Here’s a tip … leave one
It’s the part of a meal that people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about.
For a waitress, it’s also the most important.
Once customers are done eating, they pay the check, collect change and factor in a tip.
The choice between leaving a few bucks might seem small to some people, but to a server, a good tip can make his/her night. Ask any servers you know, and they can tell you horror stories about getting stiffed by parties of six or more people, or dealing with the one guy who pounds his glass on the table to indicate he’s ready to guzzle another Mello Yello.
What exactly is a good tip? The current standard in American society is 12 percent. Some of the more generous customers tip 15 percent or more. As a rough definition, a tip is an amount of money given to an employee to show appreciation for good service and an overall enjoyable dining experience.
Tipping is the lifeblood of a server’s salary. About 70 percent of a waiter/waitress’s income is from gratuity alone, or the kindness of strangers.
This is especially true for college students. One of the most common employments for a student is a part-time job as a server. If he or she does the job well, he or she won’t have any trouble covering rent and utilities.
However, there are always cases of skinflints, cheapskates and jerks who aren’t courteous enough to lay a couple dollars on the table before they leave the booth. These types of people consider a good tip as telling their waitress to plant her crops early.
They always manage to come up with excuses.
“ The service was slow. I had to ask for ketchup. I only got one refill. I didn’t want to break a 10.”
In ethical standards, bad tipping or not tipping at all is equivalent to double parking, dine n’ dashing or stealing from a church collection plate.
You just don’t do it.
People who do any of the above should be arrested.
There are circumstances when a server won’t deserve a generous tip. For instance, if you are a waiter and aren’t nice to a table, enter the wrong orders or spill food or hot coffee in someone’s lap, don’t be surprised if you find a nickel sitting on the table after the check. Also, if a glass is less than one-third full, it needs to be topped off. Good tips are given for a reason.
In most cases, when they finish eating, customers are more concerned with getting the check split up or asking for a to-go box than they are with figuring out 15 percent of the ticket.
Even so, these people should consider that shelling out $2 for an $11 meal isn’t going to break the bank. A good tip shows that the customer has class and is appreciative of excellent service.
Columnists' opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of The Spectrum