The Art of Tipping

No, not cow tipping silly, tipping in restaurants for service. In North America, waitering staff assume they will always receive a fine tip. Most take it for granted and do not realize it is for specialized customer service or going beyond your regular duties. Waitering staff just take it for granted that they will make $200 in tip on a good night for taking your order, bringing your food, and then bringing your bill.

Well, some of us went to the Soho pub on Davie Street for cheap wings and beers last night. When it was just three of us and the place was busy, service started out great. Our waitress was attentive and responsive. The first batch of wings came slowly. Folks were starving.

Then another three people showed up and we switch to a larger table--same waitress though. The place started to thin out. The service began to slide. She missed coming back to check on our drinks. Mid-way through, she apologized to one side of our table for the wings being slow stating that the kitchen was short staffed. That was fair, it's not her fault and she let us know the delay. I appreciate that, but that's not specialized service.

However, missing refills on drinks, forgetting to bring drinks, bringing the wrong kinds of dips, and not splitting the bill correctly are all kind of a drag. Then when you receive a tip under 15 percent and coming back to us when we are leaving to whine about it is quite petty. People who rely on tips to survive should really get a job that pays a higher wage, or they should really try to do a better job serving their customers to earn higher tips.

I almost got a job bussing tables at a funky restaurant downtown for the summer. It would pay me $8 hour plus tips. Tips would maybe be $20 on a good night. When I worked it out, it would be about $10 per hour--on a good night. I doubted all nights would be good nights. I figured I could not survive basic cost of living on my own on $8 to maybe $10 an hour. So I opted out on the job offer.

I usually go by the rule of starting out at 15 percent, then going lower or higher depending on the service. When I was at Cactus Club on Broadway and Granville the other day, our waitress was very attentive, smiling, always bringing refills, checked on us serveral times, and overall very pleasant. It was effortless for her, she was naturally good at her job (or very experienced). We tipped her 20 percent because she did a good job. The place was packed too. Usually, when a place is busier the service slides.

I'm even starting to get annoyed at tipping cups at food service shops. I get sucked into leaving a dollar or my change for them. It's a minimum wage gig. If you want tips, get a higher paying job. I sometimes forget I'm a student again. I need to keep my change for my own expenses.

I know most restaurant waitering staff have to tip out of their tips to the hosts, bussers, and some kitchen staff (usually about 17 percent). That's a tough deal. But everyone going into waitering and food service industries know the deal. Some waitering people argue that eating out is a luxury. I agree it is. You are using disposable income (or credit) to pay for your luxury spree.

I remember in Australia tipping is not required. If you feel extra pleased with your experience, you can insist on tipping. The wages are higher there, so food service staff are very pleasant and give great customer service to patrons knowing they will receive a good wage regardless. It's such a nice change, but it will never happen here.