Unhappy diners leave waitress a ‘Lol’ instead of a tip on $112 bill

[Liberal_in_LA]

Jess Jones was waiting tables at D’Jais Bar & Grill in Belmar on Aug. 17 when a table of eight decided to skip the tip and instead wrote “Lol” and “1 hour for food” on the receipt.

Jones depends on tips to help pay her tuition at Rutgers University as she makes a server’s wage of $2.50 an hour plus tips. It’s customary to leave a 15 to 20 percent tip on a restaurant bill, which means she should have received at least $17.

Stunned by the loss of tip wages on a large bill, Jones took to social media and expressed her frustration on Facebook and shared an image of the receipt (with the patrons’ personal information blurred):

Last night, I was stunned by this receipt that was left for me by a party of eight people. I would have preferred a $0 tip than a “LOL” tip, but as a waitress, bad tips and harsh notes are all part of the job. Even though they did wait an hour to eat, they remained satisfied with filled drinks and proper notice that the kitchen was a bit busier than normal. I’ve worked in the service industry for five years and I take pride in providing great service to my customers.

The Ashbury Park Press covered the incident and the story is sparking an online conversation over how diners should respond when they feel service is subpar. If the wait for food drags on but the waitstaff has no control over the kitchen, is it fair to skip the tip? Press readers don’t agree.
http://blog.sfgate.com/hottopics/2015/08/24/unhappy-diners-leave-waitress-a-lol-instead-of-a-tip-on-112-bill/

[villager]

1. How does one respond to shitty service, then?

It's a conundrum. If the overlong wait was the fault of mis-management, it seems customers shouldn't be liable. Then again, if it's not the fault of the wait-staff, they shouldn't be penalized.

In the near term, such customers should be comped some snacks or drinks if the wait is that long.

In the longer term -- no more tips! Pay wait staff a decent, inclusive wage, and let management learn how to manage their food establishments!

[Blue_Adept]

2. This is why you ask for the manager

You give them crap. it's their job to take it and make it right so that the wait staff doesn't get hammered for poor performance or issues elsewhere.

Often they'll take off something on the menu and that assuages most disgruntled customers.

[villager]

5. Do we know if they did, or did not, ask for the manager?

[LanternWaste]

47. Who do we know if it was or was not shitty service?

Who do we know if it was or was not shitty service?

[villager]

50. An hour wait for food is definitely shitty service. The cause/remedies seem to be the loci

...of discussion here.

[FBaggins]

57. Not necessarily

Or at least... not on the part of the server.

Someone has to cook the food.

[villager]

62. What?

[LonePirate]

72. An hour wait for food at a bar & grill is unacceptable, imo.

I'm not sure if the server merited no tip if she did indeed keep the diners informed about the excessive delay from the kitchen. However, there is no doubt in my mind that the hour wait is indeed excessive and worthy of a poor service complaint against someone in the establishment.

[Reter]

126. Customers always exaggerate time

When they complain about waiting, take away 15%.

[LonePirate]

132. Even at 51 minutes, that wait is unacceptable.

Again, I am not sure who is to blame here; but I would have paid for my drinks and walked out had that been me. That is abysmal customer service by the manager and the restaurant as a whole, even if the server performed her job optimally.

[GummyBearz]

91. Yes, but

tips are split between waiters, cooks, and bus boys. 1 hour wait was someone's problem and they all paid for it.

I recently had a bad experience, the place was out of my first two choices for my dinner. The server could tell I was really bummed as there was nothing else on the menu I could eat. She comp'd me a couple sides and my drink. While I wasn't really full I was certainly in the mood to leave a very nice tip.

[Glassunion]

97. I've never worked where the kitchen splits tips.

I'd like to know where they do that.

[tech3149]

14. Thank You

The waitstaff doesn't determine how well a business works. They are the foot soldiers. They do their part as best they can but you can't do it all yourself, in spite of the self righteous Ayn Rand acolytes might try and tell you.

[jonno99]

133. ^^This^^ best answer. nt

[hifiguy]

6. If service is bad, I tip 10%

If it's good, 20% or a bit more. Average service, 14-17%. There's no reason to completely stiff a server, ever.

[villager]

7. I have generally done that, as well.

It would take something extraordinary to completely stiff a server. Nonetheless, crappy service shouldn't be compensated at the same rate as great service, either.

[whathehell]

38. I waited tables for years

so I know the drill, and although I''m generally a good tipper, I will stiff a server if they are rude, but for no other reason.

[Hoyt]

41. I agree. That's their livelihood. I never would stiff wait staff

for poor food, either. It's not their fault, usually.

I've worked for tips. You learn a lot about people doing that.

[6chars]

82. after reading Nickel & Dimed

I bumped that up to 25% for good, 20% for average.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_and_Dimed

[Mister Ed]

103. That's what my Dad taught me was the correct tip for poor service.

When I was a boy, he taught me that standard service merited 15%, and that to show displeasure with poor service, one should reduce the tip to 10%. He went on to say that, short of flinging hot soup in your face, there was nothing a server could do that would justify withholding the tip entirely.

[WinkyDink]

16. That isn't the OP topic. It is why punish the server for THE KITCHEN STAFF'S GETTING IN THE WEEDS?

[villager]

35. And the question is: What recourses are left to customers?

Do we know why there was a delay? Did the waitress check in on them during that hour-long wait? Were they comped any food/snacks/drinks in the meantime?

Did they ask for a manager? If so, did s/he respond?

Much we don't know about the story.

But I think ultimately one solution is to pay wait staff a fair, robust wage not dependent on tips, so responsibility will definitely be shifted to management.

[Glassunion]

73. Did you read the article?

"Even though they did wait an hour to eat, they remained satisfied with filled drinks and proper notice that the kitchen was a bit busier than normal."

[villager]

105. Did you read the thread?

I realize that's what is stated in the article.

If they were satisfied, they should have left a tip. If the situation was otherwise, they should have talked with a manager. And probably left some tip, regardless.

Would be curious to see what qualifies as "proper notice," however. Am just back from dinner myself. It didn't take an hour to get our food.

[Glassunion]

107. One does not "respond" to shitty service with an "LOL" in the tip line.

Only a complete ass hole would do that.

If I ever caught a customer doing something like that, they would never be welcomed back. Period.

Sometimes customers can be toxic to the employees. Employees don't deserve that. I don't care if it took an hour to get the food out. It's not the server's fault.

[villager]

108. I never said that. And you are free to not care if it takes an hour to get your food, next time.

My question was: What means do customers have in those situations where the service is shitty?

Unfortunately, the server is the interface between customer and restaurant.

[Glassunion]

109. If the server is doing a bad job there is always a manager to talk to.

You're the one who said what other recourse does one have for shitty service.

The customers were notified that the kitchen was behind. Is that the server's fault. Is that justification for writing "LOL" in the tip line?

I've worked in a situation like this. 1/2 the grill was down. The kitchen was overwhelmed because of it. Yet people still chose to wait for an extended period for their food. And yes there were still assholes who short changed the servers because of something that was not their fault.

A passive aggressive "LOL" in the tip line is bullshit in this circumstance. They knew there would be a wait. They were informed. They could have taken their cheap asses elsewhere. I hear Arby's can get food out pretty quick.

[villager]

110. If they were apprised it could actually be a full hour, and not merely "slow," then yeah

...they chose it, and the LOL was passive/aggressive.

And since there's really no point in "going out" just for lousy service, they definitely should have gotten ahold of a manger. (Assuming they actually didn't).

[Glassunion]

111. Based on the "LOL" in the tip line alone.

Tells me that their cheap, whiny, passive aggressive asses did not speak to a manager.

[villager]

112. Well, then you missed your calling as a detective, I reckon.

If they knew it would be a full hour, they should have gone somewhere else. If they chose to stay, they should have tipped. If the "slow" kitchen was misrepresented to them, they should have asked for a manager -- if, in fact, they didn't.

[Glassunion]

113. Nope. 20+ years in food service and customer service.

Just basing on my experience.

I'd bet my next paycheck on it.

[villager]

114. Out of curiosity, what would you do in a situation where customers are waiting an hour or more

...for their order?

It seems to me if the whole place was slow, and everyone was getting agitated (and more and more hungry), then no one was getting particularly good service.

[Glassunion]

115. I would have explained it outright and the customers would choose.

if you tell the customers there is going to be a wait. That xxx is happening and the kitchen is backed up, would you still like a seat? I'd give my best guess as to the length of the wait. They have the opportunity to leave or wait it out. If they wait it out, we make sure they have drinks and are attended to.

[villager]

116. Fair enough, as long as they were given a true sense of the "slowness"

n/t

[WinkyDink]

123. Well, first of all, McScrooge, you don't know it'll be an hour until it IS. And it STILL isn't the

fault of the wait-staff.

CONTACT THE MANAGER OR LEAVE. WTH'S SO HARD TO GRASP?

[villager]

141. Not McScroogey. Also not necessarily willing to subsidize understaffing by restaurant owners

...if waits are inordinate (with my patronage, that is. Since thread-reading appears challenging to you in this context, I have already said that the wait-staff, if one stays, should still be tipped...)

Not sure what's so hard to grasp about that. But you're free to wait as long as you wanna....!

[GummyBearz]

92. Because tips are usually split between the sever and the kitchen staff.

.

[WinkyDink]

124. Sez WHO??

[BlueStreak]

129. Is it the customer's job to fix the business?

I understand that the wait staff probably had little control over the kitchen, and I have never given a zero tip for slow service. But it isn't my job to teach business 101 to the manager.

It is harsh, but if the wait staff found this to be a consistent problem, then they should either confront the manager or else they should move on to the next restaurant. Either way, the manager would get the message.

[1StrongBlackMan]

43. Having worked as a server, I'll tell you ...

long wait times for food is rarely, if ever, the fault of the Server.

If you wish to voice your discontent, speak to the restaurant manager.

[villager]

48. Sure -- what's the server's role when that happens, though?

Heck, even some comped cheese bread can go far.

Management should certainly give servers latitude in these situations.

[1StrongBlackMan]

54. In most cases, the Server has NO role ...

In fact, the Server is probably just as pissed as the waiting customer ... Servers make their money turning over tables as quickly as possible ... the hour wait for one table probably cost him/her another full tip.

Management should certainly give servers latitude in these situations.

But they don't. Comp'ing is tightly controlled by the manager.

[villager]

56. Well, they are the interface with the restaurant, rightly or wrongly, so there's *some* role

...and it will be different in different kinds of establishments.

I've been to restaurants where waiters do have some discretion in the comping dept.

[1StrongBlackMan]

58. Okay. n/t

[riderinthestorm]

71. I'd like to know the names of those restaurants

as someone who worked 4 years serving in various restaurants during college, I've never heard of waitstaff having that kind of latitude.

What restaurants were those? And how do you know they hadn't already gotten approval to comp you food by their manager?

[GummyBearz]

93. Blush ice bar in San Diego is one

I literally had an experience just like this... they were out of the only 2 things I wanted for my dinner. I got comp'd 2 sides and a drink at the discretion of the server. The tip was generous, even though I left without a full dinner.

[riderinthestorm]

99. How do you know? The server presumably walked away with your order

and came back and said "we're out". If the server's experienced, they've already hit up the manager and gotten the green light to comp your other choices before they even come back for a back up order.

I'd like to know how you know your server acted independently.

Cause 4 years experience and 6 restaurants (including one 5 star Chicago area restaurant), tells me the server has no authority in these decisions. Comping food and drinks is the bread and butter (literally heh) and is serious business NOT left up to a server.

[GummyBearz]

100. Because he never left the table

When he told me they were out, he was standing at the table watching me flipping around the menu completely bummed. He never left to ask a manager for permission. He just saw I was struggling to find anything, and comp'd me right there.

Excluding the possibility of ESP, he acted independently.

[riderinthestorm]

101. Then I'd presume he'd already had a table of disappointed guests prior

and knew exactly what the manager would comp. Kitchen's already run out so prior knowledge of what's going to happen.

I've done it myself.

Have you ever been a server? This is standard stuff.

Nobody comps without the manager's permission.

Nobody.

[GummyBearz]

122. I have never been a server

I have been comp'd by them though

[Reter]

127. I have never heard of a restaurant comping because they were out of something

That was awesome. My place would just say sorry, and that would be that.

[GummyBearz]

128. Re-read the whole piece

They were out of the only 2 dinners I could have so he gave me a couple sides. It was very generous

[DawgHouse]

65. A good manager will make it right.

My husband and I recently had dinner with another couple at a nice restaurant. Everything was great, the server as excellent. He made perfect recommendations for drinks, orders, etc. I ordered a second drink and it took forever to get it from the bar. When the server finally brought it, I laughingly commented, "Oh, I was wondering if I would have to get it in a to-go cup!"

He apologized and said the bar was backed up. It was really no big deal. I wasn't mad in the least. But within two minutes of him leaving our table, the manager came over and asked if we enjoyed our meal. He then said that since it took so long for my drink, he would comp desserts for all if we were interested.

The manager can definitely make things right and a good manager supports his servers to make sure the customers are happy.

JMHO

[1StrongBlackMan]

68. Very true ...

It's been my experience, comp'ing a meal (or even a dessert) will make for repeat business.

[lumberjack_jeff]

67. Yet, the tips are shared with those whose fault it is. n/t

[1StrongBlackMan]

69. I've never worked in a place where ...

the Server's tips were split with the Kitchen staff ... other Servers, the Bussers, the Bartender and the manager, yes; but, not the kitchen staff.

[Glassunion]

74. Same here...

I did my 5 years and never once had to split with the kitchen.

[1StrongBlackMan]

79. I only did two years; then, I took a more prestigious gig ...

Bouncing, er ... Door Man, at a bar/nightclub frequented by townies and college students.

Thursday Nights ($0.25 beer) were ALWAYS interesting!

[Glassunion]

81. I got into I.T.

Almost as lucrative as tending at a sports bar during football season.

Our most interesting night (I still have the scar to prove it) was when we had to flag a large group who came in drunk from a wedding. The owner said that he could not serve them, and they would have to go. It was all well and good, they were planning to leave, until the alpha male's girlfriend/wife asked him if he was going to let him (the owner) talk to him like that.

[1StrongBlackMan]

86. LOL ...

That seemed to always be the case ... you talk them down, make them laugh and have them just about out the door (peacefully) ... an alpha male's girlfriend/wife challenges her boyfriend/husband's manhood ... and all hell broke loose.

But as much as I loved that job (the most memory filled, fun I've had working) ... I wouldn't do it for all the money in the world today ... too many damned guns out there!

[Glassunion]

87. Not sure where you worked, but it's really bad in North Philly.

When I go visit mom, I usually will end up going out with the guys that I grew up with, and its rough. I don't think they go a day without a shooting in Philly.

Every bar/pub/club you get wanded or go through a detector on the way in.

[1StrongBlackMan]

88. This was a college town in Ohio ...

but being from Cleveland, I know what you mean.

I'm glad I made it to 50+ , and have been out of Cleveland 20+ years, so I don't even think of going to the old haunts when I'm back there.

[Glassunion]

89. I only go back for mom.

She won't leave. Stubborn as a mule. That and she does not want to take the train so far to work.

[TransitJohn]

94. Yeah, have the manager tip the server!

That'll work!

[1StrongBlackMan]

98. Is that what anywhere near what I said? n/t

[olddots]

59. I know

[Reter]

125. With a 10% tip instead of 18-20%

So in this case, it would be $11. Leaving zero cost the server at least $3 on a check that size. It is stealing and wrong.

[Act_of_Reparation]

135. Enough with that nonsense already.

How does one respond to shitty service in any other industry?

Tipping is not some means by which customers are empowered to protest shitty service, it's a means for employers to drive down the cost of their product by not paying their employees a livable wage. The net result is cheap food and a nightmare scenario for waiting staff, who must suffer through all manner of indignities lest they lose money.

[bigwillq]

3. The situation could have been handled better

By the LOL folks. I did not read the whole story, but they still got served. They should have left a tip.

[snooper2]

4. Jesus U. Christ on a straw every little fucking slight is now news and spread on the intertubes

I'm really thinking that the average consumer/residential user needs their bandwidth limited to about 2 Meg...


Still more than a T1 that most businesses use...so shut up and be happy.

[Bonx]

8. Saved me the time

[hobbit709]

17. And that kind of rudeness needs to be exposed no matter what you think.

[WinkyDink]

18. So you'd keep mum about getting stiffed of a $17 tip, as a college student?

[Logical]

20. The person was an asshole. No issue with this being posted. nt

[Eleanors38]

25. Yep. Just a peon working for shit, getting more shit...

Like it or not, maybe this is the only way many folks can fight back.

[steve2470]

39. agreed! nt

[snooper2]

121. Fight back? Really? Fight back against what?

Do you even know the name of the restaurant?


Go YELP! LOL

[Eleanors38]

140. Maybe they don't know where to fight back, or how...

But hey, it's like boycotts: Sloppy surgery, but it's still a tool I won't deny others.

[steve2470]

9. unless that server was a complete jackhole, a zero tip or LOL note is horrible

Shit happens, especially to popular busy restaurants on Friday and Saturday night. You don't penalize the server (unless it's undeniably his/her fault). You speak to the manager on duty and make it crystal clear that you are happy with the server but not the kitchen, etc.

[madaboutharry]

21. That's right.

The server doesn't run the kitchen. I don't know why people would penalize the server because the person in charge of running the kitchen has let things go downhill. It is just taking things out on an innocent (usually) person. The only time that this might be fair is if you actually see your food sitting on a counter under a "not really keeping things hot" heat lamp and you see the server ignoring it.

[BKH70041]

10. You used to leave a penny.

At least that was what people like Ann Landers and Dear Abby suggested. If you didn't leave anything, the waiter/waitress might think you just forgot. But you leave just a penny..... then they know.

So maybe instead of LOL, you leave a penny.

I would also highly suggest that if a patron comes in to dine and you know the kitchen is busier than normal, or it happens when they're waiting, please let them know what's going on. That gives them the opportunity to find other accommodations or, if they choose to stay, at least they're aware. Larger parties usually expect to have to wait longer than smaller, but an hour is a bit much.

[SheilaT]

11. The article says that they were notified

that the kitchen was busier than normal.

They're total jackasses, because it's not the server's fault the kitchen was backed up.

I also suspect that none of them have ever had a job actually dealing with the public.

[BKH70041]

23. Actually that's the claim of the waitress.

Is she being honest? Maybe, maybe not. I'm not going to get involved in that discussion.

The point of my post was how to make a restaurant aware you're unhappy with the service if you choose to make that particular statement via the tip, which is to leave a penny.

[tonedevil]

40. So you want to...

levave the server to pay the tax on the assumed tip, I assure you the IRS assumes a tip. Given the system as it stands it's a shitty way to make a statement.

[BKH70041]

45. You seem to think I'm involved in this more than I am.

From my first post - "You used to leave a penny. At least that was what people like Ann Landers and Dear Abby suggested. If you didn't leave anything, the waiter/waitress might think you just forgot. But you leave just a penny..... then they know."

The topic I'm willing to discuss on this thread is how to leave a message about poor service via the tip should one choose to do so in that manner. Beyond that, this thread is of no interest to me.

[tonedevil]

55. What is or isn't of interest to you is of no interest to me.

I just don't want anyone to think that is a legitimate practice. The IRS has already decided you left a tip so when you stiff the server they pay a tax on what you didn't give them. If you have a problem with the service why not try being something other than a passive aggressive asswipe and talk to the manager?

[BKH70041]

63. What is or isn't a "legitimate practice" is not up to you.

You're not in a position to make that kind of judgment for others.

What the IRS does or doesn't do is a separate topic.

See, this article only gives one side of the story, so to believe the waitress to be correct or the patrons to be correct is to judge on not knowing everything that took place.

Now, to the topic of "how to send a message about poor service via the tip should you choose to do so," do you have anything to add like "Rather than leaving a penny, I'd leave a penny and a stick of gum, because it would send the message of...." Anything like that? Is that beyond your capabilities?

Let's see.

[tonedevil]

80. If you find legitimacy...

in stiffing someone who will be paying tax on the money you didn't leave goody goody for you. As I mentioned earlier if you want to send a message regarding bad service in a restaurant rather than doing it passive aggressively try using your words.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

77. +1

Especially the last sentence.

[whathehell]

42. Exactly. Wait staff must depend on the kitchen. n/t

[DinahMoeHum]

12. Real problem here is with the $2.50/hr wage. . .

$2.50/hr wage??????

Yeesh.

Doesn't sound like a real classy joint either - I mean, 8 people and a $112 bill? That means $14 per person. No gratuity added to the bill either? Sheesh.

[Yavin4]

46. The other NRA

The National Restaurant Association is one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington. They are the biggest obstacles to a higher min. wage and single payer healthcare.

[Glassunion]

76. You mean sub-minimum wage.

Hasn't budged since the early 90's

[daredtowork]

13. I'm against tip culture

I know this is controversial since certain parts of the industry make spectacular tips, but this enables some businesses to pay people far under minimum wage and it forces people who often aren't that highly educated to deal with doing an extra set of taxes to report their tips. That's just wrong.

It's also a sexist situation since more women work in the lower paying, lower tipping jobs in the restaurant industry. In then there is the matter of everyone in the back end of the restaurant and making things run smoothly - dishwashers, etc.

Then there is the whole tip expansion - you are supposed to tip cabs and hairdressers and who else? Yet after their bills get to be a certain amount doesn't it seem like they are making enough for their service? Frankly, I think we should start expressing our extra gratitude in other ways: with a note or flowers!

PAY PEOPLE ENOUGH IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!

[question everything]

22. Right. But until there they live on tips so why take it on the lowest rang

for what you see as an unjust society?

[1939]

75. I don't mind tipping in a restaurant or bar

What I do mind is the suggestion that I should tip when I stand in line for the food/coffee and shlepp it to the table myself. Those tip jars by the cash register infuriate me.

[petronius]

96. We don't have a tip credit in California - regardless of tips, all employees must

be paid minimum wage*. This is how I think it ought to be everywhere, although I think traditional restaurant tipping 'rules' should still apply...


(* Of course, that leaves open the question of whether a $9 going on $10 minimum wage qualifies as "enough.&quot

[AngryAmish]

15. I usually just leave a prayer tract.

It does their soul better.

Heck, Jesus only gets 10% tithe. I don't buy this 15 to 20 percent crap.

[yardwork]

24. I hope you're joking.

[AngryAmish]

29. Of course. Haven't you seen the tipping wars around here?

Praise Jesus.

[yardwork]

31. Missed them!

[AngryAmish]

33. Well, Jesus will bless you with good bones and calcium next time they start

[Blus4u]

27. I think you might change your mind

if you found yourself waiting tables for $2.50/hr, or perhaps I missed any intended sarcasm.

Peace

[AngryAmish]

30. Jesus loves you, too.

[abelenkpe]

34. Hope you don't ever eat at the same restaurant twice.

[AngryAmish]

37. Guess who else loves Jesus?

[Blus4u]

19. Most places add a 15 to 20 % gratuity

for parties of 8 or more.
Further the diners should have asked the server to get the manager to stop by, especially since the server had notified them the kitchen was slammed.

Peace

[question everything]

26. A party of eight should have had a 15% tip added to their check

some restaurants do so.

[madinmaryland]

28. This is why the restaurant industry is fucked up. If the meal goes bad, it is the employees that get

screwn. The management/owner still gets the money for the meal.

The whole system needs to be changed to pay employees a living wage and get rid of this whole tipping bullshit.

[yardwork]

32. That's a very good point.

I'll bet the diners weren't that unhappy with their meal. They just saw a chance to be cheap. And they'll be back.

[davidpdx]

119. Yes, it comes down to the minimum wage exemptions for states

I believe there are a few that are below the $7.25 an hour and in some states jobs where employees are tipped they can be paid less.

I'd be dammed if anyone disagreed with me on this. The easy solution is to scrap all that nonsense and do a flat $15 hour minimum wage.

[Matariki]

36. Hourly wages instead of tips

Figured into the cost on the menu.

Problem solved. Nobody should be working for $2.50 an hour plus the good graces of sometime assholes.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

44. Misplaced: Customers take their frustration out...

on servers, every time. The only customers I've ever found to have a clue about how the restaurant industry works are other/former servers. For the most part, the general public is clueless.

[Travis_0004]

49. I've seen these before where its faked

I usually pay credit card. I often have at least a bit of cash on me. I will leave a 0 dollar credit card tip, then leave cash at the table.

Did the sever change the receipt from 0 to LOL, honestly probably not, but I've at least read a few stories to be a bit skeptical. (and then somebody does a fundraiser for the server and they get lots of money).

For the record, I am a good tipper, seldom less than 20%, but if the service sucks sometimes people don't tip well.

I realize its not the servers fault, but some people are not going to complain, just leave a bad tip and never come back. It may not be fair, but its the way it is.

I think there are a lot of good servers who make decent money, that if we eliminated the tipping system would end up with less, since instead of 2.50 an hour, they would make minimum wage, or close too it, and not get tips.

[MicaelS]

51. Waiting an hour to eat is unacceptable UNLESS

There is some special dish that you know in advance takes an 45 min - 1 hour to prepare.

Otherwise I am not cutting the place any slack. No matter if the kitchen was busier than normal. They should not have been seating people if they could not serve them in a timely manner. I would have left a tip, but I would also have spoken to manager and made my displease known, and I would have expected some sort of comp. If I did not get it, that would be the last time I ate there.

I agree with one comment on the original article.

Get rid of tipping. Increase the bill and pay the staff a living wage. I tip 20%, but I don't like to because I think that the other staff should also receive compensation for a good job.

I would much rather have the bill increase by 20 or 25% and everybody's wage goes up.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

52. Hope she doesn't end up getting fired for sharing it on social media.

Some restaurants aren't too keen on that sort of thing.

[LanternWaste]

53. 15% is the lowest I leave... and that's only if the service is dramatically horrible.

15% is the lowest I leave... and that's only if the service is dramatically horrible.

As long as tips are the major source of income for wait staff, I like to think I can make up for the one or two petulant tight-wads a waiter may get throughout a shift.

No doubt, many people will rationalize being a petulant tight-wad-- that's simply part of their petulance.

[nichomachus]

60. The easy answer to this is just do away with tipping

Pay the servers a decent wage. If the service is bad, you complain to the management -- like you do for any other business -- and let them decide how to deal with it. Wait staff should not be forced to be beggars.

There are actually restaurants that have done away with tipping -- and both the restaurants and the servers ended up with more money.

[Agschmid]

61. It's crap.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

64. Was at a restaurant the other day. The food took a very long time to arrive

and the waitress was apologetic. After I'd finished the meal the waitress gave me a bill that showed a charge only for the beverage and not the late food. I offered to pay for it anyhow but she said, "No, that's fine, we want you to come back." I left a tip for 20% of what the total bill would have been, and I'll come back.

The slow service wasn't the waitress' fault (which I recognized), and the management recognized that the problem was in the kitchen and handled it.

[olddots]

66. 8 into 112 $ for food ?

I tip big at ma & pa small inexpensive places .So this story should be table of 8 douche bags stiff waitress and olddots wants to give them all a knuckle sandwich for a complementary desert.

[davidn3600]

70. If you are supposed to leave 20% tip no matter what...

Why not just increase the prices on the menu 20% and give the servers an hourly wage?

If you are going to let the customer decide the tip amount, they will take it out on the wait staff any issues they have with the place.

[cherokeeprogressive]

78. I was in Lake Arrowhead with a friend not long ago...

There is this nice little Mexican restaurant called Papagayos that has a patio bar. My friend and I rode over from Big Bear Lake on the Harleys for a margarita. Very nice ride.

I'm standing in line behind a guy who was bent over the counter signing a credit card receipt. When he was done he took a seat at the table right next to the bar. I picked up the receipt and handed it to the bartender because he was busy. The bartender looked at it, smiled, and set it down and I noticed the guy left a $1 tip on a $36 tab for drinks at his table. I started laughing and the bartender whispered to me "He made sure to tell me he was a doctor." and winked. My two margaritas came to $18 and I gave the guy $30 and said out loud "Tell the good doctor that a fucking TRASHMAN from Big Bear Lake left a tip TWELVE TIMES as big as he did."

Suddenly everyone at the guy's table was on his ass, asking him what the hell was wrong with him. He got mad and walked away from the table and I didn't see him again.

[Liberal_in_LA]

104. good for you. the "doctor" should be ashamed of himself

[ScreamingMeemie]

136. My husband (when we were dating) used to leave $1 tips, and I was mortified

when I noticed. He said,"My dad always left a dollar..." He didn't know any better. I seriously wanted to drive to every restaurant we had been to in the months of our dating and tip the servers.

[cherokeeprogressive]

138. The way I saw it...

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and while I was playing; that poor guy was working his ass off.

I remember seeing a long time ago when I was young a grown man picking tips off tables and using them to pay his bill. At the time it was funny and every time I tip that comes to my mind. It makes me feel guilty that I didn't call him on it and so I probably over tip to compensate for my inaction.

[Glassunion]

83. And this is another fine example of why the customer is not always right.

[BlueJazz]

84. That's right ...screw the person on the bottom. I had the exact SAME thing happen and would have..

...never thought to stiff the server.

[Syzygy321]

85. Is tipping really about reward and punishment?

I don't dock a tip for bad service because it always looks to me like the waitress is doing her best. So maybe she's awkward or can't remember the specials, but who am I to take money away from her?

So I give the same 20 percent to everyone.

If you tip badly for bad service, what's the hoped-for result - is it supposed to teach the poor waiters to try harder? I bet it just makes them sad and frustrated. They don't mess up on purpose and they aren't children to be punished and trained like Pavlov's dogs.

Tips are mostly based on personality anyway - or so it seems to me when I am out with friends. The funny sexy goodlooking waiter, or the waitress who cracks jokes, tend to get rewarded for putting diners into a good mood. Well, some people aren't charismatic. Should they be made poor as well?

[littlewolf]

90. I have worked as waitstaff.

this waitresses is not at fault for the kitchen.
she kept the diners informed that the kitchen
was backed up. she should not be punished
because of this.

I would have asked for the manager.

Typically I tip 15% for normal service.
25% for above avg service.
(we had one of those at outback the other night. water glasses always filled, empty dishes gone,
always there but never seen, it was like she could read our minds. she got 30 percent.)
if I have very poor service, i.e. rude
I tip 10 percent and have a chat with the manager. if I tip 25% or more I have a chat with the manager
as well.

[Ilsa]

95. Table of 8 should have had a mandatory "tip"

added to the bill due to the size of the party. I think every restaurant I've been to with a large group had this policy.

Personally, I'd like to see the servers paid a better wage with an increase in the price of the food.

[Habibi]

120. A friend of mine experienced this quite recently.

Table of 17 med students and their prof. She added the gratuity, and they simply left enough to pay the bill minus the gratuity. She asked them outright what the problem was - there had been no complaints about the service, the food, the wait, anything.

The prof told her they had no legal obligation to pay the gratuity, so, after all the work she did for them, she was left with no tip on a $240 bill.

[Ilsa]

142. Damn. That's cold-blooded.

I hope she spits in their food next time they show up.

[Generic Brad]

102. If the wait staff was not rude - this is out of line

Seriously, if wait staff insults a customer or is purposefully rude I understand stiffing them.

I have been on the receiving end of an experience where the wait staff forgot about us for about 90 minutes after we placed our order. They were apologetic to the extreme and made a sincere effort to make a bad situation better. I still tipped them 20%.

Based on the details of this story, this waitress still deserved her tip.

[Spider Jerusalem]

106. Here's the thing:

a tip SHOULD be something that's a recognition of exceptionally good service. It shouldn't be mandatory or expected. Service staff aren't paid enough? Raise their wages, and raise your prices to reflect that if you have to. As it is, tipping in the US restaurant industry seems to serve mostly as a way for business owners to advertise lower prices while shifting the burden of paying their employees to customers.

[davidn3600]

118. Yep. It shouldnt be the customer's responsibility to make sure wait staff is paid well

That should be the job of the restaurant. And that's how it is is most of the world.

[Glassunion]

117. If you love New Jersey, I'm going to just go ahead and say I'm sorry.

I'm not region bashing, or Jersey bashing, I'm posting my anecdotal observations of the state.

I've worked with the public my entire life. I've worked in the food service industry since my dad died when I was 14, and got my first job bussing tables to help my mom with money.

I've worked in restaurants or the food service industry in California, Oregon, Chicago, NYC, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

I was neither shocked, nor surprised that this story came out of New Jersey. To me it's typical of the average bad customer from the state. Of all of the coasts and states I've worked in, the customer in NJ can be the worst. Not sure if it's indicative of the state or just my own misfortune of meeting the worst.

[MADem]

130. In many restaurants, a party that size would have a

mandatory tip included.

[merrily]

131. Server is one of the hardest jobs there is. News flash: Servers don't cook your food.

Unless it arrived at the table cold and congealed or obviously re-heated, it was the fault of the kitchen, not the server. Given the server apologized for the kitchen, it's pretty clear the server did not fall down on the job. If the kitchen is understaffed, that's not the server's fault either.

The wait should have been taken up with the manager or owner, who probably would have comp-ed part of the check or given free wine or dessert or something. It not, take your business elsewhere next time. But taking it out on the server is out of place.

[lonestarnot]

134. Maggots eat alot; they don't usually tip.

[B Calm]

137. I always leave a tip, but I do it reluctantly. I feel the restaurant owner

should be paying the employees a living wage.

[Dorian Gray]

143. I've been to D'Jais

in Belmar. To call it a Bar and Grill is a joke. It's where weekenders get bombed on Saturdays and Sundays. They may have food, but people go there to drink, not eat. This table was probably drunk and acting like jerks.

Having said that, yeah... talk to manager if wait time is too long.

And it's the Asbury Park Press, not Ashbury. Get it right, editors.