Helping the Bus Boy/Server in a Restaurant

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I prefer when they bag my groceries, but I also do not mind doing it myself. One things I am seeing more and more is that when they bag for me they put one or two items in each bag. I walk out of the store with 12 bags and 20 items when they could have got it all in 4 or 5 bags without crushing anything or making the bags too heavy. That drives me a bit crazy.
 
This is still a restaurant thread.

If you want to post about bagging groceries, please check out that thread.
 
I'm a pre-busser and it makes my hubby insane but I was a server for many years for part time money in full service restaurants while my boys were growing up and trust me, the server appreciates it, the bus boy does, the dish washer does as they go back to the kitchen stacked according to size and it also helps the server turn her tables more quickly so they tend to step up the service for you just a bit. I'm a huge fan of helping my server and on that note..
I know that many of you are in the business and you understand the importance of tipping, servers survive on that and not the 2.85 they make an hour but it has been my experience that some believe that a 10.00 tip on a 150.00 check is considered very generous yet the server only sees about 4% of that so to tip her 10.00 on a check that large, after shes had to tip out the hostess,the bus boy, and the bartender.. on many occassions she owes money for running that table.... standardized tipping has increased from 15% to 18% for that reason ...
~ pushes her soap box back under the desk ~
just food for thought :)
 
I know that many of you are in the business and you understand the importance of tipping, servers survive on that and not the 2.85 they make an hour but it has been my experience that some believe that a 10.00 tip on a 150.00 check is considered very generous yet the server only sees about 4% of that so to tip her 10.00 on a check that large, after shes had to tip out the hostess,the bus boy, and the bartender.. on many occassions she owes money for running that table.... standardized tipping has increased from 15% to 18% for that reason ...
~ pushes her soap box back under the desk ~
just food for thought :)

Thanks for mentioning that, Kitty. I was thinking about posting a similar comment. It has been my experience that when a person says "I tip well" that means they don't know that they are bad tippers (I'm of course gneralizing here, don't send hate mail).. or they are what we call "lip tippers," all talk: "You were wonderful, what great service. I'm going to tell your manager what a great job you did." You know what I say to that, "Say it with money, honey!"

Usually instead of challenging a person on what they believe a good tip is, I just answer, "Oh, so you're a base twenty-percenter?" That usually gets the point across to people about what a "good" tip is.

Now we're off topic sorry. A little public service announcement never hurt anybody! Especially not our hard-working service people.
 
Jill:

Tipping was covered in excruciating detail in an earlier thread. You may want to find and read it.
 
Thanks for mentioning that, Kitty. I was thinking about posting a similar comment. It has been my experience that when a person says "I tip well" that means they don't know that they are bad tippers (I'm of course gneralizing here, don't send hate mail).. or they are what we call "lip tippers," all talk: "You were wonderful, what great service. I'm going to tell your manager what a great job you did." You know what I say to that, "Say it with money, honey!"

Usually instead of challenging a person on what they believe a good tip is, I just answer, "Oh, so you're a base twenty-percenter?" That usually gets the point across to people about what a "good" tip is.

Now we're off topic sorry. A little public service announcement never hurt anybody! Especially not our hard-working service people.

Wow... if I ever visit America (or any other country where tipping is expected as a matter of course), I'm going to have to get some serious advise on the tipping thing! So confusing! I'm sure I'd get it all wrong.

Isn't it funny how different cultures do things? I'm quite comfortable with the way we do things here - you eat, you pay the price it said on the menu, you leave! That price includes enough for the service staff to live on. I guess it's just that I've only ever known that :)
 
OK folks, lets get back to the topic at hand. Any further tipping discussions should be done in a new thread. Thanks.
 
sorry. my fault.. im still learning my way around here and i'll try to stay focused :)

sorry..
 
I think that it's nice if you can make a personal connection with your waiter but as has already been pointed out it depends on which restaurant, level of business, etc., etc.---we had young children once, a small budget, and we liked to eat out at at a pizzeria (sp?) on Friday nights. We befriended the waitress and she always made sure that we were at her tables and gave us excellent service. Of course we tipped her well. We always looked forward to Fridays and chatting with her for a few minutes.
 
I place all the plates on top of eachother, scrapping off the food into the top place in the process. Makes it nice for easy takeaway, plus I know I'd appreciate it - becuase I used to be a server :)
 
If you are waiting for your table to be cleared and the dishes are in your way...move them. In a dining room that is under control, you should not have to wait very long to have your dirty place settings cleared. The level of service will dictate the level of control however. If it's a fine dining setting, tables are kept clear, crumbed and glasses are filled on an ongoing basis.
 
If you are waiting for your table to be cleared and the dishes are in your way...move them. In a dining room that is under control, you should not have to wait very long to have your dirty place settings cleared. The level of service will dictate the level of control however. If it's a fine dining setting, tables are kept clear, crumbed and glasses are filled on an ongoing basis.
Hi Marko! Glad to see you - where've you been?
 
Hi!

I've been busy moving from British Columbia to Toronto and getting settled in my new position as Executive Chef of Eaton Hall.

Have a look at my blog for all the details!!

Cheers!!

Marko
 
What's your opinion on this?

You (as part of a dinner party of two or more) are having dinner at a restaurant and you are between courses. Do you leave all the empty dishes where they are or do you collect and/or stack them to make the bus boy's or server's cleanup easier?

We ate out numerous times while on vacation the past two weeks and I observed this behavior and it has become a matter of curiosity.

What do you do?

I tip heavily by way of apology? :LOL:

Seriously, I try to help, but there's a ruthless part of me that says, "You know, I've cleaned up 5-kid messes that took literally 15 minutes to scrape the leavings off the table before. This isn't too bad." So, for me it depends on the sort of attitude the server has had all meal. If it's been optimistic, high-energy and timely service all meal and he or she isn't even showing the first hint of, "Oh God, I have to pick all that up," then I'm going to tip pretty good and pat 'em on the back, tell them I've been there before.

If I get what seems to be a growing trend in some chain restaurants, the rolled eyes, annoyed-at-having-to-work look that makes me want to call over the manager and have them fired on the spot, I'll stiff 'em on the tip -and- call the manager when I get home. There is no excuse for bad service.
 
I do not stack any plates. I will place my silverware on my plate but that is it. In my experience the servers are best to remove them correctly.

Some of the posts remind me, however, of an experience a few years back. We went to dinner on the Cape to a summertime busy somewhat casual seafood restaurant. We were a table of ten and the seating was such that the server would have difficulty clearing. But instead of waiting to pass plates my sil passed them ahead of time so they sat right in front of me in a tall stack. All different sizes. I was not pleased. As a past server, I would prefer to pick them up than have them stacked in a way that is too heavy or awkward to neatly take away.
 
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