Column: Tipping not just for cows

By Katie Guthrie

There’s no denying high school students spend a lot of money going out to eat. There’s also no denying they don’t leave much of a tip.

Most teens probably don’t realize why tipping a server is important, unless they’ve worked in a restaurant or their parents have taught them. My mother, who has been a waitress for over 30 years, constantly reminds me to tip. She says if you don’t have enough money to leave a tip, then don’t go out to eat at all.

Servers’ tips are their paycheck. Servers get paid around $2.13 an hour. In most restaurants, servers split their tips with hostesses, bus boys and bar tenders, so if someone only leaves $2, servers might not see much of it at all.

Just like any job, waiting tables helps pay the bills and provide for families. It is done for a living, not for fun.

You should always leave the server 20% of the bill, which really isn’t a lot. Also, the more you tip, the better service you’re going to get next time. A server never forgets good tippers.

So the next time you go out to eat, make sure you have a few extra dollars on you to leave your server. They are serving you, after all.

Permanent link to this article: https://blogs.henrico.k12.va.us/bluedevilsadvocate/2011/11/05/tip-for-eating-out/

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Skip to toolbar