Being part of a wait staff is hard work that often comes with little reward. A tip might seem like nothing just a few dollars here and there, but to a waiter those dollars might be the dollars that get them through the week.
1. It is nearly impossible for your server to live off salary alone
Today in Michigan, the minimum wage for servers is only $3.52 an hour. This is simply not a large enough wage to make a living on. While some businesses are kind enough to pay more than this, you can’t assume your server is being fairly compensated for their time. $3.52 an hour might be just enough to pay for the gas it took for your waiter to drive to work that day, and your tips might be the start of their actual pay.
2. Many restaurants pool tips
While you may think contributing 10% or lower as a tip is a good enough contribution for your server, but that idea falls flat when introduced to pooling. Many businesses take all the tips and distribute them between all employees of the business, whittling away at your tip. If your server is working with 5 other cooks and waitstaff, a 3 dollar tip from you will only end up to be about 60 cents in your servers pocket.
3. They have no control over when your food gets to you
Many people assume that when there are problems with their food, it’s the server’s fault, and skip the tip accordingly. Remember that your waiter has no control over when and how your food is cooked, only how your order gets to the kitchen.
4. A “bad mood” shouldn’t mean a bad tip
You don’t know the whole story of your server. If they’re not smiling enough for you, or if they’re not as cheery as you’d like, you shouldn’t punish them with less of a tip. You don’t know that server’s day: you don’t know how long they’ve been working, you don’t know what they’ve had to deal with that day, and so you shouldn’t assume the worst of them.
5. They’re probably not eating
Anyone who has to work around food all day that they can’t eat deserves a bigger tip than 10% for sure. Your server has worked through the lunch rush, and the subsequent dinner rush, without a solid meal since breakfast.
6. They work crazy hours
Depending on when a restaurant is open, your server could be up at the crack of dawn, and to bed in the middle of the night. On top of strange eating schedules and the demanding physical work a restaurant entails, they deserve your tip money.
7. You’re not their only table
Be patient with your waiter, they have a million orders to keep track of, and they’re working their hardest to get yours to you as quick as they can. If you’re at a restaurant during a busy time, don’t skip the tip just because you weren’t attended to right away; your servers are doing all that they can to get to you as quickly as they can!
8. They’re going to have to clean up after you
Your server will have to clean your table, your chairs, the floor you stood on. They have to tidy up after any drink spills or fallen crumbs, and they may even have to wash your dishes. These things all take time, time that has to be balanced with delivering food, taking orders, and ringing up bills. This isn’t easy, and should be compensated for!
9. They do more than just take your order
Things servers might do: Make coffee, clean bathrooms, cook food, prep food, clean tables, wash dishes, take to-go calls, work a to-go window, wash windows, mop floors….. This is just the start of a very long list that varies from restaurant to restaurant.
10. They really care about you
Most servers take a great pride in what they do, and work to make the best eating environment possible. It’s hard work balancing everything, and on top of that, making sure the customer is truly happy with their experience.
Your server works hard for you, and they really care about you, so why not show them you care too? Tip more than 10%, support your local waitstaff.
