Posted on 11/26/2005 9:50:03 AM PST by smoothsailing
Bad tippers and bitter waitresses
By Jack Kemp (not the politician) Nov. 26, 2005
Once, years ago, I heard a heard a lecture by a rabbi on dating. He advised that if your date treats a waiter/waitress or a busboy in a condescending and mean manner, that is the way they will treat you after a while – if you were to marry them. Today's New York Post had an article about cheap celebrity tippers listed on the website www.bitterwaitress.com.
I went there to see how many well known political "champions of the little guy and gal" rated. I cross referenced the website with liberals from Bernard Goldberg's One Hundred People Screwing Up America.
........
Let's see. First up, Michael Moore, 3% tip.
Tipper's Name: Michael Moore (yes THAT Michael Moore)
Where it happened: Los Angeles
Total bill / Tip amount / Percentage: $452.25 / $17.74 / 3%
What happened:
OK I ran my ass off for this guy and his friends. Funny I didnt know this guy had friends, maybe they were kissups. 2.5 hours they spent shoveling food down their fat faces. Numerous refills. By the way MM is a pompous ass judging from his treatment of the staff.
............
Let's see again. Barbra Streisand, 2% tip.
Tipper's Name: Barbra Streisand
Where it happened: New York
Total bill / Tip amount / Percentage: $457.00 / $10.00 / 2%
What happened:
She demanded the best table, acting rude to everyone and then barely tipped.
..........
Next "champion of the people," Jessie Jackson 9% tip.
Tipper's Name: Jesse Jackson
Restaurant: Sam's
Where it happened: Kansas City
Total bill / Tip amount / Percentage: $228.00 / $22.00 / 9%
What happened: rude,arrogant,demanding and cheap
.........
Next up, Sen. John Kerry, 2% tip.
Tipper's Name: John F. Kerry
Where it happened: St. Louis
Total bill / Tip amount / Percentage: $773.24 / $20.00 / 2%
What happened:
Added $20.00 on the signature line and then scribbled a little note to vote for him. What a load of crap.
......
Kerry's former running mate, Sen. John Edwards, 2% tip.
Tipper's Name: John Edwards
Where it happened: Washington, D.C.
Total bill / Tip amount / Percentage: $746.25 / $13.75 / 1%
What happened:
This is the guy running for Vice President… Sat in our private section for 3 1/2 hours and left less than 2%. Jackass.
.........
Former VP Al Gore. 8% tip.
Tipper's Name: Former VP Al Gore
Where it happened: Alexandria, VA
Total bill / Tip amount / Percentage: $40.00 / $3.50 / 8%
What happened:
Al and Tipper Gore were regulars at the restaurant I used to work at. You'd think this would be cool, waiting on a former Vice President. And it would be, if not for the fact that Al Gore is cheap.
Last time they came in, Tipper actually spilled her beer on me (it's not smart to gesture wildly with a bottle of Corona on your table). She didn't apologize—he apologized for her. Still. Less than 10%. You'd think they'd know that the 'underclass' the Democrats claim to represent are people like waitresses in VA making $2.13 an hour. Guess not.
.........
Lastly, Sean Penn, 0% tip. Nada. Zip. Zero.
Tipper's Name: Sean Penn
Where it happened: New Orleans
Total bill / Tip amount / Percentage: $450.00 / $0.00 / 0%
What happened:
Sean Penn is in New Orleans filming & came into my restaurant with 3 other people. Waited on them hand and foot. The bill $450.00 – the tip: none. Cheapskate.
........
There you have it. The champions of "fairness" and "the little guy." Yes, President Bush and VP Cheney made the website as well. But who is claiming them as champions of the poor and oppressed victims, advocating extra government payments to make up for past suffering, etc.?
.............................
Thomas Lifson adds:
I have followed Bitter Waitress for years. It is well-known in the food and beverage industry, and at least at the upscale restaurants, it has a big following among the wait staff. When one of these bozos comes in, they usually will not treat them overtly rudely. But vengeance of another sort may sometimes occur. Let the diner beware.
Most people realize that watitrons (that's the non-sex-specific term favored theses days, believe it or not) are usually paid less than minimum wage, and that tips provide the margin of survival (to use leftist terminology) for them. To stiff a tip is to relegate someone to below minimum wage. This makes the behavior of these compassionate liberals all the more phony. Judge them by their deeds not their words.
I absolutely agree with Jack's rabbi that the best way to judge someone's character is to observe behavior with those who have no power or standing, and to do so in private in the case of celebrities and politicians. I have used this as a guide to friendships for almost my entire life, and it has proven highly reliable.
So, when the crooks at city hall decide to grab MORE of your money, waitresses gets more too, eh?
Aawww, that was a sweet thing to do.
waiting for a nearby store to open so I could buy a slide rule
LOL! Very nerdy and at the same time very cool.
Figured if I had enough money to buy a slide rule, I certainly had enough money to make this lady's day. :-)
The watermelon was completely out of my price range. :-)
I have seen the same thing many times.
I recently heard a server complain about her groups of "calculator ladies" who insist on separate checks, then tip 15% to the cent, often requiring that the server break bills for the exact change.
I think that this sort of cheapness goes along with an attitude that emphasizes class distinctions between server and served. The customers are "ladies," the servers are -- well, you know. It's ugly.
I have to admit.......the Kiwi was worth it.
While I agree with everything that's been said here regarding tipping well and especially being nice, I'm sorry but this is way over the top.
How about this? When you stiff your server, the next time you turn up at the restaurant, you run the risk of having the server, bus boy and chef do unspeakable things to your food before it arrives at your table...
Well, having had friends who worked as wait staff, I generally over-tip and I am a woman! If I have an issue with my server, I will speak to a manger if it is necessary, but if I receive good service or at least the attempt, I will be quite generous.
Wait staff with that kind of attitude will show it in the service. If any place is bad enough to leave a small tip, it's obvious to me that I won't be going there again.
It sounds like you have done such "unspeakable things."
I haven't worked in kitchens or as wait staff -- but I have spent time in kitchens, scrounging free meals from friend chefs etc. and have seen stuff that would curl your hair.
People generally don't leave small tips or annoy the wait staff with unreasonable requests because the service is inherently bad. They do those things because -- very simply -- they don't know how to behave in a restaurant.
This is indeed a highly reliable guide to character and temperament.
My future spousal unit impressed me by always leaving a nice tip, even when we were poor, and giving extra if the waititron did extra work. SU reasoned "Hey, been there, done that, know how much work it is, glad I'm on the tipping side now."
Also lefties despise individual giving of any sort, including charity, because it undermines their arguments for bigger and bigger guvmint.
If someone can make good money waiting tables, then there is no need to raise the minimum wage.
If someone can have needs met through private charity, then there is no need for a guvmint "safety net."
And then takes time to scribble a note to *vote for him*?
What a load.
Except when he leaves the tip on the bed . . .
ha ha - I also have left no tip exactly once in life and it also was at an IHOP!
Next time, the waiter(ess), should bring him "Hunts" ketchup!
The site doesn't have any sort of editing oversight or story verification, so anyone with a political axe to grind can post. The president, for example, is listed six times in the database.
I was at a restaurant once where the waitress wrote "have a good day" over the part of the bill that showed the addition of a required 15% tip. When I saw that, I withdrew anything additional. I hate being conned.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
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