Tipping your Waiters or Waitresses as Christians?

[GoldenEagle]

Tipping waiters at resteraunts... A friend shared her thoughts on the matter. What do you think? How do you handle tipping?

 

This was originally in regards to someone leaving a bible and not a tip...

 

The expectation (at least in America) is that when you eat a meal at a restaurant where you are served by a waiter, you will leave a minimum of 10% of your total bill (before coupons and discounts) as a tip. You can leave it in cash or you can scribble it in on the credit card slip. But you leave your overworked, underpaid server a monetary acknowledgement of his or her service.

 

In my circles, leaving a 10% tip signifies that the service was very poor and you'd like to kick him or her, but since that's illegal and would likely land you in jail, you're kicking him or her in the wallet.

 

A 15% tip generally signifies that the waiter did a decent job, and didn't upset you, ignore you, or pour coffee in your lap.

 

A 20% tip means the waiter did great, you'd like to be in his section again, and you are well-pleased with the service he provided for you.

 

If you leave anything more than 20%, either the waiter went well above and beyond to perform some spectacular feat of serving, OR you're showing off. (LOL!)

Now, if you want to leave something in addition to that monetary gratuity, you are welcome to do so. Slip the bills inside a tract, a pocket-Bible, a jewelry box with a pair of diamond studs, whatever floats your boat.

 

But whatever extra you do, LEAVE SOME MONEY PLEASE.

 

The servers usually make less than minimum wage, you were sitting at their table for at least half an hour (probably more), and you have no idea what they might have been dealing with behind the scenes.

 

Real life story...

 

I will never forget the time I was at a Waffle House and the server seemed distant, kind of like she was offended by having to serve me, or angry that I'd brought in two young kids. She was forgetful and clumsy, and it was just not a good dining experience. I was planning to leave a 10% tip. (Yeah, it was that bad.) But then I heard the cook ask her what was wrong. Apparently, she was usually a bubbly and enthusiastic person, because the cook was like "you're totally not yourself --- are you okay?"

 

And the poor girl started to cry.

 

One of her kids was sick and had kept her up a lot the previous night, her car was giving her trouble and she had no money to get it fixed, and her ex had been threatening her for a week. On top of that, the manager had given her a really hard time the day before -- the place was short-staffed and he'd wanted her to work extra, but she couldn't.

Now, all of this conversation with the cook was carried on sotto voce while she was slicing tomatoes and lemons for the lunch crowd and occasionally running something to one of her tables. She didn't know I was listening. (And I was being very unobtrusive about eavesdropping anyway.)

 

Needless to say, after hearing all of that, I knew exactly why she wasn't doing a great job. Tired, worried, scared. No kind of preparation for a job where you have to be nice to other people. I left her a 100% tip that day, with a note that said, "Thank you for taking care of us." It probably didn't solve her problems, but at least it didn't add to them.

 

And maybe, just maybe, it brought a smile to her face for a few minutes.

The lesson I learned was to look behind the attitude and see the pain. Because when someone in a service position treats you poorly, there's usually some pain they are grappling with. And I figure that's my chance to be the hands of Jesus, reaching out to show love to the unlovely.

 

[other one]

the last time that happened to me God laid on my heart to leave a special tip...... m just to say, the people at our table fixed her car.  we saw her crying as we left the restaurant.

[other one]

another thing you can do that is a lot of fun is to be ordering food or paying out and reach over and pick up someone's bill and pay it....  I've seen police officers tear up from that.   or a young family ordering at McDonald's or such and just reach over and swipe your credit card at their register....  then just look forward like nothing happened...  that can get you a hug.....

 

one night at work i was in an area where homeless people hang out and a couple with two young kids were obviously hungry, but were not asking for people to help.  i offered to buy them breakfast down the street a ways, and we picked up several others on the way and i got to know some really nice folks that morning that were just in a bad situation.....  yeah, it did cost a bit, but I'm not sure which of us benefited the most from it.  it changed my entire view of homeless people

[LadyKay]

All I can say is that the non-Christians are watching you. I use to work in a restaurant. On Sunday after church would let out we would be flooded by church people. Some of these church people were incredibly rude. It was talked about among the working staff that the church people that come in on Sundays were the most rudest and hurtful. Now that may or may not have been so that they were the worst of the worst and the rudest of the rudest.  But because they were coming from church, people expected them to behave kindly. And if they did not, it was talked about. So the point I am making here is that as Christians, the world is watching you. Watching how you will behave and how you treat others. If you are holding a Bible study at a restaurant, (which by the way people did do at the one I worked at) and you run the restaurant staff around asking for coffee refills, you better leave a nice tip and behave yourself. Because you are being watched.

[other one]

you've never left a really good tip unless your credit card company occasionally calls you to validate it.

[ayin jade]

you've never left a really good tip unless your credit card company occasionally calls you to validate it.

 

Nah they dont. I have left a 50% tip and not been called about it. 

 

Now paying for my roof and computer at the same time, they called.

[WIP]

Wow you guys in the usa are really generous in the tips you give...here in nz it is not customary to tip at all.

[missmuffet]

 

Tipping waiters at resteraunts... A friend shared her thoughts on the matter. What do you think? How do you handle tipping?

 

This was originally in regards to someone leaving a bible and not a tip...

 

The expectation (at least in America) is that when you eat a meal at a restaurant where you are served by a waiter, you will leave a minimum of 10% of your total bill (before coupons and discounts) as a tip. You can leave it in cash or you can scribble it in on the credit card slip. But you leave your overworked, underpaid server a monetary acknowledgement of his or her service.

 

In my circles, leaving a 10% tip signifies that the service was very poor and you'd like to kick him or her, but since that's illegal and would likely land you in jail, you're kicking him or her in the wallet.

 

A 15% tip generally signifies that the waiter did a decent job, and didn't upset you, ignore you, or pour coffee in your lap.

 

A 20% tip means the waiter did great, you'd like to be in his section again, and you are well-pleased with the service he provided for you.

 

If you leave anything more than 20%, either the waiter went well above and beyond to perform some spectacular feat of serving, OR you're showing off. (LOL!)

Now, if you want to leave something in addition to that monetary gratuity, you are welcome to do so. Slip the bills inside a tract, a pocket-Bible, a jewelry box with a pair of diamond studs, whatever floats your boat.

 

But whatever extra you do, LEAVE SOME MONEY PLEASE.

 

The servers usually make less than minimum wage, you were sitting at their table for at least half an hour (probably more), and you have no idea what they might have been dealing with behind the scenes.

 

Real life story...

 

I will never forget the time I was at a Waffle House and the server seemed distant, kind of like she was offended by having to serve me, or angry that I'd brought in two young kids. She was forgetful and clumsy, and it was just not a good dining experience. I was planning to leave a 10% tip. (Yeah, it was that bad.) But then I heard the cook ask her what was wrong. Apparently, she was usually a bubbly and enthusiastic person, because the cook was like "you're totally not yourself --- are you okay?"

 

And the poor girl started to cry.

 

One of her kids was sick and had kept her up a lot the previous night, her car was giving her trouble and she had no money to get it fixed, and her ex had been threatening her for a week. On top of that, the manager had given her a really hard time the day before -- the place was short-staffed and he'd wanted her to work extra, but she couldn't.

Now, all of this conversation with the cook was carried on sotto voce while she was slicing tomatoes and lemons for the lunch crowd and occasionally running something to one of her tables. She didn't know I was listening. (And I was being very unobtrusive about eavesdropping anyway.)

 

Needless to say, after hearing all of that, I knew exactly why she wasn't doing a great job. Tired, worried, scared. No kind of preparation for a job where you have to be nice to other people. I left her a 100% tip that day, with a note that said, "Thank you for taking care of us." It probably didn't solve her problems, but at least it didn't add to them.

 

And maybe, just maybe, it brought a smile to her face for a few minutes.

The lesson I learned was to look behind the attitude and see the pain. Because when someone in a service position treats you poorly, there's usually some pain they are grappling with. And I figure that's my chance to be the hands of Jesus, reaching out to show love to the unlovely.

 

 

Yes,GE the ultimate Christian attitude to have is to give a generous tip no matter what the service is.Then you are being a servant to Christ.

[Guest]

Yeah, I cannot figure out how the card check up thing works. I have been called for spending $20 for gasoline because I was 105 miles from home, but have not been called when buying fuel 1500 miles from home.

 

At the same time, it didn't raise an alert with them when the card was used (fraudulently) with $100 charges (5 of them) within a 35 minute period, at 5 gas stations within a  2 mile section of the same street.

 

For whatever reason, a charge of $98 dollars at an auto parts store in Brazil didn't seem to raise an eyebrow, even though the card was used for a purchase in the U.S. 20 minutes earlier. These were both supposedly in person, swiped card purchases.

 

I think they must at times, use some formula that defines unusual activity (either as a statistical analysis of the population as a whole or a variation in personal behavior) while at other times just use a random check, I don't know.

 

Regarding the tips topic, I try to tip higher that customary, because as a Christian, I believe I should out-do unbelievers because it is a loving thing to do. I try not to tip based on a percentage, because I do not think that a server at an expensive restaurant works harder than one at an inexpensive restaurant. so I try to tip on the job done itself. I admit that while I over tip at value based restaurants, I do not tend to under tip at pricier establishments, though I think that is appropriate. If the context is such that it is obvious that I am a believer, such that the possibility exists that my actions can affect the reputation of Christ's body, then of course I tip big. 

 

I think the custom of tipping is odd anyway. Seems to be service jobs, where people work  serving you directly - cab drivers, food service, etc. that get tipped, at least I think that is the deal, all I know is that in the jobs I have done over my lifetime, I don't get tipped. Why is that? I can see the idea of tipping as a motivation for excellence,  but I think excellence should be the default setting of a worker, anything less can use the risk of getting fired as a motivation factor.

 

Christians of course (in theory) work for their Lord and as such, always work hard and excellently, regardless of pay. I work just as hard for $1.25 an hour as I do for $40 and hour. If I agree to do the job, then I do it. If I think pay is too low, I am not forced to accept the work. I have been building and maintaining a website for about a year, at a rate of 73 cents an hour for example. I have recently done yard work where I did not specify a price, left it up to my employer to decide what the work was worth. I ended up receiving $500 for that job, or $6.25 an hour. I had to spend $261 in expenses (supplies and other services) to do the job. Works out to me netting $2.99 an hour. I was happy to get it. No tips. I often work for an unspecified amount, leaving it up to my 'employer' to determine my pay after the work is done. This means in my mind, that the employer can never accuse me of over charging or under performing. I am basically agreeing to work for free, if that is all I am worth. In the same way, I cannot blame the employer of underpaying, because I also agreed to work for potentially nothing, In reality, I often work for way under minimum wage (I do not believe in minimum wages anyway), but sometimes, I am rewarded with generosity. Over all, I cannot complain and I find my needs are met, and give God the credit for that.

 

I have an acquaintance who flies private charter jets. He works for a company and gets a decent wage. He is basically a glorified taxi driver. His job consists primarily of sitting down in a comfortable chair in air conditioned space for an hour and 40 minutes, twice a week, and gets paid a fair hourly wage for that. There is also some waiting around time involved, and usually he also has to stay at a luxury hotel for 3 or 4 days a week, but that expense and his meals are covered by his employer. Each time it is not unusual for him to receive a $1000 tip, once at the destination and once at the return. He is not paid for the time spent at the hotel, that is just dead time. I used to think that a lot of this idea of tipping, is about being compensated for the low pay that the employer provides (to be that is silly, charge more and pay better makes more sense), but example like this demonstrate that it is not always the case. Well, maybe it is, he only makes 5 to 6000 dollars a year for the actual work he does, so I guess $80,000 to $100,000 a year in tip money is justified, lol.

 

In the story of the OP, I like that their is the human element of hard times, emotional turmoil, etc, and that people can tip out of charity and compassion. However, people in normal non-service jobs, also have hard times, and I imagine getting paid for those hard times in a fixed pay check without tips would be extremely rare. Part of my human nature feels that this lack of equality dictates that we should end this discriminatory practice of rewarding some people for being sad or stressed, but not others. But then I regain my sanity, and repent of my liberal idea of fairness, and realize that no one is hurt by the good fortune of others.

 

I am rambling, not keeping on track with the OP, so I apologize and will leave this to others with better focus.

[Guest Butero]

 

Tipping waiters at resteraunts... A friend shared her thoughts on the matter. What do you think? How do you handle tipping?

 

This was originally in regards to someone leaving a bible and not a tip...

 

The expectation (at least in America) is that when you eat a meal at a restaurant where you are served by a waiter, you will leave a minimum of 10% of your total bill (before coupons and discounts) as a tip. You can leave it in cash or you can scribble it in on the credit card slip. But you leave your overworked, underpaid server a monetary acknowledgement of his or her service.

 

In my circles, leaving a 10% tip signifies that the service was very poor and you'd like to kick him or her, but since that's illegal and would likely land you in jail, you're kicking him or her in the wallet.

 

A 15% tip generally signifies that the waiter did a decent job, and didn't upset you, ignore you, or pour coffee in your lap.

 

A 20% tip means the waiter did great, you'd like to be in his section again, and you are well-pleased with the service he provided for you.

 

If you leave anything more than 20%, either the waiter went well above and beyond to perform some spectacular feat of serving, OR you're showing off. (LOL!)

Now, if you want to leave something in addition to that monetary gratuity, you are welcome to do so. Slip the bills inside a tract, a pocket-Bible, a jewelry box with a pair of diamond studs, whatever floats your boat.

 

But whatever extra you do, LEAVE SOME MONEY PLEASE.

 

The servers usually make less than minimum wage, you were sitting at their table for at least half an hour (probably more), and you have no idea what they might have been dealing with behind the scenes.

 

Real life story...

 

I will never forget the time I was at a Waffle House and the server seemed distant, kind of like she was offended by having to serve me, or angry that I'd brought in two young kids. She was forgetful and clumsy, and it was just not a good dining experience. I was planning to leave a 10% tip. (Yeah, it was that bad.) But then I heard the cook ask her what was wrong. Apparently, she was usually a bubbly and enthusiastic person, because the cook was like "you're totally not yourself --- are you okay?"

 

And the poor girl started to cry.

 

One of her kids was sick and had kept her up a lot the previous night, her car was giving her trouble and she had no money to get it fixed, and her ex had been threatening her for a week. On top of that, the manager had given her a really hard time the day before -- the place was short-staffed and he'd wanted her to work extra, but she couldn't.

Now, all of this conversation with the cook was carried on sotto voce while she was slicing tomatoes and lemons for the lunch crowd and occasionally running something to one of her tables. She didn't know I was listening. (And I was being very unobtrusive about eavesdropping anyway.)

 

Needless to say, after hearing all of that, I knew exactly why she wasn't doing a great job. Tired, worried, scared. No kind of preparation for a job where you have to be nice to other people. I left her a 100% tip that day, with a note that said, "Thank you for taking care of us." It probably didn't solve her problems, but at least it didn't add to them.

 

And maybe, just maybe, it brought a smile to her face for a few minutes.

The lesson I learned was to look behind the attitude and see the pain. Because when someone in a service position treats you poorly, there's usually some pain they are grappling with. And I figure that's my chance to be the hands of Jesus, reaching out to show love to the unlovely.

 

 

That is a nice story, and I am sure that there are cases like that, but there are also waitresses that will do the minimum every time.  My tipping habits are close to those in the OP, except I generally leave a 15 percent tip for mediocre service, and go up from there.  I do appreciate the hard work waitresses do, and I know they are not paid enough.  If I  see the waitress is going beyond the call of duty, I tend to think she is looking for a good tip, and needs the money, and in some cases, I have given those waitresses a tip in excess of 30 percent.  It just depends. 

 

BTW, this has nothing to do with tipping because I am a Christian and believe all Christians should give a certain amount.  I believe everyone should be considerate of people that give you good service.  It also encourages them to continue to work hard, and makes up for the old timers who have been giving the waitress 25 cents all their life.