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Readers give their 2 cents on tipping

By JANET K. KEELER
Published September 7, 2005

	[Times photo: Scott Keeler]
	Server Virginia Martinez counts her tips after working a recent lunch shift at Harrison’s Grill in Clearwater. She made $23 in two hours.

Americans eat out more than ever, which means they are faced with the question of tipping more frequently, too.

Frustration and irritation were evident in the reader responses we received after we asked for opinions on mandatory service charges vs. voluntary tipping.

The solicitation was prompted by the recent abolishment of tipping at Per Se restaurant in New York, where a 20 percent service charge is added to the bill. Is this the wave of the future?

Not likely, if you believe St. Petersburg Times readers.

Sure, no one likes lousy tippers or inattentive servers, but a mandatory service charge can be just as infuriating. Several readers said they demand service charges be removed from their bills when presented with them. Others questioned whether the money makes it to the staff when it is added to the bill.

The tip cup at the counter? Don't get them started. Many readers want that practice canned ASAP.

"Why should I tip someone behind the counter who basically tells me the total? It's not as if he's running around like a server," writes Rikki Lewis of Gulfport.

But how to compensate the folks who bring food to the table is another matter.

More than 150 readers submitted their thoughts, and, though many don't mind tipping, they want to give what they think is appropriate and not be wholly responsible for servers' salaries. Most servers are paid less than the average babysitter, about $3 an hour.

"Personally, we would prefer the meal cost more and for the servers, busboys, etc., to be paid a fair wage," writes Carol Brown of St. Petersburg.

Many echoed Brown's opinion.

"As a business, restaurants should pay their help along with their other expenses and price their products accordingly. In other words, no tipping," writes Helen Krock of South Pasadena.

Jennifer Quinn of Seminole, who has waited tables in the area for several years, wants diners to know how much she depends on tips to make a living. At $3.13 an hour, a bad night could mean the difference between going to the grocery store or not.

"Although I hate relying on others for my income, I just hope everyone realizes that this is my income and not to be taken lightly."

Edward Gustafson of St. Petersburg and several others pointed out the inequity of tipping. Servers who work at less expensive restaurants make less than those at pricier places, since the tip is based on the amount of the bill. And they work just as hard, he writes.

Several servers expressed offense at the notion that they will do a good job only if there's the promise of a big tip.

"People do, or do not, take pride in what they do, regardless," writes former server Michelle Gonzalez of Tampa. "A cashier at Publix isn't being tipped, but she is still expected to be efficient, courteous and accurate at what she does."

Murray Duncan of Barrister, England, respectfully disagrees.

"The level of service achieved by restaurants employing waiting staff motivated by a 15 to 20 percent tip is far beyond what we normally receive in the UK," he writes. "It is clearly the best way to keep a customer happy."

And Scott Simons of Seminole finds "the road to excellent service is paved with gold."

Many readers said "heck no," or something more colorful, to a mandatory service charge. They want control of the gratuity.

"I find it outrageous, offensive and outlandish to demand a dining patron pay a 20 percent surcharge as tip for service that they may deem unprofessional, poor or even hideous," writes Rich Unger, a nightclub and restaurant consultant in Sarasota.

"I can't remember the last time a server in this area did anything for me that was worth a 20 percent tip. Fifteen percent should be the maximum," writes Fletch Chambers of Hudson.

Still, the European service charge doesn't bother everyone. In fact, some readers see it as a way to get back to appropriate tipping.

Kristine Cooksey of Palm Harbor has it figured out.

"I think that a fair system would include a 12 percent service charge for the staff. An additional 3 to 8 percent would be at the discretion of the patron," she writes. "The tip should reflect the level of service received."

No one was as happy to tip or as understanding as Tony Schiappa of Seminole, a friend to servers everywhere.

"Let's consider the server for a moment, a waitress say," he writes. "She probably works an eight-hour shift, on her feet, carrying heavy trays of food, trying to keep everyone's orders straight, taking guff from ill-tempered, finicky diners. She may have a couple of kids at home depending on her. Maybe her boyfriend has just announced he's splitting. Maybe she has a touch of arthritis."

Do what you want, Schiappa writes. He'll continue to tip well.

Janet K. Keeler can be reached at 727 893-8586 or krieta@sptimes.com

- Have more to say about tipping? Join the discussion on Stir Crazy, a blog about food and drink, at www.sptimes.com/blogs/food

[Last modified September 6, 2005, 09:19:04]