The other day in my class during a presentation, someone admitted that they do not tip when they went out to eat to a restaurant. Most of us were in shock by what they had said and the way they said. Someone who works as a server was bothered by this. They pointed out that their way of life depends on how much money they made from tips.
Many people fail to realize that servers at restaurants depend on tips for their money. Working in the restaurant industry is very stressful and tiring, and most people do not get enough credit for their hard work. The majority of restaurants only pay their employees $2.13 an hour, and the rest of their earnings come from tips. Servers don't even end up getting all of their tips, because they have to give a certain amount back to the restaurant in order to pay off the hosts and bartender. It is very upsetting to a server when a person does not leave a tip; they have to fake a smile, constantly make sure that the guest has enough to drink, that the order comes out correctly and then buss the table.
Servers are not only responsible for one table at a time, but up to five tables. They are constantly having to multi task and please many people. They also have to do many of the things people don't take into consideration, like clean the restaurant after every shift or stock up on the things that everyone will need. Many employees stay up to two hours after closing to leave the place spotless. They have to deal with cranky, hungry and needy people, then have to clean before they go home.
Being a server is not an easy job and there are a few people out there who do not recognize how much work it really is to work in the restaurant industry. You will never really know how much there is behind it until you actually experience it yourself. At a restaurant, it takes people in different positions to provide you with service, don't punish your server by a mistake that was not made by them. Everyone is a human being and mistakes will happen all the time.
There is a few ways to tip your server, you can either tip 10% if their service was okay, 15% if service was good, and 20% if it was great. You should always tip your server, even if it is a small amount. Tips are what they depend on. Do not underestimate their job, it is a lot harder than what it seems like.
Next time you go out to eat make sure you take into consideration that your server also has bills to pay, and $2.13 an hour every two weeks (if they even get one) is not enough for anyone to live on.
