Really poor food and sevice....left a negative tip!

wsuffa said:
I know someone that used to tip a penny if the service was really bad. He thought it sent a meassage - one time the waitress chased him down and confronted him.
Click to expand...

I only recall once leaving a $0 tip for a waiter who was truly awful. I wrote in $0.00 for the tip amount on the receipt intentionally, and then left a note as to why.

EdFred said:
Yeah but when you're a regular and you tip well, man, you get some perks when you show up. Tip well, as a regular and you show up and there is a 1 hour wait? Nope, not for me, front of the line. Free drinks on the bill every once in a while? Yep. Dessert tossed in gratis? Yep. Heck, yeah I tip well.
Click to expand...

We only have one restaurant around here that we frequent. Funny enough, there's always a table for us, even in Covid times. Service is great and we're always remembered.
 
I dunno. If things get so bad that I'm not going to leave a tip, then I'm probably going to say something. Maybe someone was just having a bad day, maybe it's incompetence, maybe there is some other big picture thing going on.

EdFred said:
Yeah but when you're a regular and you tip well, man, you get some perks when you show up. Tip well, as a regular and you show up and there is a 1 hour wait? Nope, not for me, front of the line. Free drinks on the bill every once in a while? Yep. Dessert tossed in gratis? Yep. Heck, yeah I tip well.
Click to expand...

On a business trip to Scotland I was tipping, not extravagantly, but decent. One night at a company dinner, I was sitting next to the wife of one of the locals, and she was an expat American. I asked her about tipping. She encouraged it, said the locals don't tip, they pay such high taxes they don't have much take-home pay left so they tend to skimp on things like that. She said, "I bet your staff likes it!" I said, "Yeah, they do, when I come down for breakfast they are running to find me a table."
 
weilke said:
... it is at whatever ridiculous $3.52 'tipped minimum wage' the state and feds require.
Click to expand...

This statement plus others here got me curious what the actual numbers are since that number is what I remember making in those jobs over thirty years ago.

(Not picking on you @weilke ...)

Turns out all the recent political wrangling over server wages has quietly created this incredible mess.

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/state/minimum-wage/tipped

That’s an impressive spreadsheet covered in footnotes. I’ll probably need an app for tracking that.
 
Back in the '70s, there was a particular ice cream shop that had pretty horrific service and being a smartass, I left a tip thusly:

I would fill every cup and glass with water to the top, drop a penny or whatever small value coin into each one, then place a menu on the top and invert the cup on the tabletop and slide the menu out.

There was no way to retrieve the coins or pick up the cup without spilling the water all over the place and making a mess... Good clean fun, eh?

Sometimes we would hide and watch to see how the cleaner upper dealt with this situation.

But hey, we didn't drink or do drugs...
 
Matthew said:
On a business trip to Scotland I was tipping, not extravagantly, but decent. One night at a company dinner, I was sitting next to the wife of one of the locals, and she was an expat American. I asked her about tipping. She encouraged it, said the locals don't tip, they pay such high taxes they don't have much take-home pay left so they tend to skimp on things like that. She said, "I bet your staff likes it!" I said, "Yeah, they do, when I come down for breakfast they are running to find me a table."
Click to expand...

I paid my way through college driving a cab in Munich. I always tried to end the night at the taxi-stand for the Holiday Inn or the Mariott. With any luck you would get an airport fare with a car full of american tourists who had no idea how much to tip (or who would unload $50 in spare change after you loaded their bags on a cart).
 
IK04 said:
Back in the '70s, there was a particular ice cream shop that had pretty horrific service and being a smartass, I left a tip thusly:

I would fill every cup and glass with water to the top, drop a penny or whatever small value coin into each one, then place a menu on the top and invert the cup on the tabletop and slide the menu out.

There was no way to retrieve the coins or pick up the cup without spilling the water all over the place and making a mess... Good clean fun, eh?

Sometimes we would hide and watch to see how the cleaner upper dealt with this situation.

But hey, we didn't drink or do drugs...
Click to expand...

Sure there is. I grab a bus tub slide the glass off the edge over the bus tub water goes in the bus tub i dump the water out and the next time you show up I tell you you're no longer welcome here.
 
weilke said:
I paid my way through college driving a cab in Munich. I always tried to end the night at the taxi-stand for the Holiday Inn or the Mariott. With any luck you would get an airport fare with a car full of american tourists who had no idea how much to tip (or who would unload $50 in spare change after you loaded their bags on a cart).
Click to expand...

Haha I’m always the guy dumping the change when I travel. I hate taking change thru airport security. It can get spendy in countries with large denomination coins. Ha.
 
weilke said:
I paid my way through college driving a cab in Munich. I always tried to end the night at the taxi-stand for the Holiday Inn or the Mariott. With any luck you would get an airport fare with a car full of american tourists who had no idea how much to tip (or who would unload $50 in spare change after you loaded their bags on a cart).
Click to expand...
Haha, I did that in Amsterdam. Just getting rid of my Euros. The guy thanked me profusely. Not sure it was that much, but probably more than he expected.
 
EdFred said:
Yeah but when you're a regular and you tip well, man, you get some perks when you show up. Tip well, as a regular and you show up and there is a 1 hour wait? Nope, not for me, front of the line. Free drinks on the bill every once in a while? Yep. Dessert tossed in gratis? Yep. Heck, yeah I tip well.
Click to expand...

We keep our 21ft bowrider boat in a dry storage rack, every second or third time we go to the lake I bring a cold 12pack suitcase and give it to the fork truck driver and tell he and the dock hands to enjoy a cold one after work. Somehow my boat always gets splashed as soon as I show up, no matter how long the list is, and my boat gets treated with kid gloves.
 
Bill said:
We keep our 21ft bowrider boat in a dry storage rack, every second or third time we go to the lake I bring a cold 12pack suitcase and give it to the fork truck driver and tell he and the dock hands to enjoy a cold one after work. Somehow my boat always gets splashed as soon as I show up, no matter how long the list is, and my boat gets treated with kid gloves.
Click to expand...
That's not a tip. That's a bribe. Whole different thread. ;)
 
Sluggo63 said:
That's not a tip. That's a bribe. Whole different thread. ;)
Click to expand...

Nope, it's a tip for good service. No different that giving the dock hand a fiver when he ties up your boat. I like the idea of the suitcase as everyone on the team gets to share the spoils at the end of the day.
 
Bill said:
We keep our 21ft bowrider boat in a dry storage rack, every second or third time we go to the lake I bring a cold 12pack suitcase and give it to the fork truck driver and tell he and the dock hands to enjoy a cold one after work. Somehow my boat always gets splashed as soon as I show up, no matter how long the list is, and my boat gets treated with kid gloves.
Click to expand...

I was told that the most dangerous place on the airport is between the hangar of a good tipper and the fuel truck.
 
weilke said:
I was told that the most dangerous place on the airport is between the hangar of a good tipper and the fuel truck
Click to expand...

I think that's right. The airport a few miles away with the cheap-o gas shuts down fuel service at 5 (no self-serve). I always chat with and tip the (overworked) guy there. On a couple occasions I have arrived fifteen or twenty minutes after 5 and had my tanks topped off. Also have see people get turned away....
 
weilke said:
I was told that the most dangerous place on the airport is between the hangar of a good tipper and the fuel truck.
Click to expand...

Crap, am I supposed to tip the fuel guy?
 
Cervieres said:
Crap, am I supposed to tip the fuel guy?
Click to expand...

Its not a tipped position, so you wouldn't be expected to. If you consistently do so, you may notice that you dont have to wait for the truck no matter how busy they are that day.
 
Cervieres said:
Crap, am I supposed to tip the fuel guy?
Click to expand...

weilke said:
Its not a tipped position, so you wouldn't be expected to. If you consistently do so, you may notice that you dont have to wait for the truck no matter how busy they are that day.
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

Line guys don't expect tips, but it doesn't hurt things and it does promote getting better service. My wife's company encourages the pilots to tip the line guys because that makes them known as good tippers where they go. This pays dividends when they're at a busy FBO (which is most of the places they go) and the fuel truck comes faster, the plane gets pulled out faster, etc. etc. Don't want the customers waiting.
 
Ted said:
Line guys don't expect tips, but it doesn't hurt things and it does promote getting better service. My wife's company encourages the pilots to tip the line guys because that makes them known as good tippers where they go. This pays dividends when they're at a busy FBO (which is most of the places they go) and the fuel truck comes faster, the plane gets pulled out faster, etc. etc. Don't want the customers waiting.
Click to expand...
As a contrast, Netjets who are notoriously ****ty tippers, and ****ty people, we sure didn't hurry to do anything for them. Seeing a "QS" tail number pop up on flight aware would elicit some groans out of the line shack.

It doesn't have to be a tip, just being a nice person makes line guys happy and more willing to help you. We deal (past tense for me) with a lot of crappy grumpy pilots & Pax. I remember the WheelsUp crews were always the absolute nicest, happy to sit around and shoot the **** with you, average tippers, but just generally the happiest people to be around.
 
Last edited:
Clip4 said:
The negative tip notwithstanding, if the server was experiencing a problem they should have got the manager involved and the manager should had advised the customer of the problem.
Click to expand...
You know nothing, @Clip4.




Been watching too much Game of Thrones.
 
steingar said:
You know nothing, @Clip4.




Been watching too much Game of Thrones.
Click to expand...

All I know if the server doesn’t address a problem and I sitting and waiting on a meal I get up and leave. The restaurant potentially lost my future business, lost the cost of the food, the server lost their tip, and if someone asks me about the restaurant, the restaurant loses more business.
Or a good manager trains their staff to put poor service on his back when it is the the servers problem and the manager comes to the table, apologies and offers a comp.
 
Waiters/waitresses have memory. Don't tip and they will remember you next time. Tip well and they will remember you and most of the time it pays off in future visits.

I always carried a few $5 dollar bills when flying for a living. The line guys will remember, and service gets so much better. I even tipped the guy that drives the courtesy van from the hotels.

One time Anchorage was getting a near record snow fall. All hotels had parked their courtesy vans. I called my favorite hotel and the girl remembered me. She sent her boyfriend to pick me up in his personal vehicle. Everyone else that did not have relatives or friends spent the night at the airport. I gave the guy 10 bucks for giving me a ride in his redneck 4WD pickup, and he acted like that was the most easy money he had ever earned. And I mean redneck truck. The tires and wheels alone cost more than the truck was worth....
 
Last year I picked up a load of sod, then had to go back for a couple more rolls. The kid out back at the yard center had done all the heavy work for me and I gave him a few bucks, maybe a five. He sort of looked around to make sure his boss wasn't watching and then pocketed the change.

When I came back a few hours later, he saw me in line, grabbed a buddy, and waved me to the front. I left them the same tip and let them figure out how to split it. The first kid gave it all to the second and they were both happy.
 
EdFred said:
Yeah but when you're a regular and you tip well, man, you get some perks when you show up. Tip well, as a regular and you show up and there is a 1 hour wait? Nope, not for me, front of the line. Free drinks on the bill every once in a while? Yep. Dessert tossed in gratis? Yep. Heck, yeah I tip well.
Click to expand...

you sure that's not due to your famous elite Bowler status? oh wait, there's no such thing.........

"Who do you think you are??!!....I AM!!!!"
 
eman1200 said:
you sure that's not due to your famous elite Bowler status? oh wait, there's no such thing.........

"Who do you think you are??!!....I AM!!!!"
Click to expand...

Funny thing is someone called me him at the last bowling tourney I was at.
 
I'm so glad that my favorite airport restaurants are open again. Lately, I've been tipping at about 30-35 percent...these poor souls have been among the most affected in the last year.

I have to add that the restaurants I frequent have both excellent food and service!
 
I've only left a $0 tip twice. And that's in a number of decades (I'll turn 69 next month). The first was for very slow service at IAD years ago. They weren't busy at all, there was no excuse for service that slow. Frankly, I don't remember where the second one was. I do remember us walking out of a place when we had sat for about 1/2 hour and had yet to see a server. That was when I was a kid and I still won't stop at that particular restaurant when driving by (not too often these days, it was in California and we live in Washington now, but we did drive by there earlier this month).
 
Ghery said:
I've only left a $0 tip twice. And that's in a number of decades . . .
Click to expand...

Same, but only once. Key West 30 years ago, while on a Navy Detachment. Me and another dude, at what we found out after eating was an all cash food joint (not a dive so much, so that was a bit of a surprise). We told the server upfront we were cash strapped, was there an ATM nearby? She laughed and said "No, come on, just play fair." We had just enough cash to pay the bill plus a few pennies. She came out the door as we walked away and sarcastically yelled "Thanks for the TIP, guys!" It really made me feel bad, and to this day I over tip when I get better than average service. More so in COVID times. Karma, and all that.
 
writing in $0 for the tip doesn't always mean the same thing.

In groups, one person might "get the tip" (usually cash) and the rest of the group pays exactly their share with no tip. Of course that leaves it to server to accurately state their reportable tips, as I'm sure they all do quite diligently. hack cough

The other thing is people who are greatly displeased and tip $0.01 to show they are displeased. This is somehow a message to the server that they are not a cheap ass, they are just dis-satisfied with the service. Spoiler alert, the message they get is not the one intended.

But I'd love to see what happens if the "negative tipper" who uses a credit card really sees the number he expects at the end, since the credit card transaction in the US is typically not completed until after the tip and signature are affixed to the reciept.
 
Ravioli said:
writing in $0 for the tip doesn't always mean the same thing.

In groups, one person might "get the tip" (usually cash) and the rest of the group pays exactly their share with no tip. Of course that leaves it to server to accurately state their reportable tips, as I'm sure they all do quite diligently. hack cough

The other thing is people who are greatly displeased and tip $0.01 to show they are displeased. This is somehow a message to the server that they are not a cheap ass, they are just dis-satisfied with the service. Spoiler alert, the message they get is not the one intended.

But I'd love to see what happens if the "negative tipper" who uses a credit card really sees the number he expects at the end, since the credit card transaction in the US is typically not completed until after the tip and signature are affixed to the reciept.
Click to expand...
I’d bet he gets charged for the full amount of the meal.
 
A few years ago, I walked out of a Thai restaurant as the waiter couldn't be bothered to take my order. The owner chased me into the parking lot demanding I pay for the three glasses of ice-water the hostess had poured for us. Yeah, I won't go back there.
 
weilke said:
I paid my way through college driving a cab in Munich. I always tried to end the night at the taxi-stand for the Holiday Inn or the Mariott. With any luck you would get an airport fare with a car full of american tourists who had no idea how much to tip (or who would unload $50 in spare change after you loaded their bags on a cart).
Click to expand...
So you speak that funny German? While we were living in Baden-württemburg we would sometimes get advertisements in Bavarian and it was weird. Of course Pfälsisch is weird too but I digress.
 
Ravioli said:
Of course that leaves it to server to accurately state their reportable tips, as I'm sure they all do quite diligently. hack cough
Click to expand...

Did you notice in the table I posted, many of the places doing mandatory pay increases did it by making the “wage plus tips” IRS reporting have to be a certain amount.

It’s how they made sure they got their cut and more of the server’s new “higher” wage. Net increase is tiny if the server reports all tips, but now they have an additional game to play — reporting enough to keep the boss out of trouble. If their tips are low the boss has to make it up to them, or get fined.

Encompasses all the greats. Fake wage increase to help the politicians, raises politician’s revenue, and makes sure even the worst server gets their participation trophy.

Cool, eh? LOL.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top