Dear restaurant customers,

I would love to direct a big (insert profanity here) you to individuals who eat at a restaurant and leave a poor tip for their server. Being a waitress myself, my blood begins to boil when I peer into the checkbook after my table has left and to my astonishment there is a void space where a tip should be, glaring back at me. Can some of you not comprehend that most servers in the restaurant business use their tips and low minimum wage as their income to support their families, or pay for school? In Ohio, the minimum wage for a server is $4.05, with most of this money being taxed, servers are left with two dollars or less an hour. This means that with such a low hourly wage, we are forced to rely mostly on our tips to pay for things such as bills and necessities. Thus, when some of you leave a low tip, that directly affects the server’s ability to pay for things for themselves.

And don’t get me started on when customers leave no tip at all. How can you leave a restaurant knowing full well you might be the reason a server can't pay their rent for that month or that they can't afford diapers for their baby? Does this world lack a concept of morals? Do people not understand that if you cannot afford a $28 steak along with the rest of your bill, that maybe you shouldn’t be eating at that certain restaurant? Whether a customer tips or not, servers are forced to tip out a certain percentage to their fellow co-workers such as busboys, hosts, and bartenders. Although I would prefer to receive a tip less than 15 percent rather than no tip at all, the fact that some of you have the audacity to walk out of a restaurant without leaving a tip that a server depends on, makes me toss and turn at night.

Now I don't want to hear you whine about how tips shouldn't exist and it's the restaurant industry's fault for not paying servers enough to live on. Before you say another word I want you to process the following sentence through your thick skulls: Do not blame and punish me for something that is out of my control.

I am a broke college student trying to support myself. I work with hardworking mothers, fathers, grandfathers, grandmothers, teachers, non-traditional college students, and a plethora of others. All of these people rely on tips to support themselves and their families. By leaving a poor tip or no tip at all, you are directly affecting their line of income. We chose this industry because of the pay, and by not earning the kind of money that attracted us to this kind of job in the first place, then what is the point in staying?

Another problem in the restaurant industry is when customers come into a restaurant knowing full-well that they cannot afford anything there and still choose to eat at that establishment. Then when I go back into the kitchen, they hightail it out of the restaurant, leaving the surrounding customers dumbfounded and shocked. I believe that it is incredibly unfair to the customers who do tip well and pay for their meals, that some individuals can get away with ordering the highest items on the menu and then leave without paying.

All in all, I just want to say to those of you with no conscience to please leave at least 15 percent tip to your server, whether your food was to your liking or not. It is not the server's primary job for how your food turns out, that is solely the kitchen’s responsibility. It is a server's job to cater to your needs and provide you with everything to make your dining experience enjoyable and comfortable. Your server should not be punished for your steak being under cooked when they did everything you have asked of them and did everything in their power to make things right for you. In addition, a gargantuan (insert profanity here) you to those of you who dine and dash. I hope you all have a horrible life.

So next time you sit down at a restaurant, have a great time, enjoy your meal, but please remember to tip your server well. They are people too, who work hard for their money just like you.

Sincerely,

Your average hardworking waitress Morgan