Tipping situation with terrible service

[bradyarz]

So the wife and I went on a little date last night. We recently moved to a smaller town and are still in the process of learning all the hometown shops. We got to the restaurant and only noticed after we were seated they were a cash only establishment. I don't normally carry cash, but my wife happened to have a $20 bill so we stayed and vowed to eat within our budget. We each ordered cheese steaks.

Service was terrible. We waited close to 30 minutes for our food when everyone else around us was eating. She only came back once during that time to give us a drink refill, while I counted she went over to another table a good 5 or 6 times in the same period. There was no apology when she did bring our food. Most interesting (disgusting) to me was they brought out dishes and set them in front of us sans food, THEN brought out our sandwiches on paper plates and transferred them BY HAND to the plates on our table.

Anyway, the bill ended up as $14 and some change. We gave her the $20, and she gave us a $5 bill and change. Now, good people that you are, in this situation would you:
Leave a $5 (>30% tip) for TERRIBLE service
Leave nothing
Leave the change, which might be more of an insult than nothing


We left nothing and walked out. I won't go there again.

Edit: if she had given me 5 $1 bills instead, I would have considered a tip. However, she knew full well what she was doing when she gave us the $5 as change.

 

[Austin]

I have done the same thing. I have gotten better service at a Chilis than some of the finer establishments. It's a sad commentary.

 

[Pumpkin]

Leave a $5 (>30% tip) for TERRIBLE service
Leave nothing
Leave the change, which might be more of an insult than nothing


We left nothing and walked out. I won't go there again.

Edit: if she had given me 5 $1 bills instead, I would have considered a tip. However, she knew full well what she was doing when she gave us the $5 as change.

Personally, I'd have just left the small change...taking anything useful like dimes and quarters!

 

[82R100]

I'd have left the change.

That way she couldn't rationalize that somehow you'd forgotten to tip.

- Chris

 

[Argonaut]

Definately the change, mostly to send the message that says " here's what your service is worth, now go split it up between the cook, busboys and hostess." However, leaving nothing and never returning gets the same point across.

 

[Leche]

Place change in full glass. Cover glass with something plastic or dense cardboard, coaster is a good choice. Turn glass over and place on table. Remove coaster or plastic and you get a messy tip.

After working in the restaurant business for several years that kind of stuff irritates me, a lot. I wouldn't have left a tip either. How small of a town? You may have been getting some "Outsider" treatment.

 

[Bertilak]

On the very rare occasion that I get truly bad service I *always* leave a tip small enough to show my displeasure (under a buck). Somehow no tip at all doesn't seem to make as strong a statement.

Edit: Recently I had an experience with bad service and I did leave a moderate tip anyway as I judged the bad service was simple incompetence and not thoughtlessness nor rudeness. The young lady seemed confused and distracted so there might have been something going on in her life that maybe I would even feel pity for if I knew what it was.

 

[winky]

I had the same question: how small of a town?

If I knew I wasn't going back, I'd leave nothing and then write a letter or call the manager.

 

[airplanedoc]

I have no problem not tipping if the service and food is crap.

I also try to seperate the service and the food in my mind. I have had great service and less than stellar food a few times.

Asking if I need change is a sure way to get your tip lowered as well

 

[bradyarz]

how small of a town?

it's small, but not small enough that they would know "outsiders".

i might have left just the change, but my wife thought it might be "too rude". she was shocked enough at herself (and me too) for not leaving a tip at all. she's generally very considerate about those things, and usually the one to talk me out of small tips.

we actually considered leaving before our food got there without paying for the drinks, but we were too hungry to care at that point.

 

[Strikermike]

I would have made break the 5 especially if she had to walk back to the register to do it. Then left one dollar.

 

[BEAR DEN]

I'm a wimp when it comes to leaving a small tip...I always assume that they are having a bad day and leave a moderate size tip anyways...I guess I don't have any Mr. Pink in me.

 

[SmoovD]

Oh noes, not another tipping thread.

Springs01 had some sage advice...if I could only find the thread.

Terrible service earns a terrible tip.

 

[Zenas]

Edit: if she had given me 5 $1 bills instead, I would have considered a tip. However, she knew full well what she was doing when she gave us the $5 as change.

As someone who was a server, she knew what she was doing.

Also, I would have left nothing. It's far more insulting to a server to leave change than it is to leave nothing. In my view, leaving nothing is a message, leaving change is mocking you.

 

[Alacrity59]

Interesting predicament. I might feel it is more important to speak up if this happened in a small town where I lived if there was minimal available alternatives. In any case when I'm not happy with what is happening I like to talk to the waitress/waiter . . . just on the way I feel . . . "excuse me . . . yes . . we've been waiting a bit now and it seems that all the other tables coming in after us have been served and we have not . . . is there a problem?" "help me understand . . . we've been here 30 minutes . . . at most places we've been to we would have been served by now . . . ???" Usually they throw their asses in gear to get things right.

My advice . . . communicate early . . . just matter of fact, calm, set expectations as soon as you get any inkling things are not right.

Example: I've had to travel some on business. I eat breakfast on my lonesome. Things work out far better when I let the waitress know . . "Hey I've nobody to talk to here, I've read the paper already this morning, can you bring the bill with my meal? I need to get under way"

I'll go back to a place for good service. With a new place I don't mind making a bit of an effort to get the service I'd like. If it does not work then there is the short tip and no return.

 

[luvmysuper]

Personally, I'd have just left the small change...taking anything useful like dimes and quarters!

Don't forget to take your nickels too!

I'd have left the change.

That way she couldn't rationalize that somehow you'd forgotten to tip.

- Chris

+2 Exactly.

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

Most interesting (disgusting) to me was they brought out dishes and set them in front of us sans food, THEN brought out our sandwiches on paper plates and transferred them BY HAND to the plates on our table.

Can anyone solve this riddle? Why would they do this? This defies logic, to me. I can't think of any reason why they would transfer food from one plate to another when they could just save the trouble and put the food on the dishes when it's ready. I am trying to envision what the conversation in the kitchen must have been like that would've provoked them to take this route.

Provided I had no intention of ever returning, I would have done as you did. I realize that most waiters and waitresses hate their jobs (lives?), but you grin and bear it.

 

[dpmtherrien]

I'm a firm believer that good service deserves a good tip. Bad or rude service doesn't deserve anything. I think I would have left about a quarter, and then gone and voiced my displeasure to the manager. While talking with the manager I'd make it a point to point out the server while that server see's what's going on.

 

[Mikecdm]

I wouldn't have gave her anything, but I'm not a huge tipper either. If it was good service, would have just left all of it.

The thing that makes it difficult it the small town thing. I wouldn't want to be new in a town and already start getting looked at for being cheap. Then again, I wouldn't want people thinking that they can treat me as they please just because I'm an outsider.

 

[mretzloff]

Leave the change. NEVER leave nothing. Leaving nothing allows her to think that you might have liked her service, but forgot to leave a tip. If you leave the change (preferably pennies), she will realize her service was crap.