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People: A dollar is worth way less than it was a decade ago. I'm talking in terms of everything. Groceries, rent, housing prices and gas (until recently), insurance, college tuition, movie-theater tickets, clothing, school supplies, appliances, and many other "necessities" have all increased in price. I am a college student who also has the good fortune to wait tables at a fairly high-end restaurant with mostly upper and upper-middle class customers. I pride myself in doing the ABSOLUTE best job that I can do in serving ALL of my customers. Most tip eighteen to twenty percent. The past six months or so, however, with (almost) everyone freaking out about the economy, my colleagues and I have seen an increase in extremely polite people tipping in the seven to fourteen percent range.
This is simply not acceptable. My colleagues and I receive an hourly wage of HALF of the MINIMUM wage. Granted, prices have risen slightly at the restaurant in which I work, but only because wholesale food and restaurant supplies are going through the roof as well. The New York Times Sunday Magazine recently had a question and answer in its etiquette section and the verdict is in: Twenty percent is the new fifteen. If you feel that you were taken exceptionally good care of, a few bucks over twenty percent is the norm. If you feel like you were given sub-par service, please have the courage to specifically tell us in which ways we offended you or screwed up.
Remember though, we don't cook the food, we just serve it. Also, if you're tipping virtually nothing because you're probably going to be losing your car or your house, or you're living from paycheck to paycheck: You should not be eating at restaurants, and especially not be taking vacations. Like I said, we feel the economic crunch too, we just don't want to hear about your problems. So have a nice meal, make your server work a little bit, and give a nice twenty percent (AT LEAST).