Dear Bad Tippers,
I would like to start off this letter to you by quoting the great philosopher Chelsea Handler, "Gratuity is 20 percent. If you can't afford to tip, then there's a place for you, and it's called the f*cking drive-thru." If you go out to dinner, you should be able to leave your server a 20 percent tip at the end of the night, and if not, we kindly wish you would just stay home.
As a broke college student who spends summers waiting tables, I rely on your tips to make money. People so often sit on their high horse and look down upon waiters and waitresses thinking we are less than we actually are. Here's a newsflash for you: we are people trying to make a living just like you. We are students, teachers, moms, dads, and for some, it's a full-time job. The difference between us and you, however, is that while you look forward to a stable never changing salary, our income is put into your hands.
Most bad tippers have never actually worked in the restaurant industry, meaning they have NO idea the amount of stress we are under and how much work it actually takes. Anyone I know who has ever waitressed says it was one of the hardest jobs they've ever worked. And I know you lousy tippers out there are going to come up with excuses such as, "Our drinks took 20 minutes!", or "Our food wasn't cooked right!", or "She barely came over to our table!", but 90 percent of the things people complain about ARE NOT the server's fault. I do not make your drinks, I do not cook your food, I cannot control if the table next to you is being loud, and I also have four other tables who need the exact same attention as you, Give us a break, for crying out loud.
Yes, there are times in every waiter or waitresses life where they are in the weeds and give bad service, and often times the tip reflects that. But when we are doing our best, give great service, run around like a lunatic, and then look at the check to see a 15 percent or sometimes even a horrifying 10 percent? That is just not OK. Also, what you probably don't realize is we have to give a percentage of your crappy tip to the bus people and the bartenders, so we bust our asses and make even less money because you decided to tip less than deserved.
To those real a-holes out there who dare to walk out of a restaurant without leaving a tip at all, shame on you. Do you know how many times I have cried, or seen a fellow coworker cry because you decided we just didn't deserve a tip? After all the running around, smiling, being nice, trying our absolute best to please you. And if we mess up? We are human beings. Not leaving a tip is probably one of the most despicable things a person could do.
If you are going out to dinner, tipping is just part of the deal. If you're going to spend the money on a night out but can't seem to spare any for the 20 percent tip, then you should just consider not going out to dinner. Whenever I go out to eat, no matter the service, I always tip 20 percent because I know just how hard it is.
So, to all the poor tippers out there, I encourage you to rethink your motives behind leaving a sh*tty tip. We are just like you, we have bills to pay, food to buy, student loans to pay off, textbooks to rent, we don't just do this job for shits and giggles. Look into that heart I often question if you even have. To all the 20 percent tippers out there, thank you kindly, and to the rest, make some Easy Mac and just stay the f*ck home.
Sincerely,
Your Waitress.
