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Just getting out of work an hour after the restaurant closed because we had a table come in at midnight. Two young people smelling very strongly of weed. They stayed for an hour and a half, complained about their food, which they ate most of, and got their dessert comped. No tip.
Here's my thing. If you're not going to tip, go to fucking McDonald's. Period. Not only did you waste my time and drive down my tips for the night, you also blatantly communicated that you don't think I deserve to make enough money to live.
Yes, the concept of having to tip servers is inherently unethical because putting the burden of paying employees a living wage onto the consumer is GARBAGE. We all know that.
But by going to a restaurant (or any establishment with tipped workers, frankly) you're agreeing to a social contract saying that you will pay for the services you're receiving. Period.
If you can't afford to tip right, you can't afford to eat out. There is no reason why I should be selling THOUSANDS of dollars worth of food and drink every night and then coming home to eat instant ramen.
The table that stiffed me also had the NERVE to say thank you while handing me the check with no tip written on it. If you do this, you are garbage. "Thank you" doesn't pay my rent. "Thank you" doesn't put food on the table. "Thank you" doesn't keep the lights on.
If you're "dissatisfied" with the service you've received at a restaurant, consider that it's most likely not your server that messed up. Most of the time, your server is running around like a chicken with their head cut off trying to make everything perfect for you.
Because they're usually the only ones who make tips!!!! Or, in most corporate restaurants, they have to share tips with other employees!!! Which is fucked!!!! If the kitchen fucks up, they don't lose any money.
Any server knows that any "mistakes" they make are opportunities for the consumer to EASILY justify not tipping. Very rarely do people tip OVER what's customary. On the other hand, it's INCREDIBLY common to get stiffed. Even on my best nights, I get tables that don't tip.
There's also an interesting point about how service industry workers treat black people unfairly because they perceive black people to be bad tippers without acknowledging income inequality that disproportionately affects people of color. Still, you should fucking tip.
Tipping is not optional. Tipping is not something you do based on how much you like your server. Whether you tip can literally mean the difference between someone being able to keep a roof over their head or not.
And if you're going to come into a restaurant right before it closes, you had better fucking tip correctly.
I'm thirty minutes into hour-long commute home, and I will only be getting four hours of sleep before I have to be back at the restaurant for brunch. Pray for me. Tip your servers.
