Here's a tip for ya!

here's something entertaining to do. Go onto craigslist, the rants and raves section, and post an anonymous rant as a server who is angry about bad tips. Bitch about soup and salad eaters. Then observe. I did this once and it started a week-long battle about people who think servers are just lazy and expect a huge tip, people who say they always tip 20% because they too were once servers, and one guy who said he likes to stiff the server then watch them as they pick up the book so he can see the look of disappointment on their face. As we all know, this is a super-heated and much debated issue. Of course we all feel the bigger the tip the better, regardless. Even if we fuck the whole meal up, we still have to hope for a good tip. The dynamics of having a job where you never know what your takehome pay will be day to day makes for some pretty uppity folks sometimes. Getting a shitty tip or getting stiffed entirely on a  $170 check makes some people so angry it affects the service they give other tables, thus making the bad tip carry over. Some people cry, which could actually make their other tips better if their tables think they just recieved tragic news, or worse if they just find it weird and annoying. And some people can brush it off and "just keep swimming."

In light of how much it affects our lives, you have to wonder who started these shenaniganz anyway? I decided to do a little research on the matter and found some interesting tid-bits to share.

The little story I have always heard, as some of you may have, is that 'tip' was originally the acronym 'TIP' which stood for "To Insure Promtness." It would be placed on the table at the beginning of the meal so the server could see what would be theirs if they did a good job. This isn't an altogether bad idea, we wouldn't waste our time on the $3 tables as much! However this idea is generally thought of as a made up once since at that time in England people didn't use acronyms, and that it actually comes from a slave-language word that meant "pay up" or something along those lines. Regardless, tipping started in England long before the days of minimum wage when people would just leave the equivalent of a quarter on the bar top as a thank you.

It was when rich Americans started traveling to Europe that the custom was carried home with them. They saw it as a way to show off just how rich they were, but then servers started expecting it from everyone, and people were NOT into it. In fact, in 1904 some traveling business men who were sick of doling out their hard earned money to everyone who brought them a cup of coffee starting the "Anti-Tipping society of America." I know, right!! They all pledged not to tip anyone for a year, and in some states they even got laws put in place that made tipping illegal! And Washington was the first of 6 states to create such a law! (Maybe this is why we have the highest minimum wage, they are still making up for that bullshit!). During this time, Europe created a minimum wage in many areas, and France started adding a "service compris" or a service charge to thier bills which is bascially gratuity added to every check, and it is not optional.

Since about the 70's, a 15% tip has been the standard or minimum considered acceptable. If you ask a server, they will say 15-20%, proabaly depending on how demanding you were.

There is also the idea of gratuity, which most places add only for larger parties. Some upper-end restaurants always charge gratuity and split it between the front of house and back of house staff, but only at a fancy place where people don't really care about the price would this work. Gratuity on large checks was created because their were increasing instances of large parties tipping innapropriately or not at all, and given that they take much more work and are there for a much longer period of time, this would give servers no incentive to take the party or give them good service. Much of the time the reason for the poor tip was just because everyone assumed someone else tipped. If you're in a party of 20, you might think everyone else left a little something and you can get away with not leaving any, not realizing that everyone else was thinking the same thing.

Some other interesting research shows things servers can do to increase their tip that have nothing to do with service;

"servers who introduce themselves by name receive an average tip 53 percent greater than the tip for those who do not; servers who squat next to the table while talking with customers--thereby improving eye contact--up their tips from 15 percent to 18 percent; those who write "Thank you" on the back of the check receive about an 18 percent tip, the same amount female servers get by drawing a happy face, whereas males who do so decrease their tips by 3 percent; the use of tip trays bearing credit card logos increases tips by up to 25 percent, even when customers pay cash; tips soar by 140 percent for servers who simply smile; and those who casually touch customers (e.g., once on the shoulder, twice on the palm of the hand when giving change) add to their tips by 42 percent, women customers being a bit more generous than men."

So, there's a little history lesson for ya. SMILE!