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Where I come from, tips are rarer, I think I'd be terrified to be that family, getting thrown quarters by some deranged waiter.
Yes, they should've tipped more, but whether they new of the customs or not, you can not, DO NOT have the right to throw change at them.

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you also have to remember that it would suck having to pay the tip to the rest of the restraunt for the tip out... 15% or so of the $750 bill is quite a bit... but it also doesnt give the right to throw change at people.

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I've always found the tipping custom in America weird. In Australia no one really tips at all, and it's certainly to expected

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For them to leave only 50 cents it was clearly as an insult to the waitress imo.

78 waiters and waitresses usually get paid $2.30/hr. They rely on tips to have an income.

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I agree with many people here. If giving 15-20 % tip is so much as mandatory or something in the US, just include it in the price so the waiters earn their money. Simple as that. Tips should only be "free extra money" treated to the waiters when they did a particularly good job or just when the customer is feeling generous.
With that and tax not included in prices, I find pricing practices in the USA way too weird lol customers should only be required to pay what's written on the price tag !

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Isn't gratuity usually automatically added to the bill when serving large groups like 6+ or 8+ people..

"misunderstood waitress" - like it was some accident to hurl small pieces of metal at people's heads?

#50. I can't help but wonder: Does no one understand that tipping is OPTIONAL? It's why they don't just add a service charge straight onto the bill for you, so you decide how much you wanna pay for your service.

But what I don't understand is, why don't they just make a service charge mandatory and raise service staff wages? Oh right, because then people would get pissed off about the increased bills even though they'd be paying the same amount if they tipped the 'standard' amount. That's American logic for you.

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Actually, correct me if I'm wrong, but it's illegal to work below minimum wage. If tips don't raise the salary above it, then the restaurant has to pay out the difference. Tips are just the difference between minimum wage and decent pay. In a lot of places, lips are shared out by all employees too. Otherwise, how shitty would it be to work the back?

Like you said it's a custom , it is not compulsory. If someone doesn't want to tip it's their call . They are paying for food arnt they . Also tiping is not a custom in every country

148- because tipping is so widely used the government allowed waiters wages to be cut to under four dollars, the idea behind this is that the waiters would be making at least four dollars in tips. That's why tipping is so important, without it your server doesn't make a livable wage.

Now OP has just spent a huge amount of time and energy literally catering to these people and didn't get paid what he should have

I got 5$ in play money once, food service sucks

#138 do you have any evidence to support everywhere else has shitty waiting staff? I live in England where tipping actually is optional because staff get paid a fair wage, and guess what? They still do their jobs well because then people would be more likely to tip them well.

How can people turn the subject of tips into a hate America forum Jesus. There are problems with your countries too so shut the fuck up.

If you haven't worked in the food industry in the US you have no room to talk. I work as a waiter and I make $2.15 an hour. Tips are the only way I'd even make minimum wage. So for them not to tip on a $750 bill, that's like taking $150 out of the server's pocket. However, in my restaurant it is policy to automatically add 18% tip to large parties.

You guys really need to make a stand about that shit. Minimum wage is minimum wage. Tips SHOULD NOT have anything to do with it. And expecting 20% is just mental. If i have a £10 meal i want to pay £10 for it, than have the OPTION of tipping. 'just doing your jobsworth/slow service when not busy' will get you about 10p. Being awesome/friendly/bringing free refills without being asked etc will get you £2, but i shouldn't HAVE to tip you or i'll feel guilty because your shitty ass job doesn't pay properly. WTF is that?

Get a real minimum wage or get over it when people don't tip.

To people saying that tips are expected by anyone providing a service.. Everyone in the working world provides a service at some point don't they? Why do only waitresses/waiters expect tips? You don't tip your dentist, doctor, secretary, etc. even though they have provided a service to you..

To all the service industry people bitching about not getting tips, try getting a job more difficult than carrying trays. You make a lot hourly and your pay isn't based on the equivalent of begging. If I'm going to tip anyone at a restaurant, it'll be the cook who used skill to make my food, not the person who wrote down an order and carried it out.

148 you're wrong. I've never had to pay my staff if their tips didn't equal minimum wage, also if one of my staff got a crappy tip I wouldn't make them tip out on that particular bill. Unless I saw it was shitty service, or the dummy threw change at my guests...

because at a restaurant, when you pay, you're paying to the restaurant and then they pay the waiter that spent a lot of effort to serve you. as opposed to the other things you mentioned where you pay directly to the one providing the service.

191: A notice for you from the U.S. Dept of Labor: "If the employee’s tips combined with the employer’s direct wages of at least $2.13 per hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Many states, however, require higher direct wage amounts for tipped employees."

148 is correct. Therefore you're either lying, your employees always make minimum wage, you're not from America, or just announced you're breaking federal labor laws.

@186 - Google Mark Cuban, please, then shut the fuck up.

Some people, no matter how well the servers do, they won't tip. If you live in America for any amount of time, you would know the custom to tip. The reason we have that custom is to promote better service. In Europe, it really is terrible. I lived there for 4 months. Those saying to get a better job: if everyone did that, who would be servers? Also in this job economy most of them CAN'T get a better job. One last thing, waitressing often makes more than minimum wage. If this person had a table worth $750, then this is most likely a nice place so he probably makes better than minimum wage. So why would he want to go somewhere that he makes less?

I wouldn't, or someone will most certainly piss and spit in your food.

148, It IS illegal to work below minimum wage. But a waitress minimum wage can be lower because of tips which is a majority of their income besides their paycheck. A friend of mine would bring in $100 on an average day and $250 on a good one in tips. I'm not sure about the restaurant having to pay the difference though

#50 is the only smart one here. I can't say I would have thrown the chane but I would have told handed the quarters back

exactly! I'm a waitress too and know how bad it sucks when big groups give a small or no tip, nevertheless, all you can do is smile and thank them, for that is what waitresses are supposed to do. You are not misunderstood, just incredibly rude.

Waiters are not robot maids. They bust their ass for customers. Just because the job doesn't require you to think on a higher level does not make it 'easy.' Do you realize how many customers treat waiters like shit? It's like working as a doctor and half of your patients bitch you out for not dealing with their sprained ankle like it's ankle cancer. Doesn't help that the waiters get blamed for the chef's mistakes because it 'took too long.'

So it's like being a doctor then? Everyone gets bitched at and treated like shit at work. Well, not everyone, but I'd venture to guess most. Yes it's a bad economy and hard to find a new job, but that should also tell you that most jobs available are not the most fun. That's work. It's not called "play".

Yeah, but she still didn't have the right to throw the quarters at them
Even if they have a ridiculously small tip

Reminds me of Reservoir dogs conversation.

Tips are generally added to the price of the meal in Europe. In the USA it's not. It ends up being the same price if you leave a tip here in the US. In Europe servers have that tip guaranteed; here, restaurant patrons are expected to just do the right thing. I would understand a family from, say, Germany coming in and leaving a 50 cent tip on such a large bill, but if you've lived in the US your whole life and you pull that shit, you're objectively an asshole, case closed. Even servers who do mediocre jobs deserve far more than 50 cents on a bill of that size.

Most restaurants I patronize have a standard policy of the tip being included in the bill for large parties; being fired from this restaurant was a blessing.

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I'd also like to add that in most restaurants you have to tip out a certain percentage of the bill. Where I worked was 4%. That means OP lost $30 for serving them.

88 - I didn't know that! It's a really alien concept as when I waited in the UK my minimum wage was about £5 an hour which is nearly $8. I'd occasionally get tips - maybe every 5th table. It's crazy that waiting staff are paid so little there. :/

It's probably also why all the non Americans here don't see why not tipping is that big a deal.

It's right when a server makes less than minimum wage. I make five dollars an hour. Without tips I wouldn't be able to make ends meet.

To those who don't tip, and to those of you from other countries where tipping is different. In America waiting staff are generally earning the bulk of their pay through tips, 15% being the standard, Uncle Sam knows this and they tax that 15% based off the receipts the server has tied to them. So when tip is less than 15%, they still pay a tax at the 15% standard.
To op...ydi for getting fired, you cannot behave that way, however, you definitely didn't deserve to be stiffed either.

Only cheap assholes in America are "unaware" of customary tips.

Sorry OP, that does suck.

Y did they leave 50 cents at all if they didnt know about the tip option?!!! Idiot

144 - uh when you apply for a job that pays 3.44 an hour but are not happy with that being the only for sure income you should uh get a different uh job

You were not servicing me, you were performing the job you applied and went in knowing you only get paid 3.44 an hour for

210 I manage a restaurant in Ontario Canada..

Those customers deserved a lot more than a couple of quarters thrown at them. They deserved to have their skin ripped off and used as toilet paper. Lay off the waitress, you morons, it sounds like a hard job to be a waitress. Half the people on this thread are stupid...how are you people still breathing :D

I don't know where some people are coming from when they say they live here or there and blah blah blah no tips. I'm a flight attendant and every single country I've gone to, it's customary to leave a tip when it comes to eating at a restaurant....

Had op got fired for throwing the quarters

Actually no my brother was a server and he had the same thing happen to him and he was great at serving and one night he got tipped .01 that is ridiculous but op did freak out a little and let the emotions take control so to say it reflects the service is wrong some people are just assholes and don't think you need it

But I bet your servers make more in austrailia. If tipping isn't a custom then naturally your servers aren't just working for slave wages, right? Tipping is the basis for paying for your meal because it helps get you better service. Tip originally meant "to insure promptness" and in the old days you tipped before you were served as an incentive to be served faster.

A raging flame war? It's my time to shine.

Tipping is polite almost any country and is customary in America as their tips make up some of their pay. How'd I do?

There are a lot of people commenting on here who are obviously unaware of how wait staff gets paid in America. I used to wait tables and was only paid 2.15/hr. Yes, your employer is supposed to pay the difference if with your tips your hourly wage doesn't equal minimum wage. However, many (including my former employer) do not. OP should have NEVER thrown change at them. I understand her frustration and anger, one time I was left two pennies and a piece of chicklet gum that was covered in tobacco and lint (likely was in the bottom of a purse) by a seemingly drunk group of 10 who were there for over 3 hours. A lot of restaurants automatically add at least 18% gratuity to large groups of 6+/8+. Maybe the group OP served thought that the gratuity was already included in their bill. I'd like to think the best of people and think that was the case. However, the fact that they left the quarters makes me really doubt that was the case. Good luck on the job hunting OP and try to control your emotions better in the future. This shit happens, I'm sure it will unfortunately happen to you again at some point if you continue to work in the food industry.

When you make $2.09 an hour, it sucks to not get tipped. That's less than a third for regular minimum wage. If she spent 3 hours on that table, she got paid $6.27. Just enough for a meal from McDonald's. Understand now?

well here in the USA tipping is always expected mainly because I know some waiters/waitresses who make about $3.50 an hour without tips and nobody here can feed their self an damn sure not a family on that. Secondly it serves as a incentive for them to provide good service so they can receive a decent tip from customers.

#146 if they can't afford to tip they sure as hell shouldn't be having a $750 bill

#138- the service in Australia aren't shitty at all, dispute no tips! Servers still aim for good customer service so they won't get fired.

Would you really want your livelihood dependent on the generosity of others? Personally I believe Australia and Europe's system is much better

It's because waiters and waitresses only get paid a fraction of minimum wage. They need that money.

IM AMERICA YOU TIP. ITS A CUSTOM. stupid foreigners.

in america, tipping is customary. at least to me, you get a tip if you performed well. otherwise, you get half(or in extreme cases, nothing) of what I consider my standard(double the tax rate in california is 15.5% and thats my rule of thumb.)

well includes: getting the order right, or if it was wrong due to some miscomunication(it happens, I tend to mumble, sometimes english is not the chef's first language, I get it) don't get snippy and dismissive(really, you expect a tip after basically telling me to do your job for you?) if it is too late for such measure, a damn heads up would be nice, nothing extraordinary, just point out that the ticket doesn't say no tomato.

you dont have to be super happy-peppy but please don't act like you hate that I exist in the restaurant right now. I have seen waitresses break glasses slamming them down on the table, try to avoid that.

If I can see you and the kitchen from where I'm sitting, and you spend 15 minutes chatting with your buddy while the food is just sitting there getting cold, to the point where another waiter figures out that the order is done and brings it to the table, I will leave you a dollar(this particular instance was on a 46$ order), find out where their section is and leave them 10.

pretty much, just don't screw up massively, and don't act like you hate everyone(not even asking for a smile, I just don't want to feel you glaring at me from across the restaurant) and you're doing well in my book.

first post, and I'm sure I'll have plenty of people hating on me already.

186- you've obviously never been a server. It is not an easy job. It is very fast paced and high stress. It requires an excellent memory to remember all the little things each of your tables randomly ask for as you're walking by.

In Europe tipping is optional and america it is more a custom. What is highly insulting and arrogant is to say one standard of service is better than the other based on nothing but a bias personal experience. So stop saying Europe's waiters don't work as hard as American's and vis versa.

Some restaurants have done away with that. The one where I work at used to do it, but did away with it several years ago.

That would ruin the point of commission, look at it this way.
A car dealer wants to sell you a car just to get there jobs worth to pay for rent etc. He barely has a real wage.

You deserve to be fired . You acted very unprofessional .

Maybe OP is looking for another job. It is extremely hard to get a job in today's economy. I applied for 27 jobs before I got called for an interview.

Like it was some accident to spend almost a grand stuffing your faces, but spend less then a dollar tipping, even though it is mandatory, and how servers make their money? Tips are not an option in the US, and even if they weren't, you'd have to be pretty freaking cheap to stiff your server like that. If you have almost a grand to blow on food and drink, then you have enough money to tip your server.

Of course it's weird. I think every waiter should get a decent minimum wage, rather then having to rely on the generosity of complete strangers... with this FML as a perfect example of how completely flawed this system is. Tipping should be a bonus, not form the bulk of an overworked server's wage.

But at the end of the day, if you are too poor to pay a tip, you're too poor to eat out.

There is a job shortage, you don't need tips to ensure good service. Where I'm from, it's rude to ask for tips and the service is probably better than anywhere in the world. People here EXPECT top quality service and if it isn't delivered the community simply boycotts that establishment until it goes out of business - so bosses have to make sure their staff perform well, so if you don't, you're gone.

Everyone who is saying that tipping in the US is so weird because in other countries like France and the UK noone tips should know this helpful fact. In those countries, the tip of usually about 10-15% is automatically added into the bill so you dont have to tip afterwards. It is completely compulsory but people dont think about it because it takes no effort or decision making

134- If a charge was added to the price of the meal, it would be split among all the staff. The point of tipping is to specifically reward the people that helped YOU get your food, not everyone working there.

If she has the nerve to throw the quarters at theirs heads she couldn't have been that good of a waitress.

Some people? Maybe what one out of 500 people don't know that, its pretty much common sense. OP is funny, they deserved it(it didn't hurt them and hopefully shamed them.) I hope she finds another job soon

Exactly. If these folks could afford to take the whole clan out for $750 dinner party, they could afford to leave their server(s) a decent tip. To leave fifty cents is basically shitting on their servers.

34 it's not part of their pay. It is customary. Otherwise people who don't leave a tip would be breaking the law by underpaying. The fact that the custom is that they get paid less and keep their tips is just how it is done in the U.S. Seems ridiculous to me. And many others from non-assumed-tip-countries. We only tip to reward good service or to encourage it.

88- I think you may have made a typo there's no way minimum wage is 2.50. It's 10.50 in canada

For real. She should have chucked a brick at them.

Prick

Because the dentist, dr. Etc. makes way more than $2.13 an hour.

In Australia most places have good service and earn between $15-30/hr so your logic about it making service better is flawed. All it does is create financial stress and uncertainty for waiters.

I worked at a restaurant for 4 years. I'm pretty sure, unless you're UNDER the age of 18, that it is the LAW that you receive minimum wage (tips aren't suppose to count towards that). I would report the place you work. Anyways, even if that's the case with this person, they won't be receiving any more money due to their lack of class. They can't bitch about bills when they're the one who lost their temper..

Ignorant. The will always make minimum wage. If they do not make at least enough to have their pay come out to 7.25 an hour then the restaurant is required to pay the difference. It's still a joke, but learn your labor laws before you speak.

In America most servers earn $2.13 an hour because tips for good service are expected to be given. Busting your ass to serve a table that racks up a $750 bill to receive a tip of $0.50 is a slap in the face of that server.

I had a similar incident when I was a waitress at a fancy pants restaurant; busted my ass for a table of 4 that racked up a huge bill and was tipped the change it took to round the bill up to the next dollar. I handed the change back to them and said, "Here, you obviously need this more than I do."

Now my question to OP is this: Does your former employer not automatically add the "large party" 18% gratuity to the bill?

186-I make a lot hourly? I make $2.13 an hour.

#134

you do realise that america has some of the worlds worst service right?
tipping don't up hold some magical standard of service it's just as shitty as everywhere else where people feel entiteled to everything.

try a place like Japan some times. they will go out of their way in ways no american person could even dream of and they will be insulted if you try to tip them.

Absolutely applaud the assault

Tipping is an option. If you're a shitty server then you DO NOT deserve any extra money.

Ehm, no, it is NOT know to tip. Tipping is a custom much rarer these days and really only in certain places on the planet. The US is one of the places where it is still known, but in Europe, tips are mostly already automatically included in prices... One should never assume people know national customs...

yeah, not every country has that custom.

apparently u don't live in America, tipping is how waitresses make money, so no tips is basically free labor...just sayin

Get a better job then if you can't perform to earn that tip.

It's a cyclical deal. Waiters should have the same minimum wage and tips be complimentary for an exceptional waiter from a generous person. If you can't make enough money working at the base salary, find something else to do. Nobody forces waiters to be waiters instead of cooks or janitors or any othe job.

178 aa Agreed. The only time I get "tipped" as an engineer is when I spend extra time going above and beyond my function on a side project, after I do my regular 45-50 hours of work per week, and leadership sees that and may recgninthat with a gift card. Oh and btw, no time and a half crap because I'm salaried.

If their bill was 750 dollars, they are not a poor family and can afford giving a better tip than 50 cents. Their service was probably not very good if they only left that amount, but it wasn't because they couldn't afford it.

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The FML would then end with guess whose getting the chair today?

It serves OP right because she threw two quarters at somebody, so she should throw knives instead? Makes sense.

47- No, it serves OP right for thinking minimalistically :)

Sarcasm

Do you not get sarcasm?

Sarcasm? Does that even exist?!

Jail or unemployment? Hmmm... I choose jail!

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Yeah, it's totally OP's fault the world sucks, not the people who tip 2/3 of a tenth of a percent on a huge bill, when someone probably busted their ass while making under $3/hour because tipped workers haven't had a minimum wage increase in almost 20 years.

Yes I did the math, they tipped 0.0666666667%.

A tip's a tip though, right? Even though OP got a shitty tip, it's still a tip. More than what some people get.

OP seems like she has an attitude problem if she thinks it's okay to throw quarters at her customers. I think tips are earned. Yeah, OP doesn't have a big salary, but it's up to him/her to provide good service if they want tips. I can only think of 2 times in my life where I haven't tipped and those waiters were terrible. Perhaps OP's customers had a terrible experience as well. They might even have assumed the tip was included because it was a big group. Now she really won't get tips since she quartered the customers.

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3- it's standard practice to tip your servers. 50 cents for a bill of $750 is an insult. It should be those cheap bastards that piss you off, not OP - unless you are one of them...

3- Sorry, you're the idiot. You are probably one of those losers that go out to restaurants and don't tip. It's their job to serve you, correct, but don't you think you should tip them for their hard work? I've been a waitress before, and it's not easy dealing with people and their many needs. And just because you're nice and courteous to them doesn't mean it will be reciprocated. FYI: if u don't have money for tip, you don't have money to go out and eat. Just that simple.

@77 - While I always make sure to have the funds available for a tip, there's no way I'm going to leave a gratuity for crappy service. And if we think about it logically, the type of person who will assault someone for an insufficient tip probably wasn't exactly the best server ever, if you follow me.

81- maybe the customer(s) was a complete and utter asshole and OP did all she could do to please them. Then her frustration got the better of her. I've been in situations like this...I never assaulted anyone but I have mouthed off to a guest because of their rude behavior.

3 why don't you stick your tongue back in Your head and shut up. So OP made a mistake we all do.

77- while a tip is appreciated, it's still their job as a waiter or waitress to serve the food. Tips aren't always split among the entire staff, and the cooks work just as hard making the food. And if we're going to tip everyone for their hard work, then what about tipping police officers, firefighters and our soldiers? They certainly work hard but we don't tip them.

100, We generally fuck them over when they return after defending our freedom.

People that don't tip are disgusting. Servers make HALF of minimum wage. Depending on where you work, you have to claim at least 10percent of your sales. So you could've had to claim $75 you didn't make. Non servers don't know what it's
Like to go to work and Lose money. Even if the service was bad you should tip, although a lesser one; and I'm sure OP's service was superb considering the amount Of work they said they put into taking care of these people. Those people that didn't tip are scum I'm sorry OP

100- that is really ignorant, why would we tip them, they work to make our lives better yes but they also make good salaries and have great benefits, waitresses do not and btw cooks have their own salary dumb ass

-3, I totally agree, insult or not; shitty tip or not; OP throwing things at customers is just unacceptable. She deserved to be fired. I really don't care if people want to thumb me down, but $2.50 an hour for wages or not, OP is still a greedy asshole.

Personally, I'd never tip someone who gave me bad service. Why should my hard-earned money go to someone who made my night-out mediocre or even miserable?

If a waiter/waitress is being paid under minimum wage, then it's not my (or any other customer's) problem to make up for it with my own cash. Nor should I feel "forced" to pay a certain amount if I don't feel the service deserved it. A boss should make up the difference if they aren't earning minimum wage with tips. And if the boss refuses to do that, then complain to the DoL or try looking for another job that isn't so reliant on the optional tips of customers.

And maybe I'm crazy, but when I worked as a waitress (back in the day), I served people well regardless of whether I got tips from them or not. Because that was my job. And I knew that even though I was doing it tough back then, there were plenty of other people in the same boat as me. I wasn't going to assume everyone was gonna give me a big tip, because I knew that not everyone can do that. But that doesn't mean they deserved lesser service from me. They deserved to enjoy their meal and their night-out like any other customer.

There are so many people here calling the family "scum" or "assholes" or whatever. But so what if they didn't tip her? Maybe they rarely go out to eat? Maybe they couldn't afford the extra money for tips? Maybe they don't understand tipping? Maybe they simply didn't think OP's service deserved tipping? That doesn't mean they should be insulted, or abused, or not allowed to eat out. Sure, it might have been dickish of them not to give a larger tip. But some of the people here are acting like they spat on the OP then set fire to the restaurant.

174 - punch yourself in the face. Seriously. "They work to make our lives better"?! They go into WAR ZONES, the get SHOT AT, they come home with missing limbs or PTSD or both, and you think they don't deserve a hypothetical tip? Yes, military benefits are better than average, but their salaries are NOT. The military pays them just enough to keep them dressed and fed, and they provide a roof. That's it. Please, I beg of you, educate yourself on what our brave men and women actually earn before you shoot your mouth off again.

I was a waitress and I know how it is, and I know it sucks to not get tipped. But if you are disrespectful and idiotic enough to act like THAT. You don't deserve a job. I tip well when I go out because I know how it is, but when I waitressed I did several large parties that either left poor or no tip. OP was extremely innapropriate!

96 we don't "all" throw fits like a two year old and throw change a customers. If you think it's ok how OP acted than you need serious help

No, it's fucking not. Do you people not realise that tips are already added into the price of the meal in countries where tipping isn't commonplace? So servers are guaranteed a wage there, which is FAR more than you can say about the US.

Well, Police Officers and Firefighters are on a salary and get paid well, so we don't tip them. Cooks get paid more than waiters/waitresses. Waiters and waitresses get paid half of minimum wage, so most of their money comes from tips. I probably wouldn't have thrown quarters at someone's head, but I would've been pissed if I was OP. I think they are justified, especially if those people had enough money to buy a $750 meal and didn't tip OP.

260 - You ignorant hypocrite . I'm not saying the brave men and women who serve in the military don't deserve these things , but soldiers and paid a LOT of money . My aunt and uncle are soldiers , and the army will pay for their college educations if they wanted to pursue one AND the educations of their 8 kids . The army will provide excellent health care and many other amazing benefits . Don't be a hypocritical asshole . Learn about things yourself .

I don't blame u for being pissed about the tip. Here in Tennessee a waitress only makes $2.13 an hour! however, throwing the change at them may not had been the best idea. I've chased people out the door that have only left a little change and gave it back to them with a comment like "here, u left your change on the table" ...say it with a smile and you'll catch them off guard! And you can be a smartsss and get your point across without getting in trouble. ;)

Because those people get paid a wage. Tips are mandatory in the US, because most eateries pay their staff a dollar or two and then hopefully they make the rest in tips. Tipping is not an option in the US.

What you don't realize is that some people are cheap selfish bastards who don't think waiters even deserve a tip. As someone whose had to wait for a living to get through college I can tell you that I've busted my ass and gotten nothing in return. You won't know how bay you want to throw those quarters until you're in that position.

395 - my HUSBAND is in the Navy, jackass. I know how much he gets paid to the dime, and I know it's barely enough for rent and groceries. The benefits are great, but we NEVER see that money unless we need medical attention. The amount he gets in benefits is not in his salary, and that's what we live on. And the military wont pay for any and all colleges or degrees, only certain ones. So, in conclusion, you're the ignorant one here. Shut the hell up.

I have waitressed to support myself and I'm sorry but NOTHING gives you the right to assault anyone like that b

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Probably not. Assaulting customers is generally frowned upon.

Oh whoops, didn't realize she threw it AT THEM. Oh gosh, then obviously you'd get fired. People can suck but you don't need to hurt them..

they probably should've left a better tip, but at the same time you can't throw quarters at a customers head and not expect to be fired.

Op was just trying to make ends meet: the end of her job there, and the end of her reputation, that is.

38 I do hope you mean meat.

My understanding is that, at most restaurants, 14% tip is automatic with a certain bill price. Or it is where I normally eat out.

#64 - make ends meat makes absolutely no sense. Meet is correct in this context.

64- I think you got the wrong idea if you think i was talking about OP's meat, and her end!

Most restaurants if the party is like 6 people already add a 15% tip to the bill anyway. But I'm sorry op. Good luck finding a new job.

Yeah, here where I live, basically the tip is 10% of the bill. If this aplied here, the OP would get a 75$ tip. Comparing to the 0.50$ that he received...

Op was robbed of $74.50 but still no reason for assault

Describe huge, because the restaurants I've been to charge gratuity automatically for large parties. Of course this might not be the policy everywhere so who knows.

Most restaurants do that. OP is an idiot

Depends where you eat. Most restaurants do, the one I work for does not. :(

Comment moderated for rule-breaking.. Show it anyway

Get this straight. As a waitress if you do not make the Equivalant of 7.50 an hour you have the legal right to demand your employer supplement your pay. If you don't report it that's your fault.

Agreed, but it depends on where OP works. Some restaurants like where I work pay around $2.13 per hour, while some more high end places, like where my friend works, pays $7.20 per hour. People really should learn to tip better though, because this is all true.

But if you didn't earn enough tips to supplement your states minimum wage per hour than you can demand your employer make up the difference.

26 - Then the waiters and waitresses could usr that as an excuse for half assing it but still get paid the difference.

26 - Yeah, but that's alot of work for so little. I've been a waitress and I've had huge tables and it is extremely difficult. I'm not sure about OPs restaurant but where I worked I got absolutely no help. Everyone at the table tries to give you all their orders all at once and expects you to keep up and in my experience the ones who don't tip are usually rude and difficult.

Even if the employer covered the difference between the $0.50 and minimum wage for however long OP served this family, OP would still be out around $100.

The places I've worked, as long as your earnings per week averaged out to minimum wage, you didn't receive supplemental pay. And even had a job that would go back and change the amount of tips I claimed so they wouldn't ever have to give me supplemental pay...

11-I've always disliked the American tipping system, as it causes problems like this situation

I know being a waiter is difficult, but we don't even know what kind of service OP provided. I'm assuming it was terrible based on her throwing quarters at the customers. I don't think waiters should feel entitled to tips especially since their pay gets supplemented if they make below minimum wage. I always tip well because I know if I was a waiter I'd hate my job. However I have received terrible service (very uncommon but it happens) and those times I didn't tip. I don't think people should be quick to assume the customers are assholes.

How do they tip in your country? Is it automatically included in the bill? Here it usually is for large groups... Actually I don't recall ever going to a restaurant where the tip wasn't automatically included in the bill if the group was big (6+ people, I think)

Although that sucks for OP, for the sake of this argument It really doesnt matter if it consumed most of the night, or if OP gave them good service or not, or if its hard to serve large tables. Thats OP's job, he/she knows their duties and agreed to get paid a certain amount. Retail jobs are just the same - minimum wage and some customers require alot of time, but they dont get tips AT ALL.

Its not true nor fair to say that he/she got "cheated" out of $100. From my experience, tips are completely optional.

In California they can't pay below the minimum wage, period.

That's the way it should be everywhere. It's called minimum wage for a reason!

I recently went to NYC for a week and had most of my tips already added to my final bill. That is not okay, sometimes they do not deserve a tip but automatically add one to the bill anyways... I understand that tips are a huge part of their income, but if the service they give is bad they do not deserve one.

I won't pay for bad service I don't care what is expected of me if you don't do your job to a satisfactory level I'm not going to pay it really is that simple. I usually tip 20% for great service to 15% for satisfactory but I will not tip for sub par service if I don't do my job then I don't get paid I will except no less from any one else.

...

copy+pasted from the US government department of labor website:

"The federal minimum wage for covered nonexempt employees is $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. The federal minimum wage provisions are contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Many states also have minimum wage laws. In cases where an employee is subject to both the state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages."

your argument is thoroughly invalid.

copy+pasted unedited from the US department of labor website:

"The federal minimum wage for covered nonexempt employees is $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. The federal minimum wage provisions are contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Many states also have minimum wage laws. In cases where an employee is subject to both the state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages."

if ANYONE, waitress or other, in the US is paid below $7.25 an hour, it is because they are being taken advantage of due to lack of knowledge. arm yourself with information, and quit making excuses. there are none.

15- You need to educate yourself.

I completely agree with Huey, that's BS for a waitress to do so much and receive NOTHING in return. That's total crap that big table didn't provide a better tip! That's horrendous. Even if OP did make minimum wage, this is still crappy!! Waitstaff have the most difficult jobs dealing with the public, and some people are just rude. Even if the waitress doesn't do a superb job, she should be compensated around 10% of the check.

FYL OP, that sucks. Get a better job somewhere, and hopefully you'll have better customers.

And you are thoroughly a moron.

The pay of a server includes tips. The tips are included on tax claims and all other legal jazz. The server's weekly pay WITH TIPS does come out to legal wage, or maybe even better. Try reading some previous comments before you say something stupid next time.

If OP provided bad service, which given her actions is possible, she deserved no tip. Not even 10%.

#74- In Australia the servers wage in included in the price, as well as tax, so when you read the menu, what you will pay is clearly stated

145- No one working as a tipped employee is being "taken advantage of". You need to finish reading what you copied and pasted. They is an additional part that says if you are working somewhere that you receive mostly tips for services your minimum wage is lower. You think that every restaurant is breaking the law and paying their employees less then they have to? If you are a server, bartender, stylist, ect... You are NOT entitled to the minimum wages that every other NON TIPPED employee is! YOU need to do some research before you come on here commenting and sounding completely ignorant!

There's no defense for what op did. If the bill was $750 THAT is what the family HAS to pay. A TIP is up to the disgression of the family. Being unhappy with your tip does NOT entitle you to attack the family.

it should be optional based on your performance, if its mandatory then its not fair for the hard-worker and the ones just slacking! she deserves that tip based on her behavior. she should just be lucky to get anything rather than nothing. believe in karma.

I am a bit confused here. If you work in the US we have a thing called a minimum wage. My Understanding of (emphasis on MY) is that by law a covered non-exempt employee must either make federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr or state set min wage if different than that of federally set min. Wage. In cases where an employee is subject to both the state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages. In regards to employee's who earn income from tips the employer must pay $2.13 ONLY IF TIPS AT LEAST MAKE UP THE REMAINING $5.12/hr. If that amount is not satisfied the employer is required to pay that deficient amount not satisfied by tips earned.
With that said, I do understand that waitressing is hard work and is difficult at best with a large group of people. But not knowing how the patrons were treated hinders me from totally getting on board with OP even being upset. I for one refuse to tip someone who has been rude or neglectful of me in any way because I value every penny just as they do and if you aren't doing your job of serving the customer in an appropriate manner u should feel lucky to even have a job let alone expect a tip from me for not doing what u know should be done. As a spouse of someone who is active duty military where after 12 years of service to this country and barely clearing that $7.25/hr when u compare the $ paid to him broken down by amount of $ paid per hour by 24 hrs a day x 7days per week x 365 a year he doesn't even get min wage and if anyone comes back with "he doesn't work all that time though" think again. I am currently at 18 months of him either being on a full deployment or having to reside in a state other than where we are and many days on deployment were 2-3 day shifts and he is always on call when in port and gets calls all hrs all days he does get time off which in last 11 months has been a total of 15 days. When you consider this is how 95% of the men and women who risk their lives every day all day to protect our freedoms get paid and still can say OP had justification to throw objects at customers who paid their bill just didn't pay above and beyond what was hoped for (because customary is define as of or established by custom not by LAW) and legally they paid for what they consumed and nothing more, then by all means. Keep complaining. My man has sacrificed his life, given up being there for our only child's birth, too many holidays to count and any other thing you can imagine that OP can and will enjoy -for less $ and harder work.
For record if I left .50 tip there's a reason, and if that money had come at my person via her paws firing would be the least of her worries. Be thankful for what you have not what u don't cause there is always someone worse off than u and it can always get worse. Whew! Amen. ;)

OP is not "out" anything other than that which is given "in addition to" her normal pay which is at minimum a set amount set by state or federal laws not to be below $7.25. If a person isn't happy with their job, be it pay, benefits or job itself then change jobs, or find a better employer that will pay you more. It's so ridiculous that it is expected to pay someone who may or may not have done a good job because of the type of job they have chosen to do. If the customers didn't get service worthy of a customary tip on a party that size that could indicate the service had a lot to be desired. And wasnt worth the extra

423 = stupid moron. Now shut up and go home loser :P

Most people do tip, this was just an exception. It makes the servers try harder, too.

She could get a different job making minimum wage.

Incorrect . Minimum wage is the minimum and it's a crime to pay anything lower. A company would lose there license to conduct business if that went on.

They would be right to fire you. Did the family stiff you? Yes. Did you deserve a bigger tip? Presumably so. But throwing stuff at a customer?? Are you kidding me? As your employer I would fire you. That's assualt and is not the kind of childish behavior I would want representing my company.

Agreed #9. Not to mention what the other customers who saw the assault now think about the restaurant, can the OP guarantee that they will come back, given the behaviour they witnessed? I would have fired the OP too.

She might have been a bad waitress. If she's quick to overreact, maybe she isn't the best in social etiquette.

I'd like to see what you'd do if you worked your ass off to not make, but actually lose money because someone was too cheap to tip. I'm a server, and though ive never had a
Temper spurt that radical, which c'mon 2 quarters at the floor behind you? Not much of an assault... But anyway I can respect OPs reaction. The hours spent taking care of that group OP made $3 an hour. Or less. And probably couldn't take any other tables,AND had to claim
Money they didn't make and get taxed on it. Wouldn't you get mad?

165 - You're missing the point. Of course I'd be mad if I received that tip. The concern is how she reacted. I recently lost $2,800 cuz my roofer failed to properly fix the roof of my house. I'm livid, but I'm not about to go throw something at him. And yes, as small as quarters are, throwing something at someone is assault. It's the law. OP reacted in a childish manner.

Oh please. That should have been well over 100$. That's not overreacting! How's she/he gonna afford to live and eat!

I know most places add a percentage to the bill for parties over 6.

How the hell did you convince yourself throwing the quarters at them was remotely okay? Good luck getting another job