A Question for People Who Serve in Restaurants

[RegionMom]

We are pretty much on a cash only budget so that does not help with this question.  However, we have been know to write "tip on table" on the charge slip if we went over what cash allowed and had to do credit. 
My husband taught me to tip well, because you WILL be remembered! 
And even if you are just passing through, it is still a nice thing to do. 
We also leave the tip under a glass, so as not to "blow away" into someone else's hand.

[NYGirl100]

When I worked as a waitress I never cared whether it's on the CC or cash.  I do have a pet peeve - if you do charge the tip on the CC, please resist the temptation to "round-up."  It's actually more annoying to the server to get $4.81 tip just so you can round up the total CC number to $50. 

[Pixie]

I was raised by a waitress so I usually tip 15-20% depending on the service.  I pay the tip in cash because I rarely use a CC.   I do not like to pay for food with a CC, its a personal pet peeve of mine. Of course others must do what works for them.

One thing my Mom did teach me was not to reward bad service.  If the service was just awful, I will not tip.... I'm still afraid of my Mom's wrath, and she's been gone 7 years!

[Xanthia, Maker of fine Tin-foil hats since 2007]

I usually tip in cash and write "Cash tip" on the tip line on the CC bill.  The following story happend to me 2 times at different chain restaurants and is the reason why I really do not like to tip on my CC/debit card.

I was checking my bank statement, and I had gone out to dinner a few night before and payed with my debit card.  I noticed the bill was $10.00 more than I had on my receipt including the tip.  I called the restaurant and asked if they put holds on CC/debit card purchases, they said NO, I then explained my charge for the bill was $10.00 more than my receipt with the tip, gave them some numbers off of the thing, and I guess they keep them for a while, so they pulled my ticket.  It seems the server was dissatisfied with my 6 dollar tip on a $25.00 bill so added a ONE before the tip and changed the bill total.  I guess he thought no one would check that closely. 

A similar thing happened at another restaurant as well, the restaurant was a different "chain" but all under the same "parent" company.

I had a friend who worked at a restaurant where they pooled tips, she said that when the tips were large and in cash, the server/bus boy, would sometimes pocket the "overage", and when the tips were on the CC, they were never sure it management was skimming tips because they all just got handed an envelope, no print out or anything for the night.  She changed jobs REAL QUICK.

So, I leave cash, LOL.

[ITSJUSTME]

DH and I eat at a restaurant where we know the server loses a percentage of his cc tip due to the cc fees.  We leave cash on the table and we write "cash on table" on the tip line of the bill.  We want the server to get the whole tip and not have to pay the cc fees for it.

[Lisbeth]

I've always added the tip to the credit card charge when I pay for a restaurant meal by credit card.

I figure I've done my share of paying for the services of the waitstaff at that point, and when they actually receive it is not my concern as a customer.  And I do say "thank you" whenever possible.

[EveLGenius]

By preference, I pay and tip on my credit or debit card. I do this because of my college roommate, who worked in a restaurant owned by the meanest people in the universe. If someone left a cash tip on the table, the manager/owners would take the tip for themselves while the waitresses were clearing other tables/waiting on other people. On a card, at least there's some paper trail.

[lecach]

I used to work at a restaurant that would take a percentage off of tips that were paid at the register (cash or credit cards) to pay for the "use of the register". They also took a fee out of everyones paycheck to pay for missing silverware. I wrote a letter to the Answer Man in our local newspaper asking if these things were legal. He wrote a response in the paper saying that it most certainly was NOT legal. The restaurant in question saw the article and stopped the practice. I had already turned in my notice anyway but I am glad I helped my former coworkers.

By the way, the restaurant is now out of business.

[Chartreuse]

By preference, I pay and tip on my credit or debit card. I do this because of my college roommate, who worked in a restaurant owned by the meanest people in the universe. If someone left a cash tip on the table, the manager/owners would take the tip for themselves while the waitresses were clearing other tables/waiting on other people. On a card, at least there's some paper trail.

Conversely, I've heard of restaurants (including some individual restaurants that belong to chains) where the mangement will try to pay the actual service cost of running a credit card by deducting it directly from the server's tip (only if it was on the card).  In those cases, a cash tip would be much nicer.  Of course, paying cash in general at that point would be ideal, but it's not exactly like you can ask about those kinds of internal policies when you go out to eat.  Even if you did, I doubt anyone would own up to anything.     I guess if management wants to stiff the help, they'll find a way to do it, no matter how you go about trying to leave a tip.

[miranova]

Letting your customers pay by credit card is a choice, and the merchant fees are one of the costs of doing business.  It infuriates me that restaurants would try to recoup those costs by stealing tips from the waitstaff!  Some of our favorite dives are cash only.  They don't seem to be hurting for business.

To answer the question, I usually pay by debit card (food and tip) because I don't carry a lot of cash and when I do have cash I never seem to have the right denominations available.  I don't want to do the whole "can you break a $20" thing with the server and give them yet another task, so I just put everything on the card.

I agree that dishonest people will find a way to cheat people no matter what.  It's unfortunate, but true.

[supernova]

I was one of the people who posted about this on the previous board.

I've had friends/family who've worked as servers, and i've worked food service myself.  I almost always leave a cash tip, because I've seen and heard of servers get jacked by the management for the credit card tip--having to wait a week or two for the money, etc.  Mind you this was years ago, not recently. 

I just think it's harder to steal a waitress's tip from her apron pocket than it is from a slip of paper she may not ever get to see.

Just my two cents, worth what you paid for it

     - saphie

[melaniered]

When I waitressed, at a major nationwide steak chain, any cc tips were tracked weekly, and federal and state taxes were withheld from my weekly check for those tips.  So I had to "track and report" (ahem) my cash tips, but any cc tips were reported for me.

On the upside, that lessens the out-of-pocket quarterly tax remittances. 

On the downside, the restaurant only felt obligated to pay me minimum wage.  At the time, that was paid as $2.35 an hour, and the difference to the minimum wage was supposed to be made up by my tips earned.  So if I earned more than about $3 an hour in tips, they compensated by reducing my hourly paid rate.  Plus withheld the taxes for those tips from my (now reduced) pay rate for the 20 or 30 hours that I was allowed to work that week so that I would not be eligible for benefits as a full-time employee? 

I'm sorry, I owe you how much for working here?  Yeah, I'm having fun, but I don't think I'm having that much fun -


LanieRed

edited to clarify just how s*****d a server can actually be when they get tipped by cc

[kherbert05]

I had an ex-bf (aka mistake) who would ONLY tip by cash handed directly to the waiter.  so annoying.  Most restaurants give you your tips from the CC's at the end of the night.  The only difference is that management then knows how much ( maybe good, maybe bad), and you get larger bills. 

OK, I also give the tip in cash to the waiter, I know of a time the managers were stealing tips from the wait staff. One was at the country club. My Dad actually caught the managers doing this. (Top guy had been fired for stealing, Dad stepped in to run the club until the board could find a new director. )Dad caught the restaurant Managers stealing tips along with other thefts.

[Slartibartfast]

Sorry, but I am not responsible for the restaurant/manager/"the man" doing something blatantly illegal to the server.  If the server has an issue, he or she can take it through the appropriate channels - but I am there to eat, tip in whatever means is most convenient for me, and leave.  Yes, someone could steal cash off the table or the restaurant could mess with CC tips.  I'm sure both have happened more than once.  But it's not "rude" to leave a tip, ever!

[CrayonOutlines]

From the awesome blog, waiterrant.net:

8. PAY IN CASH! – If at all possible pay in cash. The owner will love you. The waiter will love you. Why? Credit card companies charge a fee for every transaction. (Some unscrupulous owners take the transaction fee out of a waiter’s tips. It’s illegal but it happens.) Now I don’t always pay in cash when I go out. I’m not unreasonable. But leaving the TIP in cash will always make you the waiter’s friend.

Read all of the suggestions for handling your bill here: http://waiterrant.net/wordpress2/?p=168