| Pages:
1
2 |
Sharksbaja
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5814
Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
Member Is Offline
|
|
Tipping & Stiffing in Baja
This is an important topic as it relates to many in the service business. As a restaurant owner I know the importance in tipping. Our state has the
highest minimum wage and helps augment the income for these lower income workers. We are unusual in the sense that we tip share. We have found it is
part of the key to keeping employees year after year.
Most restaurants will let the waiter/waitress share a portion of tip with the bussers, the bar and others. It normally amounts the the server keeping
80-85%. It means the most of the staff receives little in cash. As owner/operaters we feel compelled to share the tips more evenly. This does not hold
true if we employ a server just for that purpose as they are accustomed to the big share.
This is here and not Baja. People have varying ideas on tipping. For example, Canadians do not tip or tip very low(5-10%) while it is typically 15%
in the U.S. People from Europe are usually poor tippers also. So are a lot of old people. While in Long Beach, Ca. not to long ago I was a bit
shocked when the tip was already added to the check to the order of 15%. That particular evening I probably would not have tipped that much. The food
was ok but the waiter was surley and since we were on the late side of dinner(8:30) he was less than attentive.
The biggest problem a server has is one of punishment through reduction of tips if the meal is lousy.
Tips can reflect service,food, atmosphere or other elements. What the term tip means: To Insure Proper Service. It can be different with anyone
because there is no real standard.
In Baja I tip the same as I would in the U.S. and use the service as my basis for the amount I leave. I have also noticed pince gringos stiffing wait
staff or whoever by not leaving a single peso. This is very upsetting and it must have negative effects on the employees. I know it is upsetting for
us when we get stiffed and always wonder why. It almost always is answerable. Some people are just plain cheap. I really am at a loss as to the
reality in Bajas' restaurants. Do they customarily receive the same percent or are those pince gringos ok in stiffing the staff??
|
|
|
4baja
Super Nomad
Posts: 1339
Registered: 9-4-2003
Location: morro bay ca
Member Is Offline
|
|
i tip if the service is good and has nothing to do with any thing else, if the service is good and the food is crap then i tip. if the service is
crapy then you now what i do, nada!!!
|
|
|
Marie-Rose
Senior Nomad
Posts: 894
Registered: 10-2-2003
Location: Victoria, B.C. and Todos Santos
Member Is Offline
Mood: Worried...
|
|
I really must take exception to your general comment that Canadians do not tip or tip very low. My husband and I always tip 15% for good service. If
the food is poor quality it is not the servers fault...we try again and if still poor we don't go back! If service is not great...10%. Our friends
do the same.
We have been in situations with both Americans and Canadians where the tipping has been poor...in general they were usually older people...maybe not
accustomed to the 10-15% rule.
We do the same in Mexico.
|
|
|
Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
Member Is Offline
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by Marie-Rose
in general they were usually older people...maybe not accustomed to the 10-15% rule.
|
I doubt that they were unaccustomed. More like unwilling.
|
|
|
Sharksbaja
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5814
Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
Member Is Offline
|
|
Canadians tipping
| Quote: | Originally posted by Marie-Rose
I really must take exception to your general comment that Canadians do not tip or tip very low. My husband and I always tip 15% for good service. If
the food is poor quality it is not the servers fault...we try again and if still poor we don't go back! If service is not great...10%. Our friends
do the same.
We have been in situations with both Americans and Canadians where the tipping has been poor...in general they were usually older people...maybe not
accustomed to the 10-15% rule.
We do the same in Mexico. |
Well, it's good to know you are a good client and give the benefit of the doubt and try again if not satisfied the first time. I would not do that. I
admit I did overstate
the fact. But I must tell you that certain groups of Canadians are not great tippers of which every nationality there are. My experience dictates my
point. We treat each and everyone who enters our door with the same hospitality, service and food no matter who, where or what they are. This results
in a good tip percent average. For example take the geriatrics. Their generation learned the value of pinching pennies because they had to. When
their generation finally realized a good economy the habit of saving money any way you could, stuck. Quite frankly, I believe that a lot of these
people don't have a clue about tips. Canadian or not.
Like I said I have seen a lot pince gringos not only in Mex. I am not trying to dump on Canadians, we do get our share
of tourists. You know how crowded Victoria B.C. is in the summer. We get swamped also. Our family has enjoyed visiting Canada many times and the
people always treated us well.......there.
Coincidentally, Iam curious as to why(according to those polls) Canadians think so poorly of America. Iam at a loss on that one.
|
|
|
Marie-Rose
Senior Nomad
Posts: 894
Registered: 10-2-2003
Location: Victoria, B.C. and Todos Santos
Member Is Offline
Mood: Worried...
|
|
| Quote: |
Coincidentally, Iam curious as to why(according to those polls) Canadians think so poorly of America. Iam at a loss on that one.
|
At risk of being "off topic"!!),I think those same polls would find the same number of Americans who feel poorly of Canadians. Who know
why...politics, personalities, personal experiences...reading message boards talking about Loreto Bay Village (haha).
I for one, take every person as an individual. I don't care what their country of origin, or color is. I try to be open minded and if I don't like
what I am experiencing, I try to stay away from them.
|
|
|
Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6796
Registered: 9-20-2004
Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
Member Is Offline
Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
|
|
In Mexico it is custom to tip 15 to 20 % of the ticket. this tip is usually shared with all of the staff. the kitchen gets half and the wait persons
git half. Here in Mulege about 60 % of the people stiff, 20 % tip very Little and 30% leave a decent tip. I am not going to mention who are the worst
tippers they Know who they are. but by far the best are the Mexicans. If you stiff on the tip I would not return to that restraint again. for obvious
reasons. the staff remembers the stiffer and the good tippers and they can also tell which is the best stake in the freezer.
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
 |
|
|
Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6796
Registered: 9-20-2004
Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
Member Is Offline
Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
|
|
Hose A that is interesting we also had several Mexicans that left a tip once a year at Holiday time.
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
|
|
|
Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
|
|
4baja has it right, I believe
I agree with 4baja. Good service always deserves a good tip----at least 15%----no matter where I am. It has nothing to do with the quality of the
food----it is the service I am tipping. Bad food, I do not come back.
If the tip is included in the price, I never return to that restaurant. I find that incredibly presumptive, and it offends me.
Some servers are so good and so friendly that I would always tip them 20%, or more.
If the server is not good (surly and inattentive) I tip nothing.
This applies to everywhere unless I am informed that it is not proper to tip.
I am not Canadian, but I am 67 yrs. old which may put me in the Geezer catagory.
It appears to me that the Canadian Government does not like us much, but not the Canadian Citizens. Personally, I cannot tell the difference between a
Canadian and USA'er---some bad, most good.
Barry
|
|
|
TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
|
|
I usuall tip 20% for good service and often more for better service. For poor service I will leave less unless I think it was not the servers fault,
like lots of people and not enough servers. It also depends on the servers attitude. One way to get a big tip from me is to smile and be friendly and
watch my drink glass, when it gets low ask me if I want another and your tip goes up.
I have only been in a few resturants where I thought the service was great and their tip was great too.
|
|
|
yankeeirishman
Banned
Posts: 1070
Registered: 3-5-2004
Location: Kalifornia
Member Is Offline
|
|
"the tip was already added to the check to the order of 15%"
I pass any and all establishments that have this "built in" tip. First of all: ?you ain?t going to spend MY money?! Secondly: if the service is real
lousy, I don?t tip. Thirdly: If the food is unfit for humans, and the dog refuses to eat it?I don?t tip. But I do tip 20% if I end up being a happy
camper.
|
|
|
MrBillM
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 21656
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Out and About
Member Is Offline
Mood: It's a Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah Day
|
|
Tip Included
If you object to the tip being included in the bill, you would be unhappy in the Caribbean or you would be eating at Fast Food outlets. Virtually all
of the restaurants I have eaten at there include the gratuity on the bill. The same for the hotels. I actually prefer that system, although even
then I add to it for especially good service.
I consider 20 % a starting point for tips and usually tip 25-30%. I have been chided by friends for tipping too much, especially in Baja, and my
response to them is that if they can't afford to tip well, then they should not eat out.
|
|
|
Sharksbaja
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5814
Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
Member Is Offline
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by MrBillM
If you object to the tip being included in the bill, you would be unhappy in the Caribbean or you would be eating at Fast Food outlets. Virtually all
of the restaurants I have eaten at there include the gratuity on the bill. The same for the hotels. I actually prefer that system, although even
then I add to it for especially good service.
I consider 20 % a starting point for tips and usually tip 25-30%. I have been chided by friends for tipping too much, especially in Baja, and my
response to them is that if they can't afford to tip well, then they should not eat out. |
You are one of a kind, sir. Believe me you would not have liked 15% sucked out of you for crappy service. Especially in the magnificent city of Long
Beach. But you are correct about dining out. If you are looking for deals on food you probably are a poor tipper, complainer, and worry about the
price so much that it ruins your evening. So they take it out on the tip by lowering it. 25% tips are rare and if you are lucky enough to find that
many establishments that deserve that much , PLEASE let us know where these great places are......
|
|
|
MrBillM
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 21656
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Out and About
Member Is Offline
Mood: It's a Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah Day
|
|
Value Received
Actually, it's only a question of whether or not it's worth it to me, not anyone else.
In San Felipe, the only restaurants I dine at on a regular basis are El Nido for dinner and George's for Breakfast. Years ago, one of the waiters at
El Nido followed me out to the sidewalk after he saw the tip. I don't know if he had thought I made a mistake or simply appreciated the amount.
Of course, I tend to tip EVERYBODY, including the grocery clerk, the Propane supplier, the
Cerveza distributor, The guy pumping gas, etc. Usually when I pick up water at the purification plant, the tip comes to as much as the water. The
result is GOOD service and a smile. Worh every peso.
I always tip the workers who pour the cement and mortar the bricks on my casa projects. When all is said and done, the amounts which are a trifle to
me are much more important to them.
I don't say that anyone who tips less is wrong, only the ones who tip less than the norm or nothing at all. When I was a young man, my oldest sister
was a waitress for many years and I witnessed firsthand the abuse laid on her for things out of her control. My wife retired after 32 years with Vons
grocery. I try to never abuse the messenger for things done beyond their control.
But Hey, That's just me.
|
|
|
Oso
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2637
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: on da border
Member Is Offline
Mood: wait and see
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by Sharksbaja
What the term tip means: To Insure Proper Service. |
Actually it comes from a now extinct custom of English restaurants that had a box mounted to the wall near the entrance with a small sign saying "To
Insure Promptness". If you wanted to be sure of being served right away, you put a few coins in the box BEFORE you sat down.
When I moved to Arizona and picked up my first restaurant check, I thought they had already added the tip. On closer examination, I saw it was the
tax- 10%! This really sucks and it makes me very reluctant to tip 15-20% of the bottom line (Am I spozed to tip the friggin State too?) But I
usually do anyway, since I don't want to be that guy. Unless, of course, the food and/or service were really bad. In which case, I stiff because I'm
never going back there anyway.
Also, if I'm in a pricey enough place to need to use plastic, I try to leave a cash tip and leave that line blank on the tab when I write in the
total. I definitely don't like tipping the friggin IRS.
|
|
|
Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
Member Is Offline
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bruce R Leech
In Mexico it is custom to tip 15 to 20 % of the ticket. this tip is usually shared with all of the staff. the kitchen gets half and the wait persons
git half. |
Every store has it's own method of dividing tips, or not. There is no set way that everyone follows. I have never been associated with a restaurant
that splits tips with the kitchen. Bussmen yes, typically 10%.
|
|
|
Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
Member Is Offline
|
|
IMO a bad policy. It gives the kitchen too much leverage over the wait staff. Food preparers should be straight salaried.
[Edited on 3-13-2005 by Dave]
|
|
|
yankeeirishman
Banned
Posts: 1070
Registered: 3-5-2004
Location: Kalifornia
Member Is Offline
|
|
Done the Caribbean, and Europe. Have found places without the added on tip. 30% Tips? Who are you kidding here? Not me! It's not a question if one CAN
afford a tip (at 30%?), it's a question of good service / food. But...if you want to pay a tip of 20- 30 % for crapola service, burnt food, and God
knows whatever else negative thats being served to you...I guess you can AFFORD it!
| Quote: | Originally posted by MrBillM
If you object to the tip being included in the bill, you would be unhappy in the Caribbean or you would be eating at Fast Food outlets. Virtually all
of the restaurants I have eaten at there include the gratuity on the bill. The same for the hotels. I actually prefer that system, although even
then I add to it for especially good service.
I consider 20 % a starting point for tips and usually tip 25-30%. I have been chided by friends for tipping too much, especially in Baja, and my
response to them is that if they can't afford to tip well, then they should not eat out. |
|
|
|
Sharksbaja
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5814
Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Newport, Mulege B.C.S.
Member Is Offline
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by Dave
Every store has it's own method of dividing tips, or not. There is no set way that everyone follows.
|
|
|
|
Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6796
Registered: 9-20-2004
Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
Member Is Offline
Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
|
|
Server's wages AND taxes
Are some of you aware that servers PAY taxes on 8% of your bill? Whether they're tipped or not, they get charged for it. Also, in many states,
restaurant owners are only required to pay them AT LEAST $2.01 an hour. Arizona, for example. Also, some of you that really can't afford to eat out,
should try spending 8-10 hours a day on your feet, dealing with the public and the cooks and mgmt. I seriously doubt if all their money goes for shoe
polish and 'hankies'.
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
|
|
|
| Pages:
1
2 |
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
