I suppose you could. I would hope that the waitress that took over would turn most (or all) of the tip over to the waitress that had done most of the work for your table. Guess maybe I'm too trusting, but I hope not.

Some restaurants I've been at has had the waitress come up and say they're leaving and ask us to settle up the bill then. I imagine that's a case where the waitperson is held responsible for dine & dash. Usually we have been pretty much finished so there wasn't anything else needed but if there was and it required some more than minimal effort I'd probably leave a tip for that person, assuming they would get it. I've started to give the tips *to* the person lately rather than leave them on the table.

It's hard to know what the tipping rules are, as to whether it's eat what you kill or they split. Sometimes you're served by several people.

What was the critical comments that got her fired? That's a concern of mine.

Cynic--she apparently was quite critical because they stayed past the closing time, and left a small tip. She posted the name of the restruart etc on either face book or? She apparently used not nice language either.

That happened to us once--the waitress came over and said her shift was over and handed us the bill. She said we didn't have to rush (our meal had already been served and tea refilled). So we gave her the tip.

Well! The "new" waitress just about had a hissy-fit when I told her we had paid the bill. She let us know that SHE was the one who had to clear our dirty dishes and clean the table, blah, blah, blah. So I left her $1.

So I'd sure like to know how that should have been handled.

When I worked as a waitress and we were turning our table over to someone else.. the tip would go to them. I don't ever remember being given the tip money the next day and wouldn't have expected it. We could always stay and wait for that table to leave so we could have the tip, but usually we'd be in a hurry to leave.

I never thought of that! We almost always use our credit card and add the tip onto the ticket there. I assumed it goes to the person who took the order. After all they aren't likely to sit and divy it up at the end of the night.

That really makes me wonder just how tips are handled at our favorite places to eat. I might just ask sometime --- well, probablly not!

I've found a lot of servers will ask you to settle up before switching shifts. That's always fine with me. I'll just open up a new tab with the new server if I want to order anything more.

Patti, I can't believe she said that to you! I would have complained to her boss. That is terrible, and she should have taken it up with her employer on how they should handle such things instead of with you.

Temptation aside ...

... I've always felt that it would be more dangerous than it would have been worth to handle waitresses!

ole joyful

"So I'd sure like to know how that should have been handled."

With the manager. She shouldn't have brought that upon you. You should have asked to speak to the manager.

Restaurants usually have a house policy about who gets the tip when the table is turned over. It can vary how it is handled. It is something to be settled between the two waitresses and the managers.

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Bar transfers are another source of contention among servers. If you sit at the bar before dinner and run a tab to be transfered to you dinner bill, the waitress has to tip out the bar the percentage of the bar bill to the bartender no matter what. Some people leave a tip at the bar with the bartender when they move to the dining room not realizing the waitress has to still split the tip she received from the table with the bartender based on the bill. They tend to tip less on the overall bill thinking they did the right thing tipping the bartender so they leave less. When the math is done the waitress ends up losing money by working the table.

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I did not see the article about the waitress getting fired over her Facebook entry but people getting fired for what they post online is not uncommon and it is legal in most states.

Mariend, that's a really good question. I'm pretty sure we wouldn't interrupt dinner and would assume the next person would pass it back to her. But being just about finished, it would be a good time to settle up I think.

As far as the waitress that was fired, yes she deserved it. She publicly made the restaurant look bad by complaining about the customers and using foul language to do it, and (the worst part) naming the restaurant.

I pay the bill at the front desk with a credit card. The tip is included at that time. Its up to to the management and staff how the tip gets distributed; I am out of the loop.

Tip money left on the table most often is picked up the person who busses the table after you have exited.

I know of a person who uses the tip to communicate displeasure with the service. When displeased, they leave a tiny tip, something in the neighborhood of 10 cents and never a dollar. This tells the waitsperson that you have not forgotten the tip, but did not think much of the service. However, this move may backfire and not convey the message. The message most likely sent is that you are a stingy, mean person, or could not afford a tip - maybe a full blooded cheap skate.

I think that this is a management issue. You should not be interrupted nor put on the spot while you are a "guest" at the restaurant. ANd I'd treat it just like that. I get my bill and pay it at the end of the meal. Period. If a waitress complains, she should take it to her manager.

I think many places pool their tips anyway.

But you as a customer should not be bothered by this issue. If you are bothered, tell the manager.

You are the customer. If the situation is unpleasant for you, then don't go back, but let them know why.

dilly_dally, the bar transfer thing is something that more people need to know about. Thanks for the info. Normally if I were in a bar, I'd settle it up there. Come to think of it that could explain why we'd be asked to settle it there. This whole tipping thing is getting out of hand IMO. Quite frankly, I'd like to see tipping outlawed. Between everyone expecting it, often who don't deserve it and the number of times the hardest workers get cheated for various reasons, including tip splitting, it's time to change this. And yes I realize it won't happen, but I still say it should.

Things were much simpler when I was in the restaurant business!

I agree it's between the servers and the manager. The customer should never be put in the middle.

Policies vary from place to place. In some it's who took the order and in others it's who brought the plate. Mostly it's which servers name or ID is on the bill since most places report the workers' sales to the IRS.

Personally I tip the person who took my order and brings the entree and checks back that everything is ok.

If the table is turned over before the entree is served I tip the one who served the meal.

Once the check has been presented in California it often mean that server is taxed on on that check right off the top.

Now if the one who takes over the table does something extra like make a dessert for me or goes out of there way to do more than refill my glass I will leave a little something for them too.

I tip well but I will not tip extra because someone refilled my cup or glass. One of my pet peeves are servers who carry the coffee pot or iced tea pitcher right past other tables and only refill the glasses at their own tables. I try to eat at places where everyone works as a team. More places are short staffed these days and often the managers pitch right in. they certainly don't expect a tip.

Wouldn't you also think that the waitress/waiter who took your order and delivered the food but had to leave before you finished wouldn't necessarily get cheated out of a tip, because when she/he first started the shift, that person was on the other side of the equation? Finishing off a table that a fellow waitress had to leave, and getting that tip?

I'm not always convinced that tips get pooled. I'd like to think so, to believe in the "team" approach, but I'm not sure. Maybe next time I'm at IHOP (I tend to end up there more than any other place!), I'll ask the manager.

I'm not always convinced that tips get pooled. I've worked in 4 restaurants (1 upscale one) and never did we pool tips. I know a couple people who wait tables now and they do not pool tips. Why would anyone want to pool tips.. the hardest worker loses money and the lazy one gets more than he/she would on their own.

I've *never* been informed that one server was 'off duty now' and another was coming 'on duty'. Why is that a concern of the diner? (It isn't!)

Here's a question for wait staff: Do you 'tip' the chef/kitchen staff? (I know you want to get your orders filled quickly and accurately to please your customers.)

Here's a question for wait staff: Do you 'tip' the chef/kitchen staff?

Servers make about $2.50 an hour. Cooks make from $8.00 up to whatever. I can't imagine any restaurant expecting wait staff to tip the cooks. I have worked places where we tipped the busboys and one place where we tipped the bartender.

Actually there have been several lawsuits brought in recent years in California about tips being pooled and tipping out workers who normally wouldn't have tips counted as wages like the servers do. Something about the labor board rules stating that only servers work for tips because they are the ones who have to report them to the IRS.

I asked about tipping/bribing the cook because a friend who waitressed in college had to do that. Otherwise 'her' orders came out of the kitchen last, were not cooked to order (rare, well-done, etc.) or were incomplete. Nice, huh?

At least money talked in that case. Another friend was expected to put up with lewd comments and worse from the owner and the cook. (She was exceptionally pretty, and she *needed* the work.)

I don't have the answer to your question.

As to Jemdandy's comment on leaving ten cents or under a dollar to indicate poor service. YOU BET! My DD has worked as server and hostess in the past, and her DBF is in the business now. If you receive poor service, leave ONE PENNY for a tip, and speak to the manager. Everyone in the business knows what one penny left for a tip means! And both of my kids WILL leave a penny tip. I've watched them. And the dirty look we got from the server showed she knew exactly why it was left. She had to be asked repeatedly for refills, had half of the orders at the table wrong, part of a meal was served as an appetizer instead of part of the meal, one thing after another. And she wasn't busy. The manager was told, she was left a penny, and she wasn't working there the next week when we went in!

They have both worked in restaurants that have tip sharing. Do they like it? No. But it was a place to work when they needed it. I don't know if where Chris works now has it or not, but he is cook, so it doesn't apply to him. If DD were to go back to it, she would be looking for someplace that does not tip share.

Tami

I have a question about the tip sharing. What keeps a server from putting part of his/her tips into a different pocket and not putting them into the pool?