Lesley Dubon

Mahta Rosenfeld
English 113
Essay on tipping
How does it feel when hard work does not get recognized by customers when
they do not tip after receiving good service? In the article The case against tipping Michael
Lewis talks about waiters or baristas expecting to be tipped when they have barely done anything
to ask for a tip. When waiters do not get tipped they feel devastated because it makes them feel
like they did not do their jobs well enough. It is clear that Lewis has never worked in a job that
relies severely on tips he thinks tips are more like a tip he clearly does not understand the
concept of waiters depending on tip. Waiters deserve to receive tips because they are not only
handing you a cup of coffee but they also clean dishes, wipe windows and stock items as well as
keeping the restaurant clean. Awaiter relies heavily on tips to get them by their days.
Some may argue that servers are already getting paid to serve and do their job; however,
they do not know that waiters get paid less than the minimum wage. Waiters do not get paid
minimum wages because the restaurant owners know that the waiters will receive tips for serving
the customers, and they believe that if waiters get paid the minimum wage they will get paid
more. When people do not tip, not only do the waiters feel disappointed because they feel like
they did not do their job well enough or that they did not give you a good service, but it also
makes them not have enough for rent or to pay bills. Silvia Khandikian was a waiter at Sizzlers
or 5 years she was only getting paid $2.13 an hour. When she asked the manager why she was
getting paid less the manager told her that waiters get tips and have to get paid less and are
expected to receive $7.25 in tips during the day to meet the minimum wage (Khandikian 1). It is

sad to know that waiters are getting paid $2.13 and are expected to make up the rest in tips. It is
understandable because waiters get tipped very well if they have 10 groups of people eating and
the waiter receives $5 from each table that is $50 which is more than the minimum wage. If
waiters got paid the minimum wage they would not make as much, rather if they get paid $2.13
an hour they would get paid more than the minimum wage with tips.
When someone tips it can put a smile on someone's face and it can also make a person's
day better. When waiters get tipped it is a way to show them that the customer are thankful for
the good service they provided for them and for being helpful. When giving tips it makes the
waiter or barista know they did a good job and it helps keeps them motivated to do better. If a
waiter did not do so much of a good job it could be because it is their first day on the job and
they have not gotten use to how the restaurant industry works.
Tipping is part of the cost when you decide to eat out. When you decide to eat out its
because you do not want to cook or because you do not have time to make a meal so you rely on
a restaurant to make your food quick. When you eat out you are expected to give a 20% tip. No
tip is not like a tax(Lewis 1) . That is the minimum requirement depending on how big the
group is. The bigger the group the more tip is expected and the smaller the group the minimum
tip is expected. As a college student who does not work and has to rely on $20 for 2 days I
cannot eat at a restaurant because I would not have enough money to leave a tip. I rely on going
to supermarkets on campus because I can buy a sandwich for $6 and still have extra money
leftover to buy a snack and a drink. If you do not have enough money for tip you can always go
to a supermarket and get a meal for cheaper and not have to tip.
Waiters are trained to be nice. People can take it the wrong way that a waiters is being

nice to them so that they can get better tips, but in reality the waiters job is to keep the customers
happy because if a customer is not happy they lose a customer because they didn't give the
customer good service it is not a bribe. Waiters are taught to be nice to customers so that the
customers can keep coming back and they can give good references to other people.
Tipping or not tipping does not affect your service or the way you will be treated. It is
said that if you do not tip the right amount then you will be treated differently or discriminated
because you did not tip but that is not true. Waiters have a motto where the customer is always
right so if you did not tip or did not give the minimum amount it must have been because the
waiter did something wrong like mess up your order or drink or maybe even took too long with
your food but remember that it's not always the waiters fault it could have been the cooks fault. If
the customer is not happy with the service they received, they should tell the waiter you need to
work on this or fix this because waiters want feedback so that they won't make the same mistake
again.
Tipping should not be abolished. If there are no more tips how are people going to show
their gratitude or their thanks towards the waiter. When tipping becomes abolished waiters will
have to be making the minimum wage and the price of the food will increase more because the
restaurant owners will not be able to pay the waiters the minimum wage with a low cost meal.
There will be no more cheap restaurants to eat at and there will be less restaurants because the
owners don't have enough to pay the waiters and because the rent of the restaurant location is
high.
When waiters do not get tipped it makes them feel sad but when you tip it can make a
person smile. You never know if that person is having a bad day. When you decide to eat out
make sure you have enough money to tip because the waiter is working hard to get your food,

your drink and to give you a great service. If tipping becomes abolished that means there will be
less people eating out because food will become expensive and there will be less employment in
the United States and if there is less employment there will be more homeless people with no
homes.

Works Cited
Khandikian Silvia. Interview 29 Sept, 2016
Lewis, Michael. The Capitalist: The Case Against Tipping New York Times.
The New York Times Company, 21 Sept, 1997