I was having lunch with a friend the other day and when we got our bills, he saw what I tipped and said “That’s way too much,” and suggested that I was over tipping. His reasoning was that it wasn’t that big of a bill, and the waitress didn’t pay that much attention to us so why should I give her a few extra bucks?
Well I say there’s no such thing as over tipping. Ever.
In my life I’ve worked many jobs where I survived solely on tips like waiting tables and delivering food. It’s a tough gig. In fact, I think every person should have to spend some time working in the service industry just to see what it’s like. You’ll get to see what it’s like from the other side. You’ll see how difficult it can be and it will give you a greater appreciation and respect for the good folks who wait on you.
Yea, maybe the bill wasn’t that much and maybe she didn’t come around to the table as much as I would have liked. But I was watching. The place was packed and she had several tables to take care of. I’ve been there. It’s tough to handle sometimes. She was running her a** off and doing the best she could. It’s not like she was in the back taking a break while the orders piled up.
And really whats the difference between tipping 5 dollars on a bill as opposed to 7 dollars? Two bucks? Really? Who cares.
If your going out to eat at a place where your going to be waited on, you should always plan on leaving money for a tip. ALWAYS. If not, then don’t go and leave that table open for somebody who will.
I can remember when I waited tables. It was the worst. I was so bad at it that I used to joke that people would tip me not to wait on them. But no matter how bad I was, for the most part people always tipped me, sometimes even more than I deserved. And sometimes a few extra bucks really did make a difference.
I’ll never forget that.
Please tip your waitstaff. 🙂