Chloe Trogden is a former server and a writer. Please enjoy her guest post categorizing the tippers that we have all come to know so well...
I worked as a server for a
number of years in college. It was a great way to make extra money but also a
stressful one. While you could get seated with a couple of parties or a couple
of big spenders who all turned out to be generous tippers, you could also get
seated with a couple who wanted to sit at their table for hours just chatting
and then leave you $2 (true story) and a single man who ordered a cup of soup
and felt it wasn’t his responsibility to pay your paycheck and left you nothing
(another true story).
I learned quickly that there
are certain types of tippers – categories into which most people fall. While
you can’t always tell what type of tippers people will be when they sit down,
you can usually sweep them into one of these categories after they have paid
the bill and left their tip. Here are a few of the most common types of tippers
that I encountered:
The “I Don’t Need to Pay Your Paycheck” Tippers
They feel that the
restaurant should pay you, so they leave you nothing. I got into a heated
debate with one of these types of tippers in one of my classes in college. He
really felt that the $2.13 servers were paid was enough, and that if it wasn’t,
then it was our job to protest to make it so.
The “Why Should I Have to Tip?” Tippers
These people feel that it’s
“entitled” to expect customers to tip you. They feel that they are paying for
their food, and that should be all that’s needed. These types of tippers often
cross over into the “I Don’t Need to Pay Your Paycheck” category.
The One-Size-Fits-All Tipper
This tipper leaves the same
amount each time they eat out – no matter how much the bill is. This is great
if you get a $5 tip on a $5 bowl of soup, but it’s pretty sucky when you get
that same $5 on an $80 steak dinner for two.
The Calculating Tipper
While 15 percent is a good
rule of thumb for tipping, these tippers take it as more of a literal rule.
They pull out their calculators or tip charts to leave a tip that is exactly 15
percent – down to the penny. Sometimes they tip 10 or 20 percent, but the same
rule applies.
The “Jump Through Hoops” Tipper
Some people take the idea
that you are their server a little too much to heart, and they try to milk the
situation for all it’s worth. That includes sending you back for extra butter,
another refill, a clean napkin, a spoon that doesn’t have this spot on it (when
there’s actually no spot), and a reheat on their steamed veggies – all in
separate trips. They usually send you back to the kitchen the moment you bring
whatever it is they just requested, hoarding all of your time. Surprise, these
guests also usually tip the worst – or not at all.
The Penny Pincher
Everyone wants to save a
buck. However, there are some diners who put together discounts and coupons to
pay as little as possible for their meal – and then forget that they’re
supposed to tip based on the original bill. Instead, they tip based on the
discounted price. That means your tip is half off, as well, even though you
gave full service.
The “I Don’t Have Money” Tipper
This tipper usually has a
sob story or an apology about why they are leaving you a bad tip or no tip at
all. “We just bought a house.” “We just had a baby.” Unfortunately, this
miserly mindset wasn’t there when they were ordering steak and shrimp, but when
it comes time to your tip, they start thinking about all the other things in
their budget.
The Judgmental Tipper
When you’re dealing with
this tipper, every move you make it being ranked, tallied and scored like
you’re performing in front of a panel of Olympic judges. Every time you take a
little too long to bring a refill, it’s counted against you. Every time you
fail to flash a full-watt smile, it’s counted against you. By the end of the
meal, all your demerits are mentally assessed and your tip is deducted
accordingly.
The Generous Tipper
By far the tipper you most
want to get at your table, the generous tipper always leave above and beyond
what’s expected – usually regardless of the service or any other circumstances.
The generous tipper sometimes does this to feel philanthropic and sometimes
does it in recognition of the nature of the job, which requires a lot of hard
work without a lot of pay. Generous tippers are especially common at the
holidays.
What are types of tippers
have you encountered waiting tables? Tell us about them in the comments!
Bio:
Chloe Trogden is a seasoned
financial aid writer who covers specific opportunities such as beauty school scholarships. Her leisure activities include camping, swimming
and playing her guitar.
My daughter is a server and she is pretty good at spotting the worst tippers before she even takes their orders. Does she stereotype? Yes, she's 18. lol
ReplyDeleteWorst tippers: Sunday afternoon gaggle of middle aged women coming from church. They are critical and demanding.
Best tippers: A group of college guys with the token gay man. The gay guy almost always ensures you get the best tips from each and the phone number of the most non-douche of the bunch. :)
I raised her. Now it's someone else's turn! Haha
Great job, Mom! :-)
DeleteHmmm, the judgmental and the jumping through hoops tipper would be just the sort who comes across as the one you want to avoid at all costs...
ReplyDeleteYes. Everything you ever needed to know about who tips well...
Delete