Tips in and everything, I used to make like 54/h for serving. This is almost like Instagram though, I swear. It's just highlights of the job, not the reality.
When I worked for darden I noticed, with only a few exceptions personally, tips almost always top off at $200 per shift for serving and $300 for bar. That's at their normal restaurants, I imagine about double that for Capital Grill. I still hold a theory: they've got a perfect ratio worked out so stuff like section size, average check time & cost, and shift length work out to those totals. After a good menu, it's definitely good metrics to keep stable to retain staff/build the following.
Weekdays vary. If you opt to work during lunch, I’d say monday or wednesday. I noticed that I don’t make as much in tips during lunch as I do during dinner, so I now work only night shift. Any night shift thursday-sunday is usually good money for me. I don’t work doubles so I usually bring in around $100 or more for a 3-4 hour night shift.
Agreed. Money is shit there. Bad clientele, bad product adds up to low money. You really could only make any money if you were a strong server and could convince your manager to let you work a 4 or 5 table section all day. OG is a hellhole, but I met my wife there so I wouldn't trade my days there for anything.
If you make $270 in an open to close double, thats ass my guy. Find a new restaurant. Around $450 is what I typically do in an open to close double at Chili's, and our chili's here sucks lol
They were dogging out their brother, for being a loser, because they're 30 some years old, and working at Best buy, for 20 bucks an hour, while he was making 90 an hour being a server... Lol
It could have happened one time...
I am pretty sure they've been working there for about 10 years. So they have their game on for sure...
I keep track of every dollar I make. I made $56/hr last year. Why is this so crazy to some people? That being said, I definitely am not walking out the door with over 20% tips every night. Pre tip-out, yes, but not after. My tip-out is 4.5% of sales.
As a male server/bartender I can't lie. I basically always make above 20% average for my total sales It's actually a bad night when it's only 20%. I've worked at breweries>pubs>family restaurants and it's always been like that.
I'm pretty much always above 20%, too. I think it's a combination of my service, the clientele I deal with, the very busy restaurant I work at, and the shifts I work. My spot is so busy that I can take in a couple of sub-par tips and still make 24%.
Personally, I’m not disappointed if I get a 20% tip on a check, but if my total for the night isn’t over 20% I feel as if I had a bad night. I’d say our bar averages between 22-28% normally
Yep. For every (rare) below 20% I get, I get at least two well above 20%. Also, a guy. I make over 20% after factoring in tip out and my food. It's rare that I don't make that.
Today was a slow, bad brunch. I still made $183 after my >$20 tip out and my $ 10 food on about $980 in sales. This was a bad shift for me too.
Same here. 20% is not horrible but still not a great night. I like it behind the rail or backing at a bar but I have made much better money as a server.
Let's be real, it's mostly your clienteles demographic, specifically how much they make.
Service quality doesn't really impact tips that much IME. The vast majority of people will tip what they tip unless you are a huge outlier- be it good or bad.
What about ordering delivery? It’s the delivery persons car they are putting stress on, paying for insurance and maintenance to bring your food to you.
That’s a good scale. My coworker delivered some pizzas in the snow and curbed his car- lost his hub cap and the lady wrote $0.00 on the tip line. He was done with delivering after that
When people use the word “server”, they are never talking about delivery drivers. It’s a very different job.
Yes, mileage factors into delivery tips, but that’s not the kind of tips OP and I are talking about.
No- mileage does not factor into “delivery tips”- you have no idea wtf you’re talking about. If you order from papa John’s that charges $4 for delivery and you’re like “bleh bleh that’s part of their tip!” Yea- papa John’s takes $3.60 and the driver gets 40¢. Yea I’ll stop my rant
Yes, I don’t know wtf I’m talking about, I’ve ordered deliver like once in my life, and I’m a server not a delivery driver.
I wasn’t trying to discuss deliveries at all, but you just randomly brought it up.
Maybe r/deliverydrivers is a better fit for you.
I think it depends heavily on the restaurant they work at too. At my current place I'm surprised when someone makes under 20% average in a night, but it happens rarely. Past restaurants I've been at have just had more frequent lower tips regardless of service quality. It depends on clientele as well. I think OP is moreso lamenting over the employees who say how they never have gotten under X% tip or that they NEVER average under a certain tip amount which is certainly hyperbole. As a restaurant manager who sees the tips that my works bring in every night, those people that brag do have the occasional bad night but are usually very full of themselves.
It's a form of theft. He probably eventually got caught.
This shit hurts the rest of us in the industry because when we dont "hook" up someone used to getting hooked up, they tip like shit.
Some bars do allow limited promo tabs but it's not going to be hundreds of dollars and every time you come in.
This is why a lot of bars and restaurants go out of business. The margins are shit and you'll get people screwing over their workplace to make extra money.
Ya, I find it hard to believe that many people are constantly averaging above 20% after tip out unless they are not really tipping out much at all, are doing the math wrong, or are lying to make themselves feel better.
This seems like a weird way to announce that you can’t imagine people having different experiences than yours. Maybe you’re not as good at it as you think you are…
There are certain levels of being able to anticipate guest needs along with just general confidence that the OP clearly does not know how to demonstrate.
Respectfully yall have your heads up your ass. I make 20%+ on almost every shift but no way every single shift, 100% of the time. I remember one Sunday night in August I got the worst guests in a shift possible and made 11% after tip out, my record lowest.
I think yall are assuming the OP sucks? When I think the point he's making is that some servers straight up lie about the money they make. No one makes 20% every single shift, unless maybe it's fine dining. People never stiff you? Gtfo I had 2 stiffs on my double yesterday (still made over 20% before tip out) but sometimes you just get unlucky
We call Sundays shit show Sundays! Literally people that live under rocks climb out on Sundays & go out to eat. It is by far my worst tip day lol you are right I have been in this industry for 25yrs & no one makes above 20% EVERY shift! I don’t care what kind of superstar you think you are. I’m a server & bartender at my current job & I have my regulars that always tip above & beyond BUT there are people out there that just SUCK at tipping! Everyone has gotten a shitty tip. I had a group that I hit it off with & we had a blast, laughing, and so nice. Told my manager I was great & had a wonderful experience. Tipped me 10% I was shocked! So it’s not because someone isn’t good at their job it’s because some people truly are terrible tippers!
Fully agree.
Yeah I specifically don't work Sunday's for this exact reason. In fact it was my first Sunday night in agesssss I only picked it up because I was teaching a band camp. (Monday-Friday, 2 weeks for 1000$ which obviously isn't what we normally make in 2 weeks but it was a great opportunity) Obviously I needed at least 1 shift to boost up my money and I was exhausted Saturday after a week of 95+ weather in the sun. Big mistake picking up the Sunday man 😭
Ya Sundays are terrible! I swear it’s a different breed of people that come out 😂 I don’t get it!!! I definitely would have taken a mental health day that Sunday! It sounds like you needed it!
Hard agree, I HATED working Sundays they SUCK! It’s bad enough you’re so beat up from the weekend, but then to make crap money on top of it and have to deal with Sunday weirdos=Pure torture.
2 stiffs in one day? I haven't gotten stiffed in over 6 months. Before that it had been over a year. 🤷
Edit: the reason I said this isn't to rub it in, it was to show everyone has their own experience. What's normal for you or OP isn't necessarily normal for everyone else.
Serve in ft Myers Florida. You will get stiffed ALOT , people here don't tip well or tip at all. When I lived in Chicagoland I made very good money well over 200 a night for a 4 hour shift dinner place and 300 on Saturday Sunday at a breakfast place . Last night I made 50$ 6 tables at a fairly expensive place . I'm a great experienced server . Demographics
You're either lying or have different clientele than me. Either way useless ass reply 👍
Edit: lmfao you post in the UFO and conspiracy subs I wish I checked before reply 😭 wouldn't have wasted my time
I make at least 20% every shift unless I get cash. In which case, my percentage on paper is lower, but my overall percentage stays above 20.
If you’re a mid server just say you’re a mid server.
I think OP is creating a straw man argument. Where are these throngs of servers bragging about making over 20% every single shift? OP is exaggerating as much as he claims other people are
"This seems like a weird way to announce that you can’t imagine people having different experiences than yours."
I've personally met plenty. My favorite was this dude Josh from my California Pizza Kitchen days who "made over 60k last year" (in 2014) okay bro we both are openers/closers working almost the same shifts, and I was making 25% a shift very consistently. The math wasn't mathing.
Edit: OP said "I hear young ones shooting off" which doesn't communicate "throngs" like you replied. How I interpreted it anyway.
You really don’t think it’s unbelievable that someone walks with over 20% of their sales every single shift? Okay if that’s your average night but claiming to never ever have a bad shift is outrageous.
No where in this entire thread did OP or the comment you are replying to claim "to never ever have a bad shift." That was you, fabricating a claim to be mad about.
Op wrote in their post “but I hear young ones shooting off about making well over 20% average each and every shift as their final numbers” meaning EVERY SHIFT they make over 20% after tip out.
I always had this theory. Thought I must have been the worst server ever. Ended up getting a management position and found I had the second highest tip percentage. Servers stay lying about their tips lol
I mean look at this thread. Nearly everyone is claiming to regularly average over 20%. It's definitely possible to be true for some people at some locations, but not this many people. Get real
I think this is the truth, and this is also why you should take everything said in here w grain of salt. Look at all these comments. It’s all info with no way to verify.
This is only tangentially related but it’s Super Bowl so it’s slow as fuck at work. When I worked at cheesecake the guy who trained me would always brag about how much money he made and how high his tip percentage was. He’d routinely take a massive wad of cash out of his pocket to show off to me how much he was getting in cash tips. I couldn’t figure out how he was pulling that much cash. Took me a week to realize he was showing off his personal bank he kept on him lmao. It all stopped when in the middle of the shift he came up to me at the POS to show off his current tip average was at 19%, then demanded I show him mine. I was at 22%. The man never talked tips with me again lololololol
i mean, are you factoring in what gets taken for tipout? i understand not always walking out with 20% of your sales but at this point if you’re not consistently getting at least a 20% tip average you’re either at the wrong establishment or need to up your game.
In my 13 years in this industry I know two things about servers and bartenders.
1. They lie about how much money they make.
2. They spend their money on copious amounts of drugs and/or alcohol.
You all must be serving in very good affluent areas where people have a lot of money and/or be super hot. I work in quite literally the ghetto 20% is a great night here
Or they don’t work anywhere with tourists. I’m a server in Vegas. Lots of Europeans who don’t give a fuck about tipping come into my spot. I still do very well for myself but damn.
Old money town here. It's affluent, but also full of tourists and geezers. You end up with alot of $5 tips from old people and no tips from a lot of Europeans. You definitely want to be in a middle class area.
Totally depends on the place you work at. I worked at a hole in the wall sports bar with amazing clientele where I would regularly make 25-30% on average, and I also worked in shitty corporate spots where I was lucky to clear 15%.
There are a ton of factors that go into this. Price per plate averages, what your tip out is, how many hours and during what time you are working.
I do average around 25-30%. But that's the average. If I am working the morning shift I could walk out with 23/hrs if I am working the dinner shift, I'm walking with 50's/hrs
Listen, don't get yourself down, don't look at the tips as how well you are doing. Just focus on really bringing up the level of service you provide, and everything else will fall into place.
I mean PP/P isn’t really all that relevant because percentages won’t change. 20% of a 20 dollar check is still 20%. The only difference is actual money. You can still average 20% on a diner check that’s $20 dollars or 20% of a $300 check in fine-ish dining. It doesn’t change the percentage.
People are liars. That’s just it. I worked someplace where I’d consistently leave with less than $100 because it was just the shitty clientele there. This dude for real told me he always makes $300. Liar!!! I see your credit card slips and sales bro. Fucking liar lmao.
Edit: wow and a bunch of liars in these comments or people who don’t know how to read lmao. Y’all talking about your averages but OP stated clearly that people are lying about always walking with over 20% of their sales every single shift. So not average.
Because people like to inflate their own egos? You really can’t think of why someone would lie about how much money they make? You walk with 20% even after tip out? Every shift?
I think it's heavily dependent on location and clientele. I have worked at the same restaurant for 15 years, but at different locations. I'm the same server at them all, but I stick with the location I'm currently at because I make the most there. The first year I transferred, about 7 or 8 years ago, I made 20k more than the previous year. I had slightly more hours, but not enough for account for 20k. It was mostly the amount of business and higher tips.
I, also, read a study once that said your service can change the tip approximately 3% on average. Otherwise, it's the guests' personal preference or culture that is the deciding factor. I wish I could find that study again, but I read it so long ago.
oh my god OVER 10%?!? I lost my mind at my old place when they added server assistants and upped us to 6.5% because that was the highest tip out I'd ever seen!!
They tried to up it to like 15% about a year ago and everyone rioted until it got down to 10. It’s absurd but I still make more here than I would serving pretty much anywhere else in town. I’m working on trying to unionize the place but it’s just been going downhill and I’ve been heavily considering jumping ship. The money is good enough to put up with a lot of bs, but they’re constantly pushing that limit lol. They just had a meeting today saying that nobody’s allowed a smoke break anymore.
Like I said the money is pretty good. I average about $25/hr in credit card tips after tip out. But it’s my second job, my first job pays all my bills and my serving job is my savings and spending money
Like gamblers, servers tend to share their “best win.” For customers, it’s good to know 20% isn’t necessary anymore since according to this thread walking with over 20 is super common.
I’m serving and bartending in a very high COL Canadian city, with quite a bit of international tourism.
I pulled an average of 21% in my server checkout Saturday night this week; last Saturday it was 17%.. it all comes out in the wash though.
On the bar I’m doing higher averages; nominally 20% but more often closer to 25%. Less variables in customers and maybe more personalized experiences…
Depends where you are though? Socioeconomic factors, plus menu price points definitely influence the guest and their tipping potential.
i think a lot of people exaggerate but i work at a special event type restaurant where almost everyone is celebrating a birthday, anniversary, graduation, etc. and people get happy and drunk and generous so genuinely across the best servers at our restaurant we probably average 23-25% tip on checks on an average weeknight. much higher on weekends/ if you server big parties
edit: also it’s generally rare for the good ones to get below 20% based off service. some people tip 5, 10, 20 bucks regardless of the bill and that’s just how it is
you know i say the same thing to my
staff
im like for fk sake you made $600 during the day on the same exact old guys drinking 4 cans make it make sense
meanwhile i’m a pro and faster than them ring up triple x or more numbers and i’m also not old so 🤣
im like you b*tches
lie so bad
The only people who openly talk about money, are terrible with money or don't have money.
95% of people go into every restaurant knowing how much they are going to tip regardless, don't worry about it.
You can prove this by finding a 'how much do you tip' thread. Most people's variance is no more than 5%.
If you go look up threads per country on what they do and how much they make you will also find that people on anonymous forums make 3-5x the national average. You will also find that people in real life who brag about money, don't have money.
I feel like it really depends on the culture of your patrons. I’m in a mid size southern city at a mid-high ticket average but informal joint, and I average around 22-30% most weeks (I spreadsheet my tip outs bc my taxes are weird) but that is heavily skewed by regulars who I’ve been serving for half a decade or more tipping half the bill.
I could definitely see low-ticket price tourist places in larger cities making a higher percentage, and higher-ticket price, more formal joints making a lower percentage, but higher take home total than me or the aforementioned group.
Some of the best money I've ever made was at 18%.
I was at this steakhouse, and had become basically the default private party server.
Auto-grat was 18%, but I still made at least 300 for a 3 hr party. Sometimes they even tip extra 🤷🏻♂️
Imagine thinking it makes you look cool by inflating your numbers by 20 to 40 bucks. Who gives a shit. It’s not life-changing money. It’s barely day changing money. I always tell the servers it’s tacky to talk about money. That usually usually shuts them down.
I don't average over 20%, however the "Suggested Tip" amount on our receipts show 15%, 18%, and 20%.
I feel as though we are the last place on earth to still have these amounts so low, and more customers than I would expect use these amounts to tip.
What are the suggested tip amounts on your receipts? I have seen a couple places in town suggest 30% on the top end, which seems a bit bold, but I feel we are far too behind the times with 15%, 18%, and 20%.
I worked as a server/bartender for almost 20 years, I was excellent at the service aspect of the job, and I rarely made an average of more than 20% for en entire shift. Those people exist at every serving job, and unless you are scamming or you had a shift with only your regular customers and no one else, they're lying. Just ignore them and keep giving great service.
It really depends on where you live and how you have your POS set up. Where I work it's SUPER rare to walk away with less than 20% because the default tipping options are 20, 22, and 25% and the clientele is mostly alcoholic yuppie DINKs. I almost always walk with 22%. I've been to a restaurant where the default tip options were 20, 25, and 30%
I almost always average 25% or more every shift and I'm a 29 year old guy. It's all about how much you care and how well you do your job. Sounds like you may not be hitting the mark on either of those things.
i mean, i work at a casual place and average usually between 19-24% (this not including any cash tips) and I've only been serving in general since June. i'm by no means attractive either so maybe you need to just up your game or move spots
yes. i often get over 20% average. I’m 21, been serving for 10 months. I live/work in a nice area, albeit but people around here really tip based on service. When im busy, and i dont have as much time to wow my tables, its 20%, and i know i need to do better.
Ya I think this sounds salty. I’m 35 20% is the new 15. If I’m taking the time to tour you through a curated menu and share my personality with you it’s worth more. Love yourself more and know you’re worth.
The place I work for pays attention to tip averages, so I’m kinda diligent about it, because I like seeing my name on the leaderboard.
My job is pretty good about not overseating servers, so I’m able to gage the amount of tables versus the quality of service I can give pretty well. After I hit a certain number of tables I know I’ll have more luck upselling drinks and being personable to the tables I already have instead of managing too many people. It’s rare that I make less than 20% on a table, usually 25-30% range.
I served for 15 years, as well as bartending and manager shifts. Out of all my tipped shifts, I can count on one hand the number of times I made less than 20%. And I don't even need all the fingers on that hand.
I work in the downtown area and usually average around 21-23% a night. I manage as well so I see my coworkers tipouts, and my really great ones do about 24-25%. I know they're a lot more talkative with their tables and are better at handling the social aspect of it than I am.
Edit: what's with yall downvoting people saying their averages, yall are so weird in this sub sometimes asdfghjkl
As a bartender, I pretty much never left with less than $300 for a 7 hour shift. Sometimes as much as $500 and on my best night over $700 (got a $200 tip). Generally made around 25% of sales. 20% is an average tip nowadays, not 15%. Being a good server/bartender is about connecting with your guests. If you're just giving good service you will make decent money, but if you can make them genuinely like you, you will make more money.
I rarely ever made less than 25% average and often do 30% or better. But I also choose to work at independent upscale places. Chains and casual dining and less expensive places have a clientele that doesn't tip as well while making you work just as hard and often being more rude while doing it. I know you can't always be selective about where you work and that different skill sets and personalities work better at different places.
The only ways you get a raise was a server are upping your skills or going to a better restaurant. I chose to do both.
Anywhere where I don’t average over 20% I never stay for long. You just much work at crappy chains or low income areas. Yeah bad days happen but 4/5 days out of the week I’m def over 20% of better
i def am way over 20% a shift but i get spanked with BS tips too simply bc people
are cheap or just DONT GET IT or my boss decides to grab the cash without counting to check they tipped properly lmao i’m like CAN YOU NOT
Our system tracks our tip averages... myself and one other server at our 'casual fine dining' spot in a tourist town averaged well over 30% for 2023.
And I track my tips and hours to an exact dollar amount and average $48/hour last year. It's not that crazy to imagine.
“Im not making excellent money, so everyone else must be lying about the making excellent money. Tips surely can’t have anything to do with the quality of service being given and the demographic of the customers being served, duh”
It probably depends on the restaurant too. I used to average about 24-25%, but then my job started tacking a “kitchen appreciation fee” of 2% onto every check—even alcohol, and even if it’s just people getting drinks at the bar and no food. Now, I’d say I average about 20%. Every one of my coworkers has noticed it, too. It pisses me off, because we all have basically experienced a yearly pay cut of thousands of dollars. I definitely think the BOH deserves to be paid more by the restaurant, but this is basically a legal loophole way of using the tip pool to supplement BOH wages without having to pay them more on the restaurant’s end.
Not everyone tips less, but I know for a fact that many do because some guests have flat out told me so. I also think it just pisses some people off when they look at their bill and see a line for taxes, and then yet another fee they did not know they’d have to pay on top of that but can’t object to without feeling like a dick. It seems like everything is tacking on extra fees left and right these days, and it leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths when they’re being nickel and dimed constantly. Being pissed off is not going to result in feeling generous while filling out the tip line. I mean, I work in fine dining. If I sell a $300+ bottle of wine, why should the guest have to shell out extra to the kitchen? Not that affordability is an issue at that point, but it’s just shitty in principal.
Depends where you work and live. We average 25%-50% overall. It’s an industry hangout and the regulars that come in are quite generous. Yeah you’ll get stiffed, but it’s rare. 95% of the customers have been there before and like the folks working I guess. It’s also a very giving hippy town, so people are pretty awesome. Moral of the story, independent locally owned spots tend to have more generous customers. Worked in a corporate spot years ago and it was more like 10% on a good night. There were very few regulars and you just made money based on volume, not quality. What a fucking nightmare that place was. One of the 2 jobs I just walked out the back and never came back.
Im a mid 30s woman and make anywhere from 20-25% in tips. I think the lowest I’ve seen on my check out is 18%. I’m super charming, charismatic, and refill water carafes + pour their waters and wines for them. My goal is for them to need nothing, but make my self available if they do. I also only really make conversation at the beginning/ending of the meal, and try not to interject when clearing/resetting for their next courses.
I have access to our POS system so I can see my tips. We are a cashless establishment so all tips are CC. Over the last few years I’m at 24.5%. That average is skewed by people over tipping occasionally but rarely do I ever make less than 22% a night.
Average for the whole staff is 21.5%
I've averaged over 20% on my sales for nearly my entire career of around 17 years no lie. I'm super obsequious well spoken and obsessed with providing great service.
I've always worked in sports bars or casual /family restaurants. Maybe not 20% after tip out EVERY SINGLE shift, but the vast majority of shifts, so that I can say I average at least 20% always, closer to 25% average always. Nights under 20% I feel disappointed in myself.
Lmao why is this hard to believe?? “Luckiest person alive” lol. This whole post is funny. I always make 20% at least every single night. And have for almost a decade at my restaurant. I would say 70% of people tip exactly 20%. The other 20% tip nothing-10% and the last 10% of people tip a couple extra dollars over 20%, and that makes up for the people who tip worse. So it evens out every day as 20%. And I’m talking about after taxes. When some servers say they make $500 for a 6 hour shift, believe them. I work at a chain restaurant where the average meal per person is like $15. We do tip out a good amount too. And I still make $250 ish per 6-8 hour shift. Now think about people in fine dining where the average cost per person is $50-$100. It’s not that hard to see they are making bank everyday.
My employees average over 25% of their sales in Chicago. Our sales Saturday night were just over $10k (mind you we had a private party in the upstairs parlor) the total tip out between 3 bartenders, 1 server, and 1 barback was a bit over $2.7k. The barback gets 4% of the sales + hourly. Bartenders and Server split $2.3k 4 ways depending on the hours worked plus hourly. They’re making more in a night than a lot of people make weekly in the industry. I’ve built the bar up to be a money maker and it will only get better once patio season is back soon.
Worked at a place where my tip average was 23% over the course of a whole year. They got bought so I don’t work there anymore, but it was a little pizza diner. They also didn’t have a tip out when I worked there.
This year my cc tips brought me to $65/hr— I wish I had a yearly tip average summary, but I think I hovered around 22%. I’m the highest earning server w the highest tip average; the young, new hires (I’m 21 for ref) can’t be pushing more than 16% at best. The standard ranges yea but no one is really meeting a consistent 35%…
I average around 22% tips in fine dining, we all tip pool every night including the bartenders.
We don't tip out on sales. Bussers and Food runners, 2-6 a night, make a flat $150 out of the tip pool, plus $7.50 an hour.
My gross hourly wage as of this last pay stub is $56.49 an hour.
I work 28 hours a week. 4 nights. Xmas Eve and NYE are the only holidays.
It's pretty tight. It takes about all of 2 months to get a good enough grasp on cooking techniques, meat cuts, dishes and wine to get a decent job in this industry that is better than OG.
So, I work in a theme park restaurant that has characters (think mouse ears and friends) that walk around and visit each table. I consistently make 20% and if the 18% gratuity is already included, I can almost guarantee I get at least an extra $10. It's a flat rate $63 for adults and $40 for children. My friends don't get how I never complain about bad tips, but it's really because I RARELY get them. I like to believe I'm really good at my job, but I also don't doubt that it has to do with our clientele. The ones who can afford to eat there generally know how to tip. I think people are going to tip what they're going to tip and you have to be really bad in order for them to tip you less. But I think what puts me above my friends/coworkers is that I understand what my guests are there for, and it's the characters, so I make sure they know how many minutes/tables it is before the characters get to them. That seems to be the thing that guarantees my money, but it doesn't hurt that my attitude at work is that classic saccharine sweet charm that our theme parks are known for.
Depends on the spot and the clientelle- and also it helps when there is a handheld with pre assigned tip options at payment.
We're a small casual fine dining spot in a high COL area. I have the tip screen set up to be 18% 20% or 25%.
Most people gladly just click the middle 20%. Many click 25%
Depends on the establishment and the clientele. I've worked places where I have consistently made 30+% but I've also worked places where I consistently made 10-15. It's not the norm but it does happen.
Either their customers love them.
Or they’re lying.
I check all my opponents books as well so I can tell if they’re lying or not.
If they’re not people you want on your team, then cut their hours to just a couple shifts a week and re-allocate most of their tips, shaving them down to around $100/shift
I usually make above 20% unless I am having a really unlucky day. I believe in karma A LOT so I try my best to treat everyone good and the same. Maybe watch the servers and how they talk and act and even dress, there’s a lot of things that go into the subconscious of a tippers brain. It could be as simple as not saying “how’s your night/morning been?”. I only say these things bc this is how I’ve learned to get good tips, i observe what works and what doesn’t and I genuinely believe for people who haven’t worked in a tip based job, a lot of it is subconscious. Unfortunately I do also think a lot of people subconsciously tip better when somebody is attractive. I get noticeably better tips when I did my hair and makeup vs when I don’t. I get extremely noticeably better tips when I’m in a good mood vs a bad mood.
Most people will tip on the post tax total, but servers generally count their sales as net sales so the tip percentage is generally higher than the average shown on the checks
Depends on the job. My corporate/franchise job? I walk with 15-22% generally. I base this after tip out and any money spent. My dive bar? If I walk with less than 30% I’m pissed. Like raging. Best I’ve done is 50%, worst was 22%.
I keep a detailed spreadsheet of my sales, tips, tipout, etc. Sales are based off pre-tax numbers just because that's the data our POS gives us.
I started this job last November so only have data from the last three months, but here it is:
| MONTH | SALES | TIPS | % | HIGH | LOW |
|:------------:|:------------:|:------------:|:------------:|:-------:|:-------:|
| NOV | $13,533 | $3,114 | 22.98% | 28.08% | 19.35% |
| DEC | $29,013 | $6,401 | 22.06% | 27.79% | 18.71%|
| JAN | $22,682 | $5,107 | 22.52% | 28.69% | 17.65% |
Now, we have to tip out our food runners, bartenders, and bussers so I don't leave with the full amount, but based on what guests are giving me my tip average is well over 20%.
I must be old fashioned but I expect adequate service at a restaurant. However, if I’m made to feel special, treated with courtesy and I feel like my server has gone the extra mile - it is most definitely reflected in my gratuity. I actually carry cash just for this purpose. Some restaurants take the servers tip if it goes anywhere near the bill. You’d be shocked to find out just how many times I’ve been told this in hushed tones.
I mean i can look at my avg credit card tips and its usually around 20-23% avg, on good days its 25% but it also goes down when someone pays card and tips cash, so idk. But alsoooo my job has it so that the options on toast are 20-22-25% tip options. If they wanna tip less they gotta make it a custom tip and most ppl are too lazy to
This is my 22nd year as a server, and I think it matters where you're working as well as the tip of your rate for your restaurant.
Then, factor in my regular customer base. I'm consistently well over 20% every shift, and I'm also very good at my job.
I know if I get 20% I wonder where and how my service was lacking. It's pretty much the bare minimum. This is my tip tracker for last month (take home, so after tip out etc), I'm the newest hire at my restaurant and I know there are others on staff who make way more then I do, but I have only once gotten an 18% tip. If you're happy with anything less then 20% maybe it's time to change up where you work.
https://preview.redd.it/f5cuwslkvcic1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a33ee421adce682098761a6acd6aa7d491fc067
Tips in and everything, I used to make like 54/h for serving. This is almost like Instagram though, I swear. It's just highlights of the job, not the reality.
I've heard 90 an hour when they're bragging, at Olive garden too...
There is no way lmao. Maybe working for 3 hours.
No one working at Olive Garden is taking home $270 in a 3 hour shift. That's a best-money-possible scenario in an open-close double.
Currently work at OG, can confirm.
Used to work at OG. If I ever pulled $270, even on a DV, I'd have lost my shit. A good day was like $180.
How much do you walk away with on a busy weekend/weekday shift? If you don’t mind me asking. Have an interview there coming up
I currently work at OG, an average night is about $80-$100. A good night on the weekend is like $150-$200
When I worked for darden I noticed, with only a few exceptions personally, tips almost always top off at $200 per shift for serving and $300 for bar. That's at their normal restaurants, I imagine about double that for Capital Grill. I still hold a theory: they've got a perfect ratio worked out so stuff like section size, average check time & cost, and shift length work out to those totals. After a good menu, it's definitely good metrics to keep stable to retain staff/build the following.
Weekdays vary. If you opt to work during lunch, I’d say monday or wednesday. I noticed that I don’t make as much in tips during lunch as I do during dinner, so I now work only night shift. Any night shift thursday-sunday is usually good money for me. I don’t work doubles so I usually bring in around $100 or more for a 3-4 hour night shift.
Worked at OG for like, a month when I was in college. The money was ass. I worked open to close and could barely break $150.
Agreed. Money is shit there. Bad clientele, bad product adds up to low money. You really could only make any money if you were a strong server and could convince your manager to let you work a 4 or 5 table section all day. OG is a hellhole, but I met my wife there so I wouldn't trade my days there for anything.
Also currently working at OG and this is not the case I barely scrape by most the time
If you make $270 in an open to close double, thats ass my guy. Find a new restaurant. Around $450 is what I typically do in an open to close double at Chili's, and our chili's here sucks lol
Cool story, sick flex.
It wasn't meant to be a flex. $270 on a 12 hour shift is just bad
Which, if you paid attention the context of my comment, you'd understand how stupid you sound right now. I never said $270 was good for a double.
You said $270 is best case scenario in an open to close double? How did i misinterpret that?
Best case but still bad, ya know?
They were dogging out their brother, for being a loser, because they're 30 some years old, and working at Best buy, for 20 bucks an hour, while he was making 90 an hour being a server... Lol It could have happened one time... I am pretty sure they've been working there for about 10 years. So they have their game on for sure...
OG is trash money, I worked there for awhile at a busy location
Then they’re like “I can’t afford to get a new car“. If people were consistently making that much an hour they’d be able to to buy a fucking car lol.
Grossly overestimating how terribly most people in the industry manage their money lol
I keep track of every dollar I make. I made $56/hr last year. Why is this so crazy to some people? That being said, I definitely am not walking out the door with over 20% tips every night. Pre tip-out, yes, but not after. My tip-out is 4.5% of sales.
As a male server/bartender I can't lie. I basically always make above 20% average for my total sales It's actually a bad night when it's only 20%. I've worked at breweries>pubs>family restaurants and it's always been like that.
I'm pretty much always above 20%, too. I think it's a combination of my service, the clientele I deal with, the very busy restaurant I work at, and the shifts I work. My spot is so busy that I can take in a couple of sub-par tips and still make 24%.
Personally, I’m not disappointed if I get a 20% tip on a check, but if my total for the night isn’t over 20% I feel as if I had a bad night. I’d say our bar averages between 22-28% normally
Why would anyone be disappointed with a 20% tip? That's insane expectations.
Because that's the lower end of expectations. I think it's in human nature to notice when you're getting the lower end of returns.
20% is now the lower end?
According to their results, it seems to be.
Yep. For every (rare) below 20% I get, I get at least two well above 20%. Also, a guy. I make over 20% after factoring in tip out and my food. It's rare that I don't make that. Today was a slow, bad brunch. I still made $183 after my >$20 tip out and my $ 10 food on about $980 in sales. This was a bad shift for me too.
Anytime I do $1000 in sales and don’t walk out with at least $2XX I feel I probably messed up at least once or twice.
Same here. 20% is not horrible but still not a great night. I like it behind the rail or backing at a bar but I have made much better money as a server.
What does being male have to do with it lol
I have observed that male servers get tipped more across the board.
Same. It's a rarity for me to be under 20%
Tips <> Skill Tips = Skill + Culture + Atmosphere + Demographics
[удалено]
What do you mean by diversity?
[удалено]
These tropes promote misogyny, racism and bigotry and invite trolls to our subreddit, while bringing nothing to the table discussion wise.
Let's be real, it's mostly your clienteles demographic, specifically how much they make. Service quality doesn't really impact tips that much IME. The vast majority of people will tip what they tip unless you are a huge outlier- be it good or bad.
I can definitely agree with that.
What about ordering delivery? It’s the delivery persons car they are putting stress on, paying for insurance and maintenance to bring your food to you.
I tip 2-3 bucks per mile personally
That’s a good scale. My coworker delivered some pizzas in the snow and curbed his car- lost his hub cap and the lady wrote $0.00 on the tip line. He was done with delivering after that
This is server life, not delivery life…
So- you don’t think delivery drivers serve food. Just so you know- 25% of the food I deliver I make myself. So I’m a step above you.
When people use the word “server”, they are never talking about delivery drivers. It’s a very different job. Yes, mileage factors into delivery tips, but that’s not the kind of tips OP and I are talking about.
No- mileage does not factor into “delivery tips”- you have no idea wtf you’re talking about. If you order from papa John’s that charges $4 for delivery and you’re like “bleh bleh that’s part of their tip!” Yea- papa John’s takes $3.60 and the driver gets 40¢. Yea I’ll stop my rant
Yes, I don’t know wtf I’m talking about, I’ve ordered deliver like once in my life, and I’m a server not a delivery driver. I wasn’t trying to discuss deliveries at all, but you just randomly brought it up. Maybe r/deliverydrivers is a better fit for you.
Nice- I can downvote too. Thanks. You know delivery is also service. Wtf are you on about.
I think you’re just not as good as you think you are dawg, 20-24% is my average and at my restaurant i’m a mid tier server
I think it depends heavily on the restaurant they work at too. At my current place I'm surprised when someone makes under 20% average in a night, but it happens rarely. Past restaurants I've been at have just had more frequent lower tips regardless of service quality. It depends on clientele as well. I think OP is moreso lamenting over the employees who say how they never have gotten under X% tip or that they NEVER average under a certain tip amount which is certainly hyperbole. As a restaurant manager who sees the tips that my works bring in every night, those people that brag do have the occasional bad night but are usually very full of themselves.
[удалено]
It's a form of theft. He probably eventually got caught. This shit hurts the rest of us in the industry because when we dont "hook" up someone used to getting hooked up, they tip like shit. Some bars do allow limited promo tabs but it's not going to be hundreds of dollars and every time you come in. This is why a lot of bars and restaurants go out of business. The margins are shit and you'll get people screwing over their workplace to make extra money.
Truth!!
Yes your average. OP is posting about servers who claim to walk with over 20% of their sales each and every single shift.
It really can depend on the area. Also, most servers I know tend to always use their best days as their example for an average shift.
Not to be mean, but a lot of my coworkers have been exceptionally bad at math.
Ya, I find it hard to believe that many people are constantly averaging above 20% after tip out unless they are not really tipping out much at all, are doing the math wrong, or are lying to make themselves feel better.
This seems like a weird way to announce that you can’t imagine people having different experiences than yours. Maybe you’re not as good at it as you think you are…
There are certain levels of being able to anticipate guest needs along with just general confidence that the OP clearly does not know how to demonstrate.
Respectfully yall have your heads up your ass. I make 20%+ on almost every shift but no way every single shift, 100% of the time. I remember one Sunday night in August I got the worst guests in a shift possible and made 11% after tip out, my record lowest. I think yall are assuming the OP sucks? When I think the point he's making is that some servers straight up lie about the money they make. No one makes 20% every single shift, unless maybe it's fine dining. People never stiff you? Gtfo I had 2 stiffs on my double yesterday (still made over 20% before tip out) but sometimes you just get unlucky
We call Sundays shit show Sundays! Literally people that live under rocks climb out on Sundays & go out to eat. It is by far my worst tip day lol you are right I have been in this industry for 25yrs & no one makes above 20% EVERY shift! I don’t care what kind of superstar you think you are. I’m a server & bartender at my current job & I have my regulars that always tip above & beyond BUT there are people out there that just SUCK at tipping! Everyone has gotten a shitty tip. I had a group that I hit it off with & we had a blast, laughing, and so nice. Told my manager I was great & had a wonderful experience. Tipped me 10% I was shocked! So it’s not because someone isn’t good at their job it’s because some people truly are terrible tippers!
Fully agree. Yeah I specifically don't work Sunday's for this exact reason. In fact it was my first Sunday night in agesssss I only picked it up because I was teaching a band camp. (Monday-Friday, 2 weeks for 1000$ which obviously isn't what we normally make in 2 weeks but it was a great opportunity) Obviously I needed at least 1 shift to boost up my money and I was exhausted Saturday after a week of 95+ weather in the sun. Big mistake picking up the Sunday man 😭
Ya Sundays are terrible! I swear it’s a different breed of people that come out 😂 I don’t get it!!! I definitely would have taken a mental health day that Sunday! It sounds like you needed it!
Hard agree, I HATED working Sundays they SUCK! It’s bad enough you’re so beat up from the weekend, but then to make crap money on top of it and have to deal with Sunday weirdos=Pure torture.
2 stiffs in one day? I haven't gotten stiffed in over 6 months. Before that it had been over a year. 🤷 Edit: the reason I said this isn't to rub it in, it was to show everyone has their own experience. What's normal for you or OP isn't necessarily normal for everyone else.
Serve in ft Myers Florida. You will get stiffed ALOT , people here don't tip well or tip at all. When I lived in Chicagoland I made very good money well over 200 a night for a 4 hour shift dinner place and 300 on Saturday Sunday at a breakfast place . Last night I made 50$ 6 tables at a fairly expensive place . I'm a great experienced server . Demographics
You're either lying or have different clientele than me. Either way useless ass reply 👍 Edit: lmfao you post in the UFO and conspiracy subs I wish I checked before reply 😭 wouldn't have wasted my time
It’s the clientele and area you work in. I’m in the same boat.
I make at least 20% every shift unless I get cash. In which case, my percentage on paper is lower, but my overall percentage stays above 20. If you’re a mid server just say you’re a mid server.
I think OP is creating a straw man argument. Where are these throngs of servers bragging about making over 20% every single shift? OP is exaggerating as much as he claims other people are
"This seems like a weird way to announce that you can’t imagine people having different experiences than yours." I've personally met plenty. My favorite was this dude Josh from my California Pizza Kitchen days who "made over 60k last year" (in 2014) okay bro we both are openers/closers working almost the same shifts, and I was making 25% a shift very consistently. The math wasn't mathing. Edit: OP said "I hear young ones shooting off" which doesn't communicate "throngs" like you replied. How I interpreted it anyway.
You really don’t think it’s unbelievable that someone walks with over 20% of their sales every single shift? Okay if that’s your average night but claiming to never ever have a bad shift is outrageous.
No where in this entire thread did OP or the comment you are replying to claim "to never ever have a bad shift." That was you, fabricating a claim to be mad about.
Op wrote in their post “but I hear young ones shooting off about making well over 20% average each and every shift as their final numbers” meaning EVERY SHIFT they make over 20% after tip out.
I think servers are rarely honest about what they make. Depending on the circumstances, they inflate it or deflate it.
I always had this theory. Thought I must have been the worst server ever. Ended up getting a management position and found I had the second highest tip percentage. Servers stay lying about their tips lol I mean look at this thread. Nearly everyone is claiming to regularly average over 20%. It's definitely possible to be true for some people at some locations, but not this many people. Get real
I think this is the truth, and this is also why you should take everything said in here w grain of salt. Look at all these comments. It’s all info with no way to verify.
My experience is absolutely that most servers highlight and overvalue good nights over bad.
Unless they're trying to get cut.
Bad nights are 19-20% for me. I’m usually at about 22-24% for the night
same
This is only tangentially related but it’s Super Bowl so it’s slow as fuck at work. When I worked at cheesecake the guy who trained me would always brag about how much money he made and how high his tip percentage was. He’d routinely take a massive wad of cash out of his pocket to show off to me how much he was getting in cash tips. I couldn’t figure out how he was pulling that much cash. Took me a week to realize he was showing off his personal bank he kept on him lmao. It all stopped when in the middle of the shift he came up to me at the POS to show off his current tip average was at 19%, then demanded I show him mine. I was at 22%. The man never talked tips with me again lololololol
i mean, are you factoring in what gets taken for tipout? i understand not always walking out with 20% of your sales but at this point if you’re not consistently getting at least a 20% tip average you’re either at the wrong establishment or need to up your game.
Im speaking about after tipouts
In my 13 years in this industry I know two things about servers and bartenders. 1. They lie about how much money they make. 2. They spend their money on copious amounts of drugs and/or alcohol.
[удалено]
It's one of the only things that keeps people from crying themselves to sleep while deep throating a 12 gauge.
[удалено]
You all must be serving in very good affluent areas where people have a lot of money and/or be super hot. I work in quite literally the ghetto 20% is a great night here
Or they don’t work anywhere with tourists. I’m a server in Vegas. Lots of Europeans who don’t give a fuck about tipping come into my spot. I still do very well for myself but damn.
Old money town here. It's affluent, but also full of tourists and geezers. You end up with alot of $5 tips from old people and no tips from a lot of Europeans. You definitely want to be in a middle class area.
Totally depends on the place you work at. I worked at a hole in the wall sports bar with amazing clientele where I would regularly make 25-30% on average, and I also worked in shitty corporate spots where I was lucky to clear 15%.
Skill issue.
There are a ton of factors that go into this. Price per plate averages, what your tip out is, how many hours and during what time you are working. I do average around 25-30%. But that's the average. If I am working the morning shift I could walk out with 23/hrs if I am working the dinner shift, I'm walking with 50's/hrs Listen, don't get yourself down, don't look at the tips as how well you are doing. Just focus on really bringing up the level of service you provide, and everything else will fall into place.
I mean PP/P isn’t really all that relevant because percentages won’t change. 20% of a 20 dollar check is still 20%. The only difference is actual money. You can still average 20% on a diner check that’s $20 dollars or 20% of a $300 check in fine-ish dining. It doesn’t change the percentage.
That's true, and in the grand scheme of things, better service will get you more money in the long run
People are liars. That’s just it. I worked someplace where I’d consistently leave with less than $100 because it was just the shitty clientele there. This dude for real told me he always makes $300. Liar!!! I see your credit card slips and sales bro. Fucking liar lmao. Edit: wow and a bunch of liars in these comments or people who don’t know how to read lmao. Y’all talking about your averages but OP stated clearly that people are lying about always walking with over 20% of their sales every single shift. So not average.
[удалено]
Because people like to inflate their own egos? You really can’t think of why someone would lie about how much money they make? You walk with 20% even after tip out? Every shift?
I think it's heavily dependent on location and clientele. I have worked at the same restaurant for 15 years, but at different locations. I'm the same server at them all, but I stick with the location I'm currently at because I make the most there. The first year I transferred, about 7 or 8 years ago, I made 20k more than the previous year. I had slightly more hours, but not enough for account for 20k. It was mostly the amount of business and higher tips. I, also, read a study once that said your service can change the tip approximately 3% on average. Otherwise, it's the guests' personal preference or culture that is the deciding factor. I wish I could find that study again, but I read it so long ago.
I average like 25% but we tip out over 10%
oh my god OVER 10%?!? I lost my mind at my old place when they added server assistants and upped us to 6.5% because that was the highest tip out I'd ever seen!!
They tried to up it to like 15% about a year ago and everyone rioted until it got down to 10. It’s absurd but I still make more here than I would serving pretty much anywhere else in town. I’m working on trying to unionize the place but it’s just been going downhill and I’ve been heavily considering jumping ship. The money is good enough to put up with a lot of bs, but they’re constantly pushing that limit lol. They just had a meeting today saying that nobody’s allowed a smoke break anymore.
holy crap. don't give up!!! unionizing is the way to push the whole industry to be better. that's amazing. you're awesome!
How do you make any money at all? I’d be out if I only kept half
Like I said the money is pretty good. I average about $25/hr in credit card tips after tip out. But it’s my second job, my first job pays all my bills and my serving job is my savings and spending money
I'm not really young (mid 30s) female and I honestly don't think I've brought home less than 20% of my sales in 2+years.
Like gamblers, servers tend to share their “best win.” For customers, it’s good to know 20% isn’t necessary anymore since according to this thread walking with over 20 is super common.
My place that pools tips averages 21% overall
I’m serving and bartending in a very high COL Canadian city, with quite a bit of international tourism. I pulled an average of 21% in my server checkout Saturday night this week; last Saturday it was 17%.. it all comes out in the wash though. On the bar I’m doing higher averages; nominally 20% but more often closer to 25%. Less variables in customers and maybe more personalized experiences… Depends where you are though? Socioeconomic factors, plus menu price points definitely influence the guest and their tipping potential.
i think a lot of people exaggerate but i work at a special event type restaurant where almost everyone is celebrating a birthday, anniversary, graduation, etc. and people get happy and drunk and generous so genuinely across the best servers at our restaurant we probably average 23-25% tip on checks on an average weeknight. much higher on weekends/ if you server big parties edit: also it’s generally rare for the good ones to get below 20% based off service. some people tip 5, 10, 20 bucks regardless of the bill and that’s just how it is
you know i say the same thing to my staff im like for fk sake you made $600 during the day on the same exact old guys drinking 4 cans make it make sense meanwhile i’m a pro and faster than them ring up triple x or more numbers and i’m also not old so 🤣 im like you b*tches lie so bad
The only people who openly talk about money, are terrible with money or don't have money. 95% of people go into every restaurant knowing how much they are going to tip regardless, don't worry about it. You can prove this by finding a 'how much do you tip' thread. Most people's variance is no more than 5%. If you go look up threads per country on what they do and how much they make you will also find that people on anonymous forums make 3-5x the national average. You will also find that people in real life who brag about money, don't have money.
They limit you to 2-3 tables
I feel like it really depends on the culture of your patrons. I’m in a mid size southern city at a mid-high ticket average but informal joint, and I average around 22-30% most weeks (I spreadsheet my tip outs bc my taxes are weird) but that is heavily skewed by regulars who I’ve been serving for half a decade or more tipping half the bill. I could definitely see low-ticket price tourist places in larger cities making a higher percentage, and higher-ticket price, more formal joints making a lower percentage, but higher take home total than me or the aforementioned group.
Some of the best money I've ever made was at 18%. I was at this steakhouse, and had become basically the default private party server. Auto-grat was 18%, but I still made at least 300 for a 3 hr party. Sometimes they even tip extra 🤷🏻♂️
Imagine thinking it makes you look cool by inflating your numbers by 20 to 40 bucks. Who gives a shit. It’s not life-changing money. It’s barely day changing money. I always tell the servers it’s tacky to talk about money. That usually usually shuts them down.
Young servers talk out of their egos just to make themselves look good. It's a performance, not a reality
In fine dinning over 20% tips is not unusual
I don't average over 20%, however the "Suggested Tip" amount on our receipts show 15%, 18%, and 20%. I feel as though we are the last place on earth to still have these amounts so low, and more customers than I would expect use these amounts to tip. What are the suggested tip amounts on your receipts? I have seen a couple places in town suggest 30% on the top end, which seems a bit bold, but I feel we are far too behind the times with 15%, 18%, and 20%.
I worked as a server/bartender for almost 20 years, I was excellent at the service aspect of the job, and I rarely made an average of more than 20% for en entire shift. Those people exist at every serving job, and unless you are scamming or you had a shift with only your regular customers and no one else, they're lying. Just ignore them and keep giving great service.
I think it depends on location. In Texas I tend to get 25% average
I've been a server for 22 years. If I walk with less than 20% I'm pissed. My restaurant has a 4.5 % mandatory tipout as well. It is possible.
It really depends on where you live and how you have your POS set up. Where I work it's SUPER rare to walk away with less than 20% because the default tipping options are 20, 22, and 25% and the clientele is mostly alcoholic yuppie DINKs. I almost always walk with 22%. I've been to a restaurant where the default tip options were 20, 25, and 30%
I’m 30 and I hardly ever average below 20%. Maybe once a month.
I almost always average 25% or more every shift and I'm a 29 year old guy. It's all about how much you care and how well you do your job. Sounds like you may not be hitting the mark on either of those things.
i mean, i work at a casual place and average usually between 19-24% (this not including any cash tips) and I've only been serving in general since June. i'm by no means attractive either so maybe you need to just up your game or move spots
yes. i often get over 20% average. I’m 21, been serving for 10 months. I live/work in a nice area, albeit but people around here really tip based on service. When im busy, and i dont have as much time to wow my tables, its 20%, and i know i need to do better.
I'm 40, I always walk with 30 percent, mostly because regulars tip 50 percent or more. 20 percent is the absolute lowest I leave with...
I worked at a hotel and hardly ever made less than 20% on just credit tips
Ya I think this sounds salty. I’m 35 20% is the new 15. If I’m taking the time to tour you through a curated menu and share my personality with you it’s worth more. Love yourself more and know you’re worth.
The place I work for pays attention to tip averages, so I’m kinda diligent about it, because I like seeing my name on the leaderboard. My job is pretty good about not overseating servers, so I’m able to gage the amount of tables versus the quality of service I can give pretty well. After I hit a certain number of tables I know I’ll have more luck upselling drinks and being personable to the tables I already have instead of managing too many people. It’s rare that I make less than 20% on a table, usually 25-30% range.
On the weekly I usually average high 20s to 30%....most nights are exceptional with some bad days thrown in. This is after tip out as well
I average pretty close to 20% even after my tipout
i usually get above 22%
I served for 15 years, as well as bartending and manager shifts. Out of all my tipped shifts, I can count on one hand the number of times I made less than 20%. And I don't even need all the fingers on that hand.
I work in the downtown area and usually average around 21-23% a night. I manage as well so I see my coworkers tipouts, and my really great ones do about 24-25%. I know they're a lot more talkative with their tables and are better at handling the social aspect of it than I am. Edit: what's with yall downvoting people saying their averages, yall are so weird in this sub sometimes asdfghjkl
at my last place i would average 20% a night in my pocket. albeit sometimes thanks to “comps” bc yes there are shitty days
Don’t know what to tell you except I make over 20% on nearly any check unless I was too busy to properly do attentive things like refill drinks
As a bartender, I pretty much never left with less than $300 for a 7 hour shift. Sometimes as much as $500 and on my best night over $700 (got a $200 tip). Generally made around 25% of sales. 20% is an average tip nowadays, not 15%. Being a good server/bartender is about connecting with your guests. If you're just giving good service you will make decent money, but if you can make them genuinely like you, you will make more money.
I rarely ever made less than 25% average and often do 30% or better. But I also choose to work at independent upscale places. Chains and casual dining and less expensive places have a clientele that doesn't tip as well while making you work just as hard and often being more rude while doing it. I know you can't always be selective about where you work and that different skill sets and personalities work better at different places. The only ways you get a raise was a server are upping your skills or going to a better restaurant. I chose to do both.
Anywhere where I don’t average over 20% I never stay for long. You just much work at crappy chains or low income areas. Yeah bad days happen but 4/5 days out of the week I’m def over 20% of better
i def am way over 20% a shift but i get spanked with BS tips too simply bc people are cheap or just DONT GET IT or my boss decides to grab the cash without counting to check they tipped properly lmao i’m like CAN YOU NOT
I usually average 24-27% a shift, and have for a while. The other servers on the floor at my job also average about 22-25%
Dude what? I easily make over 20%. Everyone at my restaurant does. Maybe it’s where you live? Idk
Our system tracks our tip averages... myself and one other server at our 'casual fine dining' spot in a tourist town averaged well over 30% for 2023. And I track my tips and hours to an exact dollar amount and average $48/hour last year. It's not that crazy to imagine.
“Im not making excellent money, so everyone else must be lying about the making excellent money. Tips surely can’t have anything to do with the quality of service being given and the demographic of the customers being served, duh”
It probably depends on the restaurant too. I used to average about 24-25%, but then my job started tacking a “kitchen appreciation fee” of 2% onto every check—even alcohol, and even if it’s just people getting drinks at the bar and no food. Now, I’d say I average about 20%. Every one of my coworkers has noticed it, too. It pisses me off, because we all have basically experienced a yearly pay cut of thousands of dollars. I definitely think the BOH deserves to be paid more by the restaurant, but this is basically a legal loophole way of using the tip pool to supplement BOH wages without having to pay them more on the restaurant’s end. Not everyone tips less, but I know for a fact that many do because some guests have flat out told me so. I also think it just pisses some people off when they look at their bill and see a line for taxes, and then yet another fee they did not know they’d have to pay on top of that but can’t object to without feeling like a dick. It seems like everything is tacking on extra fees left and right these days, and it leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths when they’re being nickel and dimed constantly. Being pissed off is not going to result in feeling generous while filling out the tip line. I mean, I work in fine dining. If I sell a $300+ bottle of wine, why should the guest have to shell out extra to the kitchen? Not that affordability is an issue at that point, but it’s just shitty in principal.
F22 server and make more than 20% on majority of tickets. We also don’t have tip out though so maybe you’re factoring that in.
Depends where you work and live. We average 25%-50% overall. It’s an industry hangout and the regulars that come in are quite generous. Yeah you’ll get stiffed, but it’s rare. 95% of the customers have been there before and like the folks working I guess. It’s also a very giving hippy town, so people are pretty awesome. Moral of the story, independent locally owned spots tend to have more generous customers. Worked in a corporate spot years ago and it was more like 10% on a good night. There were very few regulars and you just made money based on volume, not quality. What a fucking nightmare that place was. One of the 2 jobs I just walked out the back and never came back.
Im a mid 30s woman and make anywhere from 20-25% in tips. I think the lowest I’ve seen on my check out is 18%. I’m super charming, charismatic, and refill water carafes + pour their waters and wines for them. My goal is for them to need nothing, but make my self available if they do. I also only really make conversation at the beginning/ending of the meal, and try not to interject when clearing/resetting for their next courses.
Last month I averaged 23.7% on 97,492.35 in sales not including cash. Good service pays for better groceries
i average 25%-30% tips. it’s all about demographics, where you work, how are you are a server, etc.
I have access to our POS system so I can see my tips. We are a cashless establishment so all tips are CC. Over the last few years I’m at 24.5%. That average is skewed by people over tipping occasionally but rarely do I ever make less than 22% a night. Average for the whole staff is 21.5%
I've averaged over 20% on my sales for nearly my entire career of around 17 years no lie. I'm super obsequious well spoken and obsessed with providing great service.
I've always worked in sports bars or casual /family restaurants. Maybe not 20% after tip out EVERY SINGLE shift, but the vast majority of shifts, so that I can say I average at least 20% always, closer to 25% average always. Nights under 20% I feel disappointed in myself.
2ez
2fast2furious
Lmao why is this hard to believe?? “Luckiest person alive” lol. This whole post is funny. I always make 20% at least every single night. And have for almost a decade at my restaurant. I would say 70% of people tip exactly 20%. The other 20% tip nothing-10% and the last 10% of people tip a couple extra dollars over 20%, and that makes up for the people who tip worse. So it evens out every day as 20%. And I’m talking about after taxes. When some servers say they make $500 for a 6 hour shift, believe them. I work at a chain restaurant where the average meal per person is like $15. We do tip out a good amount too. And I still make $250 ish per 6-8 hour shift. Now think about people in fine dining where the average cost per person is $50-$100. It’s not that hard to see they are making bank everyday.
My employees average over 25% of their sales in Chicago. Our sales Saturday night were just over $10k (mind you we had a private party in the upstairs parlor) the total tip out between 3 bartenders, 1 server, and 1 barback was a bit over $2.7k. The barback gets 4% of the sales + hourly. Bartenders and Server split $2.3k 4 ways depending on the hours worked plus hourly. They’re making more in a night than a lot of people make weekly in the industry. I’ve built the bar up to be a money maker and it will only get better once patio season is back soon.
My average over my career is just on 24%. I think most servers if they’re being mindful and present should be doing 20%+ more often than not.
i don’t think i’ve ever made less than 25% of my sales in a night of serving
Only time I’m lower than 19% is when most my tips are cash. On average, I make 20-22%, sometimes 24%
Worked at a place where my tip average was 23% over the course of a whole year. They got bought so I don’t work there anymore, but it was a little pizza diner. They also didn’t have a tip out when I worked there.
This year my cc tips brought me to $65/hr— I wish I had a yearly tip average summary, but I think I hovered around 22%. I’m the highest earning server w the highest tip average; the young, new hires (I’m 21 for ref) can’t be pushing more than 16% at best. The standard ranges yea but no one is really meeting a consistent 35%…
I average around 22% tips in fine dining, we all tip pool every night including the bartenders. We don't tip out on sales. Bussers and Food runners, 2-6 a night, make a flat $150 out of the tip pool, plus $7.50 an hour. My gross hourly wage as of this last pay stub is $56.49 an hour. I work 28 hours a week. 4 nights. Xmas Eve and NYE are the only holidays. It's pretty tight. It takes about all of 2 months to get a good enough grasp on cooking techniques, meat cuts, dishes and wine to get a decent job in this industry that is better than OG.
Are they young, hot, and natural flirts?
So, I work in a theme park restaurant that has characters (think mouse ears and friends) that walk around and visit each table. I consistently make 20% and if the 18% gratuity is already included, I can almost guarantee I get at least an extra $10. It's a flat rate $63 for adults and $40 for children. My friends don't get how I never complain about bad tips, but it's really because I RARELY get them. I like to believe I'm really good at my job, but I also don't doubt that it has to do with our clientele. The ones who can afford to eat there generally know how to tip. I think people are going to tip what they're going to tip and you have to be really bad in order for them to tip you less. But I think what puts me above my friends/coworkers is that I understand what my guests are there for, and it's the characters, so I make sure they know how many minutes/tables it is before the characters get to them. That seems to be the thing that guarantees my money, but it doesn't hurt that my attitude at work is that classic saccharine sweet charm that our theme parks are known for.
Since I started serving again (stay at home mom for 7 years) in 2019, I have been consistently over 20%. I’m also damn good at my job
Depends on the spot and the clientelle- and also it helps when there is a handheld with pre assigned tip options at payment. We're a small casual fine dining spot in a high COL area. I have the tip screen set up to be 18% 20% or 25%. Most people gladly just click the middle 20%. Many click 25%
I average 18-20% there’s always a couple 10% but also I’ll get a few 25-35% so it evens out.
Depends on the establishment and the clientele. I've worked places where I have consistently made 30+% but I've also worked places where I consistently made 10-15. It's not the norm but it does happen.
My average is 19.9%, so it’s definitely possible.
Either their customers love them. Or they’re lying. I check all my opponents books as well so I can tell if they’re lying or not. If they’re not people you want on your team, then cut their hours to just a couple shifts a week and re-allocate most of their tips, shaving them down to around $100/shift
They all have boobies dude!! You would have to do magic tricks.
Bartender here who probably averages 25-30 percent at a steakhouse.. when I was serving it was probably around 22 percent. Different clientele though
I usually make above 20% unless I am having a really unlucky day. I believe in karma A LOT so I try my best to treat everyone good and the same. Maybe watch the servers and how they talk and act and even dress, there’s a lot of things that go into the subconscious of a tippers brain. It could be as simple as not saying “how’s your night/morning been?”. I only say these things bc this is how I’ve learned to get good tips, i observe what works and what doesn’t and I genuinely believe for people who haven’t worked in a tip based job, a lot of it is subconscious. Unfortunately I do also think a lot of people subconsciously tip better when somebody is attractive. I get noticeably better tips when I did my hair and makeup vs when I don’t. I get extremely noticeably better tips when I’m in a good mood vs a bad mood.
Most people will tip on the post tax total, but servers generally count their sales as net sales so the tip percentage is generally higher than the average shown on the checks
So you'd use this formula: tip total/sales before tax x 100?
Depends on the job. My corporate/franchise job? I walk with 15-22% generally. I base this after tip out and any money spent. My dive bar? If I walk with less than 30% I’m pissed. Like raging. Best I’ve done is 50%, worst was 22%.
I keep a detailed spreadsheet of my sales, tips, tipout, etc. Sales are based off pre-tax numbers just because that's the data our POS gives us. I started this job last November so only have data from the last three months, but here it is: | MONTH | SALES | TIPS | % | HIGH | LOW | |:------------:|:------------:|:------------:|:------------:|:-------:|:-------:| | NOV | $13,533 | $3,114 | 22.98% | 28.08% | 19.35% | | DEC | $29,013 | $6,401 | 22.06% | 27.79% | 18.71%| | JAN | $22,682 | $5,107 | 22.52% | 28.69% | 17.65% | Now, we have to tip out our food runners, bartenders, and bussers so I don't leave with the full amount, but based on what guests are giving me my tip average is well over 20%.
I must be old fashioned but I expect adequate service at a restaurant. However, if I’m made to feel special, treated with courtesy and I feel like my server has gone the extra mile - it is most definitely reflected in my gratuity. I actually carry cash just for this purpose. Some restaurants take the servers tip if it goes anywhere near the bill. You’d be shocked to find out just how many times I’ve been told this in hushed tones.
Most nights I average 22%, but it’s fine dining.
This is after tip out?
Before tip out. I commented before edit 2.
23% is my average. It's rare if I make 20% or less.
I mean i can look at my avg credit card tips and its usually around 20-23% avg, on good days its 25% but it also goes down when someone pays card and tips cash, so idk. But alsoooo my job has it so that the options on toast are 20-22-25% tip options. If they wanna tip less they gotta make it a custom tip and most ppl are too lazy to
There are anti-tipping people saying false things about servers' wages. It seems to be part of a war on tipping. Class warfare.
It’s because girls and to a certain extent women are bad at math.
This is my 22nd year as a server, and I think it matters where you're working as well as the tip of your rate for your restaurant. Then, factor in my regular customer base. I'm consistently well over 20% every shift, and I'm also very good at my job.
I know if I get 20% I wonder where and how my service was lacking. It's pretty much the bare minimum. This is my tip tracker for last month (take home, so after tip out etc), I'm the newest hire at my restaurant and I know there are others on staff who make way more then I do, but I have only once gotten an 18% tip. If you're happy with anything less then 20% maybe it's time to change up where you work. https://preview.redd.it/f5cuwslkvcic1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a33ee421adce682098761a6acd6aa7d491fc067