Here’s a tip: Your server relies on your tips
April 30, 2019
Many of you who have been out to eat at a restaurant or when the pizza delivery person comes to your door question, “How much do we leave for a tip?”
Many of you allow for different things to alter your final decision such as the service that was given, the timeliness between your soup or salad and entree, food taste, or even sadly not taking into account how expensive the meal would be and allowing the tip to be skewed as a result.
Being a server myself, it’s easy to tell which of my customers have worked in food service versus those who have not. Some people view servers as just being there to cater to their needs and only theirs.
However, in reality, servers can be juggling multiple tables at a time. Servers deal with a lot more than you think.
“I think that tipping is appropriate to do for a person when providing a service. As a server, the majority of my income comes from tips and I work hard for them. At my job we tip our hostess, bussers, and bartenders so each night we have to pay from our pockets to these people so when we don’t get tips from a table we end up basically paying for that table,” Nicole Vaughn, kinesiology major states.
The idea of “tipping” first began after the Civil War, when rich Americans brought back the practice learned in Europe. It eventually spread and became well known, according to Tripsavvy.com
Some speculate that the origins of the word came from Samuel Johnson. Johnson frequented a coffee shop which had a bowl labeled “To Insure Promptitude.” It was eventually shortened to what we know it as a ‘tip.’
“I’m in favor of tipping. [Servers are] providing a service for you, so it’s like a thank you. It’s compensation on the consumer’s side. [Servers] get compensated on their wages. I’m not sure if it’s true but I heard minimum wage is lowered when you’re a server because of the tips they make. If that is true, you should be tipping,” Antonio Medel, computer science major states.
The concern above is untrue here in California. However, it is true in other states. Servers still make the same amount as any other minimum wage job. The only difference is that they get money taken out of their paychecks to accommodate for the tips they make as well.
Although tips are a well-known essential feature at the end of a meal, this may not entitle all servers to get tipped out.
“Yeah, tipping is good when [servers] deserve it. It depends on how they treat you. Like if they don’t check on you or give you attitude then you should tip them minimum or even less than that,” Alejandra Soto, criminal justice major states.
Before being quick to judge the attitude of your servers, take a second to think, maybe he or she has had a bad day or maybe it’s the end of their shift and they’ve had a long day. Maybe it’s not their fault the food and drinks took long to make. Or maybe you are the one with a bad attitude.
A server is more than someone who caters to your needs. They are someone’s brother, sister, friend, mom, or dad and need to treated as such- a person.
Many servers, including myself, will go above and beyond for their guests to make sure they have had a memorable night out or a nice birthday celebration. Sometimes it still is not enough, and we are left with nothing, questioning where did I go wrong?
“It’s nice to give and [tipping] gives feedback to those serving us. [Tipping] gives servers a boost of confidence,” Estiv Donis, a criminal justice major, said.
Tips are never something to be expected even though most likely it does happen. But when I do get tipped, it does make me feel like I did my part in making my guests feel welcome and want to come back.
“I never expect a generous tip but they are always appreciated and I feel like I earn them by providing the best service I can and giving them an enjoyable dining experience,” Vaughn said.
Agreeing with the concept of tipping, Guadalupe Duran, a liberal studies major, said, “I think people should tip their servers at restaurants or in any other place for that matter. Most jobs are minimum wage so tips come a long way. Tips allow us to let the people who serve us know how much we appreciate what they do for us.”
Tipping goes a long way for servers. As mentioned above, many servers live off their tips because of what is taken out of their pay from taxes to serve you.
Tips might even help pay for their way in college and even their child’s needs if they are parents. It’s something to think about next time you’re eating out or getting pizza delivered.
