servers unite

It seems that Oprah made a comment on her TV show about saving money when dining out. Her advice was to only tip 10%. There's a Facebook Group to demonstrate universal displeasure.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=ho ... 466&ref=nf

Join!

That is terrible! Figures someone like Oprah with infinite money would make such an assinine statement! You know what makes more sense, not going to places you can't afford to tip the full amount! Another reason I can't stand Oprah.

This makes me sick.Try addressing the issue at that time.This is so petty.Don't be a passive aggressive bad tipper.Use common sense.Anyone who believes it's a good idea should be ashamed.

I was really ticked, too... until I did a little research:

http://mcdanielfreepress.com/v2/2009/09 ... t-painful/

http://current.com/items/90784288_oprah ... action.htm

http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/ ... 12_tipping

From Oprah's website:

We’d like to respond to the concerns raised about Oprah’s thoughts on
tipping. The truth is that Oprah has never said that people should tip
less during the recession. She believes in generously compensating
waiters and waitresses.
-HarpoBear, Oprah.com Community Producer

Every few years there's an "Oprah rumor". Several years ago there was a rumor that Tommy Hillfiger went on Oprah's show and said he didn't want black people to wear his clothes. And people believed it! Because obviously the perfect venue for a businessman to declare his racism is the Oprah Winfrey Show.

I think there should be a facebook group against people who use a rumor as an "excuse" to tip poorly, but not against Oprah herself.

i'm glad to see that oprah really didn't tell her viewers to screw theirs servers. i still think that tipping has declined since i started waiting tables. i can use last night as an example. where i work, we call it getting "five-dollared to death." no matter if my tables' bills were $40 or $70, last night, i got five-dollared every time. i sold $700 last night, so that should mean i could reasonably hope to walk away with about $100 dollars after contibuting 3% to the tip share. but i didn't. when i cashed out, i had $80. subtract $21 from that for tip share, and i'm left with $59. this is obviously less than 10% of what i sold. even before subtracting the tip share, it was less than 15%.

i understand that some people might not think i was a stellar server. i realize that you can't please everyone. that's just reality. i've said before on this forum that i take my work seriously and i try my best to treat each table in a way that will give them a fantastic experience. to try and prove my point, i'll take myself out of the equation. my coworkers all have the same problem, they walk away with an average of 10%. outside of work, most of my friends are servers and bartenders at other bars and restaurants and i hear the same complaints from them. everyone reading this post knows how hard service employees work. we do dishes, mop floors, break down boxes, carry heavy trays, spend hours in hot kitchens, stand on our feet for hours on end, deal with the public, etc. i'm not complaining, i love this job! i just think it's a shame that people come out to dinner on friday night, hoping to relax and wind down after a long, hard week of the nine to five, and then forget that our long hard week is still going on. they don't think about that when they leave us $5 on a $70 check.

I'm confused.

after contibuting 3% to the tip share. but i didn't. when i cashed out, i had $80. subtract $21 from that for tip share

21 of 80 is over 25% for the share?

we do dishes, mop floors

I'm in no way calling you a liar, Jessie: I'd like to commend you. I have never seen a server do a dish or mop a floor (sweeping, yes. Not mopping) in my entire life. Kudos to you and your crew!

This is not a server slam - it's just that those things are not normally part of their duties, not expected and definitely almost never performed. That would be like saying "we cooks take wine deliveries, wash the front windows, water the plants and roll silverware."

I'm confused.

after contibuting 3% to the tip share. but i didn't. when i cashed out, i had $80. subtract $21 from that for tip share

21 of 80 is over 25% for the share?

I believe 3% of the total bill ($700) is $21.

I believe 3% of the total bill ($700) is $21.

DUH!

Can you tell I've never been a server?

jerry, we tip out 3% of our sales. so, $21 was 3% of what i sold, $700.

marsha, i don't think you were calling me a liar. here's an explanation for my comments. i worked for zeppelin cafe and we used to have to mop the dining room in the morning as part of our opening side work. although i was refering more to mopping up spills, like when a customer spills their drink perhaps. also, at my current job, our dishwasher doesn't arrive until around 6:30. so, if sometime between 3 or 4pm (depending on what time we open that day) and 6:30, we run out of ramekins, bread boards, or anything for that matter, one of us has to stop what we're doing and get back there and run some through dish. i'm not trying to say that doing dishes is a regular part of the job. i was just trying to explain that there's more to it than taking orders and bringing things to the table. it's important for everyone to pitch in, and sometimes we all do things to help someone else. things that are not necessarily part of our job description. if i'm super busy or in the weeds, i'll ask a host to run fresh bread to a table for me if there isn't another server around to help me out and do it. i'd rather that than a customer have to wait for something they want.

I've seen a lot of instances where the server is the highest paid person in the joint. I mean the kitchen guys are making 8-10 an hour. I've seen places where the "managers" (really assistant managers) are only making 10-11/hr. And the servers can be making 15-20 an hour or more. So they're strolling in and walking out with a couple hundred bucks in their pocket for a six hour shift. Believe me, these are real numbers.

At my brewpub in Tucson, we'd have two bartenders, serving beer only. And on a good night, they'd walk with two hundred each. Plus free beer. And YES, they had to mop the floor at the end of the night! But we cranked up some Sex Pistols on the stereo once the custies were gone, so it was kinda fun mopping up.

I'm on the owner side, and frankly I find tips to be quite lucrative. Sorry to those servers who are getting stiffed in this tight economy. Yeah, Louisville is still way behind the scene in terms of tipping overall. For some unknown reason, when I'm being a Barrista and make a complicated coffee drink, with multiple ingredients, steaming milk, pulling a perfect shot, I sometimes get zero tip. But if I pour a pint of beer I get a buck. One takes training, skill and attention to detail. The other takes pulling a tap handle. Go figure. Someday, Louisville will catch up to the rest of the world. That is my only tipping grumble. I haven't seen a shift in tipping, although less moms are coming in during the morning hours for lattes, etc, which makes for less biz overall.

P.S. When I saw the thread title, I was thinking UNION!!!! I'd support it.

Peace,

I'm not knocking your ability,Nimbus. Your coffee house is fantastic. But, there are some people I use to work with that should never have been let behind a bar. Plus, some of them are still working in Louisville. I wish someone would explain the proper way to pour a Guinness to EVERYONE in Louisville.

Firstly, It's good to hear Oprah didn't actually make those advice tips. Secondly, I can see both ends of this argument, some servers do make a lot, I know at certain restaurants (usually high ends) the servers can easily make more yearly then a manager at the restaurant. I can also see that people might be tipping less. It's a sad thing...

I am soooo OK with servers making the money they do. Serving is a skill and they should be paid well. Sure there are crappy servers around but they don't make the good money either. A good server will often take a great deal of abuse and always smile. They SERVE. Some people take advantage of that giving disposition and act like entitled butts; as if being difficult to please solidifies some sort of social standing for them. A manager puts in a great deal of time (and overtime) in a restaurant but, unlike a server, doesn't have to deal with the lack of respect that a waiter or waitress often encounters. Customers can be down right demeaning sometimes simply because they can and a sever is left with little recourse other than endure it. And no, I'm not a server, but we've all either seen the sort I'm talking about in restaurants or have been embarrassed by dining with folks that act that way. Why don't Americans have more respect for this profession the way Europeans do?