The Tipping Divide: Study Finds Differences in Tips by Black, White Restaurant Patrons

National Public Radio ^ | 7/11/2003 | National Public Radio

[reg45]

I use the 1/7th rule. Every seven dollars on the bill is one dollar tip. I know it's only 14.3%, but that's almost 15% and it's over 15% if you include sales-tax before you do the calculation.

[reg45]

Is Al Gore's wife a good Tipper?

[PortugeeJoe]

I have worked at the following type restaurants (in order) at various times in my 40 years:

Fancy Italian Restaurant in the late 70's and early 80's where the meals ranged from $10-$25

2 inexpensive Mexican restaurants in the early 90's where the meals were $5-$12

1 inexpensive Cajun restaurant in the early 90's where the meals where $7-$15

1 very expensive Cajun restaurant in the mid 90's where the meals went from $10 - $40.

I have waited on whites, blacks, hispanics, Indians (American and Asian), Orientals, etc. I have waited on poor people, rich people, rock stars, actresses, motorcycle gang members, etc.

In every restaurant I worked at you had to wait on the customers that were seated at your tables regardless of weather they would tip well.

I waited tables to pay for school and to make a living so I learned real fast that 99% of tyhe customers would tip better for good service, so I always tried to do my best for every customer regardless of any preconceived notion of what my tip would look like.

For example at Mexican restaurant #1 there was an older couple that came in 2 or 3 nights a week and spent about $15 each time. All the other waiters complained that they always left 50 cents.

One day they were seated in my section. I gave them my best just as I did every customer. They left me $1.00. I had to wait on them anyway, so I made an extra 50 cents for treating them right. After I had gotten them several more times, I learned that their orders were nearly identical each week, especially their drinks and their request for soft tortillas and our special Mexican relish instead of chips and salsa. So the next time they were seated in my section I brought their drinks, tortillas and relish to the table when they first sat down. They left me $2.00 that time. The next time they came in to the restaurant they asked to be seated in my section and I did the same. They left me $5.00. Every time after that they asked for me as their waiter and always left me $5.00 on a $15.00 bill.

I took this lesson with me over the years and even printed up business cards that I gave to almost all my customers with their checks. The business cards said "Thanks for allowing me to serve you today. Please ask for me by name when you come back." or something like that. At the Mexican restaurant the cards had a picture of a bandito on them and at the Cajun restaurants the card had an alligator on them. I gave these cards to the customers before they paid their bill and left the tip regardless of how well I expected them to tip. (The only exceptions were customers that were rude to me even as I tried to give them great service.) The color of their skin, or the way they looked did not matter.)

I also started taking notes on what my regular customers liked and typed them up. I carried the list in my order book so I could anticipate the needs of my regulars.

I started getting so many customers asking for me at the last three restaurants I worked at that sometimes I could not handle them. Anytime I was unable to wait on one of my customers I would still stop by just to say hi and apoligize that I could not get to them.

In any case, to make a long story short - my goal was to turn the $1.00 tipper into a $2.00 tipper and the $10.00 tipper into a $20 tipper. After all, I was in it for the money and the best way to do that was to treat all my customers well.

The net result was that the last full year I waited tables (1994) at I was making over $1,000 a week working between 30 and 35 hours a week. The customers, the managers, the busboys, the bartenders, and the kitchen staff loved me (I tipped the busboy 12.5% of my tips and the bartender 4% each night - the suggested rates were 10% and 2.5%). When I worked the swing shift between lunch and dinner I always gave the kitchen staff $5 or $10 since they always helped me if the restaurant got too busy during this down time. The only people who did not like me were some of the other waiters who saw how many customers asked for me by name, knew I was making a lot more than they were, and saw my name at the top of the staff sales list each week. I shared my ideas with the waiters that treated me well.

[Auntie Mame]

Worst tippers? doctors

You've got that right. I'll never forget one week when we had a neurosurgeon convention in town. These guys, they have to make half a million dollars a year, would tip nothing. After a few days I began to make a game out of it and bent over backward, joked, introduced them to fellow patrons, really went out of my way. One guy left me a quarter, I kid you not.

Then I married a doctor and darn if he wasn't a lousy tipper. And he's not a cheap person, that's what so strange. The arguments we've had about tipping are ridiculous. He actually had the nerve to question what I leave for a tip!

I think, however, he's starting to get the picture because I haven't recently heard, "You're leaving THAT much?"

I think it's because they've never worked for tips. They were in school for a zillion years, probably didn't get out much while studying, and just never learned certain courtesies.

[A_perfect_lady]

I've heard loud and clear your whines about people who don't tip for no good reason. I just don't know what you expect ME to do about it. If you are hoping I'll help you pass some bill that requires tips to be written into the bill a la France, forget it.

[McGavin999]

I think you need to seriously think about chaning your screen name. Or better yet, leave it as it is, it's a real hoot!

[Mike Darancette]

I asked my wife about this and she said that this is not true. Give good service --- get a good tip. African Americans that are happy give the better tips.

In her restraunt the African Americans guests are quite well heeled more so on average than the white guests. But the yuppy white professionals (the ones talking on the cell phones with their Navigators parked in the handicaped space) tip the worse while whining for special attention.

[scan58]

Multicultural Food Alliance?
Jesus help us all.

I was thinking the same thing. I went to their website. It's actually called the Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance. Their Board of Directors even consists of a few "Chief Diversity Officers". I've never heard of such a thing.

[null and void]

*groan*

[Genesis defender]

#1: Punctuation.

Remember to practice what you preach, reverend. What you typed was a sentence fragment.

#2 - Take a look at some of the language in Scripture."

"9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grape vine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water."
--James 3:9-12 (NIV)

#3 - Based on the Biblical narrative, the [Lord] cares more about how you treat the working poor than what adjectives you use.

I agree with you that Jesus cares about treatment of the poor, but that does not give you license to curse.

#4 . . .

Any discussion of the so-called rapture would be enormously long, so I'll leave that alone, but I do agree with you.

[Labyrinthos]

My wife worked as a waitress for 4 years back in our college days. She said this very same thing for years. Everyone called her a racist for saying so.

My parents must be black then because they demand the most and tip the less -- somewhere around 10%.

[null and void]

I printed a copy for my 14 year old daughter, who might take it to heart when she enters the job force...

[StoneColdTaxHater]

I worked as a bellman at a hotel during college. It is true, black guests would tip whatever spare change (including pennies) that they had in their pockets. White guests always used bills.

[Labyrinthos]

Way backwhen, I hated waiting on blacks and hispanics. They griped about everything, didn't make themselves clear about their gripes and made me,a little white girl cry.

Are you sure you're not talking about my white parents, or maybe my white partner who makes a very, very hefty six figure salary, insists on special orders, send everything back, and then tips ten percent? Or perhaps your talking about my white friend who owns 11 restaurants, including several well-known pizza franchises, who thinks nothing of leaving a bartender a dollar for half dozen $4 beers?

[bat1816]

As a restaurant patron, please explain why I should care?

[AnAmericanMother]

That's a thinking man's approach to waiting tables!

I like it! No matter the job, if you study it and apply yourself you can really go places.

[honeygrl]

"Nearly 200 posts, and no-one has said a word about calling over the manager and telling him/her when the service was exceptionally good. Sighting specific things the server did. Nearly 200 posts, and no-one has said a word about calling over the manager and telling him/her when the service was exceptionally good. Sighting specific things the server did. "

My hubby likes to do that.

[honeygrl]

"As a side note, when I had a table with children who were polite and well behaved, I treated them like little kings and queens and complimented their parents afterwards. They were few and far between, but I was always impressed. It can be done. I think it’s called…parenting. But that’s another thread…"

Expectations of that depend on the age. I have a 2 1/2 yr old and an 8 1/2mth old and we never can predict how either will be in a restaurant. I stay home with them and the older one gets spanked whenever he deserves it and time outs when it's not something too bad that he's done yet he is still sometimes just a devil in a restaurant. It doesn't matter though because servers ( as well as most other people in general) usually ignore him to play with the baby girl. I usually get stopped in a store atleast 3 times before I get out for people to talk to her and they'll ignore him altogether.

[I_dmc]

I tip on service, but will mention the food to my waitperson. Their tip depends somewhat on how they respond if I do complain about the food. I've been known to visit the kitchen and tip the staff when food is excellent. I tend to go higher when the meal cost is low, all things being equal. In my experience, the one who waits on me has a pretty good idea of how I'll tip, and the service I receive reflects that. One hand washes the other, I suppose.

[Hacksaw]

Only a fool makes enemies with those that serve and cook their food.

YES! I have known idiots who like to play "jokes" at the drive through window. I have told them that unless they play their "jokes" after they get the food, the joke is most likely on them.