We don’t go out to eat often, but when we do I have never had an issue with tipping when actual service was being provided. Usually the 15-20% range less if bad service or more if great service. Not a believer in tipping for takeout and I don’t visit coffee stands.


I saw something yesterday that made me really question the entitlement mentality in food service when we went to a local “Brewery” food joint to meet some friends and I was dumbstruck. I’ll say right up front, not my type of place as neither my wife or I are beer drinkers but that is where the other three people we were meeting wanted to go and and the primary reason was for food (lunch)


We get there and the place stunk, maybe that is what brewery restaurants are supposed to smell like, I don’t know. It was a bit “funky” kind of humid, could smell fermentation but it seemed more like a gym than a food establishment.

The place was divided into two areas, under 21/over 21 and we sat in the under 21 section. No menus on tables, no table service. You go into the over 21 section to order at the bar where they also keep the menus.

Go to the bar, get menus, go back to table to sit and look at menu. Go back to bar to return menus and order. When ordering they ask for a phone number.


I ordered a personal “wood fired” pepperoni pizza for my wife and a personal “wood fired” combo pizza for myself. Diet Coke (from a can) and water for my wife.

Person taking my order asked if I wanted my coke in a glass “Yes please, with ice”, sorry no ice. The water for my wife? Self-serve from a 5 gallon jug on the counter on the other side of the room again, no ice and the water (probably tap) was room temp.


When the order is ready, you get a text. You go pick up your food at a window from the kitchen. The pizzas were “meh”. I couldn’t see into the kitchen, but my impression was they were prefab and not made to order. Maybe commercially produced and wood fired off site only to be reheated for serving.

You also bus your own table. Toss your trash and put dishes/try in a bus tub in one corner of the room.


With tax, bill came to $37 and change. What astounded my was when the beverage pourer flipped the screen around to let me “sign”. Of course before I could get to the signature screen, I was solicited for a tip. At first I was taken aback, this was essentially the same experience as eating at a cafeteria. Then what caught my eye was the “suggested” tip options of 30%, 25%, and 20% along with “Custom”.

No “No Tip” or “Skip” option, had to go “Custom” enter zero and then “OK”.


Seriously!? Folks are expecting a 30% tip when there is no wait staff, you pick up from a window and bus your own table?


Needless to say, we won’t be going back.

Tipping (requests) has gotten way out of hand.
Everybody wants 20%-30% while not actually providing any service to warrant it.

Sounds really awful. At least they didnt say glad you enjoyed it see you soon. I believe that is what Larry from the Three Stooges said to the customer who had a similar experience.

To Insure Poor Service?

Custom zero tip.

quote:

Originally posted by Schmelby:
To Insure Poor Service?

Actually, the one “service” that was provided (opening the can of coke and pouring it into a glass) was done swiftly and with deft precision. Like she had been opening cans of soda since her childhood.

No. I hate these type of places. There seems to be a level of arrogance with what waitstaff there is directing you, almost like they’re annoyed that you’re there. You need to go to the register to pay when you can order things, take a number for a seat..things like that, and lining up like a bunch of sheep to get your food.
Absolutely not. No ice in a drinking establishment? No way. That would be a last ditch desperate situation for me. Maybe it has to do with the fact that it’s a brewery? I’m not a beer drinker, so maybe I’m missing something.

Probably a 10-15, certainly not 30. Not when you had to do the work, and I would ask if what I tipped went towards the kitchen staff.

I truly understand things had to change after Covid, but not to this extent. This sounds like a restaurant geared towards children (except for the tipping request, could be McDonald’s with beer, hah!)

NTA.

The first time I saw a "select your tip amount" on a screen was recently in NOVA at a bagel shop. When the lady in front of me paid for her to go bagels with a credit card the cashier turned the screen around and there were 3 options; 25%, 20%, and 15%. The lady stared at it for a few moments then probably not wanting to feel like a cheapskate tapped the 20% bar.

I paid with cash for my to go bagels (I seldom use credit cards) and put all the change back in my wallet.

That whole place sounds awful. Room temp water? I would have gotten up and left. I don’t go out to eat often but damn, even at home, I’ve got canned sprinkling water, or carbonated water, in various flavors, loaded in the fridge. I only drink water like that, out of the garden hose if I get dehydrated mowing or edging the lawn in the heat. Geez. I like getting a Coke once a week, on the weekend, and it’s going to be fountain with ice. A can? Geez are we camping here? I can get that at the grocery store.

I took my girl out for Sushi a few weeks ago. I was getting something corrected on one of my vehicles and it was the closest decent rated Sushi place that was close to the shop. Inside they had conveyor belts going around the tables with already made sushi rolls but you could order what you want, they’d roll it, and put it on the conveyor belt system for you. You have to be on the lookout and snag it. I guess if someone steals your item you just re-order. Cost is done by bar coded small plates where you insert them into a slot. Then they had a robot that would deliver your drinks to you. I mean R2D2 shit. And no menus. There is a touch screen, like an IPad, mounted at every table. But the little screen is not even angled at the seating positions and it’s up pretty high. It’s mounted up high too. So you contort, and try to do it diagonally. Upon getting seated the waitress asked if we had been there before and we said no. She went on a diatribe for a few minutes, that seemed like 5 minutes straight. My girl is wicked smart and said after “that was a lot”. But we figured it out, the food was really good, and we liked being left alone, so that was nice. But at the end, you have to go through the screen again to get your check. No problem..when in Rome and all. But after us tipping the waitress, who did absolutely nothing, she asks us to leave her a personal review on Google or Yelp or something. She really went on about it too. I guess this is a sign of me getting old because I prefer the simplicity of the old school. Seat us. I want a fucking menu. And if me or my girl have a simple question, it won’t be a difficult one, just answer in person. Customer service is going the way of the dodo and a little to fast for us.

There’s a place near us like this called Sly Fox and the beer and food are really good but they do the whole you have to order at the bar and clear your own table thing. They do bring it out to you but they also do the flip the screen over and “it’s gonna ask you a question” routine too.

I leave a few bucks extra for the food runners but I’ll be damned if I’m tipping 20% or 30% for that service. It’s totally out of control and I place the blame fully with these terminal makers who talk these restaurants into begging for tips like this.

I’m convinced they are in cahoots and the terminal maker either charges them a fee that they collect or they get a cut of the total tips when they do this.

I guess our local "Brewpub" is not as bad as I thought when compared to your experience. It sounds horrible.

Off subject slightly but the Google Review thing at least one place I worked was a big joke.

Harley dealership, sales department would get a scathing review so in response upper management would tell us to ask each customer for a five star review to flood the website.

I refused to play that game, part timer in retirement so while I did care about my work, the store and my customers I also had my dignity. I was mentioned in a couple positive reviews, I didn’t ask for them. They came about as a result of what I did to solve the problem.

Second time during my last year there after the new ownership came in I made the comment to my coworkers “Ahh, sales must have pissed someone else off…”

I believe it was in another thread someone posted "If I stand at the counter to order I don't tip". I concur and practice that.

Went out yesterday for a Father's Day brunch, group of 6. Of course the place was busy, but it was small and they seemed to have plenty of staff, as the waitresses had time to be on their phones.

After she dropped off the orders, NEVER saw her again. The 3 that ordered Coffee never got refilled and the other 3 with Water never got refilled.

The suggested tip started at 20% and went up.

If I am going to a counter and ordering then picking up from a counter, no tip. If there is some form of service involved, I determine if it was tip worthy. FWIW, I have no problem with a generous tip when the service is good and the server demonstrates good humor.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:

NOVA at a bagel shop

Did they have bialys?

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Did they have bialys?

TBH I never heard of bialys but I just looked bialys up and for all I know they could have. The poor woman in front of me had two large bags full of stuff.

I only purchased 18, 6 sesame, 6 plain for the kids, and 6 everything.

I was going to say in this times, it's okay to be generous but with that place, you might as well throw your money down a sewer for the value you got.

A tip should be the answer to the question "what have you done for me lately?"

quote:

Originally posted by Krazeehorse:
I believe it was in another thread someone posted "If I stand at the counter to order I don't tip". I concur and practice that.

I call this the "McDonald's Rule".