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Tell the world who gave you that bad tip. You can reply to this post by clicking on the comments below or you can sign in to start a new post. To go back to the Lousy Tipper Home page click here ---> http://www.lousytippers.com/
posted by Disgruntled Driver at
3:09 PM
218 Comments:
One time these people pissed me off so bad, by not tipping me, I gave them a yard job.
Yea you did. I usually just prefer to hit the horn as I'm driving off but I am willing to learn.
while i like the idea of this site, i doubt that it's legal to publish people's full names and home addresses on a website like this. don't be suprised if you get in some major trouble.
I'm not too worried. Name and address is public information. Also, the database is just like a large public bulletin board. I don't control what people say or who they say it about.
Try and put an option for details about the scumbags, such as their personality, the weather, etc. Also, I think the date option is kind of pointless. The ones I've listed from here in Omaha are chronic stiffers, who have stiffed in several different months.
You might have a good idea about a field for the weather. As for a more detailed description of the tightwads, I was hoping that the Lousy Blog would meet that need.
So many cases of no tip or pennies left as a tip. Usually this means that that the customer is stating that service was lacking, not that they are cheap. Cheap tips is usually between 5-10%. Don't shoot the messenger as I'm a server and have never been stiffed with a zero tip.
Almost all of the bad tips currently on the database are from pizza drivers. Unfortunately, it’s quiet common for a pizza driver to get $0.00, which is partly why I started this site. While the site is for anyone who lives off of tips, it just got its start with mostly delivery drivers.
Someone posted a bad tip from a guy named Todd Phenniger and the state was listed as bz? Not sure if this is a real post or what. If you put it up send me an email. Later.
My biggest pet peeve is getting hand fulls of change.. no cup.. no bag.. just a hand full of change. Now when people do this to me I don't raise my hand to take it, I make them get something to put it in before I'll take it.
They finnaly charged the people who were involved in the 2003 incident where a delivery driver was jumped, had a bomb attached to his neck and was forced to rob a bank; which went very unsuccessfully. The man's last moments were caught on tape as he pleaded for his life and cuffed and on his knees. I hope these people have a cell with someone who loves pizza and rape.
I remember that story with the pizza guy and the bomb. I also remember that the police blamed him for the longest time. I guess it was so strange they didn't know what to think. I think that the perpetrators where watching entirely to much TV.
Always remember to shake up the customer's cans of coke, 2-liters, etc. If they tip you, tell them to wait awhile before they open them. If they don't tip you, well......
I don't know about the person that has never been stiffed but I get the pennies thing all the time and my best customers watch in amazement because they know that I didn't deserve to get stiffed.
I've also noticed that rednecks with mullets don't usually tip. They want to order the most difficult drinks because it has a cool name and they stiff me every time. Also 99% of the customers who order a frozen drink don't tip. I hope they get a brain freeze!
Excellent site but more information on said incidents would be excellent. For instance i'm a bartender and most of the time I only know the customers first and last name. Maybe you could include a description catagory so the stiffee can make fun of the stiffer by saying that maybe they could use a new wardrobe or a dentist instead of a drink.
This woman lived very close to the store but did not tip. Finally, I started getting her pizza there in 15 minutes. However, the pizza was ice cold because I held it out the window the whole time and never put it in a delivery bag (until I rang the doorbell). She eventually quit ordering and we were both happier.
The problem with holding the pizza out the window is that it wants to act like a wing. If you don't hold on to it tighly it will take off on you. Then you got to go back to the store and get a new one.
I guess the rednecks are saving their pennies so they can afford to date their first cousins.
I love it when a guy gives me a $1 tip after ordering 12 shots for all his buddies and then has the balls to ask me if it is a good tip. I want to say "I'm going to pay more in taxes on the sale I just made than your lousy tip will cover." But since I get more people that stiff than tip then I'll take what I can get and say "Thank you," with a very disgruntled tone.
Sometimes shots come before floss
One time this lady called the pizza place & I knew she didn't tip, so I said (in a real nice voice), " Oh, hi I remember you, you gave me a good tip last time!"
When I delivered her pizza she still didn't tip me, but that was the last time she ordered from us & we were both happier.
I have a bad habit of making people compromise for a credit I never intend to give them.
Ouch... .38 cents at Central Baptist. I love their new setup. I'm waiting till the chick security guard is working and I'm going to try and run to the elevator to see if she'll tackle me. Gotta work for those pennies.
I love this new site!
Thanks for the love.
So, Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls, comes into our place on a regular basis. He is by far the worst tipper of all the sports figures who dine with us, and we have quite a few. Last night his bill was $165.00 and he left his server $20.00. In the past he has had bills even higher, and tipped less!! We have have celebs like Michael, Lovie, Ditka, the entire defensive line of the Bears (at once), TV personalities, and entertainers who take care of our servers very well. Would someone please explain to Mr. Gordon that he is getting quite a reputation, and that we are now flipping coins to see who gets stuck with him next!
Great post. It's alway funny to hear about rich celebs who are jerks.
Next time Gordon comes in suggest the new Michael Vick Chinese restaurant down the street.
John Sanders.. that dirty bastard.
I did a Google search of a couple of the names on the lousy tipper database and some of the results were links to the database. One of the names I searched actually had its first Google result pointing to lousytippers.com. It's only a matter of time until someone Googles themselves and finds their name on our little site.
Hmmm...
According to Wikipedia in Okemo Michigan, there is only a 4.2% chance of a person being black and if their a woman, they make almost $20,000 less a year than their male counterparts.
I wait in eager anticipation for the day some non-tipping troglodyte finds their name on the website.
Someone posted black women as a bad tipper. I had to delete the post as this seems to be more of a social commentary. Please find her name and repost. All stupid asshole jerks need to be treated equally.
meh
One of the only things worse than not getting tipped is having to endure the cat shit smell that has permiated through the door. How should I add this one DisgruntaledDriver.
1508 Kelly Cir, Lexington, Ky, $20 order $3 tip plus overwhelming smell of cat shit.
I can't help but wonder if some driver has gone there and thrown up in the bushes.
The taint licker at 704 Jaeduke paid with a $100 and took most of my change. Maybe he thinks my car runs on rainbows and thank yous. My car runs on the blood of Iraqis(32 Iraqis highway, 25 city).
The hamster stuffer at St Joe, stole 2 bucks from the tip and kept it in his pocket. He wasn't a very good theif, the money was sticking out of his pocket. I should of picked his pocket when I had the oppurtunity and taken the money.
Oh well..
These people can go merrily fuck themselves with sand paper dildos.
:) I feel better now.
Wow. I guess we'll have no problems if we establish a "Lousy Service" site for those of us who have to stand up and wave our hands to get the attention of the crowd of servers who stand chatting away amongst themselve. Or the ones who disappear after slamming your plate on the table and never check back. I've made sure that when I do not feel service is worth the tip, I tell the manager on the way out why, in addition to the server.
How about you get a better job instead of complaining about tips. I don't gett tipped for doing my job! You get paid to do your job, why should the consumer pay an additional amount for something you are SUPPOSED to be doing.
What I love is when you go into a restaurant that automatically imposes a 15% tip and therefore, the server feels they can ignore that table because the tip is already a foregone conclusion. THEN at the end of the meal, they are expecting an additional tip ON TOP of the mandatory 15 percent.
It used to be that 10 percent was considered to be an "appropriate" tip. Then somewhere along the line, it became 15 percent. I just read somewhere now that it should be 20 percent.
The cost of food in restaurants goes higher and higher so if a 10 percent tip was appropriate 15 years ago, then why is 20 percent suddenly the "new standard". The whole point of a tip as a percentage of the tab is that it grows with inflation. But servers tips are growing faster than the pay of traditionally paid individuals AND they probably hide a bunch of it from uncle sam.
Y'all are really bitter and I agree with the consumer who said that maybe you should get a real job rather than whining over the relatively small minority of bad tippers.
And by the way, could it be that your service sucked as badly as your attitudes do and THAT is why you got stiffed?
what is the right tip for a server who takes 45 minutes to get your salad out? SIDE salads. Or who doesn't bring all the food you ordered...even after you bring it to their attention. Twice. Or who can't figure out your bill correctly after you have sat thru the nightmare? Or the one you have to hunt down and then gets upset cuz the only person you can get the attention of is her manager when you haven't seen her for 15 minutes? I had an hour lunch which turned into 2 hrs because of POOR POOR service. Do I get to publish her name and place of employement? The place won't give me her address but you want to publish ours?
If you are dependent upon your tips to survive then act like it. Bring my food, hot and quick. If there is a problem in the kitchen then tell me, I am understanding but not when you ignore me. DO YOUR JOB. My boss doesn't pay me because I show up, he pays me because I work.
I have to completely agree. I am generally a good tipper IF the service calls for it. But I have kids and if I have to wait an hour for their food to come out and my waiter/waitress has a sucky attitude about it then why should I tip good. I understand bad days, we ALL have bad days but don't take it out on the paying customer. This site is insulting to the rest of the people who probably did have bad service and didn't tip well because of it. You are in customer service so your attitude is dependent on what you deserve. If you rely on tips to make a living then do your job right and don't get pissed off at us and publish our names because you get a bad tip because your service sucks.
Let me start by saying that I am a pretty generous tipper. I rarely tip less than 20%.
But it galls me somewhat to see these ridiculous posts about pizza delivery people being upset over not getting 15-20%. I read excuses like paying for gas, etc..
I used to deliver for a pizza chain. Not only did I get an hourly wage, but I also got a mileage allowance, and my tips. Granted, I did get stiffed by some inconsiderate morons, but I also didn't expect 20%
If I go to a restaurant, my waitstaff is providing a dining "experience." They bring me water, bring me my food, see to it that I am enjoying my meal, etc..
Why would I expect to pay a delivery person who shows up at my door, hands me a pizza, and takes my money to get 20%, especially since I've already paid a $1.50 delivery charge?
Granted, I almost always pay the pizza delivery person at least 20%, but it pisses me off that you expect that for providing me 30 seconds worth of service.
Ever stop and wonder if maybe you are just a bad waiter/waitress?
Good waitress - 25-30%
OK waitress - 20%
Bad waitress - 5-10%
I have, at times, left 2 cents as 'tip'. This was because the service was horrible. Several times the bus boy was diligent in keeping the drinks refilled and the bread basker full but no sign of the wait staff for long periods on end. This was not in a place that was overwhelmed and understaffed. The wait person could be clearly seen gabbing with other wait staff.
If you find yourself on the short end of a tip perhaps you should look in the mirror. Above all else, do not make it miserable for the next customer. (I gave the bus boy $5 as I left).
I think this site is awesome.
I don't work for TIPS. But, as a customer, I will always TIP atleast 20%. If someone pisses me off, sometimes it will be more, (ie, I'll leave $7 on a %16 meal) and if I really loved the service I have tipped up to 40%. Thank you for your work ladies and gnetlemen!
I agree with many things said on both sides of tipping. I have worked for tips and found that there are people that stiff or tip poorly no matter how good the service. They are either 1) total assholes or 2). they are broke with credit cards killing them in interest, they work their ass off a good part of the year just to pay for $130 dollar hammers, and to build schools and bridges in oil rich countries or to pay able bodied people not to work, they are one broke transmission from not being able to pay their electric bill but on Friday night they want to give their family a treat and order Pizza, most likely the two mediums for $9.99 with the coupon.... hoping they get paid Monday or the check they just wrote is going to bounce Tuesday.
I do not know all the bad going on in peoples lives, and I am not going get so wrapped up in worrying about a tip to pass judgement on people, who probably would have left more if they felt they had it. Now rich people, (who we all know are really crappy tippers) I have less patience for. Yes, they may be rich because they are ultra conservative with their money, but come on... they should come off a couple dollars for a working person trying their best to please them... they probably have three dollars in their ashtray of their car.
Now on the other hand, although I have worked for tips and know the sting of being stiffed even though I did everything I could do to please them, I think the tip range is 0 to 100%. I have given tips as high as 100% or more... and I have given 0. I do not have a set number based on someones opinion about what is appropriate. I tip based on service. My meal can be slow, cold and bad, but a waiter can still get a great tip because they are friendly, helpful, and are trying... My meal could be hot, fast and tasty but served by a unfriendly asshole that beleives it is their God given right to get a tip.
I agree with the people saying that tips should be related to service. Service in America has become so bad, because our standards of good service continue to go down. We now are happy if our order is anywhere near being correct, is at least warm and served within 45 minutes or ordering.
If you work for tips, you will get low tips and stiffs occassionally. If you are getting many of them.... then you may just suck as a service provider and should just go on welfare...
This site is a joke. If you are going to post someone's name and address for not tipping, you should have to post your own name and who you work for so they know to stop doing business with you. then, you'll both be happier.
C'mon people, everyone knows that a waitressing job, a pizza delivery job, (or other such occupations where gratuity is used to subsidize a poor wage) are only meant to provide a temporary source of income while you are looking for a better job, going to school, or maybe earning a little extra cash on the side if your main job is slowing down. Anyone who is trying to make a living wage (and trying to get ahead) at these occupations will only discover that it is simply not possible. Making lousy money? Find another job. Getting consistently bad tips? Look in the mirror. Expecting 20% for mediocre service? Think again. I understand that waitressing is a physically demanding job, however, in America, most people are not paid well for manual labor. Think you should have a high hourly wage just because you can walk or drive fast and fling food on a table with a smile? Try again. Honestly speaking, it is time for Americans who utilize the food industry to take it back.
1. Quit eating out every day. This will slim your waistline. Learn to cook and maybe even have a small garden in your backyard.
2. Eat out only on special occassions or maybe every other weekend. Limit your visits to restaurants. This will save you money and lessen the likelihood that you will receive poor service. It will also send a message to the food industry that "we can take you or leave you".
3. Keep in mind that tipping is a gratuity, only a gift. "Thanks for the great service". It's not legally required, especially if the service was less than stellar. It is not meant to subsidize someone's inability to negotiate a better wage or better job. Making only 2.15 an hour? It's YOUR FAULT for not taking the time to look for a better job. Can't find a good job in your area? MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE.
4. Also keep in mind that if you find your name on this site, you have so many legal options it's not funny. I think that customers should have a blog or website where names of lousy servers and their restaurants are posted for everyone to see, including their addresses. Think that server will still be employed? Think again.
You servers forget that part of what tipping is about is to allow the customer to tell you whether or not you did a good job as a server. If you are a jerk with a lousy attitude, you can bet that my tip will reflect my perception of your service and your flippant mouth. So if you are a regular poster here on this website, maybe you are a lousy server. Perhaps you ought to consider another line of work where your attitude towards your job and your customers is not so much of a factor in your pay.
Dear Customer,
While I personally don't plan to make a career out of delivery driving, it is one of the highest paying jobs in the food service industry($15 - $25 and hour). It is also one of the deadliest jobs you can have period(I doubt gynocolgist and CPAs are constantly worried about being robbed, shot, or getting in a car wreck). When you've been driving the whole night trying to maintain that line between fast service and not getting a ticket, and a disrespectful customer answers the door with "What took you so long?", it can frustrate like no other. What I believe most bad tippers and bad customers in general don't understand is what it takes to deal with the whole while doing the best for each person. It probably took 45 minutes to get the salad because the other 50 patrons of the restaurant whose order were taken before are being filled too. In a sit-down restaurant it is often the speed of the cooks that will determine how long it takes for your food to get to you, not the server. For delivery drivers it is often traffic, unforeseen obstacles, and customers who are not prepared, or customers with special needs such as hospitals who create delays that make it difficult to handle things in a timely manner. The constant conundrum of delivery is, it is often the orders that come after the one the customer placed that determines how long it will take to arrive to that customer. Some customers just can't comprehend this and feel justified in shooting the messenger when they have to wait 15 minutes longer than they were quoted. From our perspective on the service side, asking for free food or not tipping because we were unable to predict the future is ridiculous. Now.. if a driver or server comes to you smoking a cigarette, talking on their cell phone and doesn't bother to greet you and just tells you the total, grunts and goes on their way, that is bad service and does deserve a bad tip and you should complain. The next time you feel your service is bad take a minute and look at the situation and ask yourself if it is the servers fault or the drivers fault and not just something that is beyond any of their control.
First off..
I made some comments the other day that were a bit harsh. Sorry, to guy on Jaeduke, and the nurse at St Joe. I do maintain the nurse was a thief and will have his bad karma in due time.
Second... The anon post with the 4 point list at the end.
1) You claim there are legal ramifications for posting publicly available information, order totals and tip amounts. I'm interested, could you please post the laws that you are specifically referring to or an online link.
2) You suggest to create that which you think is illegal.
3) Your right we should do something about the food service industry. "Fast Food" has helped destroy this nation and it populous by making bad food more popular and appealing in price and taste helping only to further line the pockets of the rich elite. They are selling heart disease and cancer so their cronies can sell you the cure.
4) "Can't find a better job, move somewhere else." If you can't find a decent job that allows you to save money, where is the money that will allow you to move to where a decent job is, going to come from? Living from paycheck to paycheck is a very real situation for many people. As long as nothing ever goes wrong for you your, fine, but should life happen(a child gets sick, are car breaks down) the only way to get ahead as your average middle to lower class person is to put yourself in to debt or work so much to a point that it is unhealthy.
5) I don't think I should be paid well because I drive fast, I should be paid well because you choose to have another person take on the risk of and cost of bringing you one of the 3 necessities of life. A few dollars from each person 2-4 times a month doesn't make a big difference in the their overall financial picture, but a couple of stiffs every day can change the weekly income of a driver drastically. If a driver makes (my average)$3.50 a delivery normally and never gets stiffed and then for a period of a month 2 customers a day give no top, at the end of the month (assuming a 5 day work week and 4 week month), these people have affected the drivers income by $140.
So many comments, so little time. To 500lb Gorilla and the cat pee situation. It's not a tip violation but the world should hear the shit (oops, piss) we often must endure.
To the individual who wanted to post a bad server website, go ahead - I won't be on it.
To the consumer who says get a better job; it's just a matter of time until you end up on the site. Anyone who would say that is so rude and thoughtless they are likely to be the type of person who leaves bad tips on a regular basis.
Many people in the service industry are working to better they're future, going to school or working a professional day job and delivering pizza on the weekends to help pay off staggering education bills. They don't expect to get rich in their present jobs but it does offer the advantage of a flexible schedule and they exchange this for lower pay. With that said, do you go to work and not get paid for it? I don't think so. Tips are not legally required but they are socially required. Why do you think there are so many bad tippers now squealing like stuck pigs. If they weren't so embarrassed (because they know it is socially expected) they wouldn't be so vocal about their protestation. It's not a gift it is an expected payment for the service I provide.
Finally, I would like to address the blame the victim crowd. Most servers/drivers do everything within there control to provide the best service possible. It is in their self-interests. With that said, yes there are sometimes that a server gives poor service. When a server is purposely giving bad service or is needlessly rude it is correct to leave a less than stellar tip. I've done it myself. If I've ever had any doubt that my service was lacking I would not post the bad tipper online. And every server/driver I know feels the same way. Furthermore, even if it was not my fault (eg., cooks were backed up) and the customer received unreasonably slow service, again I wouldn't post their name. No, if you find your name on the database it's not because you failed to tip a bad server, it's because you're a jerk and you leave bad tips on a consistant basis. See you on the net.
I stumbled on this site by accident as I was reading an article on travel on the MSN site.
I have worked in restaurants(sit down/ fine dining) for roughly 13 years of my life and in "cube-land" corporate America for four or five years.
For quite a few people that work in the food industry it is a temporary "thing" to get by or help pay for school. Like others I can only speak about my experiences, and those temporary people can be a mixed bag, no disrespect meant to anyone. Some of them are just going through the motions of the day and others are making the best of their situation knowing that positive changes are coming. I think it is a great thing for someone to do who wants flexibility and some quick money, but those people should not expect to make the money that a knowledgeable career server makes. Just like an entry level person working in the mail room of a corporation doesn't make as much as others higher up on the ladder.
As with many options that are presented to us on a daily basis, working in a restaurant is a choice for some and a necessity for other. A scary reality is that a very high percentage of people that work for the minimum wage (in the neighborhood of 65+%) are trying to feed a family and just survive, not a picture that is painted for us that it is a wage that is paid mainly to school kids for their first jobs. There aren't any relocation bonuses in the food industry either although those rumors have been passed around for years! For people to tell them to "simply get another job" that isn't up to another person to control how others live their lives. If the restaurant food business doesn't work for people they normally don't last long at any establishment that wants to grow it's business. That also goes for newly opened restaurants, most fail anywhere from with in 9 months to 3 years. There is a bit of "survival of the fittest" in the restaurant industry.
If customers who do not work for tips want the pay scale changed, that's great. What is the solution to making that change? Labor costs for a restaurant can make up a very high percentage of a business' overhead. Most people don't realize what goes into making a meal for them. The number of people that work behind the scenes in restaurants far outweighs the front of house staff. I think that if the European formula of higher wages and very little tipping was instituted you would see more and more fledgling restaurants that are trying to build a business fail very quickly. While some would argue that the "free market" would still be okay others could see this as one more regulation that a business would have to follow.
While I found some comments from both servers and customers amusing, I think that people need to relax a little on both sides. Expectations of service and tipping should be a little more in line. For example, if a customer comes in, says they are in a hurry and need to be in and out in 30 minutes, but they order an entree that has a prep time of at least 20 minutes, plus a n appetizer. I believe that it is the servers responsibility not only to the customer but also the restaurant that employs them to impart a little bit of knowledge and communicate with the customer to head off a bad situation before it potentially gets worse. Not in a rude manner obviously, you are as a server after all the face of the establishment, after the information has been given and the customer still decides that his or her choices are fine, let the kitchen know to put a rush on the items and also let the manager know so you can have another set of eyes on the kitchen and an "authority figure" back you up if that rushed customer becomes upset with the time issues. Which has happened to me personally before. I made an effort to give great service to everyone that walked through the door and sat in my section or at my bar. Like anyone, I had my share of off nights where things didn't go quite as planned and my tips reflected that, other nights my timing with the kitchen was working like a very expensive Swiss watch and my tips reflected that also. I am not bitter about the bad days, because in a game of averages somewhere along the road my lower nights were covered by higher nights. In both examples I have received low and high tips, but like I said they average out. My thoughts about this site is that some times you are ticked that you give people the "red carpet, butt kissing till your lips are chapped service", they tell you that you have made their nights and hope to be back soon, then you open up the check presenter book and there is your 5% tip for two hours of work/entertaining. That is the part that people outside the service industry don't get, each server has a limited amount of space each night to make their money. For a person that goes in to a "desk" job, punches a clock in and out, their time is mapped out for them as well as the expectations of his or her boss. If a report doesn't quite get finished it may be put off until tomorrow, or maybe that person will stay late to get it done. When a restaurant closes for the night the opportunity to make tip money for the night stops the second the "Open" sign is turned off. Granted there are those servers that can't manage themselves well enough to maintain a good level of service, and their tips generally reflect that. However as with most people in the world it is hard to take a good look at yourself and take the blame when it is your's alone.
Going to a comment by some of the customers, I do agree that the level of service has gone down in this country, and not just in restaurants but across the board. The responsiblity for that issue lies with all of us, not only in our expectations of others but of ourselves as well...
One other point that customers often don't think about is that eventhough they are having a bad day, is it right for them to take it out on someone who serves you a dinner plate that has a crooked green bean on it? If a server is rude or doing a terrible job talk to the manager or owner of the establishment to correct the problem and enjoy the rest of your night. That coin has two sides to it also though customers, you don't necessarily have someone coming in to sit at your desk on a daily basis and complain that your pencils aren't sharp enough and then to top it off complaining to your boss that you shouldn't be paid for the last hour because they don't like -------.
My choice to work in the restaurant industry provided me with good money to go along with a flexible schedule that afforded me to enjoy my hobbies and have a good life. Customers out there, just remember the next time you look down your nose at a person because they are a server in a restaurant, they might really enjoy what they do and some of them can make just as much money as a person that works in an office for 60+ hours a week in half that time. As far as the servers go, you need to remember that you are paid to do your job by the establishment and the gratuity is just that, a show of appreciation. Two peoples idea of good service and a good tip are rarely the same, especially if one is the server and the other the customer in that situation!! Nobody knows what kind of day any other person has had, and no one can tell anothers financial situation either.
If a server does their best to make people enjoy their dining experience, over time they will be taken care of. Sometimes the benefits are not even monetary, but could be new friends, helpful contacts for the future, or just happy people that send 10 of their friends to your restaurant because they had a good time.
This is an interesting site for people to vent about many things, but I agree that the bad tippers shouldn't be posted. Someday you may not leave a server an "expected" amount due to something out of your control and could end up on something like this...
Just a few final thoughts for the person that made the list of four items to take back the food industry.
#1- Eat at home more- I agree people have become fairly lazy and want everything "right now" including their meals.
#2- Limit your nights out- I agree to a point. It will save you money, but if you are cooking at home you are already limiting your dining out. The logic that you are less likely to receive poor servie if you go out less is ridiculous. If I don't go to the grocery store as often am I more likely to get my groceries bagged neatly or if I don't go to the post office as often will that get my mail delivered quicker? If you chose not to go to any establishment because of poor service that is your choice, but unless it is truly a bad place there will be another person sitting in the seat that you had the night before.
#3- Tipping is a gift for good service- I totally agree. "Tipping is not meant to subsidize someone's inability to negotiate a better wage or better job"- While I agree with your first point that tipping is a gift for good service, that alone is a subsidy to someone's pay. As far as the point about "the inability to negotiate a better wage or better job"- Here is some info that you may find helpful, restaurant wages aren't always the same as the minimum wage, in some states they are as low as $2.15 or there abouts. The ability for restaurants to pay less than the minimum wage is voted on in each state governemt. So your point about negotiating a better wage goes out the window with that. That issue comes down to who has more influence with politicians. In perfect democracy you would hope the party that has a higher number of voters, but we know that isn't how the game is played and it comes down to money... Usually in the form of campaign contributions. So when a Wal-Mart moves into your area and people are lining up for jobs because they need them, do you think that the Walton family negotiates with each individual applicant??? I don't think so. While it may be easier for you to move to an area with better paying jobs, wear someone else's shoes for a while and try to make it on a lower pay, then try to move to another city. That's like telling a homeless person that has recently been foreclosed on due to medical bills in this declining housing market to just go out and buy another home with their damaged credit and negotiate a better fee with their doctor.
#4- The only part of this that I will address is the blog about bad servers and bad restaurants- At the places I have worked if someone recieves complaints and just can't do their jobs they are fired, and as far as restaurants that are bad, just wait a few months and they will be closed down. A person that has a bad restaurant experience is more likely to share it with friends and will tell many times more people that one that has a good experience. Word of mouth advertising will make or break most restaurants. Also there are already sites like Citysearch and DigitalCity that has restaurant reviews if you would like to add your thoughts, that is a place to go. The business address is already listed so all you have to do is type in your critiques, good or bad.
Everyone needs to take a step back and try to gain a little more perspective about "the other guy/girl" The world will be better off with a little more give and less take.
Thanks for your time, hopefully this came out clearly!
I just wanted to say that I appreciate tymac2315's thoughtful comments. I would only disagree with two points. Gratuity is not "just a show of appreciation." It is a required payment if service is rendered in a professional and timely manner. And if they stiff you let the world know by listing their names on lousytippers.com. Ha!
So why are people in lexington, and to a lesser degree omaha, such lousy tippers? One might assume that they feel the "delivery charge" (for pizza) goes to the delivery person- maybe they just don't know. How could you let them know without getting into trouble?
Let's all remember what "Tips" stands for, how it was started, and how it's been corrupted. Originally "Tips" where given to a server BEFORE the meal. In fact the word 'tips" stands for "To Ensure PromptService".
Somehow it got switched around to "I'll tip you if I feel like, no matter what kind of service". Many restaurants still only pay their servers 1/2 of minimum wage (which is allowed by law, since the other part of their income comes from gratuities). I have talked to several guests who thought I was getting paid anywhere from $10.00 to $15.00 an hour, plus tips. This person considered a tip to be a "Bonus" as opposed to a salary.
Most servers get a big fat ZERO in their paychecks, because the amount of tips declared to the government (IRS) is deducted from the hourly wage. So "TIPS" are much more important than some folks still think.
As a server, however, I must disagree with the Tip Scale posted earlier. Here's how I would break it down:
20%+ for Great Service
15% for average service (nothing spectacular)
10% and a conversation with a manager for horrible service.
P.S...If your server has helped you, by utilizing a tremendous amount of knowledge for things like wine selections, allergy issues, modifying meals (for whatever reason), or generally made your experience absolutely amazing, don't insult them, by being cheap. If you have a Corporate credit card that only allows you to tip 15%...dig into your own pocket to make up the difference.
While if this happened to me, I might be inclined to rip someones throat out, it's still pretty funny though.
(2nd and 3rd pictures on the page)
http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/page/8/
This site is pretty hilarious.
LMAO...
Here's a Lexington, Ky crack on the site.
http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/page/22/
Allow me to list some of my better moments from years of pizza delivery. keeping in mind that they may not be original to me and I would NEVER suggest that any ticked off driver paying over 3$ a gallon with a delivery range of 5 miles in every direction might want to use them at any point.
so. on to the fun, personal favorites, if you happen to have a girlfriend/wife (or you are a woman) and have access to all of those LOVELY subscription cards, you can drive away with a smile on your face knowing that in 6-8 weeks they will have 20 magazines coming to their house along with bills.
The old stand-by of shaking the soda bottles violently and then warning them that they got "shook up in the car" if they develop a conscious.
If your company sends along "extras" paper plates, napkins, pepper packets. have your bag of extras ready with one single paper plate, one napkin and a single of whatever you would expect plenty of. Or, a variant of that, simply hold the extras, "hostage" if they screw you "oh, I'm sorry, we're out of the extras" and if they really get a pain in the ass calling in or demanding you come back with them, just find some "that were left over in the car"
Or my personal best thought that should be reserved for the absolute worst, and I NEVER ever did and would NEVER recomend anyone do, if you live within the delivery range and someone has crossed the line from just a stiff to personally being a dick, quickly drive the pizza home, take it inside, rub your penis on it carefull not to leave any trace of hair what-so-ever, (sorry ladies, I can't think of anything equal for you as scent would give you away)Then deliver the pizza with a GIANT smile on your face and make sure you thank them and tell them to have a nice day.
and again, I have never done any of these things and would never advise anyone to.
I normally tip well. But seeing this site still brings back ugly memories of expecting big tips for no service.
I can remember two times I did leave a tip, but it was 1 penny because I wanted to let the server know I did not forget.
#1 was when I received the bill at a nice restaurant taking my parents out for their anniversary. On it was written f*** ***. OK tip workers, how many of you expect a tip when you give the customer that kind of message. I don't care about the excuse that it was meant for the bartender. I SAW IT.
#2 at an establishment where yes I just had the salad bar for lunch. I got tired of waiting for the non-existent server after the initial greet. I had to go to the waiter station and refill my own water, beg for the corn bread (brought by the bus person), etc. When I left, the server told me there must have been a mistake and I replied that I thought the penny was generous and he should be paying me for waiting on myself.
On the other hand, I've left $50 for a $8 hamburger. Why, because the service was awesome.
If you deserve it, at the end of the day you will be rewarded.
All of you waiter and waitress need to focus your attention to the owners of the establishments that you work at. They are taking all of the profits and not sharing them. Do these owners ever offer a raise or hourly above the minimum? These people are the real pieces of trash that charge customers out the ass and do not reward employees. Charging $2.50 for a soda that costs them $0.10 and never even offer health care for their workers....you should focus your energy on the owners.
500lb do you really believe that being a pizza driver is one of the deadliest jobs....really? You've got to be joking ....really?
How about police, firefighters, EMS? If you are making $15-$25/hour you are making more than they are to drive a pizza to their house or station and you think that it's deadly. Man don't tell our service men and women over seas that, they thought they were risking their lives.
I know this isn't the point of this site, but I want to give credit where credit is due. If anyone lives in Citrus Heights, CA, and you want the best service ever, go to La Placita Dos. We ALWAYS tip 30% or more when we eat there and I think everyone must, the waitstaff is so nice even when the place is packed and the kitchen is slow and people are haranguing them.
I'm not sure when waitstaff started being taxed on 15% of what they served, but since that happened, it's true that nothing less than 20% is really a tip. How can we get that idiotic tax law repealed?
I always figured that when a waitress or waiter is giving me crappy service or just gabbing away while my food waits in full view under the warmer that she/he was having a bad day...or a bad life. Since I never order anything expensive anyway, I would tip the lame servers as much as the bill to brighten their day. I don't believe that encourages poor behavior, I just guess they'll be nicer to the poor slob who sits there next.
While this site tends to focus on the negative side of the industry it's the kind people like the last two posters who make our jobs possible. To them and those like them thank you!
I saw delivery driving ranked as the 2nd deadliest job a few years ago in a Boston newspaper article(which even I scoffed at), and recently after the mining incident according to a report off CNN the 10th most dangerous job type were those involving transportation. Lexington is a relatively safe town and drivers have been KILLED here, drivers have been beaten within an inch of their lives for freaking pizza.. PIZZA!!. Many jobs have risk involved, but how many of you with those "real jobs" are worrying about being robbed, attacked, or being injured or killed in a car wreck or even worse killing or injuring another person or child because they weren't paying attention to their surroundings(they were pay attention to their Ipod or Cell phone). While the probability for bad things to happen is amazing, I have found most that choose to deliver are good at navigating around them. I'll do some research and post some articles and numbers on the whole issue.
It is fucked up that I can make more per hour than people who are charged with my health, protection, and education. Personally I think these should be among the highest paid positions in the nation and making what I do, I am extremely fortunate to be able to make the money I do given the limited hours I work.
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Support the Troops, Bring Them Home
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What's with all the anon posts, hit "Other" and give yourself a name people.
I don't think Gorilla meant retarded in a literal sense. Remember the rules people, no handicapped allowed.
I noticed a comment that most of the "non-tipped" are pizza delivery staff. Please note that most joints apply a delivery fee. Why tip. And when it takes 45 minutes to get a pizza I consider that bad service and do not tip. Sorry. If wait staff suck at their job then bitch about no tips maybe they should consider another field, preferably not in customer service. HHMM??
I can't waite to see your name on the database, HHMM??
I am sorry to DisgruntaledDriver for not paying attention to the rules(I will do my best maintain in the future), and for the other person named anon(there seems to be a lot of you) concerned that someone may read my post and think they found some easy targets, both of these people have since moved, and apparently I had the apartment numbers wrong as it was. For those who would wish to demonize me for posting a factual account of an extremely annoying experience, that's your right as an American. I have made a personal rule in life not to hold things against people for which they have no control over, ie. retardation, skin color, and some personal views that are more a product of location and society than active choice(Shawn S. if you’re reading this, this is the only reason I helped you fix your tire, thanks for throwing it back in my face like a good Christian would). 99% of all the handicapped people I've ever delivered to have been very nice people and always tried to tip something even if they didn't have much. If a person can cloth themselves, feed themselves, hold a job and pay their own bills, I have a very mild expectation of social etiquette. I would have never complained or been annoyed to the extent I was if this person had not done something besides not tipping. They were an ungracious, disrespectful and an unreasonable customer and even after being explained why we felt this way to this person, there was no change. I will leaves this issue with this person here, and write no more on the subject. Sorry if I have offended, but I have been honest.
"I noticed a comment", that said 45 minutes is too long to wait for a deilvery order and that drivers should only get the delivery fee charged by their work. I really wish I could meet you in person to have the chance to explain this face to face, maybe take you on a run and show you how the job is done.
I'll start with the second qualm first and the I'll get to making you look like a real idiot.
Depending on the price of gas and the car driven each delivery cost about 50 cents in gas, given that most places charge about a dollar half of it is gone when you've reached the door. The other 50 cents is meant to pay for depreciation, maintenance and insurance. Even when I was doing 400 orders a month to just have the delivery charge alone would not of covered the cost of working there. Drivers make good money, but it is a very expensive job to have. The tips are what pay my bills and the only thing that makes this job worth it. If you think your food takes too long to get to you then you can pay the $182 speeding ticket and the points can go to your license, because I would believe that would be the only fair way to get what you want.
Which brings me to the first qualm and making you look like an idiot(Anon 9-21-07 3:33pm). I don't work pizza anymore so if any of my numbers are way off, please drivers post corrections. Here is the breakdown of what is happening from order to delivery.
0 Min- The order is taken, you are quoted a 45 minute delivery time and the order is sent to the cook. While some pizza is pre-made, let's assume this order is custom and needs to be made from scratch. Average time to make a pizza from sauce to oven is about 2-5 mins(some cooks also answer phones and this creates delays). On a typical moderately busy night there might be 4 orders that need to be made before yours.
14 min- After making the previous 4 pizzas and taking an order, the cook prepares your pizza.
17 min- The pizza is put in to the oven and takes 5-8 minutes to cook depending on the ovens conveyor speed.
23 min- Your pizza is done and boxed. There may be a driver to immediately deliver your order, but often a driver must wait for orders placed after a person has called. This is the greatest variable in the whole system and often the one thing that will make an order late... ironically… another order. While this time varies greatly it is important to running the deliveries as a whole the most efficient way possible to give the greatest number of people the best service possible. I will admit occasionally you have to fuck the one to save the others. I'm going to say for this example the driver had to wait 10 minutes for the other orders on the run.
33 min- The average time to get from the store to the customer or from customer to customer is about 5 to 10 minutes depending on distance, traffic, and other events outside the control of the drivers. Let's say Anon lives at the edge of the delivery area because I imagine this person does.
43 min- The pizza is at your door and still hot as it has been boxed and placed most likely in a hot bag.
44 min- You stiff the driver
500 min- Your name appears in the database
There are many variables involved and it is possible to get an order to a customer in under 30 minutes, but it is unrealistic, and that level of service wasn't expected until that FUCKING DOMINOS COMMERICAL!! A promotion which ended because it was proven that it was endangering the life and safety of drivers. I guess the lawsuits outweighed the profit gain. I hope I speak for all drivers, in that we do our best to get you the food in the best time possible. If the time quoted on the phone is too long for you to wait(more so if you can't be patient for 15 minutes after the quoted time), drive your own ass, with your own gas to the store and pick it up your damn self and everyone will be happy.
20160 Min- you google yourself and find the good news.
This is an earlier comment posted by 500lb Gorilla on September 20, 2007. It's been edited for your protection, and ribbed for her - never mind.
Gorilla said...
I imagine some may think us ungrateful wretches, but let me tell you a story of irony, understanding, and oblivious annoyance.
For a period of about three or four years I had two customers who ordered about 3-5 times a week; one at **** Nicholasville #* and the other at **** Alexandria #*. Both of these people scraped by for a living, had health problems, and lived in similar crappy apartment’s miles from each other. The gentleman on Nich. Rd was extremely thankful every time that we would deliver him a burger at 11pm(even if we closed 2am), and he would tip about $1.50 or less each time(barely 10%). The woman on Alexandria called the store 4 times after she ordered(every time) to verify that which had been verfied and ask where her food was she ordered 15mins ago(avg quoted time was 45min). So happy to receive her food like a junkie in a methadone clinic she would give exact change or as close as she could get every single time. The level of annoyance this woman caused me over the years has yet to be matched and even if she wasn't retarded, I believe she would of been the same ignorant troglodyte with a moustache). A fellow driver started to complain to me one day about the guy on Nich. Rd. and his low tips and I laid it out for him why he is one of the best customers we'll ever have. By this point the man had ordered nearly two thousand dollars in food from us which we figured was a good couple hundred orders. In that time he had tipped drivers a total of nearly $300 giving just a buck and the change, and those who understood this knew the value of a customer like this(Terry.. the guys name was Terry.. been trying to remember it, and it finally came to me). Terry was a nice simple guy who lived 3 flights up and came to the door with a smile on his face even if his order was late. Troglodyte didn't even give me a thank you the times I put annoyance aside and got the food there in under 20mins. After this there were a few incidents which culminated in her requesting I never deliver to her again, but she still wanted those chicken fingers and fucking honey mustard.
The point of all this is a person must specifically do something and usually repeatedly before I start giving intentionally bad service and a low tip is not necessarily a bad tip. If a person is nice(not condescending nice) and they don't tip well, I am usually fine with at least delivering to a genuinly pleasant person.
September 20, 2007 2:20 PM
RE: legal ramifications. Personally, I think this site in an interesting idea, and don't have any negative feelings about it. But you asked to be pointed to the relevant laws and regulations.
The first think I can think of it, you could be sued for libel... if, say, someone could show they tipped a different amount than posted. (It doesn't matter at all that you offer people an opportunity to write in and have it taken down, because, the information would have been online for a period of time already. Also, I don't think people are obligated to tell you to stop libeling them before they sue you.) As for not controlling what people post, that has not been solid protection for site owners in the past.
Also, you could probably be sued for any number of bad things that might happen to someone as a result of people learning of their address if it wasn't generally available otherwise. Someone hiding from an abusive ex, for example.
Now, before you say, "but I'm can't be responsible for that because x, y and z..." A judge or jury might disagree. Civil law is complicated and nuanced. It's a far cry from common sense. Also, paying for a lawyer to defend yourself can be expensive, even if you ulitmately win.
Also: your site reaches 50 different states, and is covered by some federal laws too. That's why people try to err on the side of caution operating something like this, even after consulting a lawyer (or, especially, on the advice of a lawyer!).
Personally, the least I would do would be to require people to provide a verified email address before posting and require them to agree to defend you against any civil claim arising from their submission. I'd also collect and log their IP address and time of submission. And I might ask any lawyer friend I knew for other suggestions.
You wouldn't want to start the website for LousyService.com, would you? That might get a lot more attention. All you're getting here is comments from disgruntled bad servers.
Sometimes people are jerks (on both sides), so I think the general idea for your site is okay...
Whenever I left a bad tip, I knew it, and I knew exactly why I did so, too. If the server was too stupid to figure that out and came here, too bad.