Colleagues and I often eat several times a month at your upscale restaurant in downtown Halifax. At times, we invite business associates/prospects. Over the last several weeks we’ve began to notice that a number of your servers do not offer any form of thanks. No “thank you” for the gracious tips we leave. No “thank you” when we pay our bills. So this week a colleague and I decided to conduct an ‘experiment’… as usual, we came to the restaurant for lunch, although this time we decided to not leave a tip… nothing. We both wrote “$0” where it says TIP. We made sure the server (one that doesn’t say “thank you”) saw us both write the “$0” on our bills. The expression on her face had a clear sign of hatred, and as we were leaving she did say “thank you,” albeit the tone in her voice made it clear we got our point across. We shared the details of our ‘experiment’ within our office and to no surprise, others agreed that your servers seem a little too self entitled to tips with no gratitude. I suggest you inform your employees that a little bit of thanks goes a long way. We won’t be returning and with the large number of restaurants in the downtown area, I’m sure we can find a place that welcomes business professionals and offers a “thank you” at no cost. —Thank You
This article appears in Feb 9-15, 2012.
While I completely agree people should be grateful, I thought you gave beacause you wanted to give …
you gets what you pays for o.p., nd sometimes you get fuck all of anything. i had problems like that years back, when i was doing the wharf restaurant and zumburger in s.s., it’s the pits. anyone wanting to wait tables is either very desperate, or crazy, more so nowdays. when i was slaving my ass off to keep people happy, we were getting fuck all in tips, but trying to keep a cheery atitude to them. it sucks o.p., why don’t you try the job for a week, and then come back and tell us how many times you wanted to strangle a customer.
Tonite on Fox Rochester – “When the 1% Attack!”
Are you douchey all the time? Because that’d be one reason the servers aren’t doing cartwheels when they see you coming.
And that’s certainly how you came off in your explanation of your little “experiment”…
I agree with OP. I eat frequently at nice to average restaurants (because I am not much of a cook) and I do expect ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ from the servers as I am always very polite to them. What bothers me the most is when you go to a certain drive though and they expect that the 27cents is a tip and they don’t even try to hand it to you and you have to have your hand out to get your change from them. What bothers me more is when I do leave them a tip and they don’t even say thank you because it was expected.
There are some great servers out there and there are some that don’t deserve the positions. In Halifax being a server if you are good can be very profitable. If you aren’t or didn’t make much money at it I would have to guess you were either in the wrong restaurant or you weren’t very polite or efficient doing the job.
I have done the exact thing OP has done with the tip as it is something that is earned and should not be expected. That is the whole philosophy of tipping.
Please and Thank you are unfortunately underused by most.
Still haven’t found this elusive “upscale” restaurant people are bitching about ……. ya are talking about Halifax right? No such thing as upscale dining here……. nada ……. zip …….. nope…….does not exist.
We do have upscale prices for some joints ,.,,, but, these are far from upscale places…… just pretenders. For the most part 99% of their clientele wouldn’t make it past the front door of a real upscale restaurant.
I don’t care where I’m at poor service always equals no tip. Good service does. The better the service (including please and thank yous) the better the tip.
I agree with Koda… Sorry “ladies” LuLu Lemon is not restaurant attire and DOES NOT under any circumstance make EVERYONE look better (you actually have to look good BEFORE you put them on).
frenchie… false on so many levels…
and Koda, granted it isn’t France…
but we do have some amazing restaurants.
a place doesn’t have to have golden chairs and a diamond chandelier to be upscale or ritzy.
Fuck ya, wait to go OP! I always get a thank you so at least it isn’t any place that I’ve been to.
I think Halifax has some really great restaurants. I am glad it may be difficult to figure out which ones are upscale which tells me that Halifax isn’t caught up in having restaurants that 95% of the people wouldn’t be comfortable or even welcome in. I am glad Halifax isn’t coming across pretentious. Good for Halifax.
The only restaurant in Halifax that comes to mind when I think of “upscale” is Foxtrot Indigo Delta.
Gaz—I need another clue—
idk either ..but i went to jane’s on the common twice…was very good
F!D is good food and not overpriced, is it upscale? I’m not sure. BW costs more but has a different vibe. Press Gang I’d consider ‘upscale’.
how is my statement false?
… expect nothing … never be disappointed.
Simple.
While I agree manners are important especially in the service indusrty, I don’t agree with writing 0$ in front of the waitress, and expecting groveling or apologies. Its kind of the pot calling the kettle. You and you associates could have easily taken your business lunch elsewhere, if you didn’t like the service, rather than conducting your “experiment”.
Why didn’t you just not return, tell the manager exactly why you’re not returning and leave it at that. Instead you act like a cheap prick, brag about it to your colleagues and cement your douchebaggery by posting your “experiment” results online. Well played Dr. Obvious.
Why should he not visit this restaurant again? He/she was telling the server what he thought of their service without having to go to the manager, which provides the server to change before actually losing their job. I think what the OP did was best for everyone involved and he/she shouldn’t have to go to another restaurant because of 1 server. I am sure restaurant owners would rather customers deal with it this way and give the person the feedback on their service. Because poor service results in no tip.
“tips” mean To Insure Prompt Service.
As long as the server was quick, accurate and relatively friendly (not sullen nor rude) I wouldn’t base the tip on the last words she said on your way out the door. You should tip on the service rendered, not on how ‘grateful’ you think the server should be.
I worked at 3 four star and one 5 star resort (in New England and Florida) in the 80s. I remember one guy who thought it was cute to wad up a $50 bill and throw it on the floor for the waiter.
The Austrian M’aitre D’ who was almost famous (he knew Cher, f’rinstance) gave him the most polite dressing down I have ever heard in my life: “our vaiters are not accustomed to groveling on ze floor for tokens of your appreezeeation” Guy felt so bad he picked up the bill, unfolded it and handed it to the waiter.
Also, it’s just possible that your server said “Fuck You very much” on your way out…
I can’t agree with that definition.
The one I found that defines tipping is: Give (someone) a sum of money as a way of rewarding them for their services
As in most professions you will run into rude people on both ends of the service world. The customers have the right to not tip if the service wasn’t polite.
i think bathrooms, say a lot about a restaurant. xeno-lima oscar lima
You come across like a pretentious jackass, Thank You. I give you $0 for this bitch.
Robyn, the poster him/herself said they would not be returning. The poster clearly states the ungrateful service has been an issue for several weeks and with a number of servers. This wasn’t a one off.
Really, why would someone go back to a place they clearly had several issues with only to stiff the wait staff (who probably pay into a tip pool), ensure they saw them do it and then go back to the office and boast about it? That’s just being a “AAA” Douche.
Going to the manager, discretely, and explaining exactly what is bothering them and why they are not returning is the professional, respectful and adult way to conduct your business.
OP is the effing duke of Douchestershire. Granted, being courteous is pretty much part of every server’s job description, but…you know it’s actually allowed to tell your server if you’re unhappy with the service, right? Or you can talk to the manager. Or you can eat somewhere else: there’s plenty to pick from. If that’s the kind of “experiment” you need to do to keep yourself entertained, you desperately need a hobby.
“I am glad Halifax isn’t coming across pretentious”
Oh, don’t worry, it sure isn’t.
Congratulations cheapskate. You saved a fiver!