To tip or not – Do you tip your servers?

I had a lovely night out with my family recently and enjoyed the prompt and friendly service at a local restaurant.  After receiving my bill, I left my customary tip.

My server’s response was immediate and delightedly she informed me that this was the first time all day that she had received a tip despite giving her best service to her customers. She also informed me that many days she did not receive any tip at all.

I was surprised since she was pleasant and courteous as well as gave us sufficient time to study the menu and then returned promptly to take our orders.  She was also knowledgeable about the menu and was able to describe the dishes that we asked about before we decided on our entrees.

It had me wondering have people stopped tipping servers? Is it a dying practice?

Opportunities to tip

Tipping is different around the world. In some places like Russia and Japan tipping is not allowed, while in the South of France, it is the sole source of a server’s income.

However in Jamaica, most restaurants place gratuity in the bill however they also encourage customers to tip their servers if they received awesome service. There isn’t a standard but tipping usually starts at 15% of the bill and is not mandatory. I usually always tip servers at a restaurant where you sit and dine. If the service is poor of course I won’t tip but if it is average or excellent then I will tip the servers accordingly.

Should you tip?

I asked several friends and they agreed that tipping while not required is a kindness especially as servers don’t make a lot of money. This allows them to put their best forward and take care of the customer.

Of course it might also encourage those servers who lack courtesy to git hit where it will hurt the most by receiving less tips. So that’s my two cents tip depending on good service and always be aware of the service of others.

So what’s your view on the issue? Do you think it should be mandatory to tip? Let me hear from you!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley

Gleaner Online writer

Tags: customer service, customers, gratuity, service, tipping