Comments From Real Tipped Employees

The following messages are from servers describing their experiences with the tipping systems.

I was serving a table with a middle-aged couple. They were knit-picking everything I did: I took too long getting drinks, the table was too dirty, I apparently even put too much ice in their drink. When it came time to receive their bill, the woman had left to use the restroom. The man looked me in the eyes with this smirk and slid my tip into the pocket of my apron right over my hip. I was so disgusted my manager forced me to go on break. The fact that if he comes in again I still have to be nice to him in order to get money to pay my bills pisses me off.

I'll have parties of 10 who won't tip. It's infuriating when I do all this work and try my hardest to do my job right and I receive no gratuity. If you can't afford to tip you can't afford to eat out.

I worked my first job as a server at 16, I was very uninformed of how tipping worked at at this time, and therefore was easily taken advantage of by my employer. I remember some weeks receiving as little as or less than $100. This was always distressing, but I had assumed this problem was my fault alone. Looking back now however, I have realized that my receiving that kind of pay was actually illegal. I don't remember my employer ever paying my tipping difference, they never helped me reach the minimum wage requirement. If this problem is still occurring in workplaces, then tipping is very important.

A customer once wrote on their bill "Here's a tip, its raining outside, use an umbrella." rather than writing in their actual tip. I've never been so angry in my life, but I had to give this man his card back with a smile on my face.

Elizabeth.Burke wrote:I'll have parties of 10 who won't tip. It's infuriating when I do all this work and try my hardest to do my job right and I receive no gratuity. If you can't afford to tip you can't afford to eat out.

Ugh i hate when large party customers don't tip! i feel like this happens often, you'd think you'd get a big tip from them, but nah.