If I'm going somewhere nice or if it's an important Dinner, I will tip as I sit down, this way I will not have to worry about bad service or the a mix-up in the order. It doesn't happen this way when I go to a chain restaurant but any fine dining restaurant I tip at the start and if they deserve more at the end I top it up when I pay.
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20100425/BUSINESS/100429774/1005&parentprofile=1058
Tipping takes a hit in recession
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/javascript> function createQString(s) ** return escape(s); } function stripHTML(s)** var re= /<\S[^><]*>/g return s.replace(re, "") } var Heading = "Tipping%20takes%20a%20hit%20in%20recession"; var strippedHeading = stripHTML(Heading); var tempTitle = createQString(strippedHeading); var ArticleTitle = "&t="+tempTitle;</SCRIPT>Regulars help keep workers afloat
By Rob Sabo
Northern Nevada Business Weekly
Sunday, April 25, 2010
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/javascript> if (resell_image==true && resell_price_sheet != "") document.write('<a href="javascript:NewWindow(600,700,\'/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?URL=/global/zoom.pbs&Site=NA&Date=20100425&Category=BUSINESS&ArtNo=100429774&Ref=AR&Profile=1005&s=1&t=0&Z=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Stephanie Short, bartender at CoachBLOCKs Grill and Sports Bar in Reno, says good-tipping regular customers are the reason sheBLOCKs worked nine years at CoachBLOCKs. Other service workers have seen a sharp decline in tips, though.\')+\'&P=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Rob Sabo/Northern Nevada Business Weekly\'));" class="link"">'); else document.write('<a href="javascript:NewWindow(600,700,\'/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?URL=/global/zoom.pbs&Site=NA&Date=20100425&Category=BUSINESS&ArtNo=100429774&Ref=AR&Profile=1005&s=0&t=0&Z=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Stephanie Short, bartender at CoachBLOCKs Grill and Sports Bar in Reno, says good-tipping regular customers are the reason sheBLOCKs worked nine years at CoachBLOCKs. Other service workers have seen a sharp decline in tips, though.\')+\'&P=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Rob Sabo/Northern Nevada Business Weekly\'));" class="link"">'); </SCRIPT>
ENLARGE
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/javascript> if (resell_image==true && resell_price_sheet != "") document.write('
BUY
'); </SCRIPT>Stephanie Short, bartender at Coach's Grill and Sports Bar in Reno, says good-tipping regular customers are the reason she's worked nine years at Coach's. Other service workers have seen a sharp decline in tips, though.
Rob Sabo/Northern Nevada Business Weekly
<!-- Article template for generic article page --><!-- google_ad_section_start -->Tips have dipped severely for some of the thousands of workers in Northern Nevada who make most of their annual incomes from gratuities.
Other worker, however, say regular customers remain generous with tipping and have softened the blow of the recession.
Bartenders who see the same faces on a weekly basis say tips have held steady despite the significant economic woes in the region.
Dave Lektorich, 32, a bartender at Pizza Baron in Reno since 2001, says the restaurant and bar might not be the best economic bellwether since so many locals call the place home.
“We have got a ton of regulars that when they walk in the door we know they will tip well,” he says. “That hasn't changed whatsoever.”
Stephanie Short, a nine-year bartender at Coach's Grill and Sports Bar on South Virginia Street, says that stability keeps regulars coming through the doors. Short, 31, says the high volume of good-tipping regular customers is one of the main reasons she and other employees have such long tenures at Coach's.
“We have busy days and slow days like any restaurant, but we are lucky to have people that come in on a daily basis,” says Short, 31.
Both bartenders say gaming helps tipping immensely. Lektorich says the general workforce that comes in for a slice of pie for lunch, or after-work beers, has scaled back on tipping volume, but lucky gamblers more than make up for it. But tips constantly fluctuate depending on a gambler's luck.
“Reno is such a unique area — anything can happen any day in Reno,” Lektorich says. “One guy can win $1,000 or $10,000, or another guy can lose $1,000 or $10,000. You never know what to expect. If people are wining they are throwing money around, and if they are losing they are not.”
Service-industry employees that don't have gaming at their establishments haven't been as lucky in weathering the recession.
Amber Deffner, 29, has worked at Jacks Café on Victorian Avenue in Sparks for the past three years. She says the popular coffee shop has seen a decline in customers over the past few years, as well as a steep dip in gratuities.
Declining earnings from tips have led to large-scale changes in Deffner's home life. Her husband, an electrician, has been out of work for 14 months, so the couple and their three children moved into a smaller house and refinanced auto loans for lower payments. They also closed credit card accounts.
“I have been living on hope for so long that it has pretty much diminished my hope supply,” Deffner says. “We are just trying to live on what we have in the now versus being able to plan for the future.”
Don Robarts, a cab driver in Reno and Sparks for 10 years, says daytime shifts almost aren't worth driving anymore because so many regular customers have scaled back on tipping.
“They are having their hours cut or losing their jobs, but they still need a ride to go to interviews or to pay bills,” he says. “When they started getting their income cut, they didn't have any surplus, and they cut back on anything they could. That has definitely impacted tipping big time.”
Robarts says nighttime shifts have always been much more lucrative and remain so today. Partygoers who call cabs to avoid a DUI have always been generous, he says. However, the overall volume of fares is down by such a large percentage that money has become tight for many area cabbies.
“We don't have the tourism, the people attending conventions is down, and not as many people are coming in for special events,” Robarts says. “There just is not enough demand for cabs.”
Elizabeth Ward, a Reno hairstylist for the past nine years, says regulars have saved the day — she reported more income to the IRS in 2009 than in 2008. About 80 percent of customers are repeats, she says, and they routinely tip well. But most walk-in customers don't feel as obligated to leave an extra $5 or $10.
“Things are a little tighter for people, and they are just saving where they can,” Ward says. “The extra money isn't available for people to give.”
Jacks Café's Deffner takes reduced tipping with aplomb, though.
“Everyone is doing what they can, and I am in the same boat as everyone else. We are all paddling with one paddle and making big circles in the pond.”
Tipping takes a hit in recession
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/javascript> function createQString(s) ** return escape(s); } function stripHTML(s)** var re= /<\S[^><]*>/g return s.replace(re, "") } var Heading = "Tipping%20takes%20a%20hit%20in%20recession"; var strippedHeading = stripHTML(Heading); var tempTitle = createQString(strippedHeading); var ArticleTitle = "&t="+tempTitle;</SCRIPT>Regulars help keep workers afloat
By Rob Sabo
Northern Nevada Business Weekly
Sunday, April 25, 2010
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/javascript> if (resell_image==true && resell_price_sheet != "") document.write('<a href="javascript:NewWindow(600,700,\'/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?URL=/global/zoom.pbs&Site=NA&Date=20100425&Category=BUSINESS&ArtNo=100429774&Ref=AR&Profile=1005&s=1&t=0&Z=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Stephanie Short, bartender at CoachBLOCKs Grill and Sports Bar in Reno, says good-tipping regular customers are the reason sheBLOCKs worked nine years at CoachBLOCKs. Other service workers have seen a sharp decline in tips, though.\')+\'&P=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Rob Sabo/Northern Nevada Business Weekly\'));" class="link"">'); else document.write('<a href="javascript:NewWindow(600,700,\'/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?URL=/global/zoom.pbs&Site=NA&Date=20100425&Category=BUSINESS&ArtNo=100429774&Ref=AR&Profile=1005&s=0&t=0&Z=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Stephanie Short, bartender at CoachBLOCKs Grill and Sports Bar in Reno, says good-tipping regular customers are the reason sheBLOCKs worked nine years at CoachBLOCKs. Other service workers have seen a sharp decline in tips, though.\')+\'&P=\'+encodeURIComponent(\'Rob Sabo/Northern Nevada Business Weekly\'));" class="link"">'); </SCRIPT>
ENLARGE <SCRIPT language=JavaScript type=text/javascript> if (resell_image==true && resell_price_sheet != "") document.write('
BUY'); </SCRIPT>Stephanie Short, bartender at Coach's Grill and Sports Bar in Reno, says good-tipping regular customers are the reason she's worked nine years at Coach's. Other service workers have seen a sharp decline in tips, though.
Rob Sabo/Northern Nevada Business Weekly
<!-- Article template for generic article page --><!-- google_ad_section_start -->Tips have dipped severely for some of the thousands of workers in Northern Nevada who make most of their annual incomes from gratuities.
Other worker, however, say regular customers remain generous with tipping and have softened the blow of the recession.
Bartenders who see the same faces on a weekly basis say tips have held steady despite the significant economic woes in the region.
Dave Lektorich, 32, a bartender at Pizza Baron in Reno since 2001, says the restaurant and bar might not be the best economic bellwether since so many locals call the place home.
“We have got a ton of regulars that when they walk in the door we know they will tip well,” he says. “That hasn't changed whatsoever.”
Stephanie Short, a nine-year bartender at Coach's Grill and Sports Bar on South Virginia Street, says that stability keeps regulars coming through the doors. Short, 31, says the high volume of good-tipping regular customers is one of the main reasons she and other employees have such long tenures at Coach's.
“We have busy days and slow days like any restaurant, but we are lucky to have people that come in on a daily basis,” says Short, 31.
Both bartenders say gaming helps tipping immensely. Lektorich says the general workforce that comes in for a slice of pie for lunch, or after-work beers, has scaled back on tipping volume, but lucky gamblers more than make up for it. But tips constantly fluctuate depending on a gambler's luck.
“Reno is such a unique area — anything can happen any day in Reno,” Lektorich says. “One guy can win $1,000 or $10,000, or another guy can lose $1,000 or $10,000. You never know what to expect. If people are wining they are throwing money around, and if they are losing they are not.”
Service-industry employees that don't have gaming at their establishments haven't been as lucky in weathering the recession.
Amber Deffner, 29, has worked at Jacks Café on Victorian Avenue in Sparks for the past three years. She says the popular coffee shop has seen a decline in customers over the past few years, as well as a steep dip in gratuities.
Declining earnings from tips have led to large-scale changes in Deffner's home life. Her husband, an electrician, has been out of work for 14 months, so the couple and their three children moved into a smaller house and refinanced auto loans for lower payments. They also closed credit card accounts.
“I have been living on hope for so long that it has pretty much diminished my hope supply,” Deffner says. “We are just trying to live on what we have in the now versus being able to plan for the future.”
Don Robarts, a cab driver in Reno and Sparks for 10 years, says daytime shifts almost aren't worth driving anymore because so many regular customers have scaled back on tipping.
“They are having their hours cut or losing their jobs, but they still need a ride to go to interviews or to pay bills,” he says. “When they started getting their income cut, they didn't have any surplus, and they cut back on anything they could. That has definitely impacted tipping big time.”
Robarts says nighttime shifts have always been much more lucrative and remain so today. Partygoers who call cabs to avoid a DUI have always been generous, he says. However, the overall volume of fares is down by such a large percentage that money has become tight for many area cabbies.
“We don't have the tourism, the people attending conventions is down, and not as many people are coming in for special events,” Robarts says. “There just is not enough demand for cabs.”
Elizabeth Ward, a Reno hairstylist for the past nine years, says regulars have saved the day — she reported more income to the IRS in 2009 than in 2008. About 80 percent of customers are repeats, she says, and they routinely tip well. But most walk-in customers don't feel as obligated to leave an extra $5 or $10.
“Things are a little tighter for people, and they are just saving where they can,” Ward says. “The extra money isn't available for people to give.”
Jacks Café's Deffner takes reduced tipping with aplomb, though.
“Everyone is doing what they can, and I am in the same boat as everyone else. We are all paddling with one paddle and making big circles in the pond.”
http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201108/tiger-woods-regains-no-1-ranking-tightwad-tippers
Tiger Woods Regains No. 1 Ranking ... For Tightwad Tippers
Wednesday, August 17, 2011 7:37 am
Written by: Ben Maller
Tiger Woods might never return to the top of the World Golf Rankings, but at least the disgraced former star has earned a No. 1 ranking in something.
Woods, despite a net worth of $500 million, is the worst celebrity tipper in America. Eldrick's excuse: He never carries cash. Woods is said to have made a woman in Las Vegas tip for him when they went out. While playing $10,000-a-hand blackjack, Tiger re-pocketed a $5 tip after realizing he tipped her early in the night.
The golfer isn't the only sports star making the Miami New Times Short Order blog list of "Top Ten Cheapest Celebrity Tippers."
The story was put together by Lee Klein of the New Times, who says he compiled information from more than a half-dozen sites devoted to tipping.
"The same names kept coming up again and again," Klein says.
LeBron James was one of them. The King was given a gift from the gods in the form of basketball talent, but leaving a gratuity is a different story. James, with a net worth of $120 million, turns into a cheapskate when the bill arrives. The Miami Heat star is ranked fourth on the New Times list, thanks in part to a generous $10 tip on a $800 bill from a Cleveland steak house he made stay open until 4 a.m.
Top Ten Cheapest Celebrity Tippers
1.) Tiger Woods: Claims he never carries cash.
2.) Madonna: Once left an $18 tip on a $400 bill.
3.) Barbra Streisand: Famous for leaving $10 tip for $457 tab.
4.) LeBron James: Didn't ever get tipping talents, left $10 on an $800 bill.
5.) Jeremy Piven: Left signed Entourage DVD as tip.
6.) Usher: Once left his autograph as a tip.
7.) Mariah Carey: Famous for diva demands and no tips!
8.) Sean Penn: Left $0 on a $450 tab in New Orleans.
9.) Bill Cosby: Once left a $3 tip on a $350 bill
10.) Rachael Ray: Promotes less than 20 percent tip on her show.
Tiger Woods Regains No. 1 Ranking ... For Tightwad Tippers
Wednesday, August 17, 2011 7:37 am
Written by: Ben Maller
Tiger Woods might never return to the top of the World Golf Rankings, but at least the disgraced former star has earned a No. 1 ranking in something.
Woods, despite a net worth of $500 million, is the worst celebrity tipper in America. Eldrick's excuse: He never carries cash. Woods is said to have made a woman in Las Vegas tip for him when they went out. While playing $10,000-a-hand blackjack, Tiger re-pocketed a $5 tip after realizing he tipped her early in the night.
The golfer isn't the only sports star making the Miami New Times Short Order blog list of "Top Ten Cheapest Celebrity Tippers."
The story was put together by Lee Klein of the New Times, who says he compiled information from more than a half-dozen sites devoted to tipping.
"The same names kept coming up again and again," Klein says.
LeBron James was one of them. The King was given a gift from the gods in the form of basketball talent, but leaving a gratuity is a different story. James, with a net worth of $120 million, turns into a cheapskate when the bill arrives. The Miami Heat star is ranked fourth on the New Times list, thanks in part to a generous $10 tip on a $800 bill from a Cleveland steak house he made stay open until 4 a.m.
Top Ten Cheapest Celebrity Tippers
1.) Tiger Woods: Claims he never carries cash.
2.) Madonna: Once left an $18 tip on a $400 bill.
3.) Barbra Streisand: Famous for leaving $10 tip for $457 tab.
4.) LeBron James: Didn't ever get tipping talents, left $10 on an $800 bill.
5.) Jeremy Piven: Left signed Entourage DVD as tip.
6.) Usher: Once left his autograph as a tip.
7.) Mariah Carey: Famous for diva demands and no tips!
8.) Sean Penn: Left $0 on a $450 tab in New Orleans.
9.) Bill Cosby: Once left a $3 tip on a $350 bill
10.) Rachael Ray: Promotes less than 20 percent tip on her show.
http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201108/tiger-woods-regains-no-1-ranking-tightwad-tippers
Tiger Woods Regains No. 1 Ranking ... For Tightwad Tippers
Wednesday, August 17, 2011 7:37 am
Written by: Ben Maller
Tiger Woods might never return to the top of the World Golf Rankings, but at least the disgraced former star has earned a No. 1 ranking in something.
Woods, despite a net worth of $500 million, is the worst celebrity tipper in America. Eldrick's excuse: He never carries cash. Woods is said to have made a woman in Las Vegas tip for him when they went out. While playing $10,000-a-hand blackjack, Tiger re-pocketed a $5 tip after realizing he tipped her early in the night.
The golfer isn't the only sports star making the Miami New Times Short Order blog list of "Top Ten Cheapest Celebrity Tippers."
The story was put together by Lee Klein of the New Times, who says he compiled information from more than a half-dozen sites devoted to tipping.
"The same names kept coming up again and again," Klein says.
LeBron James was one of them. The King was given a gift from the gods in the form of basketball talent, but leaving a gratuity is a different story. James, with a net worth of $120 million, turns into a cheapskate when the bill arrives. The Miami Heat star is ranked fourth on the New Times list, thanks in part to a generous $10 tip on a $800 bill from a Cleveland steak house he made stay open until 4 a.m.
Top Ten Cheapest Celebrity Tippers
1.) Tiger Woods: Claims he never carries cash.
2.) Madonna: Once left an $18 tip on a $400 bill.
3.) Barbra Streisand: Famous for leaving $10 tip for $457 tab.
4.) LeBron James: Didn't ever get tipping talents, left $10 on an $800 bill.
5.) Jeremy Piven: Left signed Entourage DVD as tip.
6.) Usher: Once left his autograph as a tip.
7.) Mariah Carey: Famous for diva demands and no tips!
8.) Sean Penn: Left $0 on a $450 tab in New Orleans.
9.) Bill Cosby: Once left a $3 tip on a $350 bill
10.) Rachael Ray: Promotes less than 20 percent tip on her show.
This list concretes what I was saying, you get a BILL for 400 or 800 dollars, heck you should get a damn discount, let the owners tip you, so those who disagree, next time you get your electric bill, give the elec company a tip, they are providing a better service than some one bringing you food in a 30-45 minute time frame. Your eelec, stove, alarm, tv , dvd, hot water a/c microwave etc etc, these are things we just cant live with out, but some people bitch about a 100 elec bill, but dropping 25% tip for a steak dinner
Never carrying cash is meaningless, but a multi-millionaire should tip 20% no matter what and well over that for great service. I'd tip 100% and more if I had Tiger 's money and was happy with the service.
These folks must generally get exceptional service, unless they stiff for a reason, they are dicks.
I'd at least tip normally and maybe tip thousands if I had insane money and a great experience.
These folks must generally get exceptional service, unless they stiff for a reason, they are dicks.
I'd at least tip normally and maybe tip thousands if I had insane money and a great experience.
Our society and economy is designed to tip for certain services. I think if every customer decided to take a stand and refuse their waiter or their car wash guy or their casino dealer then it would have a ripple effect. Just think about your local grocery store. They are literally packed from 7:00am to 9pm but pretty much only two or three cashiers are open at a time and some stores even have those check out yourself lines. The reason is because their job doesn't include tips so their salary is a little more to cover the non tips. The end result is they have less employees and you end up having to wait longer to make your purchase and pretty much your every day grocery store has lousy customer service. There aren't people patroling down the aisles looking to help you with your purchases and most stores only have one bagger per shift and he/she has to rotate between lines.
If you apply the same grocery store service to the restaurant business and keep the tips in your pockets and leave it up to the restaurant to over-compensate its employees. There would be a lot of restaurants closing and the ones that stayed open it would be such a horrible experience. There would be no hostess making sure you get a table in a timely manner, they would have one waitress covering a section of tables that should be divided among three waitresses, your food would take forever to get to your table and you wouldn't get any follow thru service like refills and shit. Your food would probably be cold and horrible too because they would have less people in the kitchen as well. Most restaurants pool their tips together and divide amongst the staff. Although a restaurant is a business they are doing a proper service and want to make sure their customers are comfortable, ate a good meal and had a nice time. There are a lot of easier ways to make a buck than working or running something in the food service industry. But their goal is to take care of you and in return you show your gratitude in the form of a tip.
As for tipping dealers. Unless I win a humongous hand I don't throw the dealers shit. I hate the fact that those guys walk around with their little tip cups from table to table trying to take credit and get compensated for your gameplay. The casinos need to pay their employees right and not leave it on the player to fork over cash to their employees and the house. It is bad enough that finding an open table or chair at your favorite game is harder to find than a parking spot at the beach. Then when you finally get a seat you look around the casino and all you see is wall to wall 65inch HDTV's which sole function is to display keno scores. Most of the clients in the casino are people that had to save up money for 6 months to a year just so they can go out to Vegas for a little release from the everyday grind. The free drinks for gamblers should be just the start of things the casino should kick down. The buffet should be complimentary and the extras that they have in the hotel such as movie theaters and bowling alleys should be complimentary for all hotel guests.
If you apply the same grocery store service to the restaurant business and keep the tips in your pockets and leave it up to the restaurant to over-compensate its employees. There would be a lot of restaurants closing and the ones that stayed open it would be such a horrible experience. There would be no hostess making sure you get a table in a timely manner, they would have one waitress covering a section of tables that should be divided among three waitresses, your food would take forever to get to your table and you wouldn't get any follow thru service like refills and shit. Your food would probably be cold and horrible too because they would have less people in the kitchen as well. Most restaurants pool their tips together and divide amongst the staff. Although a restaurant is a business they are doing a proper service and want to make sure their customers are comfortable, ate a good meal and had a nice time. There are a lot of easier ways to make a buck than working or running something in the food service industry. But their goal is to take care of you and in return you show your gratitude in the form of a tip.
As for tipping dealers. Unless I win a humongous hand I don't throw the dealers shit. I hate the fact that those guys walk around with their little tip cups from table to table trying to take credit and get compensated for your gameplay. The casinos need to pay their employees right and not leave it on the player to fork over cash to their employees and the house. It is bad enough that finding an open table or chair at your favorite game is harder to find than a parking spot at the beach. Then when you finally get a seat you look around the casino and all you see is wall to wall 65inch HDTV's which sole function is to display keno scores. Most of the clients in the casino are people that had to save up money for 6 months to a year just so they can go out to Vegas for a little release from the everyday grind. The free drinks for gamblers should be just the start of things the casino should kick down. The buffet should be complimentary and the extras that they have in the hotel such as movie theaters and bowling alleys should be complimentary for all hotel guests.
I don't like the tipping thing but I also think no tips is the equivalant of like a union for waitresses, so a waitress then makes say $14/ hour, food costs more then,,a tip can get you better service.
I don't see this changing in my lifetime ( maybe 5-10- 20-25 years left ? )
It's cool if a dinner out still costs the same, IMO. I tip an average 18 %, might go 0% if dissatisfied and never going back ( rare) maybe 10% there unless waitress is the fault, 25% is about my max, unless breakfast.
I'm right in that 18% area 90 % of the time.
I don't see this changing in my lifetime ( maybe 5-10- 20-25 years left ? )
It's cool if a dinner out still costs the same, IMO. I tip an average 18 %, might go 0% if dissatisfied and never going back ( rare) maybe 10% there unless waitress is the fault, 25% is about my max, unless breakfast.
I'm right in that 18% area 90 % of the time.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-case-of-the-43000-restaurant-tip/
The case of the $43,000 restaurant tip
Tipping brings out strong opinions in diners. Some think 15 percent is fine; others insist on 20 percent; some say you should tip pre-tax, others on an after-tax basis. But what if your tip was a huge 500,000 percent over the cost of the meal?
Such a problem was discovered after a customer left a $43,239.92 tip on an $8 meal at Brooklyn Bridge Bagel Works in Chico, California. Co-owner Pete Horylev told CBS affiliate KHSL in Chico that the customer had used a new tipping machine, which allows patrons to punch in a tip based on a pre-set percentage, such as 15 percent or 20 percent.
The restaurant called the credit card company, and found that the tip had been authorized and gone through. The credit card processor then reversed the tip, and just ran the bill for the $8 food charge, Horylev said. Whether the massive tip was a mistake or intentional isn't clear, given that the customer would have had to punch seven buttons to enter that specific tip amount.
But regardless of whether it was intentional, the huge tip raises some questions about dining etiquette. If you mistakenly write an overly large tip, what are your options? First, if you realize the mistake, you can call the restaurant and talk with the manager or owner about the issue. The next step would be to call your credit card company to talk the issue over with them.
In some cases, overly large tips have led to problems for servers, such as an IHOP waitress who earlier this year said she was fired after receiving a $200 tip that the patron later said was a mistake. The managers refunded the tip to the patron, and then told her to pay back the $200. She refused, and claimed she was then fired, although was offered her job back later.
But the $43,000 tip also raises questions about tipping machines, and whether they are prone to causing confusion among customers.
"We can't figure out how they could have done it," Horylev said.
Another issue is that some customers have reported machines that suggest tips based on after-tax meal costs, rather than the pre-tax basis that many customers prefer. While some people tip on an after-tax basis, The Emily Post Institute recommends tipping 15 to 20 percent on a pre-tax basis.
© 2014 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
The case of the $43,000 restaurant tip
Tipping brings out strong opinions in diners. Some think 15 percent is fine; others insist on 20 percent; some say you should tip pre-tax, others on an after-tax basis. But what if your tip was a huge 500,000 percent over the cost of the meal?
Such a problem was discovered after a customer left a $43,239.92 tip on an $8 meal at Brooklyn Bridge Bagel Works in Chico, California. Co-owner Pete Horylev told CBS affiliate KHSL in Chico that the customer had used a new tipping machine, which allows patrons to punch in a tip based on a pre-set percentage, such as 15 percent or 20 percent.
The restaurant called the credit card company, and found that the tip had been authorized and gone through. The credit card processor then reversed the tip, and just ran the bill for the $8 food charge, Horylev said. Whether the massive tip was a mistake or intentional isn't clear, given that the customer would have had to punch seven buttons to enter that specific tip amount.
But regardless of whether it was intentional, the huge tip raises some questions about dining etiquette. If you mistakenly write an overly large tip, what are your options? First, if you realize the mistake, you can call the restaurant and talk with the manager or owner about the issue. The next step would be to call your credit card company to talk the issue over with them.
In some cases, overly large tips have led to problems for servers, such as an IHOP waitress who earlier this year said she was fired after receiving a $200 tip that the patron later said was a mistake. The managers refunded the tip to the patron, and then told her to pay back the $200. She refused, and claimed she was then fired, although was offered her job back later.
But the $43,000 tip also raises questions about tipping machines, and whether they are prone to causing confusion among customers.
"We can't figure out how they could have done it," Horylev said.
Another issue is that some customers have reported machines that suggest tips based on after-tax meal costs, rather than the pre-tax basis that many customers prefer. While some people tip on an after-tax basis, The Emily Post Institute recommends tipping 15 to 20 percent on a pre-tax basis.
© 2014 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2014/...envelopes-for-maids-backfires-with-customers/
Marriott tipping envelopes for housekeeping sparks debate
Published September 17, 2014
FoxNews.com
Marriott's maid tipping program is backfiring on social media. (iStock)
A new program to encourage Marriott hotel guests to tip the housekeeping staff is not sitting well with customers.
On Monday, Marriott hotels launched a new tipping program encouraging customers to pay and extra tip for maid service.
“The Envelope Please”, an initiative by Maria Shriver's group A Woman's Nation, began rolling out this week in an estimated 750 to 1,000 hotels across the U.S. and Canada.Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott International, said that housekeepers "are less frequently tipped" than concierges, bell hops or front desk attendants who are more visible to the customer. The aim of the program is meant to raise awareness of the work that maids do behind the scenes.
But the program is coming under fire from former Marriott customers who question the hotel’s increasing fees amid low wages for maid staff.
Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott International, said that housekeepers "are less frequently tipped" than concierges, bell hops or front desk attendants who are more visible to the customer. The aim of the program is meant to raise awareness of the work that maids do behind the scenes.
But the program is coming under fire from former Marriott customers who question the hotel’s increasing fees amid low wages for maid staff.
Marriott tipping envelopes for housekeeping sparks debate
Published September 17, 2014
FoxNews.com
Marriott's maid tipping program is backfiring on social media. (iStock)
A new program to encourage Marriott hotel guests to tip the housekeeping staff is not sitting well with customers.
On Monday, Marriott hotels launched a new tipping program encouraging customers to pay and extra tip for maid service.
“The Envelope Please”, an initiative by Maria Shriver's group A Woman's Nation, began rolling out this week in an estimated 750 to 1,000 hotels across the U.S. and Canada.Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott International, said that housekeepers "are less frequently tipped" than concierges, bell hops or front desk attendants who are more visible to the customer. The aim of the program is meant to raise awareness of the work that maids do behind the scenes.
But the program is coming under fire from former Marriott customers who question the hotel’s increasing fees amid low wages for maid staff.
Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott International, said that housekeepers "are less frequently tipped" than concierges, bell hops or front desk attendants who are more visible to the customer. The aim of the program is meant to raise awareness of the work that maids do behind the scenes.
But the program is coming under fire from former Marriott customers who question the hotel’s increasing fees amid low wages for maid staff.
Tipping tradition is what it is but its bull. I feel it is simply a way for establisments to increase their profit margins by taking advantage of the tradition. Raise the fvkin pay for the dealers and the waitresses...they should not have to rely on a penny from the customer. I hate it when I see old ladies cashiering at walmart and getting no tip. I close-fisted handed a $10 bill after she rung up $200 in groceries for me at midnight but she returned saying it was against walmart policy - thanks but no thanks. Yet she did all the work with a smile on her face. Walmart has their stuff in place..casinos restaurants and others need to follow suit.
The system is where the problem lies. To fix it, we would all need to go on a tipping strike.
The system is where the problem lies. To fix it, we would all need to go on a tipping strike.
I actually do not suggest that restaurants cut out tipping.
I suggest they we the customers just understand that "tipping" is exactly that. Tipping for service.
It is the restaurants problem for paying their waiter's 2 dollars an hour.
It is their waiter's duty to provide excellent service and be happy when they receive a tip (generous or not).
If they aren't happy with the job then find job elsewhere that fits your personality better or is more beneficial financially.
I suggest they we the customers just understand that "tipping" is exactly that. Tipping for service.
It is the restaurants problem for paying their waiter's 2 dollars an hour.
It is their waiter's duty to provide excellent service and be happy when they receive a tip (generous or not).
If they aren't happy with the job then find job elsewhere that fits your personality better or is more beneficial financially.
