When to stiff the waitress

I work as our newspaper's restaurant critic now since leaving the world of sports journalism and I can tell you that there is nothing wrong with stiffing a wait person. Some folks will tell you it is not proper because that is the only money they make (i.e. dont even make minimum wage), but the only real way to express one's dissatisfaction is via the tip.
Even if the wait person is acceptable, if the food is cold or burnt or not up to standards, express that in the tip, but be sure to tell the waiter why you were dissatisfied.
If I was a waiter and I knew my customer got a burnt steak and then I got stiffed, I would be all up in the cook's business about it. See, it is a trickle down situation.
But, as I said before, be sure to tell the waiter or a manager what ticked you off because there are a lot of people out there who are ignorant as to proper tipping or who dont tip at all because of some ignorant moral policy.

 

Had quite the interesting scenario last week. Girlfriend decided to be nice and take me out for the birthday, so we get to a pretty popular chain restaurant (I got to pick, drove by and the neon sign alone made my decision) and go in. I knew things would be bad from the start when the waitress stopped by and she looked like a caveman. It started off fine, but she took quite a while to bring the food, then decided to wait 15 minutes after we finished to stop by and ask. After bringing us the check, she took another 10 minutes to pick it up.

I encouraged the girlfriend to be real cheap on the tip - she ended up giving 10 percent, which was a big deal for her - but the joke was on the waitress when she checked her bank statement and found the tip wasn't entered at all. The waitress seemingly forgot - or maybe she knew she was piss-poor.

 

He started coming into the bar where I was a regular. We got to talking and hit it off.
He became a regular, too. We been hanging out at the bar for probably about six months before we figured out the situation.
We laughed about it. I had stopped seeing the girl and he was on the outs with her.
We never compared notes though. I don't mind talking in general terms, but I've never been one to discuss anything really intimate with even the best of friends.

 

Why not just tell the manager or server your food is shit in the first place? Why take it out on the 19-year-old in tight black pants when all she did was carry the plate. She didn't make the slop that's on it. How is it going to trickle down if she doesn't know it was the food you didn't like and not her service? Some people are more reserved and wouldn't say anything anyway, even if they knew.

 

Threads have been started over less than this.

 

Vincent 'Vinnie' Antonelli: It's not tipping I believe in. It's overtipping.


And yeah, less than a buck is worse than none at all. When they say "you forgot something' your response should always be "no I didnt."

 

I have found that overtipping in places you regularly frequent will result in a liquor windfall. Translucent rum and cokes even.

 

*Raises hand*

 

Let's expand on this....

Worst chain restaurant in terms of service you've ever eaten at....

Denny's is my No. 1. Avoid it at all costs. If they get your order right, or even have what you want, it's a miracle.

Church's Fried Chicken a half-an-hour or less before closing. You're screwed if you want something they have to fry at that point.

 

Hell, I thought it said it said "When to <b>sniff</b> the waitress," and I was anxious to post with a few ideas.

Imagine my disappointment.

 

Einstein Bros. Bagels. I have literally never received what I ordered there.