I Had A Random Thought...

[Roswell47]

Fox News new newsroom (That's a mouthful) looks like something out of Space Balls or Austin Powers: http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/7/4812630/fox-news-shepard-smith-news-deck

[Frenetic Pony]

Fox News new newsroom (That's a mouthful) looks like something out of Space Balls or Austin Powers: http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/7/4812630/fox-news-shepard-smith-news-deck

 

It looks like they're all secretly incredibly tiny hobbit midgets sitting in front of Ipads aboard JJ Abrams next Enterprise bridge.

 

Also, I hate how uncertain liking someone is. She's amazing, but extroverted as hell and I'm a natural introvert and she said she had a boyfriend incidentally (when I was within easy earshot) but then weeks later she said something about an "ex boyfriend" quite loudly several weeks later, and I can't even figure out if she likes to talk to me because she talks to everyone or what. Which is all stupid. Ohwell, I don't expect anything different from "human relationships" stupid evolution, if you ever wanted proof it's random mutations with "selection" only determined by breeding success just look at your own relationship and go "WTF is this even?"

[Nappi]

Fox News new newsroom (That's a mouthful) looks like something out of Space Balls or Austin Powers: http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/7/4812630/fox-news-shepard-smith-news-deck

 

I love that highlighted quote.

 

For instance, I can take this lady who's been evacuating from a hurricane zone and move it over here.

[elmuerte]

Fuck that lady. Go stand in the corner!

[SecretAsianMan]

I'm tired enough that I first took that quote to mean he could move the hurricane zone back on top of the lady who's trying to evacuate.  I combined this with the comparison to Austin Powers and I imagined those giant touchscreens were part of a weather control device and that Fox News' next broadcast would be to demand one hundred billion dollars or they would destroy the world.

[Roderick]

Seems legit

[Roswell47]

My six-year-old nephew came to the conclusion that he had heard every song ever made because he had heard the song that was playing on the radio, in the restaurant before.

[Merus]

I am reading about tipping and it is making me so mad you guys.

 

For example: did you know that, despite the popular conception, tipping actually encourages worse service? It's true! Because most people will tip the standard amount unless things went balls-up (because they rightly don't think it should be their responsibility to pass judgement on their server) there's only a very weak correlation between good and bad performance. In a restaurant, good service requires help from the kitchen, who are of course not being tipped; making great food quickly requires a skilled, experienced chef, who is almost certainly not going to appreciate working for tips for the years required to become an excellent chef. And for waitstaff, the most effective ways of increasing their take-home pay are: a) upselling their customers on food they didn't want to buy anyway, increasing their bill and thus their tip;  bullshit little things like kneeling down and drawing smiley faces on the back of the bill, to be more memorable (and not, notably, getting food over to the table soon after it is ordered); and c) taking on more tables than normal, which means they're dedicating less attention to each table.

 

Tipping is not something I have to deal with day to day because we are a nation of takers apparently, but I know if I ever moved to the US despite food being so much cheaper I'd hate eating out.

[melmer]

It's tipping for drinks in bars that annoys the hell out of me. Just give me the amount of alcohol i asked for and will fucking pay you for

 

I don't mind tipping in restaurants in America, even when its up around the 20% mark because i'm in New York or Vegas, but the $1 per drink/round of drinks really rubs me up the wrong way

 

Also fuck Mexico. Expecting fucking tips in an all inclusive hotel, the whole point is that i don't have to care money around with me

[Zeusthecat]

I am reading about tipping and it is making me so mad you guys.

 

For example: did you know that, despite the popular conception, tipping actually encourages worse service? It's true! Because most people will tip the standard amount unless things went balls-up (because they rightly don't think it should be their responsibility to pass judgement on their server) there's only a very weak correlation between good and bad performance. In a restaurant, good service requires help from the kitchen, who are of course not being tipped; making great food quickly requires a skilled, experienced chef, who is almost certainly not going to appreciate working for tips for the years required to become an excellent chef. And for waitstaff, the most effective ways of increasing their take-home pay are: a) upselling their customers on food they didn't want to buy anyway, increasing their bill and thus their tip;  bullshit little things like kneeling down and drawing smiley faces on the back of the bill, to be more memorable (and not, notably, getting food over to the table soon after it is ordered); and c) taking on more tables than normal, which means they're dedicating less attention to each table.

 

Tipping is not something I have to deal with day to day because we are a nation of takers apparently, but I know if I ever moved to the US despite food being so much cheaper I'd hate eating out.

 

There might be some truth to what you say but I kind of have to disagree. I worked for years at Applebee's and if I ever had repeat customers that I knew tipped well you bet your ass I was on top of everything. Maybe it is just a different kind of culture here in certain states but there is an expectation that providing better service nets better tips, and giving better tips encourages better service. Also, a good server that knows what they are doing can do quite a bit to make things easier for the kitchen.

 

It's probably also worth mentioning that when I worked at Applebee's servers only made $2.13 per hour despite the minimum wage being $5.15 per hour. This is because it is expected that tips combined with the low hourly rate will exceed the minimum wage. With no real hourly wage to count on there is quite a bit of motivation to provide good service. In places where servers make a decent base hourly rate I would agree that there is less of a correlation between higher tips and better service.

[Merus]

Do you know what the difference in tips was between what the worst server got and what the best server got? I'm curious.

 

Anyway, the thing I am reading is this, written by the owner of a restaurant in San Diego that charged a standard 18% service fee and refused tips. I'm curious to read your take on it.

[Zeusthecat]

Do you know what the difference in tips was between what the worst server got and what the best server got? I'm curious.

 

Anyway, the thing I am reading is this, written by the owner of a restaurant in San Diego that charged a standard 18% service fee and refused tips. I'm curious to read your take on it.

 

It was pretty substantial. The best servers consistently made much more money than the worst (ballpark estimate of around 50% more money than the worst). The only exception to that rule was if the terrible server was an attractive female,  something I find disgusting but was true nonetheless.

 

Keep in mind I am just citing my own experience working at the particular Applebee's I was at so I'm sure what I'm saying might not apply equally everywhere. Also, despite what I'm saying about tipping at a restaurant, I am actually pretty annoyed by having to tip at so many other places. In a perfect world employers would pay their employees enough to motivate them to do a better job rather than putting the onus on the customer.

 

I'll give that link a read.

[Dewar]

I try to actually vary my tips depending on service. I've been in a few places with poor service and I'm not shy tipping around 10%. I'm also not shy tipping 20% for good services or at places that I go to often.

[Twig]

I fucking hate tipping.

 

But I always tip well, because I know there are some people who tip poorly, even if the service is good.

 

One time I got SCAMMED!!! by a South Korean cab driver. I was the dumb white dude just getting out of the airport, and he took me to my hotel, but didn't start the ticker, so I knew something was up, and at the end, he told me it was X Won (obviously, I forget the exact amount). Then he said "tip?!" So I tipped him a bit, too.

 

But then the cab driver on the way back to the airport refused the tip I offered him.

 

DANG.

[Ucantalas]

Tipping is... a weird issue, for me.

I was brought up thinking that 15% was a basic tip (service was fine, nothing bad happened). You would increase if it was really good service (...or if you felt bad for the server. Occasionally I've tipped extra when my food was bad because the server was clearly upset about something they had no control over...) But if the service was really bad, I was always told it was fine to walk out without a tip if it was really bad.

Apparently this is frowned upon, even if the service is awful, but I don't feel I should tip if the person isn't doing their job. (I want to stress this is for extreme cases. If I wait for half an hour to order, and I can see my server standing around playing with their phone... their tip is slipping away)

My big exception is... drivers. Taxis or delivery guys I always tip well. I don't know why, I just feel like its really tough driving around cities all day.

So tipping always makes me feel like some kind of jerk or a hypocrite..

[tegan]

I tip 50%. It`s entirely there as a measure to keep me from just eating restaurants all the time.

[Patrick R]

Important Tipping Notes From A Former Pizza Delivery Driver

 

• You don't have to do gratuity. If you order a small cheese pizza or an extra large meatlovers mushroom lovers ingredient lovers pizza, it takes the same amount of work for the driver to get it to you.
• If there is a delivery fee, the driver may be getting half of that but probably isn't.
• The driver is probably not getting paid for gas he uses. If you live further away, give a better tip.
• If your order is more complicated (pizzas AND soda AND wings, etc.) it's harder for him to walk to your door. Tip a little more, especially if you ordered more than one two liter.
• Your pizza getting there late is almost never the driver's fault. They want to get it to you quickly so they can get back quickly to make more deliveries to get more tips. Sometimes it's just a busy night, or the person taking your order on the phone is dumb and gives an unrealistic time to expect your food.
• The only time drivers are late is when they get lost. This can often be the fault of the driver, but go ahead and hedge your bets by giving a good description of where you live. Some buildings have the house number right on the front, but a lot don't. Notes like: "The blue house" or "entrance is around the back" are very helpful.

 

Basically: 3 dollars is minimum. Don't tip less than that. If gas prices are high, tip more 5 dollars is good, and that's what I tip. And if you are having an orgy, make sure to keep a robe by the door. It's hard for the driver to slip your food through the barely cracked door while you are hiding naked behind it.

 

That last one happens way more often than you'd think. I averaged delivering pizzas to an orgy once every two months in my time working. 

[Apelsin]

This is one thing that sort of stresses me out a little bit whenever I think of traveling abroad, especially to America, because in Sweden we don't really tip (And some people won't even accept tips if you try). This because restaurant personnel generally are paid decently (their cut is basically already in the price of the meal rather than something that is added on later depending on the good will of the customer).

 

So my fear is that I will forget about it in places where the employees depend on it and unwittingly screw people over.

[clyde]

Tipping is a racist institution. I think it should be banned by law.

[osmosisch]

Tipping is an anti-worker mechanic and I hate it. Further, the restaurant should be the one paying the staff directly, I don't want to be bothered by that bullshit.

[Frenetic Pony]

 

"Why do I have to be Mr. Pink?" All tipping conversations just remind me of this.

[Merus]

Probably what I'm going to do next time I go to the US is find out what the average is in the city, round it up a little, and then tell the server when I order that I'm tipping that no matter how bad the night goes, that I'll let them know if I need anything, and to relax and have as good a night as it's possible to have while working.

[Twig]

Also I once had a pizza delivery man do this:

 

1) He called me on my phone to utter some incomprehensible thing in a thick accent. I'm normally forgiving of this, because I can't blame someone for their damned accent - but because of the stuff that happened afterward, it was just another thing on the pile of annoyances. Eventually I figured out that he was my delivery man! Cool. "I'll open the door for you." I live in an apartment complex, so I opened the front door so he could come up to my room. Every other delivery place around here does this without me even asking, so I expected him to do so as well.

 

2) He called me on my phone again, asking where I was. I told him I'd opened the door, and reminded him which number I lived in. Said I'd open the door again. He said, "You come down, yes?" Frustrated, I acquiesced. Went downstairs. It's not a big deal for me to go downstairs, so whatever.

 

3) Took my pizza, walked back inside. I'd already put the tip on the card, because I didn't have cash. He said, "No, minimum tip is five dollars." ... WHAT.

 

4) I didn't really know how to handle the situation, because I don't know, maybe that's a policy they have? Maybe delivery charge wasn't included originally, and I missed it, and that's what he actually meant by "tip"? I don't like to say no. I should have. Anyway, I went upstairs, telling him I'd be right back, and had to dig out two bucks in quarters from my change bucket. While I was doing this, the dude CALLED ME ON MY PHONE AGAIN. I almost just ignored it and didn't go back downstairs. But I did, anyway.

 

I never ordered from there again.

 

I hate tipping.

[SecretAsianMan]

I have a shitty tipping story too.  A few years ago I was coming back from a visit to China and I had a layover in Chicago.  I got a hotel room for the night away from the airport and I got a cab to take me to the hotel.  When I got there, the driver told me, in a very thick foreign accent, "In the US we tip".  He was rude the entire ride and didn't get out of the cab to help with the luggage.  He didn't even pop the trunk until I asked and he was annoyed to do so.  I may be of Chinese decent, but I was born in the US.  I've lived here my entire life.  I have what is probably best described as an American Midwest accent.  The fact that the driver was clearly from another country didn't bother me.  The fact that he was a jackass did bother me.  I was going to tip him, but that last comment really pissed me off and after I got my bags, I paid the fare and I told him "In the US we DO tip, but not to assholes" and went into the hotel.  He yelled something at me and drove off.  As I was checking in, one of the bellhops who overheard the whole thing told me it wasn't the first time he'd seen that guy be rude and he was glad I told him off.  That bellhop got a huge tip.

[Zeusthecat]

Awesome story.