Written by Alex Duncan, contributor
Lately there has been a lot of talk about NFL Player LeSean McCoy, more specifically about how he left a 20 cent tip on a $60 meal at a PYT Burger restaurant. The restaurant tweeted a picture of the receipt, as well as uploading it to Facebook. As you would expect, the image went viral quite quickly, and people have been debating as to where the blame falls.
I cannot talk for McCoy, as I do not know what the service was like at the restaurant, but I will say this: tipping is not a reflection of personal wealth, it is a reflection of the service offered. If I go to a restaurant, and the service is fine, fairly standard as far as service goes, then I will tip the usual 15 percent. If I receive great service and the waiter is kind, chatty, interested and always making sure that my group is doing all right with the meal, no matter how broke I am I will always give 20-25 percent tip. The money I have at the time doesn’t change how much I tip because I am tipping according to the service, not according to how much money I have in my wallet.
The same thing applies to if I receive bad service. I have left a quarter as a tip on a $40 meal because a waiter threw the plates on the table and didn’t utter a single word except “Order?” without making eye contact. I could have given him 20 percent, but after receiving such atrocious service, the tip had to reflect how I was served.
I come from Europe, and waiters there make their money from their paycheck, not their tips. Hence, waiters don’t have a personal motive to offer outstanding service, as it is pretty standard to leave $5 on a $60 bill and that would be considered a regular tip for great service; standard service, with nothing exceptional, receives no tips. Therefore waiters over there can afford to be inconsiderate and rude because they don’t really care whether they get a tip or not. In the United States, where the tips are a waiter’s primary source of income at their workplace, you have to work for it, not just expect it, and really try your best to get the biggest tip you can get. That is why when the service is terrible, the tip will reflect it with a minute amount of money, even as little as 20 cents.
If you are working at a restaurant, having someone with a large bank account doesn’t excuse bad service, and it won’t get you a good tip. Tips are a reflection of the service offered, not the personal wealth of the client.
