Baylee+G’s+OpEd+Article





I've worked at Aloha Steakhouse for about a year now. I work three days a week, and no joke..EVERY single shift I work someone does not leave a tip. Or, they will leave a measly $2 on a $40 bill.....REALLY?

Many people have not worked in the restaurant industry (although I strongly advise all of you to try it at some point in your life, you gain a completely different perspective.) Although, this does not justify the incredibly dismal tips my amazing co-workers receive on a daily basis! What many people don't understand is that your server is not the only person receiving your tip; that money goes to the busser, hostess, cooks, bartender, etc. I work my a$$ off to serve and please every customer to their satisfaction, and they don't even have the decency to leave a tip?

"Hmmm. Well, my glass remained empty for 97 seconds while my waitress handled a party of 27 two tables down. Sorry, I don't care what else she's doing. I need prompt refills. That'll cost her 3 percent. Oh, and I didn't think she was smiley enough. There goes another 3 percent. I asked for ketchup but it didn't come. And then I had to ask again! The horror! That shaves another 5 percent. The fries were warm but a little soggy. There goes 2 percent. My meal was late by like a thousand hours! Well, almost. It took 26 minutes or so to come out. I have absolutely no reason to believe that this inconvenience was the fault of my server, but she's going to have to pay for it. Minus 10 percent. OK, so according to my calculations, she now owes me about 12 dollars."

What really chaps my hide about this is the fact that the servers at Aloha are exceptional at their job! There's hardly ever a reason for a customer to be unsatified with their server at my work enough to not leave a tip. Especially older people who drive expensive cars to get there then order expensive drinks and expensive entrees and leave a 5 percent tip. It's so infuriating!!! If you can't afford to leave a tip, then why the hell are you going out to a nice restaurant and blowing $100 on your meal?!

Before I started working at Aloha, I would be one of those customers who'd never leave a nice tip. Now that I've experienced all of the work first-hand that goes into making a customer happy, I will never leave an inadequate tip again. I work 7-9 hour shifts every weekend and by the end of the night, I expect my hard work to be worth something.

Come on people, just do the world a solid and tip your server.