Why You Should Tip Your Server...

So, here's the thing. Yes, I serve (unfortunately), and due to this misfortune, I see the best of society's members, and the very very worst of them. The single thing that baffles me to this day, is that children are not taught at a young age how to tip their servers. This should really be integrated into public school's curriculum.

Contrary to popular belief, the money I make in tips does NOT go straight into my pocket. In fact, I usually walk away with significantly less than you would expect. So here is the break down of how my tips are divvied up, just to make some simple sense of it all.....

SCENARIO #1:
Your bill is $100 (just to make things simple to see)
You tip 10%, so $10

I pay:
1% of SALES (not tip) to hostess = $1
1% of SALES (not tip) to bartender= $1
3% of SALES (not tip) to kitchen = $3

This leaves me with $5 of the original tip, or about 5% of sales.
So if I sell $1000 worth of food, which is A LOT (like a busy busy friday night where I burn 1016 calories from literally running around the restaurant), and everyone tips 10%, I would only walk away with about $50 in tips.

Then consider that I have worked for 5 hours, in 2-inch heels (remember those 1016 calories?), refilling your pop 6 times, cleaning up after your 2 year old who is eating food off of the bare table, cleaning your half eaten/smeared/chewed food off the plate, and attempting to cater to your 3 food allergies and diet restrictions (which the kitchen yells at me for)... for that I only get paid $45.25 in wage.

So on a really good night, I make $95 . 25. For work that causes nerve damage to my feet, makes me eat at absurd hours of the day (hello 11:00PM dinners or no meals at all - hello weight gain and diabetes!), and where I have to buy a new pair of $100 shoes each month because the heels literally fall off.


BUT Here's the kicker...
On a bad day (like today):
Your bill = $45
You tip = $0

I pay:
$0 . 50 to the hostess
$0 . 50 to the bartender
$1 . 35 to the kitchen
$1 for dine and dash fund each shift

Clean up your disgusting table that your kids smeared alfredo sauce all over, listen to you complain about how your favorite item has been removed from the menu (because I have total control over things like that), you drink 8 cups of coffee in the hour you are there, and manage to spill cream and splenda packets all over the alfredo-painted table...

I PAY $3 . 35 to serve you, out of my pocket. I actually pay money to serve you. Me, a starving student who cannot afford to buy meat some months, have to PAY MONEY to SERVE you your food that you can afford to pay $45 for.

And the #1 reason you should tip your server:



Guess who could be your nurse nurse one day
Remember we get to pick the gauge of your catheters & your needles  ; )