Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Tipping at the buffet

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Happy Waiter - We are the owners of a very popular, upscale restaurant in San Francisco. It's pompous idiots like you that ruin it for your employers and co-workers. Visine in ice tea - I'd love to catch you doing that in our resaurant, not only would you be out of a good job, but you'd be using that 20% to pay your attorney's fees. Our customers, both regular and occasional, are our life's blood, and we need and respect them all. Just as we need and respect good servers. Also judging by the times of your posts, evening hours, you must be working the luncheon crowd. You are not a Happy Waiter, you are a very unhappy person, who feels that you are in a demeaning position of serving and catering to others. If you feel such contempt for those that you are serving, I suggest for your sake, as well as their's, that you find another livelihood. I'm sure that your hatred and condescending attitude is evident to some of your patrons, and that you are very successful in intimidating them into leaving a larger tip. By the way Happy Waiter, I am beyond your intimidation, so respond anyway that you like, I can guarantee you that I will be ignoring it. Visine indeed, you are not only risking someone's life, but your employeer's livelihood as well. You are nothing more than a criminal.

Dear “Glad You Don’t Work For Me,” Yaddah, yaddah, yaddah…. I am glad I don’t work for you either. And I am sure that with the attitude you give off – acting like Mrs. Big-Time-Restaurant-Owner – you don’t have many great workers working for you anyway. I work for a great boss, who is a lot of fun. Believe me, if “Mr. Food” was a-comin’, and my boss knew about him in advance; he probably wouldn’t even seat him in our establishment. We serve people whom some might consider the upper echelon. I’m sure you would know nothing about that in your cheesy dump. Go back to your hamburger stand and serve up some fresh ground cow. Better yet, make it some bull – we need a little less of THAT around here. Ooooppsss – Don’t get your claw caught in the meat grinder! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA tHe hApPy wAiTeR PS – Sorry the “Help Wanted” sign has been hanging in your greasy window for so long. laaaa laaaa laaa la laaaaa laa la la

That Happy Waiter guy has some real deep emotional problems, n'est ce pas? He reminds me of the reason my grandfather wouldn't eat at restaurants: "How do you know the guy serving you isn't an ax murderer?" The true meaning of that was never clear to me until I read Happy Waiter's posts.

Your grandfather is just a kooky as our happy waiter here. There can't be that many ax murderers around to avoid all restaurants. And when was the last time an ax murderer acted out in a retaurant? You never know if the waiter is a hero either do you?

The ax-murderer thing was a joke, you freakin' idiot.

Yeah freud, so was my response!

I don't care if you're a waiter at Alain Ducasse, you're still a waiter and your job is to serve me. There's nothing worse than a pompous waiter unless of course it's the pompous sales clerk at some chi-chi store who couldn't afford to buy her socks there.

UNhappy Waiter... My but you are perceptive, or think that you are. You can tell the gender of a post writer, merely by reading it, ie: (Mrs.) Glad You Arent' Working For Me. I read that post, but not having your insights and abilities, Out of curiousity, I re-read that post, and for the life of me, I couldn't decide if the poster was male or female. Never make snap decisions like that, it could get you into a lot trouble, but my guess would be that you have already found that out for yourself. Try being Happy, it makes life so much easier.

Happy Waiter, OK, you have convienced me to always tip at least 20%. If I ever eat at a $3.00 Las Vegas buffet (highly implausible), I promise that I will tip YOU, 20 or 25% -- IF you promise not to poison my iced tea.

Hey H-Waiter, you crack me up!

Well, xx (you freakin' idiot), if that's your idea of funny, I suggest you don't give up your day job (if you have one).

What happened to Mr. Food? Sounds like after his Investment Banking (ie, bank teller) cover was exposed due to his lack of basic math skills, he was unable to respond. Maybe he's working on some new math formula to bring a $125 bill to a tip of $2.50 and stating that he's tipping 12% (pre-tax, of course).

Still here, sorry nI can't monitor this post 24/7, I do have a job and onlt get on occasionally for a break. Sorry to disappoint that I am not a tellar though there is nothing wrong with that. I was merely presenting a description of myself to show the high contrast with the un"happy waiter"'s description. I do stand by way of tipping but no I don't calculate everything to the penny, I do just like everyone else and estimate in my head usually rounding up. As for my mistake about the $15 tip on the $50 bill, give me a break, I was typing fast after a very long meeting and it was 6pm, I had been at work for 11 hours already that day. I apologize. The Happy Waiter I see has yet to apologize for any of his remarks, I'm sure he has no remorse adn is probably a college drop out who is bitter he can't get a better job so he gets back at people by being nasty and doing highly illegal deeds. Its people like that who think we owe them something that give an otherwise good service industry a bad name. As for the original question, I have yet to see a response from someone who works in a true buffet restaurant. Anyone out there who can give us some insight into what the proper guidelines for tipping in this establishment would be. Are you guys held to the same standard as a regular server? Are you taxed on assumed income including tips of 15% or is it less? Because buffet servers receive smaller tips, are they paid more?

Well, Well, Well, If Mr. Food hasn’t suddenly reappeared from hiding under the pink polka-dot shirt at the table in the Vegas all-night buffet. Did you calculate to the penny what to leave your server after eating out of the trough for 24/7? We know what you really do and we all agree that an investment banker you are NOT. You can’t even spell, let alone win an argument. I’m sorry I haven’t been here yet today. I was busy counting all of my money from an excellent night of tips. I love my customers. When I finish the master’s degree I am currently working on in collage, I wonder if my chosen career will pay as well as this one does. I guess the hours will be better. {Yes, I know you are all dying to know what school I attend so that you can pinpoint my town. HAHAHAHA} To the bubbly, “Happy Person,” When I addressed the “Mrs. Big-Time-Restaurant-Owner,” you are correct, I did assume it was a woman. I am sorry that “for the life of you,” you couldn’t tell the gender of that writer. Well sistah, that is why I make the kind of money I do and you are so miserable and picking your nose at the buffet line. You see, I originally wrote, “Mr. Big-Time Restaurant Owner,” but then went back and changed Mr. to Mrs. before submitting my post. It was obvious that the person who was addressing me was a b!tch in the true sense of the word. I do give you credit for reading my post so carefully; however you were wrong to assume my off-the-cuff discretion. I hope that you all enjoy your encounters at the buffets, restaurants, and cafeterias that you attend. It is not wrong to leave a small amount, or even nothing at all if you receive poor service. Hey, please let the management and the server know of your displeasure. But if you eat at a restaurant that prides itself in fine food and service (such as where I work and how I perform), you would not be disappointed and probably leave me 20%-30% of your tab. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you are going to come to my table and act like Mr./Mrs. Bigshot and leave me a penny for my exceptional service… well let’s just say that I can “get the red out.” Have to go make a deposit. I don’t want to leave this much cash lying around the house. Mr. Food might come in and steel it so he can sit his big fat @ss down at another buffet for another 24/7. Cheers! tHe hApPy WaItEr

Happy Waiter, A Masters Degree in Collage? Is your BA in fingerpainting?

The Gay Waiter posted: >"You can’t even spell, let alone win an argument" then went on with this: >"Mr. Food might come in and steel it so he can ..." I wonder what "collage" he's attending. The Decoupage Academy?

Way To Go, Hertz! Not only did you find my spelling error, but you were also right-on about my sexual identity. You must be, or have been, a waiter/waitress too! {Curious to know which town, etc. – but understand discretion is a must here.} Wishing you the very best – as YOU seem to be the brightest! tHe hApPy wAiTeR

I don't see where I referenced anyone's sexual identity at all, as if it would be any of my business. Where did you read into that, Comical Waiter?

Why are we paying so much attention to Happy Waiter? Apparently all he wants to do is out himself on Fodors and insult everyone else. He is an illiterate wannabe. He is working on his Masters, yet doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up. I don't think that his degree is in finger paninting - he would eat the paint before he finished his project. By the way HW, you really do have a problem with sexual identity ... you called me Sistah - another wrong assumption. Or can't you tell boys from girls?????? Be careful on the way to the bank, that bag of pennies must be awfully heavy.

Happy Whatever... Oh yeah, we are all dying to know what city you live in ...RIGHT. If we did by some miracle figure it out, we would immediately know who you are, and in what restaurant you have tried to poison your customers. Using our investigative powers, we know that you live in a city/town, with a 'collage', a restaurant and a bank. Let us know when we are getting close. I know that I won't be able to sleep until I figure it out.