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Do you say "Thank you" to waiters for expected tasks?

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I say thank you for everything.

I don't mind stiffing on the tip for really bad service. I've tipped < $2 for a $30 meal 2 times. For one of those I wrote Olive Garden a nasty email and they sent me a gift card for $40. I usually tip at least 15% and up to 20% for good service. I'll leave a buck a person for a buffet, but I don't leave anything at a place like CiCi's because I have to do everything myself.
 
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BuckWrestler141 said:
and I generally feel that waiters make more money then deserved anyways so I'm not one to complain about it.

High Schoolers should receive a free pass, it's not a lack of knowledge it's a lack of funds. As a high schooler the key is to simply not be immature and leave a big mess. Odds are someone will leave an over-sized tip to make up for your low-tip so just be polite in exchange for your extra dollars.

I'm sure we could argue a majority of this, but as far as being polite I'm not the one who resorted to insulting.

I typically tip between 15-20% if I liked the service; and around 10% if I do not. The other issue I have with tipping is the percent system though, so I don't follow it that closely. I do not believe that a waiter needs more money from a costumer because they ordered lobster instead of a hamburger.
P.S.: Prom night does suck to work, but it is part of the job.
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I'm really perplexed by some of yout comments here especially since you said you worked as a waiter. What kind of place did you work in? If it was something like the neighborhood pizza shop then I understand, if you are talking about either a casual family or upsclae resturant I am surprised. I guess my first question is why do you feel waiters make to much money? Is there a difference in someone who is in college and living with mom and dad then a person who waits tables for a living? howe much do you think a server should make? You do know most resturants pay servers 2.13 and hour plus tips right?

As for the high school comment. No it's not okay for them not to leave a tip of leave a small tip, that is still a table that was taken up for a amount of time in which a sever could have made money off of. To me it goes for high schoolers or any cheapskates....if you can't afford a tip don't go out to a nice place, go to a fast food joint or eat at home. You can not depend on someone else leaving a big tip to make up for the lack of one from someone else.

Why do you not like the percent system? Overall if you go into a resturant that has higher priced items the server has to be more knowledgable as to what is on the menu. They need to be able to asnwers questions quickly and accuratly. They need to know how things are cooked and every ingrediant that is in that item. Would you rather have a resturant just jack up the prices in order to make sure that they can have enough staff on to wait the tables?
 
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^^^ Great post buckeyefool. ^^^ I agree 100%

A few things really stick out to me, among them is this:
I generally feel that waiters make more money then deserved anyways so I'm not one to complain about it.
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Waiters don't make shit. A full time waitress at a good restaurant might make maybe 20 - 25K a year yet receives jack for benefits and insurance. That's full time, 40+ hours, plus overtime, on her feet for eight solid hours. Screw that!

The only time a waiter, waitress, hostess, etc has a shot at getting a pay raise is when the President of the United States mandates one about once every fifteen years -- and they're all still waiting on the insurance and health care.
Bothersome ... obviously not. ... I believe that it is annoying
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WTF? Does anybody aboard this plane speak jive?
I dislike that saying "thank you" according to some of you has become a common courtesy requirement; That is what is Bullshit. A thank you should be some sort of an award I feel.
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I think you need to look up the word common in the dictionary, because 'common courtesy' shouldn't be modified by the word 'requirement,' that's pretty much the point of the prefix common. Would you prefer that courtesy be uncommon? Yes, obviously, since being polite to other people is apparently a reward for doing an otherwise thankless, yet necessary job for you as quickly as possible.

Saying "thank you" is not a requirement. Saying "thank you" is not a reward.
As a side note I was a waiter for a year, so I don't want to be preached 'treat others how you'd like to be treated' I'm not saying it's okay to be a jerk to waiters, but you shouldn't expect or look down upon someone who isn't overly polite.
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This was the ending statement in the very first post in this thread. When you have to justify, explain, and apologize for taking a position before the conversation even starts, you've already lost the argument.
 
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I find the more courtious I am to my server, the better the service (usually). I thank them for refilling water/etc. It's not as though it's some chore to say thanks. I tip ~20%, but shitty service will be reflected in the tip.
 
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http://www.leaderu.com/isr/lifeinamerica/thankyou.html

In America, it is the custom to express appreciation to people who help you in any way. Because it is commonly practiced, most people expect to be thanked when they do something for someone. Sometimes the absence of a "thank you" is misunderstood to mean the effort to help was not appreciated or was not wanted. Always verbally communicate appreciation. When the favor shown did not require a great deal of time or effort, a verbal "thank-you" is enough.
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I believe that a Thank You might not be appreciated by some wait-staff (maybe they just don't care about their jobs or they have had a long day) but you should always extend the courtesy to give thanks when somebody has helped you. It doesn't matter that they are getting paid or that you will end up tipping them. I don't care if you are the proud owner of a large company, you probably enjoy being told Thank You when you have done something nice. IMO you have to have a hard heart to not appreciate those two words and to not show your appreciation of others by not saying those two words. I know most people appreciate being told Thank You for helping somebody else out. As the article above stated, many people think that they are not appreciated when appreciation in the form of a Thank You is not expressed.
 
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Just so you know, I was not speaking of me and my friends going out to eat. I was talking if me, my mom and my brother go out. And its not at a high class resturant. More like a local dinner, or a place like Steak N' Shake.

When I say we leave a $3 tip, it is usually on a order that is under $20. Plus we leave the change of whats is left. Say the bill comes to $20.72. We pay the bill with $25 and leave the remaining $4.28 on the table. Now I can say thats a 20% tip.

If we go out to a more expensive place, say where the total comes to $60.72, we will ofcourse, leave more money. Depending on the service, most likely $9.28. That may only be a 15% tip, but still getting $9.28 for that hour we were there is pretty good I think.
 
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Having spent a fair bit of my 25 years on this planet as a waiter, this thread has been quite entertaining. Now removed from the food industry (THANK GOD!) I've modified my dining etiquette to reflect not only my experiences as a waiter, but more importantly, my rights as a customer.

The one thing I do that I frequently get harrassed by my friends and family is leaving little or no tip for subpar service when out to eat. It bothers me that a 'TIP' is now expected, rather than earned. There is no incentive for them to provide good service if they're getting a tip either way (at least in their head).

For the record:
I'm usually around 10% for subpar-par service and 15-18% for par-excellent. I can probably count on my hand the number of times I've tipped over 18%.

Oh yeah, the point of the thread... I say 'Thanks' of 'Thank You' for everything in a restaurant. It's the polite thing to do.
 
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BuckWrestler141 said:
[Could I get a poll for this. 1. Yes, I thank them for nearly everything 2. I never thank them, they are doing thier job. 3. The waiter must exceed what I would expect to be work expectations to recieve a thank you]



This goes for seating you or bringing your food mostly.

I've been arguing this most of the day because the CEO of Home Depot just wrote a thing on how the way you treat a waiter is a great way to test if you are a 'good person'.

I feel that to thank them for what they do, WHILE GETTING PAID, is ridiculous for common task. If a waiter does something above and beyond the normal task then they deserve a 'thank you'. People water down the thank-you's too much I believe by telling it to people for task they should be doing.

As a side note I was a waiter for a year, so I don't want to be preached 'treat others how you'd like to be treated' I'm not saying it's okay to be a jerk to waiters, but you shouldn't expect or look down upon someone who isn't overly polite.
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I just read the first post and it makes you sound like an asshole. I was always taught that if somebody does something for you say "thank you" (or something to that effect). What do you say when you order a drink? "I want a Coke" rather than "I'll have a Coke please". Anyone who doesn't use "please" or "thank you" needs to learn some manners. It isn't that hard.
 
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BuckWrestler141 said:
I feel that to thank them for what they do, WHILE GETTING PAID, is ridiculous for common task. If a waiter does something above and beyond the normal task then they deserve a 'thank you'. People water down the thank-you's too much I believe by telling it to people for task they should be doing.
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It comes down to courtesy. A little common courtesy never hurt anyone, and keeps things a little more civilized. So, should they thank you for eating in their restaurant? Using your thought process, they shouldn't....I mean, you did come there to eat and that's all you did was eat, right? You paid for the food, but that's what you were required to do. Are you supporting the restaurant by patronizing it, or is the restaurant supporting you by giving you a place to eat? If there were no restaurants around, would you not complain that there were no restaurants around?

When you find yourself argueing a point for most of the day, it might be a good indicator that you should re-evaluate your point
 
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BuckeyeFlorida said:
The one thing I do that I frequently get harrassed by my friends and family is leaving little or no tip for subpar service when out to eat. It bothers me that a 'TIP' is now expected, rather than earned. There is no incentive for them to provide good service if they're getting a tip either way (at least in their head)..
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I understand in a way what you are saying about a tip being expected, but as I said in a earlier post, a server is only being paid 2.13 and hour plus tips. It is not the servers fault because I can tell you right now 99% of the places out there only pay this much.

What do you consider subpar service? My concern for many people who say they leave nothing or even a very small amount is do you take other things into consideration about the service? Maybe the other table they are waiting on next to you has a person at it who is taking forever to order, or perhaps the food took longer because on the other side of the resturnat is a large party that the food you ordered got behind. Perhaps the server when they rang your food in rang it in exactly how you want4ed it, but the kitchen messed up the food.

Knowing a server makes as little as they do I beleive that people should tip at least 15%, 20% or more if they feel the server earned it. Even if it is the worst service you have ever had thge tips should be 10%, if you feel that it deserves you talking to the manager then do so, but I don't think that there is ever a real reason to leave no tip at all.
 
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buckeyefool said:
I understand in a way what you are saying about a tip being expected, but as I said in a earlier post, a server is only being paid 2.13 and hour plus tips. It is not the servers fault because I can tell you right now 99% of the places out there only pay this much.
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If service is horrible I wouldn't tip. As far as giving them a tip anyways since they are only making $2.13 an hour, I don't buy it. They knew the pay when they accepted that position.

No one forced them to become a server. I they don't like it, become a better server or find another line of work.

What if it is the server's fault and no one elses? Do you still tip?

That's the price a server pays for being the "Frontman" of the food service industry. You're the one who takes the blame when something goes wrong. After tips they usually make more money than the cooks and the bussers so that goes with the territory.

Besides don't a lot of servers tip out anyways or is that just for bussers? Not tipping them is proving your point to the people in the back that possibly screwed up.
 
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