OK, it's time to get real and talk about tipping.
(You = customers who don't tip)
1. You always, ALWAYS tip when you have a child (see number 5 for further info)
2. You always, ALWAYS tip when you are buying more than one espresso drink. I think the company credit card has room for a few more dollars that aren't yours to spend, especially when you are thanking someone for making a drink that will probably get you that promotion you've been wanting for a while. If one more bank calls in an order for 10 detailed espresso drinks, pays with the company card, and doesn't write in a tip, I WILL. Just because that is totally rude of you not to.
3. You always tip when you order sandwiches. They cost more, and take more time. You are in a cafe restaurant, and so you should tip like you are in a restaurant.
4. You always tip when I am nice to you. ALWAYS. Bartenders get a dollar a drink, and do less work, and deal with better people. I should get at least that.
5. You always tip when you have kids!!!! ALWAYS! I don't care if they are expensive! It's a pain in my ass cleaning up after them since you refuse to do your motherly/fatherly duty! DO IT!!!!!
6. You should just always tip. ALWAYS.
Maybe you don't realize that our "living wage" is poverty level, and the only way I can actually afford to live, is on the tips I get from the general public. Believe it or not, we don't have benefits or insurance, or anything employed people usually take for granted, so any expenses (medical or otherwise) come directly from our pockets. Yes, it's true. SO remember that, the people you miff everyday need your help.
That is all.
Ahaha I want to write tips in on company orders soo bad sometimes!
ReplyDeletei think it's pretty tard that we don't get insurance. I'm also pretty peeved that BoH doesn't get a share of tips, and while FoH might disagree with that, i think BoH deserves it too.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, i agree with the not tipping. I always tip when i go out, even for to-go orders. It makes me angry when people don't leave a good tip especially on corporate accounts.
*grumbles some more about the no insurance* Whatevs, i'm not staying at Crema much longer anyway.
I agree with you Carrie. And the worst part is, that many, many people NEVER tip when they are just getting pastries. If they did, then we could possibly manage to change it where we tip the BOH out for those kinds of orders, but as it is, people are so rude they don't think it's a big deal. I think it's bullshit. No wonder the retention rate on these places is so low.
ReplyDeletei love reading this, claire. it rules.
ReplyDeleteThe whole situation is just totally fucked, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that my wages are in the hands of my customers? Because somewhere in time, some people decided that tipping made sense. They decided that, since a service worker provides a direct service to a customer, that customer ought to take part of the responsibility in paying that service person. On a purely logical level, this makes sense.
But, somehow that idea has gotten lost. Now, all that exists is this ridiculous divide for service workers. Wages for service workers are low - too low for those of us who consider this to be our profession. Disgustingly low. But, customers have forgotten that at some point some people decided that you, the customer, were responsible for part of my payment.
That means, we depend on our customers to help take our payment into their hands. If we have done our job, we have served *you*, which means in the world of tipping, you have hired us for that portion of time.
The biggest part of the problem is that no-one ever explains what tipping is, where it came from, or why it exists. People just go around toting this idea that "it's entirely optional and up to me". But, industry standard is that it is *not* entirely optional. This is declared in my wages (and at restaurants for large groups, apparently). If it weren't, I would be making a hell of a lot more than I do. But, the industry believes that it can cut cost on my payment because those who I serve will pick up the slack.
Perhaps, if the industry is going to continue to look to our customers to pick up the slack on our wages, they might want to inform the customers of this fact. In short (or not so short), we need a reform of the tipping system or the industry wage system. Or, both.
But until then, please, if I serve you well, show me that my service is of value to you.