Eating out?

I don’t normally eat out much, however when I do go out I usually go out with company. There is nothing nicer than being with others, enjoying food, and having making conversation. However, I feel the night revolves around the service of the restaurant. Whether it’s good service or bad, it always ends in that awkward moment of tipping the service. I personally feel that tipping is strictly dependant on the level of service. This means, giving no tip is an option as well. The most annoying thing is being scolded be friends and family for not tipping. The reason I sometimes don’t tip isn't because I'm a cheap person. The reason I occasionally don’t tip, is because I am displeased with the service. I have a history of working at many restaurants, therefore I can comprehend the reason for tipping, but I feel that most people do not know where it stems from.

In the United States the federal minimum wage for servers is $2.13 as of 2013.Being Canadians we are heavily influenced by the States. In Alberta, the minimum wage is $9.75. Everyone gets at least this amount. Even, the guy working at the local Wal-Mart is receiving this amount hourly. He may, and often does go above and beyond his job requirements, but I don’t tip this man, and I'm willing to bet you don’t either. So, why would you tip someone who is just doing their job?

Now, I bet you wonder what hell a server goes through we feel the need to tip them. Generally, the process is as follows; they greet you, ask you what you’d like to drink, return with the drinks, take the order, comeback with the food and, carry the small white piece of paper to your table. A good server will go beyond the requirements and visit more often, even if it’s busy. As I said I have worked in restaurants in the past. I've heard the “kitchen talk”. Instead of servers being productive, they often talk poorly of their customers, chatting about what they screwed last night, or complaining about lack of tips. Meanwhile the cooks are working their asses off, the bussers are making everything clean, the hostesses are seating customers, and managers are “baby sitting” the servers.

And who normally never sees this tip money that we all give? Generally, no one see that the tip money except for the servers. Now, this is a generalization as some establishments have different tipping policies. For example, bussers may get a percentage of the tips or sales. However, if the bussers are supposed to receive a portion of this money they often get stiffed because they don’t know the full amount the servers received. This percentage is never accurate because the server’s tips are not monitored, as it is considered incredibly rude in the industry to ask how much they made in tips. As well giving away their hourly bonus isn't something they are happy about. This is something else they would often complain about.

When I was young, my mom always forced me to tip. She still does to this day, because she used to be a server. So, I've been tipping for the sake of it. Until, I got into the industry. I was socially conditioned to do it, as I'm willing to bet you were to. Naturally seeing dad slip an extra toonie on the table taught me that the norm was to give a little extra to the server, but I've been educated and I hope you have to, that this is not the case.