Dining out? Don’t skimp on the tips

My wonderful readers, you may blame the following rant on a table of eight, three of whom were screeching infants. After said table racked up a $67 bill, they left me a $3 tip. Not even five percent.

As college students, I’m sure we all go out to eat at least once a month with friends or family. And since that is probably true, I think it would be a good idea to lay down some tip advice for my fellow college students.

First of all, I think it’s important that everyone knows that waiters and waitresses make under minimum wage. The federal law states that servers have to make at least $2.13 an hour. If they don’t make up to minimum wage in tips, management is required to make it up in their paycheck.

Minimum wage, however, is actually under the poverty line. Many servers, who make up 10 percent of the workers in our country, are living under the poverty line.

Think about that for a moment when you are putting down a quarter. Your server has to pay rent, the same as you.

Next, keep in mind that your server is good at profiling. We know who will be a good tipper and who will be a bad tipper, and adjust the amount of service we give to that table.

Older couples are usually great tippers. When I get a couple who is in their sixties, I will make sure to amp up the friendly when I wait on them.

College students are the worst tippers. It’s a generalization, sure, but when a table of ten college students comes in to eat, your server is betting that the table is not going to tip well. The server will bring you your burgers and your beers, but odds are they won’t give you the best service they could. Because we’ve all seen it before. Students celebrating the end of the semester and leaving just a dollar on the table. Why? Because they’re just as broke as we are.

Rule number one when tipping: if you can’t afford to leave a 15 percent tip, you can’t afford to eat out.

If you do come in and treat your server with respect, then put down a 20 percent tip, they’ll remember. The next time you come in, that server will give you as much attention as they can afford. Not to mention they’ll let other servers know. “Oh, I had her last week, she tips well,” is something that I’ve heard in the kitchens before. Trust me, good service will continue if your tips are good.

Take another example of profiling. There is a man who comes into the restaurant I work at quite often. He always comes in alone, but he is very courteous and always leaves a five-dollar tip. By now, when I see him coming, I know where he likes to sit, how long to wait before I re-fill his drink, and I hope that I am his server.

Now do you want to be the guy that gets exceptional service, or the college student who the servers complain about?

If you don’t want to be the subject of your server’s next rant, these are some really simple rules that you can follow when tipping.

1. 15 percent is the minimal standard when it comes to tipping. Even if your server did not introduce him/herself, if your food got to your table, your server deserves at least 15 percent. Now, mention I say minimal standard. If your server is doing a good job, they probably even deserve 20 percent.

The only reason not to tip 15 percent is if you were forgotten for an hour and your food comes out cold. Otherwise, your server was trying as hard as he or she could. That server deserves at least 15 percent.

2. Add a dollar for each kid under three years old. What some people just do not seem to understand is that we do not only have to put up with your kid shrieking for Macaroni and Cheese and crayons, we also have to clean up after it. That mess on the floor deserves much more than your petty three dollars.

3. Do not, under any circumstances, tip a dollar per person. The last thing your server wants to see after giving all his or her attention to your two top, is two dollars. Trust me, we talk about you if you do that. And we don’t say nice things.

4. If we look busy, we are busy. Nothing will drive your server more crazy than when he or she has five tables, and your table is complaining about slow service. The food is going to take a while, don’t worry it will eventually get to you. A lot of people will pull your server thin, so have patience and don’t forget that he or she is trying.