You’re eating at a restaurant with your husband and you order a margarita because its happy hour and they are on special for 3 dollars…score! Your husband orders a bud lite. You finish the meal, which was good, and your husband orders another bud lite because you ordered desert and he knew he would be sitting there a few minutes while you ate it. It was yummy! Your server brings the bill and it totals $51.80. Now, society says the tip should be between 15-20%. Your server was good- she was attentive, efficient and polite, but nothing extraordinary so you plan to tip 18%, which would be about $9.32. You’re filling out the check, when you remember that you only have $54 and some change available in your debit account. “Honey, do you have any dollar bills with you that I could leave towards the tip?” you ask. “No, my wallet is at home,” replies your husband. “Oh man, maybe I shouldn’t of ordered that dessert so I could of tipped her properly, she didn’t do anything wrong.” you say. But although you feel a little bad, you give your server a $2.20 tip and make the total $54.00 and hurry out the restaurant before she notices.
At this particular restaurant and almost every chain restaurant or bar, every server must tip out the bartender. While each place is different, this one, for example means $1 for every mixed drink, and .50 cents for every beer or flavored lemonade from your tips goes to the bartender. Therefore in this instance, you actually just tipped your server .20 cents. I bet ya didn’t know how that worked, huh. If the correct 9 dollars would have been tipped, your server would have made 7. Your server clears off your mess and sweeps under the table and resets it, then opens the check and her heart drops a little on seeing such a low tip and thinks, ‘they were really nice, I wonder what I did wrong.’
Hi there! I’m sure by reading what I just wrote, you can tell that I am a server. ‘oh great, you’re thinking, another one of those servers who thinks they are entitled to big tips.’ Now, although I do believe I an entitled to average-good tips most of the time, I’m here to give you the run down. I’m talking the bad, the good, the funny, the sad, the happy of being a server. Am I here to complain? Nah, I do that with my co-workers enough. I’m here to give you my perspective of things and sometimes even post negative things about myself to when I did deserve a poor tip. And its not all about tips. Its about the food, the co-workers, the customers, the atmosphere. If you ever wondered what it really is like to be a server, then you have come to the right place. I promise not to let you down.
To Serve 
How long have you been a waitress, and for the most part, do you like it? I’ve heard some stories from other waitresses of how rude people can be, and it just blows my mind that some people are like that. On the other hand, I’ve had some rude waitresses too, but I always try to think that maybe they might be having a bad or busy day, and I will tip them anyway.
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I have been a waitress for about a year and a half, so not that long really. I do like it, which is surprising because I never saw myself being a server.
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I appreciate this blog. People who work food service are often ignored, and it feels really good to have someone speak up for the rest.
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Thank you!!
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A very interesting topic to talk about, I can not wait to hear more.
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Glad I sparked your interest!
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I have never been a waitress so I cannot really relate on that part of your blog. I probably would end up throwing food in peoples face if I was one. So good thing I have stayed away from that field. My oldest daughter is a waitress/kitchen staff at a sports pub in Virginia Beach. She hates it!! It is long hours and little pay. It might be the place she works at that is the problem. She does say that by the end of the night she would like to slap a few people. She has threatened to slap a few “handsy” men before and luckily her boss has had her back. She does say that after she leaves this job she will never again complain about the hours she has to work or the time that her college classes are. I give you and all the rest of the waitstaff out there credit and respect for all that you do.
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There are definitely good things and bad things about it. There has been days where we have been busy and I made over 20 dollars an hour. There had also been days where we have been slow with bad tippers and I end up making less than 2 dollars an hour. The restaurant I work in is more family dining than pub setting, I can believe you daughter must have other things to worry about when people are drinking heavy.
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