Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

The Tip of the Iceberg

Tipping waitresses

Why is tipping such a weird thing for everyone? When I'm with a large group of friends and the bill comes, everyone chips in for what they bought. But not the tip or tax, and the bill is always short. When someone (mom, are you reading this?) uses a coupon, they don't realize they're supposed to tip the amount as if you didn't have that item.

People tell me sometimes I tip too much. But if I enjoyed the waiter, and thought they worked hard, I'll throw 'em a few extra bucks. Even if they got a few things wrong, personality goes a long way with me.

But, here's what I have a problem with. And, I discussed it on a radio show months ago.

If the waitress is super nice, but does everything imaginable wrong, do I still tip her? Well, I don't, and the women I'm with always have a problem with that.

Most recently, it happened at this sports bar in San Marcos. A group of friends was there for the Charger game. First, our waitress didn't want to put the Chargers on, since others were watching the 10 O'Clock games. My stepbrother said something like "At least one TV should have the Chargers, and it starts in two minutes." She said something rude to him. She never came back to give refills on the drinks (none of us drink alcohol). She brought one guy the wrong order, and never came back for him to tell her (so he ate it). He pointed it out when she finally showed up, but said that was cool, he just wanted her to know because she gave him something less expensive then he ordered. Again, she looked at him as if he was a jerk for pointing it out. I also want to point out at this time, in sports bars, watching a game for 3 hours, I tip more, since they aren't turning the table over to other customers.

When we were ready to leave, we never saw a bill. I had to go to the bar, and stand there for 10 minutes. And our waitress had to look at each menu item in a menu, to figure out the bill. A woman said "She's working the bar, too. That's why we never saw her at the table." I responded, "Well, had she said that, in a nice way, I wouldn't have had a problem."

The whole restaurant/bar is tiny, and they had multiple waitresses. So, there was no excuse. And, I left her no tip.

And we all agreed...we can no longer go back there for games. They'll just think we're cheapskates, and who knows what they'll do to our food.

On the air, I asked a waitress on the phone if there was a way to leave a nice note, saying WHY you didn't leave a tip. She said, "Oh, that's not necessary. We know if the service is bad and we're busy."

But I guarantee, this waitress isn't thinking that. She just thinks we were "difficult" since nobody else had a problem, and all left tips.

I guess my tip to her would be...learn how to be a waitress, and you'll make more money.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Live Five: Rebecca Jade, Stoney B. Blues, Manzanita Blues, Blame Betty, Marujah

Holiday music, blues, rockabilly, and record releases in Carlsbad, San Carlos, Little Italy, downtown

Why is tipping such a weird thing for everyone? When I'm with a large group of friends and the bill comes, everyone chips in for what they bought. But not the tip or tax, and the bill is always short. When someone (mom, are you reading this?) uses a coupon, they don't realize they're supposed to tip the amount as if you didn't have that item.

People tell me sometimes I tip too much. But if I enjoyed the waiter, and thought they worked hard, I'll throw 'em a few extra bucks. Even if they got a few things wrong, personality goes a long way with me.

But, here's what I have a problem with. And, I discussed it on a radio show months ago.

If the waitress is super nice, but does everything imaginable wrong, do I still tip her? Well, I don't, and the women I'm with always have a problem with that.

Most recently, it happened at this sports bar in San Marcos. A group of friends was there for the Charger game. First, our waitress didn't want to put the Chargers on, since others were watching the 10 O'Clock games. My stepbrother said something like "At least one TV should have the Chargers, and it starts in two minutes." She said something rude to him. She never came back to give refills on the drinks (none of us drink alcohol). She brought one guy the wrong order, and never came back for him to tell her (so he ate it). He pointed it out when she finally showed up, but said that was cool, he just wanted her to know because she gave him something less expensive then he ordered. Again, she looked at him as if he was a jerk for pointing it out. I also want to point out at this time, in sports bars, watching a game for 3 hours, I tip more, since they aren't turning the table over to other customers.

When we were ready to leave, we never saw a bill. I had to go to the bar, and stand there for 10 minutes. And our waitress had to look at each menu item in a menu, to figure out the bill. A woman said "She's working the bar, too. That's why we never saw her at the table." I responded, "Well, had she said that, in a nice way, I wouldn't have had a problem."

The whole restaurant/bar is tiny, and they had multiple waitresses. So, there was no excuse. And, I left her no tip.

And we all agreed...we can no longer go back there for games. They'll just think we're cheapskates, and who knows what they'll do to our food.

On the air, I asked a waitress on the phone if there was a way to leave a nice note, saying WHY you didn't leave a tip. She said, "Oh, that's not necessary. We know if the service is bad and we're busy."

But I guarantee, this waitress isn't thinking that. She just thinks we were "difficult" since nobody else had a problem, and all left tips.

I guess my tip to her would be...learn how to be a waitress, and you'll make more money.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Kill Bill -- Two Bill's, Both Idiots

Next Article

Prince in Nigeria

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader