'I'd probably start refusing service to all the morons that come out to eat and act all entitled': Waiters dish on what would change drastically if restaurant tipping suddenly ended

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jan 6, 2023 3:00 PM EST

While eating at restaurants, do you tip your waitstaff some of the time, all the time, or never? While the standards differ between countries and states, in America, tipping is just the way of life. 

Most waiters have to survive off tips, and they can rake in the cash if they get a busy shift full of generous diners. But one person had a question for the Redditors of r/TalesFromYourServer: "For American Servers - what bulls*** would stop today if you didn't work for tips? As in, you're paid a competitive living wage by your employer. What are you no longer putting up with from diners/customers?"

The answers were so enlightening about the kinds of customer habits that waiters have to put up with. Lots of waitstaff in the comments talked about how they have to put on a song and dance to ensure customers tip them properly – and they'd love to stop, if possible. Others said they'd probably treat their customers mostly the same, but there are other parts of their job that they'd do differently, like avoiding going to a table too many times. 

Dig into the secret life of waiters and waitresses in America below. After that, read about one Redditor who's had enough of his nosy boss, and is asking the internet to help him write a professional "mind your business" email. 

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  • 01
    World - I'd stop answering so many stupid questions. "What kind of pies do you have?" I'm not naming all 20 flavors. Here's a menu. They're all printed right here.'
    via Jessie McCall on Unsplash
  • 02
    Font - r/r/Tales From YourServer Posted by u/FuzzAldrin36 For American Servers - what bulls would stop today if you didn't work for tips? Short As in, you're paid a competitive living wage by your employer. What are you no longer putting up with from diners/customers?
    via r/TalesFromYourServer
  • 03

    Waiting tables involves a lot of acting, as these commenters will tell you.

    Font - soggy__bottom 14 hr. ago. edited 14 hr. ago As a server, bartender, and human being, I prefer this anyway. Maybe it's because I've been there, but I feel like I can always tell when my server or bartender is forcing an attitude and it's off-putting. Like you, I don't think anybody should have to do it. We're there to give service accurately and promptly, not to be a court jester. I remember way back when I was a baby server, I had a family that would come in every single Sunday. I did the
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  • 04
    Font - Similar Victory5166 14 hr. ago this so much. I'm here to bring you food and drinks, not validate your decision to get a salad instead of fries or giggle with you when you say you're going to be "naughty" and get a second glass of wine. grow up
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  • 05
    Font - azulweber 13 hr. ago i'd stop entertaining a lot of stupidity from patrons. even rudeness doesn't bother me as much as just how mind blowingly downright idiotic some people are.
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  • 06

    They'd have to put up with a lot fewer Karen-esqe demands.

    Font - Lovat69 12 hr. ago I didn't like this even though I ate every bite. Make it free. How about you go f yourself.
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  • 07
    Font - Acceptable_Tourist_4 16 hr. ago False cheerfulness. I get that guests don't want a grumpy server. But I'm seriously out there like a da actress, with the smiles and false cheer, trying not to accidentally ruin someone's night because I didn't applaud their entree choice. I've even had British guests look at me like I was on some sort of drugs, because they just want to order a beer and can't understand why I'm asking them how y'all's night is going?!? I'm an excellent server and I can giv
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  • 08
    Font - you then. Eat your delicious food and amazing beverage, and stfu.
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  • 09

    No need to rush people through their meal if you're getting paid by the hour.

    Human body - . Quinnyquinnquinn420 9 hr. ago Flipping tables. Camp out as much as you'd like.
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  • 10
    Font - Bulky_Ad_2938 - 14 hr. ago I think it would be nice to have a guarantee wage. But I know no restaurant is going to hire at 50 an hour that I can average. I think I would RELAX. The hustle can be tiring. People would definitely wait longer for service.
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  • 11

    One person in the comments was already living the dream -- their restaurant apparently pays a pretty great hourly wage.

    Font - IONTOP 7 hr. ago Twenty + Years Currently work as a non-tipped server in the US. I love the industry, but was just tired of "trying to get the best sections" Even though, I "want" to have 0 tables for 7 hours, it drives me absolutely insane for that to actually happen. Even when it's dead, I want to go home, even though I'm getting paid the same amount. Another thing is that you get paid the same for rolling silverware as you do for running 7 tables. Also I hate my coworkers in a differen
    via r/TalesFromYourServer

    But as this person describes, it's still not a perfect system. 

  • 12
    Facial expression - Overtime hits different as well. I'm at $23/hour, so overtime is $34.50/hour and on holidays it's double time (so $46/hour)
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  • 13
    Rectangle - RippyMc 9 hr. ago I would visit the table no more than three times.
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  • 14
    Font - Problemsolver1234 13 hr. ago Saying yes to every unicorn modification customers try and make with their meals "but I've done it befoooooore!!" 85 azulweber 13 hr. ago "but they make this at xyz other establishment!" awesome, it sounds like you should probably order something off of our menu or go there instead. 45 Reply Share HideousT Reply Share ... 6 hr. ago Us chefs would appreciate that.
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  • 15
    Font - Cali-retreat 7 hr. ago Being ignored. If I walk up to your table and try to get a drink or food order and get ignored....that's it. You'll flag someone down when you're good and ready to speak to me and tell me what you want.
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  • 16

    Many waiters in the comments section wouldn't work for under $25-$50 an hour, which is what they could be making with tips.

    Human body - _DesertRose7 · 16 hr. ago Nothing, I'd still give good service, but wouldn't work less than 25 an hour.
    via r/TalesFromYourServer
  • 17
    Human body - JohnnyDirtball. 13 hr. ago Working weekends
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  • 18
    Human body - Johan_13 16 hr. ago . Almost every good server would stop working.
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  • 19
    Font - chzygorditacrnch. 12 hr. ago Honestly I'd do my job and do it just as well, but I wouldn't bend over backwards or keep kissing aso much. All a server should have to do is take the customers order, bring out the food, keep drinks filled, and drop off the check, and I don't know why Karen's expect more than that, and it's completely insane if people go out to eat and modify the h out of menu items, I guess they can't cook, and cooking really isn't that hard... If I didn't have to work for t
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  • 20
    Art - 311jawn 12 hr. ago comps Free anything
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  • 21
    Human body - megtuuu 10 hr. ago The schedule! No one would be fighting over the weekend shifts.
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  • 22

    Karens would really hate the move away from tipping, because they wouldn't get their way as often.

    Font - sovrgnlover 9 hr. ago I'd probably stop tending to a guest the second they gave me attitude --they can refill their own water or be die from dehydration for all I care.
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  • 23
    Font - Wild472 11 hr. ago I will stop changing dishes. My guest ordered chicken. I described dish in all colors. She gets what we had a talk about, has a bite and "want to change dish". Like, why? Why is my restaurant doing it? Why this table only tips 10%? Why I need to deal with this?
    via r/TalesFromYourServer
  • 24
    Font - hermit-creature - 2 hr. ago "Can I get the Garden Salad?" "Of course, the Garden Salad!" -confirm 2 or 3 times that the garden salad is what they want- Food comes out: "What is this? I ordered an -insert salad here- salad, not this!" and then they get a full refund as well as a free salad. Like no, I took your order, I confirmed with you, this is on you. Eat your dgarden salad or buy a new one.
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  • 25
    Font - Belle-ET-La-Bete 11 hr. ago A living wage? I'm getting paid 35/hr at least and getting more than the 20 hours that I'm Working now? I don't believe any restaurant is gonna do that.... 9 Reply Share FuzzAldrin36 OP. 11 hr. ago It's an exercise in imagination.
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  • 26
    Font - RippyMcB 9 hr. ago Running back and forth to the table a million times. I take your order, bring your food and drinks, ask if you need anything else, and f until you flag me down for the check. off
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  • 27
    Font - Lulusgirl 8 hr. ago No modifications except allergies- things taken off. I don't know how I would go about this, but one of my most heavily modified dishes is chicken topped with goat cheese, a citrus tomato basil salsa, and lemon butter. People ask for no salsa sub bbq, no lemon butter sub olive oil. Or they order a signature burger minus signature sauce, no slaw, sub this cheese for that. A filet, butterflied, medium well, minus signature glaze sub bbq, add sautéed onions but not grille
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  • 28
    Font - w Violet624 11 hr. ago I'd be more honest. I still would care about my customers and I work at kind of a community gathering place, but I wouldn't worry about showing sympathy when the customer is the source of their own dissatisfaction That being said, this is a tired question and we all know that reddit hates tips. I honestly thir it comes down to misogyny, because it is a field in the U.S. where women actually make a decent wage. In my area, it's construction or a trade that at physica
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  • 29
    Font - would make a living wage. Plus we are much less supported in terms of health-care and other baseline costs than most of Europe, so it really isn't fair to compare them.
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  • 30
    Font - Mickeymouset dirt. 7 hr. ago So glad you said this. I'm tired of angry men trying to tell me why I don't deserve tips, or why I don't deserve to maintain $50+ an hour I currently make. They love to tout their living wage s, right up until it comes to actually maintaining my current wage.
    via r/TalesFromYourServer
  • 31
    Font - Keepitcooll 9 hr. ago Rude behavior from old men
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  • 32
    Font - Combination Which6391 2 hr. ago As a German, whenever I was in a better restaurant in the states, ordered something and the server replied,,excellent choice!" I was wtf?
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  • 33
    Font - nobodyeatsthepeel. 11 hr. ago If you ask for it you get it. No whitty banter. No special experience. No modifications. If you want no tipped hourly employees, you get what's on the menu and what you ask for. You get a meal. Not a dining experience. 43 ↓ Reply Share Goriuk 6 hr. ago But that's what I want... ...
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  • 34
    Font - Sonny-Moone-8888 - 4 hr. ago edited 4 hr. ago I would think that if the company is actually paying out more in labor they would expect more work and more servitude with the customers. I think the restaurant would make you put up with MORE. That's just based on my experiences at many companies including several restaurants. I don't think it would officially be up to the waitstaff. Now that being said, I am sure there wouldn't be as much hurry when it comes to rushing for demanding customer
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  • 35
    Font - ImSoLost 907 39 min. ago I'd stop answering so many stupid questions. "What kind of pies do you have?" I'm not naming all 20 flavors. Here's a menu. They're all printed right here
    via r/TalesFromYourServer

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waiters tipping restaurant dining opinion food karens entitled customer dinner
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