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.
Like most of us, I've had ups and downs in life and am very grateful for what success I have now. Even during the hard times I maintained faith in myself, tried to treat everyone fairly, and when I could afford to eat out somewhere I always tipped well. I found that many times, when I needed it most,people "unexpectedly" helped me along the way. Its a Karma thing.
I am by no means rich, but unless the service is poor I always tip 20%. It may seem excessively generous to you but I consider it my way of giving back. Most people waiting tables really need the money.
Also, I like to go places where people remember my name and treat me kindly because they know I appreciate them and actually give a give a damn about their well being.
You're right...I agree. The customer tip should be earned.
However, I am always surprised at the number of people who claim that 10% is the limit, even for good service.
hahaha
In other words - the quality of the service is reflected in the quantity of the tip. As I stated in my earlier post!
LOL!!
As someone who's worked in food service over the years, both behind the scenes and as a "waitron," I see the importance of tipping. I usually start at 15%, unless there are problems with service. If I ever leave less than 15%, I make sure that I let the server know why. I don't include things like screwed up food, that's the problem of the kitchen staff, and I'll let the manager know that there's a problem. If service is particularly good or bad, I always let the manager know as well.
One time, I let the manager and server both know that I wasn't leaving a tip due to the server not bringing out our drinks, salads, or appetizer. Once she brought out our dinners, she just dropped them and disappeared again. I tried flagging down anyone else to get silverware, and ask for our waitress. It took another 10 minutes before our waitress came out, after I had walked over to the waitress station and picked up silverware and a pitcher of water. To say that I was very disappointed would be a huge understatement. The manager promised that he would "do something," but when the check came, the appetizer and drinks were still on it. Before allowing the waitress to clear our table, I asked her where the dishes for the appetizer, or the glasses for our drinks were? She said "huh? I don't know." My response was, "you don't see them, because we never got them. I'd like them removed from our check." She told me that it was "in the computer," and she couldn't do anything about it, so I demanded to see the manager one more time. Given the trouble, I would have expected at least one free meal, but at least he took off the charges for things that we never got. I also told him and the server why there was not going to be a tip. I never went back to that restaurant, recommended against it, and noticed that they closed a few months later.
Mark
I don't know. I guess because I was on the other side I see things differently too. Often I leave way more than "required" My point was that waiters aren't my employees and it should be my decision what I want to leave. I have just gone and got silver wear or refilled my own drinks before. Many times its just new, nervous or over worked kids.My husband will roll his eyes because I tend to help clean up the table." I think deep down I'm uncomfortable being waited on and prefer to take care of others. I have only had an encounter with one rude waitress. It was at a Chinese restaurant in Florida. My son was in the Navy and we went to see him. She didn't like our orders and preceded to tell us what to choose. I got what I wanted though. My son for some reason had carried in a bottle of soda with him. He sat it on the table and she walked by and grabbed his glass and told him "no free ice" after he had finished his drink. We all just laughed.. He shouldn't have carried it in but she overreacted. She was left no tip . Nada.
Actually, there IS a minimum wage for people who depend on tips, but it's extremely low. The last time I checked, and it's been a long time, it was about $2.13/hr. But most servers not only have to tip the bus workers and bar tenders, but there's a minimum percentage of their food and drink sales that they have to declare as income for tax purposes. Of course, if you make more than the minimum, you need to declare that.
Mark
Well, you could probably figure this out by my posts but I don't believe in a minimum wage either. People will work for what they can get. If someone is paying slave wages they won't keep help. That said, if we have to have one it should be for all, with tips being counted as added income. Most places around here pay minimum wage or better anyway. People aren't going to work for two dollars an hour regardless of how much they can get in tips.
Some people are very cheap. Those people are indeed sad individuals. I hope they never have to work in the service industry.
Peace bucko.
Again, pretty interesting topic to me. It's up to about 290 replies now. I'd be pretty interested in knowing how a topic like this would fare over on DU or Kos, or do they even entertain anything not to do with politics? Are Democrats in general lousy tippers? Anybody have posting privileges over there?
"Should really be applied to Hillary instead, especially by the waitress she stiffed. Calves that only a cow could love...."
That was my first thought. But to be fair, you aren't expected to tip well if you get lousy service or treatment, if anything.
For those interested in the finer points of tipping, a penny at the edge of the table is the highest compliment you give a waitress, unless of course, there's no tip along with it. =] A lot of waiters/waitresses don't even know that obscure coded message though. And it's not to be done habitually.
FRegards....
bttt
Why tip on tax?
Im guessing you have never worked in a service industry or have not heard that the cost of living does increase over time. I have been in this industry for seven years and currently as of january our base pay is a little over 3 dollars. Once I have tipped out 4 percent of my sales I make an average of 8 dollars an hour on a good week. Try paying for college, children, and a mortgage on that income. If you don't tip I don't get paid so please start having a little compassion for those hard, struggling workers.
Anything over 15% should be because of extra service. All servers must report tips and tip out at end of there shift to the hostess, bartenders, bussers, plus the hourly rate of “next to nothing”. So if the bill is 400.00 the server still has to tip out on thier total sales,so, again.. 15% of 400$ is 60.00 so leaving less or god forbid nothing means the server still had to tip out, so She Paid to wait on the lousy tipper. Personally I tip 20% unless service truly sucked. Even then they get 15%.
CindyDawg
You sound like someone I know who tips near the worthless level. My neighbor is a manager at an upscale place in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The wait staff makes about $2.50 an hour. When they work hard they deserve their tip. When they are rude and obnoxious they deserve less. Leaving nothing is almost never right. Anything 10 % or less is not acceptable when service has been ok. When service is good to great at least 15 % is needed. 20 % is excellent. There you have it.
Tax-chick,
I would venture to say that Ellen Degenerous (sp.) tips very well as she used to work at a French Quarter rest. Former ones usually do tip well.
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