Dr Phil and tipping

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Did anyone see the Dr Phil show on etiquette where they recommend tipping at least 20%? They had a sample table there and the waitress would have made $80 just from the tip at 20%. Even if you assume that it took 2h to complete the meal and that was her only table she was making twice as much as I do per hour. And no bedpans or life and death decisions.

I could go for a career change right about now. I have a firm rule that I don't tip so the server is making more than I do per hour. How much do you all tip when you go out?

And when will nurses be allowed to start accepting tips??

Cynthiann,

I don't really know, I never asked or talked about it with the patrons.

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I just noticed it because either I've worked with them or they talk to me about where they work at.

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On the same token though, I know how hard it can be to be a waitress or waiter and how somethings can get messed up or over looked, but I also know what should not be messed up or over looked and am sometimes more critical than a regular patron with no serving experience.

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Well I tip based on service... By the waitress... If the meal tastes bad I know it is not her/his fault and still tip appropriatly, but if she doesn't do her part, then she doesn't get a nice tip...

Me and my husband have tipped up to 25% before, because the service was GREAT.... and tipped as lil as 10% for bad service... And I worked in the field so I knew how it went, but if you don't do your job, you shouldn't get the tip..

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Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho, Hospice, Home Health.

I was a server for years in CA, and because they tax your tips my paycheck was either $0.00 or negative some amount. They tax based on food sales, and when a customer stiffs you (doesn't leave a tip) then I end up paying for their tip out of my paycheck!! Back then the gov. taxed based on the assumption that we received an 8% tip. That's why my paycheck was worthless because my taxed food sales exceeded my salary.

I still made pretty good money because of the popularity of the restaurant I worked at, but some servers aren't so lucky.

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Wages payed to people in the service industry is a pet peeve of mine (along with rescue workers) employeers are basically getting FREE employees and expect or don't care for the public to pay their employees wage, how wrong is that. I often feel guilty knowing this and leave a large tip.

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Originally posted by marci3335

I was a server for years in CA, and because they tax your tips my paycheck was either $0.00 or negative some amount. They tax based on food sales, and when a customer stiffs you (doesn't leave a tip) then I end up paying for their tip out of my paycheck!! Back then the gov. taxed based on the assumption that we received an 8% tip. That's why my paycheck was worthless because my taxed food sales exceeded my salary.

I can sooooo relate. Getting that $0 check is not too much fun! I waited tables after college, made decent $$, but people did not realize that we live off tips, literally. I worked in a high-tourist area, and there was an ESL school above us. We had a big crowd of people from other countries who didn't understand our tipping process. They'd order $40-$60 worth of food and then leave 25 cents. :rolleyes:

Also we had to tip out the bar, bussers, and food runners out of our tips. So if I ended up making 10% at the end of a shift, I still had to tip everyone else out of that. It's a tough job and one I would NEVER return to.

BTW I always tip at least 20%. I'm just looking out for my fellow servers. ;)

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Marci,

I was lucky in that when I was a server PA didn't tax servers wages based on bill totals. But, they started doing that here in PA within the past year or so.

There is a neighborhood Beer Emporium/Restaurant that my husband and friends and I used to frequent. I felt really bad for those servers because many customers went in just to drink beer and don't tip servers nearly as much as if they were eating too.

Yet, the servers still were taxed based on the bill. Really unfair.

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Specializes in Hospice.

I agree that former wait staff tend to tip better because we've been there. I waitressed for many years, traveled the country with my boyfriend (now husband) working in all different places. You can work the customers on different shifts to cushion your tip, but the pay is horrible. Here in New Mexico, they currently pay $1.85 an hour to the wait staff here in town.

I always hated working breakfast (too fast) and the bar run-don't like drunks.

We tip at least 20% if the service is good, but have no qualms of leaving a penny if the service is lousy.

Cheryl

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Well, I pretty much always tip 20%, unless the service wasn't that great, in which case I tip 10%. Only had one occasion where the service was SO bad I tipped nothing. I felt bad but THAT waitress was just HORRIBLE!! Waitstaff do work hard and I know they generally don't make a large hourly wage. What I hate to see are kids at fast food chains (i.e. McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, etc.) who leave a cup out labeled "tips"! I NEVER leave them anything! I worked McD's for a long time and we were absoulutely FORBIDDEN from taking tips! Those kids usually make minimum wage or more, unlike most waitstaff, and are paid to do their work. And they aren't always on the pleasant side either. Can't bring myself to tip someone for standing at a window and handing me my ice coffee!! LOL :)

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

I pretty much tip 20%. I'm easy to please, just keep my tea and/or coffee and water full, act like you care.

The high paying waiting jobs are hard to come by and most females are shut out because fancy restaurants seem to favor waiters, with a smattering of females thrown in.

Most wait people are busting butt for nickles and dimes and a few dollars. With their low hourly rate, it isn't much. I've waited tables in a restaurant like that, it's back breaking work, dealing with horrid attitudes and expectations of the general pubic, it's a lot like nursing.

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This is really bad......A lady I used to work with told me her and her husband often go out to eat, but their way of leaving a tip was to place 10-12 $1 bills on the table at the beginning and he would tell the waiter or waitress, " This is your tip......You can have ALL of it....BUT if our drinks ever go below this level (pointing to the glass) I will remove a dollar.......If our food is bad, I'll remove a dollar......If you don't come back right away.....I'll remove a dollar" ...blah blah blah...

How lame.....In my mind.....I don't want to piss off the person(s) serving me.....You never know what they can do to the food before they bring out to you......!!:eek:

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