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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Enforcer" data-source="post: 6221450" data-attributes="member: 396">So I missed the kerfluffle. And while Spring1 can't reply to me right now I would like to address a few points. For the record, I've worked FOH (front-of-house, meaning service) for seven years now, mostly in a fine dining capacity. The restaurants I've worked at have all had at least one of the following, usually more: a James Beard Award for Service and/or the Chef, at least 3 out of 4 stars in the local paper of record (in major US cities), and a Michelin star. I've had tables who've spent more than $1,000 a person on so many occasions that it's not really remarkable to me. I've also worked at a couple casual places with great food (no chains) and a much faster pace. Service (especially wine) is my career, not something I'm doing while I earn a degree, and if I do say so myself, I'm pretty damn good at it. That said:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">You say you've never worked as a server. I believe you given your other statements. You are not qualified to judge me or any other server, plain and simple. If by fiat I could require all restaurant patrons to work in a restaurant for at least 6 months before they're allowed to dine out, I would do so in a heartbeat. It's not easy, not even at Red Lobster I'm sure. Ever wear out a pair of shoes in 6 months?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Servers do mess up. I've done it plenty, even at the high-end places I've worked at. If you're working hourly/salary at a non-hospitality job and make a mistake do they dock your pay? If yes, is it the lion's share of your income? Is that fair?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sometimes a table gets their food first because the chef/expediter (the person who controls all of the tickets and tells the cooks when to fire which course) sent it out that way. You don't argue with the chef or the expo. You just don't. They have a better sense of where the entire restaurant is at and what's best for the restaurant as a whole. I've had tables get screwed because a critic/VIP/regular was at the next table. And while that sucks, it's absolutely in the restaurant's best interest to take care of the critic/VIP/regular first.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">When you get triple/quadruple/quintuple (happened to me more than once) sat, you can be epic-tier in the Efficiency class and you're still screwed as a server. Sure, if all of the tables are nice, patient, savvy diners, things will go okay. But this is seldom the case: usually there's one or more tables with a litany of dietary restrictions (you came to my fine-dining Italian restaurant and you're a vegan with a gluten allergy, really?!?), good or stupid questions ("So how does this work?" "Well, you tell me what you want to eat and drink and I bring them to you..."), or other nonsense. Or, if you're lucky, it's a high-roller table that will pay off big but requires a lot of time talking about the wine list to make it happen. And in a tipped environment that high-roller table will absolutely get more attention from me than a table that seems like they're yelpers (ugh!)/otherwise judging and drinks hot water with lemon...</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Cornell, which has the most highly regarded hospitality degree program in the US, has studied tipping extensively. Guess how much the guest's perception of the quality of service affects the tip... About 4%. That's not 4% of the bill, mind you, which would be substantial, it's 4% of the tip itself. Apparently if you're a young, blonde, white, female server with a large chest, that's worth a lot more than the diner's perceived quality of service.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I personally prefer a flat hourly rate. Consistent income (come January in Chicago if you haven't been saving you're not making rent as the clientele drops by 50% and you're getting cut 2x a week...) and not dealing with all of the stress that tipping causes are well worth the slight decrease in income. And when I'm on my game (which is most of the time) I get additional cash tips anyways in addition to the automatic service charge. But the best reason to do away with tipping is that it increases quality of service. In a "normal" restaurant, the server has an economic incentive to give good service to his/her own tables and no economic incentive to care about other tables or help his/her colleagues. Without tipping, it's everyone's job to provide good service to everyone. In the case of being triple+ sat, the less busy servers can pitch in. More teamwork, better service. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It's the manager's job to get rid of people who aren't pulling their weight. Complaining to the manager (in a respectful, decent-human-being tone) is the best way to help that restaurant and more importantly your own experience. And when it's a rude person complaining about silly trivialities, the manager can then ignore or sometimes eject said customer. Which is also the best way to help that restaurant and all of his/her employees' experience.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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