh, well said. This was, indeed, a very whiny post. There’s a lot I’d like to say about it, but Cat pretty much used all the words I would.
-Recon, see my rant.
-Kweh, valid points. Well-stated, couldn’t agree more.
-Jaymoney, PLEASE get your own head out of your own ass (again, I apologize). If it feels like I’m attacking you, it’s because I am. Your short, “sweet” reply emphasizes that you uncultured bigots, indeed, do represent the worst among us Americans. Please stop reinforcing the arrogance the world sees in us, as for once, I would REALLY like to be proud of this cesspool country,
As for Distressed Waitress, herself, let me just say that I REALLY wish you hadn’t posted this review. You have caused a great amount of discord between varying cultures and, like jaymoney (my point of reference), have reinforced the American stereotype of being the greedy, selfish, ungrateful misers we are. All I can say now is next time, please think before you rant.
To the rest of the world:
On behalf of my country (says s/he with a grimace) and all of us Americans whom you so rightfully look down upon, I apologize for everything.
jaymoney
I would learn to spell before criticizing someone else; makes a much better impression, ya know?
So basically, you’re saying “stop being your own culture and be an American,” riiiiighhht…makes a lot of sense; I scoff at thee! And you ask this while calling Kweh “Euro Trash” and “dipshit”? If you had read more carefully, Kweh’s said she/he was British-AMERICAN; shows how much you know. Kweh made some good points, was polite and REFINED about it, and probably had a lot more to say with a lot stronger words. You sir, by contrast, are an unrefined pig!
jaymoney, as an American citizen I despise you and all that you stand for. I would advise retreating back to your trailer, locking the door, and staying there for all eternity.
Distressed Waitress, with a selfish attitude like yours, I empathize with many others’ replies in that I would have left you nothing either. I can see now why you became a waitress. You can join jaymoney in the trailer, and PLEASE don’t ever write another review.
You know, why is that when Americans go to another country, they get ragged on when they don’t follow the local customs? It seems that when international visitors come here they should learn what the local customs are, shouldn’t they? Otherwise don’t come to the US.
If you know the local American custom, and flagrantly ignore it deciding that your culture is best, then who is the true “ugly” tourist?
Brits can be unintentially mean in the US when it comes from tipping as it’s just not done that way in the UK and nor is there an awareness of the hidden rules. That said, I don’t think the tip was all that mean and frankly it’s time YOU demonstrated some cultural awareness and a little less focus on $$ which after all the patron is not obligated to pay. The tip at $44 wasn’t that bad, there wasn’t a meaness intended and in Europe would be regarded as generous.
Yeah… This post sounds really whiny.
Would anyone care to enlighten me as to the accepted American practice or protocol concerning tipping on wine? Is it expected to be 15-20% on the price of the wine, no matter if it’s a $10 bottle or a $100 bottle?
There doesn’t appear to be any clear cut convention regarding tipping on wine. For lesser priced wines I think most people generally tip the same amount as they do towards their meal, but things get controversial when the wine is pricey. Some say if you can afford an expensive bottle of wine then you can afford to tip 20% on it. Others say that there isn’t much work to opening a bottle of wine and pouring it so it’s alright to tip a lesser amount. Here’s an article about the issue (be sure to also read the comments): Tipping On Wine.
Greg,
Thanks for the response.
The “Tipping on Wine” article is very informative and the readers’ comments are even more illuminating.
Although I was initially resistant to the idea, I’m now persuaded that 20% across the board, including wine, is the appropriate way to go, regardless of the price of the wine.
I’ve been in the restaurant biz off and on for 35+years. Uptown and downtown. A 15% tip is not acceptable any more, I don’t care how you justify it. It’s ancient, archaic. The cost of living has increased significantly since that “rule of thumb” came into place. Tipping on wine bottles is iffy. Some do, some don’t. There is no hard fast rule on it. I don’t agree on tipping after tax. I agree that $44.00 on the food bill was substandard. They should have left $60.00 on the food, the wine is debatable.
As far as Kweh’s comments: You must be joking right?? I have many friends from the UK and even they would disagree with your comments about the Brits being known for their etiquette.
To Cat: Having just returned from a month in Auz-Seriously, you must be joking! Servers get paid from $14.50-$25.oo @hr. there. I surveyed them from Melbourne up to Airlie Beach and all points in between. The service sucks in Auz for the most part. Can’t tell you how many times I had to get my own utensils, napkins and hunt down the server because there were food issues. They’d look at me as if I was as speaking an alien language, and for the most part, I was. Lazy people. Greedy Americans?? Oh that is rich. More like greedy, pay me for doing nothing Auzzies.
Morris: Like you saying that you’re not going to eat out any more is going to halt the restaurant industry in the US. If you want to dream, go to sleep. Oh, sorry…you were talking in your sleep. Just giving you the benefit of the doubt.
I don’t think the US citizens need to be aware any more of cultural differences. Why?? Because the rest of the planet knows we are about “PC” and they take advantage of it. I travel extensively-around the US and outside of it. It is about “When in Rome…” Trust me, you don’t get any slack outside of the US, even in Canada.
D.G.: You are the one that server’s love to write about on waiterrant. com. You better watch out when eating out, as server’s are on to your type.
When in Rome, right?
In the USA, you tip. Elsewhere, you learn the rules and go by them. If you want to visit here (USA) that’s the deal. I would love to visit Britain, and I plan to learn/follow whatever etiquette is considered proper.
I once had British friends visit and I took them out to dinner. They were/are lovely people, and we had a very nice time. When I went to pay the bill, I asked them to wait a moment so I could get some change to leave a tip for the waiter (and by “change” I mean change for a $20, and such, not cents
). They got up to leave and I came back to the table to find a waiter looking daggers at us. I immediately left a generous tip (his service was very good) and my guests commented that they had forgotten that that was necessary, as it wasn’t done back home.
No damage was done, and I didn’t expect them to leave anything – they were my guests, and I was taking care of all the meal expenses. But I’ll never forget the look on the poor waiter’s face when he thought we were walking out on him. I wanted to die.
This is completely ridiculous with what I’m reading about this post and the replies.
I’m Australian, we have a British system when it comes to dining. I don’t believe in paying extra just because it is expected and especially when there are people like this posted complaining about the amount left, have some manners and be greatful.
In the UK and Australia people DO tip but only when the service is above and beyond so in other words if you do your job well you will be rewarded.