Yeah, that's why there is a big difference in the US, and why tipping is so important here. That is how pretty much all 'sit down' type restaurants operate here.
While giving a tip can be optional when it's 'extra' in the UK, not tipping a server making $2 an hour is equivalent to spitting in their face.

My husband and I both worked in restaurants in college. As a hostess who sat people, I was paid 7 or more dollars an hour. My husband waiting tables started at $2.13 an hour. I didn't get tips, but obviously he depended on them-because without them he was running around like mad for practically nothing.
I really think people just misunderstand that, especially if they are from other countries and just don't have the same system-but my point is that not tipping at all is never okay.

Crap service is like a spit in the face too, people should not be rewarded for being rude and poor at their job.

Oh please. They still performed a service, whether you think it was great or not-they still worked for you. You simply don't give them a good tip if you think it was bad. Secondly, you go to their manager. It's common practice to give people free meals when the server screws up.

that's mental. that shouldn't be allowed in this day and age.

I know. It 's how the system is though. I think it would be a lot more fair if they at least made minimum wage. serving tables is really hard work. hosting was bad enough for me (I sat the tables, dealt with the waiting list, and to go orders) , it was exhausting just being on my feet for so long-but servers had to do way more than me.
That's why the subject bothers me so much. My husband absolutely worked his ass off , on his feet for hours-and people treated him like crap a lot of the time. that's just not fair, ya know? The people who work at McDonald's are guaranteed minimum wage even if you treat them like crap, but servers in nicer places are not-they depend on their customers.

it should be minimum wage, that's terrible. i don't understand how they can use such a shit system.

I think it's because in theory, servers can usually make over the minimum wage and do well, so they make up for it. but, that depends completely on the night, how many tables they have, etc. Most of the time, my husband did okay, and made more than min. wage. There were good nights and bad nights though. it all depended on how busy they were.

did he ever serve foreigners that didn't know about tipping? what do you do in that situation? is it ok to tell them they should tip?

that's a good question. I'm not sure he ever did, I'd have to ask.

I think he would just assume they knew what to do, unless they asked-and I do think it would be weird to tell them to tip...just because severs don't talk about that, ya know? I think more than likely, he wouldn't say anything to them about it, because you don't want to be seen as rude to the person paying you. you just take what they give you.

that being said, I was in an area where we didn't have foreigners coming in often at all, so it wasn't typically an issue. now that I think of it, we did have an Australian lady once. But her daughter was here and I think she was aware of how it worked. I hope so anyway. :-P
Now, if he were a server, in say, NYC where people come and are tourists or visit or whatever, that might be different. they might be more outspoken about what the customs are. but where we are, I think we wouldn't want to bring it up unless people asked directly.

also, just to clarify following you know who 's comment above: I cannot speak for every restaurant in the US, obviously. Some businesses in some places may pay their servers more per hour, but, what I described is common practice, and it's acceptable under our labor laws. The restaurant we worked at is a large franchise that is all over the country, and other popular places like it do the same thing ours did. I say this because if you are not used to tipping and you go out to eat here, you can't assume your server is making a good wage automatically, which is why tipping in the US is expected.

I dont think so. I think that most of them are paid below minimum wage and are expected to compensate on tips. That's just hearsay, so I could be wrong.

You don't tip at all anywhere in any situation? How odd! I did not know this! Although I like it, because I don't really understand the concept of tiping!

In some places here they even already add it to the bill, so you'd have to be like "No, I do not want to pay the tip!" lol

i've never heard of tipping other than if you wanted to try and pick up the waiter/waitress. lol. i'd be like: "wtf, how much am i sposed to give? i don't get this" if i had to tip. it just doesn't happen here. some places have tip jars at the counter, but i have no idea if they ever split it amongst staff. i've certainly never put money in it.

In my state minimum wage is $7.15 an hour*I think. I could be wrong, but it is in that range*

My boyfriend's mother got paid $2.65 an hour as a waitress. So yes, they get paid. But they could never in a million years live on what they are being paid.

yeah i'd gathered that from the other responses. it's ridiculous that they can get away with that.

I know, right?

I mean, if you work in the right places, and the right hours, you can still make okay money. But it really sucks that you have to rely on the generosity of others to pay your bills.

people would have a fit here if we operated that way. i'm surprised they still do it like that. it's annoying enough having to be nice to customers, particularly ones that don't deserve it, without having to be nice and hoping they actually tip you properly.

Orlando = tourism = people from all over the country can act like bufoons and get away with it.

the tax thing-that isn't added to the shelf price because taxes vary everywhere. for instance, in Florida, I believe they don't have a tax on groceries, but they do on other items. every state has their own tax rate. mine is 8%.

Orlando is a huge tourist destination, of course they wore horrible clothes...none of those people probably LIVE in Orlando, lol.

Not tipping at all isn't acceptable. Doing that is basically saying "eff you, work for free". Tipping a low amount is okay if they sucked, but not just leaving them with nothing.

Actually, there have been times when I felt not tipping at all was PERFECTLY acceptable.

Its not "eff you, work for free." Its "eff you, do your job." If you don't do anything, why should I pay you?

One specific time comes to mind. A few years ago, when I was still in Buffalo, I was visiting my family in Michigan. We went out to a buffet. There was about 9 of us, and most of the restaurant was PACKED because some high school was doing its 30th reunion dinner. OUR side of the restaurant was only moderately busy, and our waitress really only had two duties. Get us drinks, and bring us rolls. Not hard. We sat for 20 minutes before she ever came over to get our drink orders, and another 30 before we ever got our drinks! We could SEE her standing just inside the kitchen area, drinking something and chatting it up with some coworkers.

A very busy, very stressed waiter working the PACKED side of the restaurant had ot keep passing us to get drinks and rolls for HIS tables. ONce he came over and asked if our drink orders had been taken, and then snapped at our waitress to get her butt in gear, and when he passed us another 3 times with no result, he finally did it himself.

He was under no obligation to. Lord knows he was already way too busy. But he did. So when we left, my sister sought him out and gave him a LARGE tip, and left the waitress nothing.

She didn't do a damn thing. That's not poor service. That's NO service. That doesn't deserve to get rewarded with a tip. If that's the amount of work she's doing, her $2.65 an hour is overpayment.

It's wrong, period.
If you're pissed, you leave them very little-it's really that simple.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

If I was at work and stood around doing absolutely nothing, my employer wouldn't have the option of not paying me. They would, however, have the option of firing me, and you'd better believe they would.

If you don't work, you don't get paid, its that simple.

If you do a POOR job of serving me, I will leave you very little. If you don't even SERVE me, I won't leave a tip. As far as I'm concerned, its no different than not leaving a tip for someone else's server. We tipped the one that actually served us.

you said she got drink orders in your story, so technically she did serve your table at some point (albeit badly).
To me, after being in the industry- not tipping is not an option, just because the service is bad.

I really think that that belief that it's "okay" is what contributes to people being treated like absolute crap all the time.

She took the orders, and we never saw her again.

Coming over, saying, "What do you want?" and walking away isn't serving. She never BROUGHT the drinks. She never even acknowledged our presence again.

All I'm saying is, if I was paying some kid to mow my lawn, and he came over, got the lawnmower out, and then sat for an hour, I wouldn't pay him.

The belief that its "okay" to get paid for doing NOTHING is what contributes to people being really bad servers. They don't have to do anything, because the rest of us are REQUIRED to pay them. That's pretty shitty.

Now that I think about it, I think that's the only time I've ever gone anywhere where we deliberately didn't leave a tip. But it doesn't change my opinion. I don't tip every waiter or waitress in the place. I only tip the one who serves me. So not tipping someone who didn't serve me, whether or not she was assigned to, doesn't phase me. We tipped the one who served us. Maybe she learned that when you are at work, you actually have to WORK.

I've had some pretty shitty servers in the past, and just left low tips. But For doing nothing *and no, nothing you can say will convince me that taking a drink order and never filling it is "working"* you get nothing.

I'm sorry it offends you. I've done waitressing. I've lived with waitresses. I know what its like to have to live off of tips. It still doesn't change my opinion that you should have to do some work to get them.

you said, "We sat for 20 minutes before she ever came over to get our drink orders, and another 30 before we ever got our drinks"

therefore, I assumed, she actually did serve you in some capacity. I never said people should get paid for nothing, I am not of that opinion and I am not trying to 'convince you' of anything. I said if they serve badly, leave them a low tip. if she never came back, ever, then she abandoned your table and that is a completely different situation. When someone else has to take your table instead, they are your server. I didn't get that reading the story the first time because of the wording.