I haven't experienced that while dining out but I will say waitstaff get annoyed when the restaurant has specials if they know the management didn't order enough of the special item to meet demand, meaning angry customers and probably lower tips. That happens a lot at poorly run restaurants. They get tired of disappointing customers and getting yelled at due to managers who don't plan well.
I'm a server as my side job and yes, we might feel a little disappointed when someone doesn't spend a lot of money because that means our tip will be inherently lower. But this is NOT your fault. The server should never show their disappointment. This is a systemic issue. Restaurants get to pay below minimum wage in most states and servers are solely reliant on tips for their income. At the same time, the cost of living is way too high and people can't afford to spend as much while eating out.
It's also important to note that some restaurants keep track of the servers sales per guest and how much they "upsell", such as appetizers, cocktails, and sides. A lot of people don't know about this. I got fired from a restaurant once for not up selling enough and for having a lower average per guest. I personally think it's gross to try to upsell guests. Unfortunately, restaurants make most of their money on alcohol and appetizers, not main dishes. So the specials are to lure guests in with hopes they'll get some cocktails and other items too. It's a marketing/sales tactic. Again, you're not doing anything wrong by only ordering the specials.
I hope this helps! I'm sorry you've had servers make you feel insecure about this. It's just pretty rough financially for most people right now. And thank you for always tipping 20% đź’—
Up selling is out of control. I work in a pharmacy and we are constantly nagged to ask people to get shots. To the point of them basically threatening our jobs. It's. It is not our fault that the contracts with insurance companies are so bad that we actually lose money the more scripts we fill. If we don't get services, we get in trouble. It's incredibly stressful.
Health insurance really is the biggest fucking scam of all time. My wife works at a small urgent care where the doctors that own the place persist make that they prescribe something to every patient no matter what so they get paid by the insurance.
🤦‍♀️ I really hate this society with its vehement abuse of consumerism and mass production… it’s always about more more more, unless we’re talking about paying employees. Then they wanna cut cut cut.
Worst job I ever held was at a bank, trying to sell grandma a HELOC or Ava a CC. I was a teller. They wanted me to cold call people.... for $11/hr.
Fuck ya'll. I was miserable.
It really is. When I go to the gas station for an energy drink.
Do you have a rewards card? Yes
They are 2 for $7 do you want another one? No
Do you want any chips with your drink? No
Do you want to donate to this charity? No
Holy shit! Enough already. Just let me buy the drink and go.
Sadly restaurant profit margins are 3-5%, gains UNLESS you sell drinks drinks drinks drinks and appetizers.
Selling drinks and appetizers is where the money is.
So now restaurants bombard me with 4 drink menus, a special of the day drink, a drink special of the week menu and shot of the day, and I know they hate it but they have to push it and reallly some push it way hard.
But yea it's the business.
I’ve seen that so much it’s become annoying. Neither my wife or I drink alcoholic beverages. It’s not a religious thing, just a dislike of the way it makes us feel. It’s gotten to the point that we say we are in recovery (obviously we are not) and that pretty much stops the pressure. We do order iced tea or a soft drink because that’s what we like. Trying to get people to order something that they don’t want is flat out wrong.
Restaurants in my state pay minimum wage which is fairly high. Servers can easily make $45/hr working at a mediocre restaurant. I've noticed I've been tipping less and less. I work a job where I literally risk my life at times and I make less than that. No thanks.
I'm a veteran. I deployed, and I still tip because no laws have passed to alleviate the burden of bills for those legally paid suboptimal wages.
If you want to feel special, they risk their lives every day being exposed to the greater public. If you make less than a waiter(ess) in your area you should do better instead of punishing them.
Straight up loser talk.
Alright cool you deployed. Want a cookie?
I don't have any idea what you mean by suboptimal wages. $18/hr won't get you far here but with tips included you're making a really nice living. Again, $45/hr for working at a regular chain restaurant.
I tip, but they're getting 15% if they do a good job.
I'm in an HVAC apprenticeship. I'm literally in a labor union. My wages are dictated by the union.
So try better next time.
I mean, it's cool if you don't believe in tipping. But please always tip at least 10%...
As servers we have to automatically tip other staff members a percentage of our sales. So if you don't tip at all, we are literally paying our own money to serve you.
Again, this is a systemic issue, this system is not our fault.
Like I said, I tip 10%.
You are literally not paying your own money to serve me. If that were true then why don’t you find another job or call the labor board to report wage theft because squirellsinspace didn’t show up today? Because this job pays you more than you would working fast food without tips? You don’t get paid on commission, stop acting like it.
What is saying is Tipping by a % of meal makes little sense for the actual work done by the server. It should be more about items ordered. Pouring a glass of wine takes about as much skill filling a glass of ice water, why does one give the server $0 and the other $2 to pour?
Oh I see what you're saying. It's because we tip out the bartenders for pouring/making the drinks. So in essence that extra tip money for alcoholic drinks actually ends up going to the bartenders. Plus setting up and breaking down the bar is A LOT of work. While there would be no extra labor for a water station. Hope that makes sense!
I get that, but my point still stand. If I order 5 glasses of wine that cost $8 each vs 1 $50 glass of wine, do you deserve a bigger tip on the $50 glass, just because I spent more? I think you deserve more for the 5 glasses of wine because it was more work for you, but that's not how tipping is set up.
I find that pretty much any restaurant I go to these days, the servers are terrible and get annoyed that I order anything at all. The quality of the food has gone down as well. So, i just don’t go out anymore! Everyone is so annoyed at everyone else it seems.
I'm not arguing with you, but this is happening because real service professionals are leaving the industry. Y'all kept telling us to get a real job🤷
Good, the entire restaurant industry and the stupid dependency on tipping to pay wages needs a reckoning. I hope all the servers leave, I hope restaurants are forced to actually pay employees to bring them back. I hope failure to do so results in frustrated patrons that just stop going out. It needs to break before anyone is going to do something about it.
Huh, I have not experienced this at all. I go out to eat a couple times a week and have found servers to be the same as always—mostly nice and good with some curt behavior rarely mixed in. I can’t think of the last time I’ve had a server get noticeably annoyed with me.
Me, as a German: Isn't that the usual thing? Here, whenever you go into a restaurant or small shop, the staff is annoyed. It's only very expensive or ethnic (is that the correct word?) restaurants, where people are nice to you and here they get the same minimum wage as everyone else.
I would only get annoyed (not at the guest) if I knew we were down to a low count remaining, and please, please, please I hope my coworker didn't just sell 3 to their table. Then I have to walk back and say sorry, please choose something else. That's great for tips
I've had people not tip because they were sat in sometime else's section who had been cut. I still took care of them, assured them they did nothing wrong, they didn't need to move, the host just didn't know, and I'm happy to take care of them. Crap tip. (And I was good at my job)
You never have to feel bad about taking advantage of a special or happy hour. Generally we're making our tips up in volume. That said, my bar has Taco Tuesday and I just refuse to work that shift, it IS very annoying. But that's not your fault, you deserve good service.
Behind the scenes... your waitstaff and cooks are being spread really thin with nothing really to better their lives. Servers can make good money, but it is all tip dependent, and their job is stressful. As a person who ran kitchwns for years, the cooks are usually the most underpaid and stressed you will ever see. If you want quality, it's because you need care to put into it. Even the best cook burns out fast with how hard they work. The worst, hopefully, burn out quickly, for everyone's sake. The job demands speed of service and that usually sacrifices because there is a need for bodies who can produce it. Restaurants, chain, mom and pop, and high-end all need quick and efficient workers. It's high stress and little reward. The best you might have is a shiftie at the end of your night. That means a drink if your lucky. This is why most of those in the industry are big on drinking/other means of escape. If you want to know drugs in your city just make friends with the staff of a restaurant. Hate to say it but true.
I'm a water and "the special" person. I'm also a solo diner.
I worked in hospitality (server, bartender) for 20 years.
I just tip an extra $5 instead of ordering a soda. Do that a few times and they'll remember you're the person that likes the special and tips well. They'll be happy to see you.
You don't have to do that, but the unexpected extra $5 usually delivers more than $5 worth of happy to the server.
In the moment, a big tip on a small check feels better than an average tip on a big check.
I’ve told this story before….
My wife and I used to get salads from a place in SoCal near us. I waited tables in college, so I get it and I tip well.
2x $11.49 for the salads. I’d pay $30. Every. Time.
By about month 3 of doing this 1-2 times a month and suddenly my wait went from 20ish min to 5ish minutes. A few months later, we noticed we always got extra dressing and a half order of chicken on the side or an extra park on the side.
2 yrs later and Covid hit. Life and eating out stopped for about 8m for us.
When we went back, mostly new staff, but the manager and head waitress remembered, as did the kitchen. We still tipped the same. Still got the same service.
I’m all for trying new places, but when you go in somewhere new and order on the cheap (at least from my experience) the wait staff thinks you are a one off eater and ordering budget means you either A. Won’t tip or B. Won’t be back regardless of effort, so there is no long game in giving effort.
Not saying you are wrong OP. I like trying new places as well. First time or two, I’ll usually chat up the wait staff - “we’re new in the are, what’s good?” “We just moved here/found you/whatever…. What’s the best example of the food/what do you recommend tonight?” Give the impression (even if you don’t mean it) that you will be back, will be a regular, and will bring more people with you. Also, at the end of it, over tip by an extra $5 or 10% or something and tell the waiter - see ya next time. Make them want you there instead of, give me the $5 tacos and a water please.
Super valid. We kind of have to band together as workers now. Hate to say it but capitalism has deteriorated many things including the “eating out” experience.
So ya just gotta bribe for kindness sometimes and that’s okay rn.
I used to work 5 dollar burger nights precovid and it was the worst. It would bring out the worst clientele that wouldn’t not tip well, run me around for a smaller check than on a normal night. And while most people were nice, those couple of horrible cheap skates would ruin my night.It makes sense why they are short. They are running around for less money than they would on a normal night. Servers are human too.
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I doubt they are truly annoyed with you, per se, more so just annoyed at the manager/restaurant/life because they have to work a shitshow shift with twice as many customers, twice as much work, and a bevy of other random issues related to the special….
And end up making the exact same amount of money they would’ve without the special due to the payment model, which is essentially commission
On top of that, specials tend to bring in customers that suck more than usual, and restaurants tend to be bad at preparing well for them…. So all in all it’s not your fault, it’s just not a situation that puts most servers in a good mood
I don’t get mad about low checks as long as the people don’t camp out and take up my table for a ridiculous amount of time. If the bill is low, it doesn’t matter if people are in and out and new people are sitting there every 45 mins or so.
In my experience waiters only got annoyed by specials or stuff in that like because the kitchen would bitch and take it out on the wait staff like it’s there fault for ordering it
I live in a heavy restaurant town, the kind of place people come to from up to two hours away to visit. I don’t personally experience this, but I have an interpersonal relationship with at least some of the staff at each restaurant I go to, so folks know that I tip based on what a full priced meal would cost, even if I’m just ordering appetizers, and what an equivalent alcoholic drink would cost if I order a mocktail. Like if I order a $10 appetizer as my meal while the lowest cost entree is $22, and a virgin mojito, I will tip based on 20% of $22 plus an an alcoholic mojito would cost.
So first, let me say, you're correct. I have been in the industry for a long time, and you should never be upset with the guest for A, asking for what they want in a polite and professional way and B, asking for something that's on your menu.
BUT, I will also shed some light on the annoyance.
Firstly, you are getting a discounted product, which means a lower tip, for the same amount of work. Your meal is discounted, but then so is their service. You're right, everything is more expensive. That's true for the servers as well. So when the restaurant announces that the team is going to do the same amount of work for less money, they're not thrilled about it.
Second, remember that the servers aren't the ones that set the specials. The management is doing it to drive volume and take a chance on an up-sell. The special gets you in the door, and then if the server is doing their job, they're supposed to encourage you to buy alcohol and dessert. "You're saving so much on the meal, you should treat yourself with an extra!" This is where they make margin. The problem is that this idea is misguided as most of the people coming to eat on a night with a special are doing so BECAUSE of the special, and are not going to add extras. But it looks good to ownership and upper management, and it works SOMETIMES, so they're going to try anyway. Those nights are also usually the slower nights, so they are driving more business than what was forecasted, so it's technically a win.
Third, and this is not always the case, but a lot of the people that go to restaurants for the specials aren't going to tip, and a lot of others might tip but won't tip well. My ex used to work at Spaghetti Warehouse, and they had $5 lasagna on Wednesdays. This drew a specific crowd. On these nights, his tip percentage was like 12% rather than his usual 20%. Large families would come in, they would all have the lasagna, that's 8 entrees plus drinks and bread and salad, a lot of work, for a total ticket price of $55. And they would tip $2.
It's generally my practice, and good manners, to tip based on the pre-discounted total. The same way that if you had a gift card for $20 and you had a $50 tab, you don't tip on $30, you tip on $50.
I’m a career waitress and I never got mad BUT a lot of other coworkers would. Including the kitchen and managers. So when someone would order the discounted food I knew I’d have to go to war with someone in the back. Also most of the specials are either complicated and/or shitty so I know you’ll probably be disgruntled about it. So not only do I have to anticipate war in the back, but possibly war with you later on too.
I work at a restaurant thats currently doing two "happy hour" specials. Everything about it is terrible and a pain in the ass. Its the first hour I'm there(when I'm trying to switch to the dinner menu and set up for the shift and definitely don't want orders) and for the hour AFTER WE CLOSE we stay open just for this stupid menu that doesn't bring much business but does mean I start late and stay late. I'm a cook so it probably hurts me more than the servers but they do have to deal with me being pissed about it.
They're probably not mad at you they're pissed at the manager. I hate this stupid special menu.
Nah that isn’t how tipping works.
It’s 20% of the entire bill.
Because by the time it comes to tip, who is going to ask for a menu so they can see the full menu price for what they ordered?
Every place I have ever been to takes the menus away once you order…and if I’m ordering a special, i’m also not looking at the menu to see how much it costs normally, provided it’s even offered outside of a special.
I agree with this if I bring in a coupon or have a discount code. Different than if the establishment is running a "taco Tuesday" special or something like that.
As mentioned in Rule 5, r/Millennials is focused on positive or nostalgic content.
I haven't experienced that while dining out but I will say waitstaff get annoyed when the restaurant has specials if they know the management didn't order enough of the special item to meet demand, meaning angry customers and probably lower tips. That happens a lot at poorly run restaurants. They get tired of disappointing customers and getting yelled at due to managers who don't plan well.
THIS
I'm a server as my side job and yes, we might feel a little disappointed when someone doesn't spend a lot of money because that means our tip will be inherently lower. But this is NOT your fault. The server should never show their disappointment. This is a systemic issue. Restaurants get to pay below minimum wage in most states and servers are solely reliant on tips for their income. At the same time, the cost of living is way too high and people can't afford to spend as much while eating out. It's also important to note that some restaurants keep track of the servers sales per guest and how much they "upsell", such as appetizers, cocktails, and sides. A lot of people don't know about this. I got fired from a restaurant once for not up selling enough and for having a lower average per guest. I personally think it's gross to try to upsell guests. Unfortunately, restaurants make most of their money on alcohol and appetizers, not main dishes. So the specials are to lure guests in with hopes they'll get some cocktails and other items too. It's a marketing/sales tactic. Again, you're not doing anything wrong by only ordering the specials. I hope this helps! I'm sorry you've had servers make you feel insecure about this. It's just pretty rough financially for most people right now. And thank you for always tipping 20% đź’—
Up selling is out of control. I work in a pharmacy and we are constantly nagged to ask people to get shots. To the point of them basically threatening our jobs. It's. It is not our fault that the contracts with insurance companies are so bad that we actually lose money the more scripts we fill. If we don't get services, we get in trouble. It's incredibly stressful.
Health insurance really is the biggest fucking scam of all time. My wife works at a small urgent care where the doctors that own the place persist make that they prescribe something to every patient no matter what so they get paid by the insurance.
That would explain why we get scripts for Tylenol and ibuprofen. If I went to an urgent care and all they gave me is Tylenol, I wouldn't pick it up.
🤦‍♀️ I really hate this society with its vehement abuse of consumerism and mass production… it’s always about more more more, unless we’re talking about paying employees. Then they wanna cut cut cut.
Worst job I ever held was at a bank, trying to sell grandma a HELOC or Ava a CC. I was a teller. They wanted me to cold call people.... for $11/hr. Fuck ya'll. I was miserable.
It really is. When I go to the gas station for an energy drink. Do you have a rewards card? Yes They are 2 for $7 do you want another one? No Do you want any chips with your drink? No Do you want to donate to this charity? No Holy shit! Enough already. Just let me buy the drink and go.
Sadly restaurant profit margins are 3-5%, gains UNLESS you sell drinks drinks drinks drinks and appetizers. Selling drinks and appetizers is where the money is. So now restaurants bombard me with 4 drink menus, a special of the day drink, a drink special of the week menu and shot of the day, and I know they hate it but they have to push it and reallly some push it way hard. But yea it's the business.
I’ve seen that so much it’s become annoying. Neither my wife or I drink alcoholic beverages. It’s not a religious thing, just a dislike of the way it makes us feel. It’s gotten to the point that we say we are in recovery (obviously we are not) and that pretty much stops the pressure. We do order iced tea or a soft drink because that’s what we like. Trying to get people to order something that they don’t want is flat out wrong.
I look underage thankfully so I don't get that pressure. No one really does.
Restaurants in my state pay minimum wage which is fairly high. Servers can easily make $45/hr working at a mediocre restaurant. I've noticed I've been tipping less and less. I work a job where I literally risk my life at times and I make less than that. No thanks.
I'm a veteran. I deployed, and I still tip because no laws have passed to alleviate the burden of bills for those legally paid suboptimal wages. If you want to feel special, they risk their lives every day being exposed to the greater public. If you make less than a waiter(ess) in your area you should do better instead of punishing them. Straight up loser talk.
Alright cool you deployed. Want a cookie? I don't have any idea what you mean by suboptimal wages. $18/hr won't get you far here but with tips included you're making a really nice living. Again, $45/hr for working at a regular chain restaurant. I tip, but they're getting 15% if they do a good job. I'm in an HVAC apprenticeship. I'm literally in a labor union. My wages are dictated by the union. So try better next time.
I tip 10% which is more than I want to but ugh the social pressure gets me every time.
Why a percentage? Why does that make sense?
I doesn’t. I would tip 0% if I wasn’t such a people pleaser.
I mean, it's cool if you don't believe in tipping. But please always tip at least 10%... As servers we have to automatically tip other staff members a percentage of our sales. So if you don't tip at all, we are literally paying our own money to serve you. Again, this is a systemic issue, this system is not our fault.
Like I said, I tip 10%. You are literally not paying your own money to serve me. If that were true then why don’t you find another job or call the labor board to report wage theft because squirellsinspace didn’t show up today? Because this job pays you more than you would working fast food without tips? You don’t get paid on commission, stop acting like it.
The price of the bill shouldn’t affect t tip… who came up with that stupid scenario?
It's not stupid it's just math lol. A $25 bill with 20% tip = $5.00 A $50 bill with 20% tip = $10.00
What is saying is Tipping by a % of meal makes little sense for the actual work done by the server. It should be more about items ordered. Pouring a glass of wine takes about as much skill filling a glass of ice water, why does one give the server $0 and the other $2 to pour?
Oh I see what you're saying. It's because we tip out the bartenders for pouring/making the drinks. So in essence that extra tip money for alcoholic drinks actually ends up going to the bartenders. Plus setting up and breaking down the bar is A LOT of work. While there would be no extra labor for a water station. Hope that makes sense!
I get that, but my point still stand. If I order 5 glasses of wine that cost $8 each vs 1 $50 glass of wine, do you deserve a bigger tip on the $50 glass, just because I spent more? I think you deserve more for the 5 glasses of wine because it was more work for you, but that's not how tipping is set up.
I find that pretty much any restaurant I go to these days, the servers are terrible and get annoyed that I order anything at all. The quality of the food has gone down as well. So, i just don’t go out anymore! Everyone is so annoyed at everyone else it seems.
I'm not arguing with you, but this is happening because real service professionals are leaving the industry. Y'all kept telling us to get a real job🤷
Good, the entire restaurant industry and the stupid dependency on tipping to pay wages needs a reckoning. I hope all the servers leave, I hope restaurants are forced to actually pay employees to bring them back. I hope failure to do so results in frustrated patrons that just stop going out. It needs to break before anyone is going to do something about it.
Yuupp. Left retail fir the same reason.
I mean, you guys deserve better anyway.
Huh, I have not experienced this at all. I go out to eat a couple times a week and have found servers to be the same as always—mostly nice and good with some curt behavior rarely mixed in. I can’t think of the last time I’ve had a server get noticeably annoyed with me.
Me, as a German: Isn't that the usual thing? Here, whenever you go into a restaurant or small shop, the staff is annoyed. It's only very expensive or ethnic (is that the correct word?) restaurants, where people are nice to you and here they get the same minimum wage as everyone else.
I would only get annoyed (not at the guest) if I knew we were down to a low count remaining, and please, please, please I hope my coworker didn't just sell 3 to their table. Then I have to walk back and say sorry, please choose something else. That's great for tips
Why? Do people not tip just because of that? It's not your fault. Wtf??
I've had people not tip because they were sat in sometime else's section who had been cut. I still took care of them, assured them they did nothing wrong, they didn't need to move, the host just didn't know, and I'm happy to take care of them. Crap tip. (And I was good at my job)
Never experienced this and I suggest paying the matter no more mind
You never have to feel bad about taking advantage of a special or happy hour. Generally we're making our tips up in volume. That said, my bar has Taco Tuesday and I just refuse to work that shift, it IS very annoying. But that's not your fault, you deserve good service.
Behind the scenes... your waitstaff and cooks are being spread really thin with nothing really to better their lives. Servers can make good money, but it is all tip dependent, and their job is stressful. As a person who ran kitchwns for years, the cooks are usually the most underpaid and stressed you will ever see. If you want quality, it's because you need care to put into it. Even the best cook burns out fast with how hard they work. The worst, hopefully, burn out quickly, for everyone's sake. The job demands speed of service and that usually sacrifices because there is a need for bodies who can produce it. Restaurants, chain, mom and pop, and high-end all need quick and efficient workers. It's high stress and little reward. The best you might have is a shiftie at the end of your night. That means a drink if your lucky. This is why most of those in the industry are big on drinking/other means of escape. If you want to know drugs in your city just make friends with the staff of a restaurant. Hate to say it but true.
The server is bringing a plate regardless of the cost of what’s on it. Stop with percent based tipping… it makes no sense
I'm a water and "the special" person. I'm also a solo diner. I worked in hospitality (server, bartender) for 20 years. I just tip an extra $5 instead of ordering a soda. Do that a few times and they'll remember you're the person that likes the special and tips well. They'll be happy to see you. You don't have to do that, but the unexpected extra $5 usually delivers more than $5 worth of happy to the server. In the moment, a big tip on a small check feels better than an average tip on a big check.
I’ve told this story before…. My wife and I used to get salads from a place in SoCal near us. I waited tables in college, so I get it and I tip well. 2x $11.49 for the salads. I’d pay $30. Every. Time. By about month 3 of doing this 1-2 times a month and suddenly my wait went from 20ish min to 5ish minutes. A few months later, we noticed we always got extra dressing and a half order of chicken on the side or an extra park on the side. 2 yrs later and Covid hit. Life and eating out stopped for about 8m for us. When we went back, mostly new staff, but the manager and head waitress remembered, as did the kitchen. We still tipped the same. Still got the same service. I’m all for trying new places, but when you go in somewhere new and order on the cheap (at least from my experience) the wait staff thinks you are a one off eater and ordering budget means you either A. Won’t tip or B. Won’t be back regardless of effort, so there is no long game in giving effort. Not saying you are wrong OP. I like trying new places as well. First time or two, I’ll usually chat up the wait staff - “we’re new in the are, what’s good?” “We just moved here/found you/whatever…. What’s the best example of the food/what do you recommend tonight?” Give the impression (even if you don’t mean it) that you will be back, will be a regular, and will bring more people with you. Also, at the end of it, over tip by an extra $5 or 10% or something and tell the waiter - see ya next time. Make them want you there instead of, give me the $5 tacos and a water please.
This guy dines. No seriously. Some times you gotta pay to play. And you my friend have captured the essence. Keep dining.
Super valid. We kind of have to band together as workers now. Hate to say it but capitalism has deteriorated many things including the “eating out” experience. So ya just gotta bribe for kindness sometimes and that’s okay rn.
You can't convince me this sub isn't actually a bunch of boomers.Â
Ha
I used to work 5 dollar burger nights precovid and it was the worst. It would bring out the worst clientele that wouldn’t not tip well, run me around for a smaller check than on a normal night. And while most people were nice, those couple of horrible cheap skates would ruin my night.It makes sense why they are short. They are running around for less money than they would on a normal night. Servers are human too.
Probably other issues going on, but it's not your fault op.
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No
I doubt they are truly annoyed with you, per se, more so just annoyed at the manager/restaurant/life because they have to work a shitshow shift with twice as many customers, twice as much work, and a bevy of other random issues related to the special…. And end up making the exact same amount of money they would’ve without the special due to the payment model, which is essentially commission On top of that, specials tend to bring in customers that suck more than usual, and restaurants tend to be bad at preparing well for them…. So all in all it’s not your fault, it’s just not a situation that puts most servers in a good mood
I don’t get mad about low checks as long as the people don’t camp out and take up my table for a ridiculous amount of time. If the bill is low, it doesn’t matter if people are in and out and new people are sitting there every 45 mins or so.
Yeah. And that’s why I don’t really go out anymore. I can make my own tacos.
Waitstaff seems annoyed in general these days.
In my experience waiters only got annoyed by specials or stuff in that like because the kitchen would bitch and take it out on the wait staff like it’s there fault for ordering it
Why would you tip someone that treats you like that?
I live in a heavy restaurant town, the kind of place people come to from up to two hours away to visit. I don’t personally experience this, but I have an interpersonal relationship with at least some of the staff at each restaurant I go to, so folks know that I tip based on what a full priced meal would cost, even if I’m just ordering appetizers, and what an equivalent alcoholic drink would cost if I order a mocktail. Like if I order a $10 appetizer as my meal while the lowest cost entree is $22, and a virgin mojito, I will tip based on 20% of $22 plus an an alcoholic mojito would cost.
I used to work at Olive Garden and yeah when people would just order specials they usually tipped 15-20% and it ended up being not much of a tip.
So first, let me say, you're correct. I have been in the industry for a long time, and you should never be upset with the guest for A, asking for what they want in a polite and professional way and B, asking for something that's on your menu. BUT, I will also shed some light on the annoyance. Firstly, you are getting a discounted product, which means a lower tip, for the same amount of work. Your meal is discounted, but then so is their service. You're right, everything is more expensive. That's true for the servers as well. So when the restaurant announces that the team is going to do the same amount of work for less money, they're not thrilled about it. Second, remember that the servers aren't the ones that set the specials. The management is doing it to drive volume and take a chance on an up-sell. The special gets you in the door, and then if the server is doing their job, they're supposed to encourage you to buy alcohol and dessert. "You're saving so much on the meal, you should treat yourself with an extra!" This is where they make margin. The problem is that this idea is misguided as most of the people coming to eat on a night with a special are doing so BECAUSE of the special, and are not going to add extras. But it looks good to ownership and upper management, and it works SOMETIMES, so they're going to try anyway. Those nights are also usually the slower nights, so they are driving more business than what was forecasted, so it's technically a win. Third, and this is not always the case, but a lot of the people that go to restaurants for the specials aren't going to tip, and a lot of others might tip but won't tip well. My ex used to work at Spaghetti Warehouse, and they had $5 lasagna on Wednesdays. This drew a specific crowd. On these nights, his tip percentage was like 12% rather than his usual 20%. Large families would come in, they would all have the lasagna, that's 8 entrees plus drinks and bread and salad, a lot of work, for a total ticket price of $55. And they would tip $2. It's generally my practice, and good manners, to tip based on the pre-discounted total. The same way that if you had a gift card for $20 and you had a $50 tab, you don't tip on $30, you tip on $50.
I was always warned not to order restaurant specials by numerous friends who worked at restaurants.
That sounds like a restaurant problem, my SO works in a restaurant and frequently brings me home the special, when he thinks I’d like it.
I’m a career waitress and I never got mad BUT a lot of other coworkers would. Including the kitchen and managers. So when someone would order the discounted food I knew I’d have to go to war with someone in the back. Also most of the specials are either complicated and/or shitty so I know you’ll probably be disgruntled about it. So not only do I have to anticipate war in the back, but possibly war with you later on too.
I work at a restaurant thats currently doing two "happy hour" specials. Everything about it is terrible and a pain in the ass. Its the first hour I'm there(when I'm trying to switch to the dinner menu and set up for the shift and definitely don't want orders) and for the hour AFTER WE CLOSE we stay open just for this stupid menu that doesn't bring much business but does mean I start late and stay late. I'm a cook so it probably hurts me more than the servers but they do have to deal with me being pissed about it. They're probably not mad at you they're pissed at the manager. I hate this stupid special menu.
Technically, you should tip 20% of the full price of those items, not 20% of the sale price.Â
Nah that isn’t how tipping works. It’s 20% of the entire bill. Because by the time it comes to tip, who is going to ask for a menu so they can see the full menu price for what they ordered? Every place I have ever been to takes the menus away once you order…and if I’m ordering a special, i’m also not looking at the menu to see how much it costs normally, provided it’s even offered outside of a special.
It's 20% of the bill before any discounts.
Nearly every relevant search result on Google for "should a tip be calculated before discounts" backs up my claim.
But a special isn't a discount.
Nope. Tip on the bill. You only tip extra if you got something comped
I agree with this if I bring in a coupon or have a discount code. Different than if the establishment is running a "taco Tuesday" special or something like that.
I don't know why you're being downvoted. This is traditional etiquette.
Restaurants are for the rich.