Rachael Ray's $40 A Day

Has anyone else taken the time to watch this show? I have been watching for sometime now in total astonishment. She goes on national television and basically shows, that tipping roughly 7% is ok. On one show in particular I calculated her "tax and tip" of $1.40 on a $9.90 meal. If you give a low tax estimate of 7% then that leaves about .70 for the tip, from that $1.40, or roughly 7%.
And we as servers wonder why the public tips so poorly.

Jeri in Robertsdale, Alabama said: Has anyone else taken the time to watch this show? I have been watching for sometime now in total astonishment. She goes on national television and basically shows, that tipping roughly 7% is ok. On one show in particular I calculated her "tax and tip" of $1.40 on a $9.90 meal. If you give a low tax estimate of 7% then that leaves about .70 for the tip, from that $1.40, or roughly 7%.
And we as servers wonder why the public tips so poorly.

I totally agree! I'm shocked that she's okay with leaving practically nothing as a tip! The starting point should be twenty percent! What is wrong with people??

The problem with tipping is that servers tend toward a sense of entitlement when it comes to other people's money. While paying customers actually ARE entitled to good service, the servers quickly lose sight of their role in the eating experience.

If you look at any commonly accepted book on etiquette, 7% is the standard on tips.

Greedy piglets.

berlin 5, PLEASE eat at home!!!!! Do you realize what the average wages are for a waiter or bartender??

Get over it, you "SERVERS at least you have a job. So if you want to make the big bucks get a real job.. I would rather eat at home anyways.

LISA in Dayton, Ohio said: Get over it, you "SERVERS at least you have a job. So if you want to make the big bucks get a real job.. I would rather eat at home anyways.

Ok. That's helpful, isn't it?

I worked at a restaurant for about 3 years in high school and part way into college. Not as a server, but as a dishwasher and then a busboy. I could clearly see how hard people would need to work to provide quality service, especially when the restaurant (which was right across from a college campus) got slammed!

Ever since, my "default" tip has been 20%.
I'll tip better for exceptional service.
On the other hand, if things are slow and service is not consistent, I may go to 15%.
I'd tip 10% if the service was weak or bad; I've only done less than that once.

After all, it is MY money!

And I do know, from my work experience in days gone by, that servers have a lot to do and get paid a minimal salary. Tips make the difference and I'm happy to reward effort.

If servers truly feel "entitled" to good tips, that's their choice. As long as the service is good, I don't see a problem with providing a good tip!

It is, again, MY money!

great service, great tip
poor service, poor tip ( a small tip is an insult above no tip at all, why? dont reward bad service with a bad attitude, they are working for tips and need to know, hey its me because customers dont stiff me, they just tip low. ) i tip $1 or $2 for bad servicen no matter what the bill amount. I end up tipping 25% most of the time for great service. Allow a little room for reflection. Customers have lost sight of why we go out, we are so spoiled we forget we go out to be served, pampered, and relax. Do you deserve good service.? Reward good service. Do unto others ...

yes, Rachel Ray irritates my wife and i when we see those tips. Millions she brings in now from her empire. C'mon Rachel. A little explanation. I heard that of other famous Food network stars like Mr. Lagassi. I know people who served him and it was less than complimenting at the tip left.

I never noticed any of Ms. Ray's servers being rude to her.

Servers should not give better service because they get better tips. They should always be good servers and not slack off if they think they won't get good tips. Maybe go on strike to let your boss know you deserve more. GM briefly went on strike a couple weeks ago. In industry, the worker is always expected to give 110%.

Likewise, employers of the servers should not be so cheap and pay the servers what they deserve. Why is it that the end consumer always has to pick up the slack and foot the bill? This is always the case with politicians and taxes (another story, another day). It is out of hand. Get real rich restaurant owners, pay your servers what they deserve.

Here is another way to look at it: If you are in a car accident and hurt, would you have to give the emergency crew some extra cash (or cookies later) because they gave you extra special care?

James in Elyria, Ohio said: Servers should not give better service because they get better tips. They should always be good servers and not slack off if they think they won't get good tips. Maybe go on strike to let your boss know you deserve more. GM briefly went on strike a couple weeks ago. In industry, the worker is always expected to give 110%.

Likewise, employers of the servers should not be so cheap and pay the servers what they deserve. Why is it that the end consumer always has to pick up the slack and foot the bill? This is always the case with politicians and taxes (another story, another day). It is out of hand. Get real rich restaurant owners, pay your servers what they deserve.

Here is another way to look at it: If you are in a car accident and hurt, would you have to give the emergency crew some extra cash (or cookies later) because they gave you extra special care?

the service industry in the united states is based upon your gratuity. if servers were paid a full comperable wage, then we wouldn't expect tips (like in europe). but because of the way the system is set up, servers are only paid a fraction of a normal salary because they receive tips.

no we don't expect to tip an emergency service tech because THEY MAKE A NORMAL WAGE. servers make somewhere between $2.14/hour and $5/HOUR depending where they live.

i don't personally agree that they should be paid by the customers, not the establishment, but i don't penalize the server just because i disagree with the system.

Amanda in Draper, Utah said: I totally agree! I'm shocked that she's okay with leaving practically nothing as a tip! The starting point should be twenty percent! What is wrong with people??

Your/servers customer care & improving the eating experience MUST be top notch.

TIP actually stands for T.I.P. = To Insure Prompt (I beleive).

SERVERS are not entitled to anything... 0% if the experience is crummy.

20% would be for a server offering excellent service, excellent promptness to the needs of the GUEST.

jim in New York, New York said: berlin 5, PLEASE eat at home!!!!! Do you realize what the average wages are for a waiter or bartender??

NEVER complain about the AVG. pay that you knew about before you took the job.

As in any profession, if you don't like the pay don't take the job. Duhhhhh!

jim in New York, New York said: berlin 5, PLEASE eat at home!!!!! Do you realize what the average wages are for a waiter or bartender??

I bet your employer doesn't agree with you.

I feel that one should tip based on the level of service provided, never falling below 10% unless the service is really awful. If your server helps you choose the best food and wine combination, pours that wine for you, keeps your water glass full, debones your fish, and gets your food to you as soon as it is done cooking, all while making sure no two courses are on the same table at the same time, that server deserves more than the 15% crap you would give you your server at Applebee's who you might see twice in the evening.

I have two jobs, one in fine dining, and one in imitation fine dining. I recieve on average higher percentage tips at the latter job, even though the service is worse, simply because we have an ocean view.

Jeri in Robertsdale, Alabama said: Has anyone else taken the time to watch this show? I have been watching for sometime now in total astonishment. She goes on national television and basically shows, that tipping roughly 7% is ok. On one show in particular I calculated her "tax and tip" of $1.40 on a $9.90 meal. If you give a low tax estimate of 7% then that leaves about .70 for the tip, from that $1.40, or roughly 7%.
And we as servers wonder why the public tips so poorly.

"Thank you!" I have been saying the same thing for years! I cant understand why no one has ever pointed this out! She is showing people it's o.k. not to tip right so they can eat cheap and still get great service. Thats so wrong. Maybe she should wait tables in a restaurant she tells people to tip very little in! I cannot and will not support anything she does in fact I change the tv channel when she comes on.

LISA in Dayton, Ohio said: Get over it, you "SERVERS at least you have a job. So if you want to make the big bucks get a real job.. I would rather eat at home anyways.

I have been in food service for over 12 years and I have also held a "real job". Truth is that I make more money serving than I do at the job that I struggled to get a degree for!!

berlin 5 in Jamaica said: The problem with tipping is that servers tend toward a sense of entitlement when it comes to other people's money. While paying customers actually ARE entitled to good service, the servers quickly lose sight of their role in the eating experience.

If you look at any commonly accepted book on etiquette, 7% is the standard on tips.

Greedy piglets.

Are you insane? First of all you need throw out the 1972 edition and buy the 2008 edition of this so called "etiquette" book. Or even better, try reading the rest of the etiquette book and see what it says about common courtesy. The price of the meal is not the most important factor when determining the appropriate compensation for service rendered. How long did you sit at the persons table? How demanding are you as a customer? People like you make me embarassed to be a human. You are exactly the reason why people should have to take an I.Q test before procreating. For your ignorant,hill billy,inbread ass that means "reproducing." Do you realize that tipped wage earners are paid about $2.50/hour. Oh I forgot you're an idiot. Rachel Ray should be ashamed of herself. I am fortunate enough to work in a very expensive fine dining restaurnat that assists with health benefits, 401K and not to mention the price keeps the idiots out. The level of service and knowledge of etiquette I have to provide far exceeds that of the norm but it doesn't make me any more entitled to a fair tip. The percentage of the check sure as hell works out for me with a $50 cover average but a waiter in Chili's works just as hard as I do. I think everyone should have to work as server for a day and see how hard it really is.

you tell 'em!

LISA in Dayton, Ohio said: Get over it, you "SERVERS at least you have a job. So if you want to make the big bucks get a real job.. I would rather eat at home anyways.

Lisa,
What is a "REAL JOB"???? Just remember when you leave comments like that about my JOB, I'm the person in the back making your food....THINK ABOUT IT!!!!...

I have been in the service industry for over 12 years. The restaurant owners don't determine the wage of servers or bartenders. I have only heard of a handful of places that pay more than the $2.13, yes $2.13, per hour. When minimum wage goes up, server and bartender wages are not included. I recently heard about the Rachel Ray thing so i wanted to voice my opinion. Unless your service is absolutely horrible there is no reason not to leave a reasonable tip (TWENTY percent is now the accepted norm, by the way). I am no longer a server, but run a restaurant, and I see how these college students and single mothers struggle to make a living. A REAL JOB? Everyone has to make a living and I would like to see anyone who has never waited tables take the place of a server on a busy night any time.

Shootermcgavin in Atlanta, Georgia said: Are you insane? First of all you need throw out the 1972 edition and buy the 2008 edition of this so called "etiquette" book. Or even better, try reading the rest of the etiquette book and see what it says about common courtesy. The price of the meal is not the most important factor when determining the appropriate compensation for service rendered. How long did you sit at the persons table? How demanding are you as a customer? People like you make me embarassed to be a human. You are exactly the reason why people should have to take an I.Q test before procreating. For your ignorant,hill billy,inbread ass that means "reproducing." Do you realize that tipped wage earners are paid about $2.50/hour. Oh I forgot you're an idiot. Rachel Ray should be ashamed of herself. I am fortunate enough to work in a very expensive fine dining restaurnat that assists with health benefits, 401K and not to mention the price keeps the idiots out. The level of service and knowledge of etiquette I have to provide far exceeds that of the norm but it doesn't make me any more entitled to a fair tip. The percentage of the check sure as hell works out for me with a $50 cover average but a waiter in Chili's works just as hard as I do. I think everyone should have to work as server for a day and see how hard it really is.

DID YOU SAY " This is the reason people should have to take an IQ test before procreating." For a rich television personality to poorly tip is beyond poor taste but to verbally abuse the common folks for their beliefs and to tell someone they're stupid and have no right to live,SHAME ON YOU! The problem appears to be abusing versus educating people. I have spent 30y treating verbally,physically and emotionally abused clients. Our words have consequences. It's words such as those that lead to physical violence. What ever happened to respecting each other and educating people when they do not UNDERSTAND?

Hey, it's really everyone's choice. By tipping, you communicate to your server/bartender how much you appreciate (or don't) the service you received. I go by the following:
1. 25% if I'm on vacation and conceivably never going back.
2. 35% if it's local, but not a place I frequent
3. 45% if I plan on going a lot

There's room for the tip to fall in the case of poor service, of course. I know this is def. on the high side, but all you pansy-ass wusses trying to defend 7% tips, need to go out and work an actual job. Hell, get a job in the service industry for one week, so you can gain an appreciation of the difficulty of work and reliance on tips.

By the way, Berlin 5 - You probably have become such an extreme bad tipper, because people serving you realized you were a bad tipper and started giving you worse service. Just keep staying home so ALL people can breathe a colective sigh of relief. It's not just servers who dislike douchebags.

I used to have a "real job" consulting in NYC and made the choice to go into the service industry because I wanted my life to be less stressful. I soon learned that my perception of what it takes to be a waiter was pretty far off. The stressors are definitely different but they're no less real!

One of the biggest realizations I had was that those people with "real jobs" out there aren't held to the same high standards every second of their time at work that servers are. Think about it...if you screw up at work you get some feedback from your boss and then you're given time to improve before there are any repercussions. If you don't improve in the allotted time (usually weeks or even months), you may miss out on a performance award or some other financial incentive and if enough time goes by and you still can't pull it together you may actually lose your job.

In the service industry things are a little different. Your pay (i.e. tips) may be docked instantly for even the smallest of mistakes. In fact, even if you make immediate changes and rectify the problem people may still leave you a bad tip. In some ways this is refreshing because you always know where you stand and have some degree of control over what you make day to day. Unfortunately, when you aren't in control of everything that happens (e.g. the kitchen is really busy and misread a modification on the order you put in), you may be penalized even though you peformed exceptionally and did everything in your power to provide great service. And people's lack of understanding of this may mean the difference between being able to pay your rent or not.

So pass along the message to Rachael Ray, Berlin 5 and others that their pathetic tips are not incentive pay for good performance like you might get in a "real job." It's actually our livelihood and I don't know what is more "real" than that.

Jeri in Robertsdale, Alabama said: Has anyone else taken the time to watch this show? I have been watching for sometime now in total astonishment. She goes on national television and basically shows, that tipping roughly 7% is ok. On one show in particular I calculated her "tax and tip" of $1.40 on a $9.90 meal. If you give a low tax estimate of 7% then that leaves about .70 for the tip, from that $1.40, or roughly 7%.
And we as servers wonder why the public tips so poorly.

1.40 divided by 9.90 is a 14.14% tip. Where did you learn math? And do a little fact research before you spout off please. Rachel Ray is a rags to riches story and she has worked her tail off to get where she is at! Jealous much? P.S. I am a professional server also ... and you don't see me whining about other people's success.

LISA in Dayton, Ohio said: Get over it, you "SERVERS at least you have a job. So if you want to make the big bucks get a real job.. I would rather eat at home anyways.

serving is a real job, because servers really work. you try standing on your feet for over eight hours. Besides that servers deserve good tips for putting up with rude people all day. There aren't very many other jobs in which people feel as comfortable treating another person like crap. and no before anyone says it rude demanding people are not the exception in the restraunte industry they're the rule.

MELISSA,
If you could read correctly, it say it includes TAX and TIP. So, if you do the math there, it is much lower than 14.14 %. Maybe you should read something fully before you spout off.

LISA in Dayton, Ohio said: Get over it, you "SERVERS at least you have a job. So if you want to make the big bucks get a real job.. I would rather eat at home anyways.

You know Lisa, I have two Masters Degrees and still wait tables for extra bucks in between school sessions because it can be really good money AND because I like the job. I've met a lot of servers and cooks and bussers and hosts who are really good at what they do and are good people. Being good at this job requires a very specific talent...especially when it comes to dealing with people with your attitude. To say that a server's job isn't a real one is very ignorant on your part and not only demonstrates how little you know about spaces in the world you do not frequent, but also highlights the pedestal on which you place yourself above others.

The average tip is roughly 20%. Servers work below minimum wage and depend on their tips to make ends meet. I work back of the house as a kitchen supervisor and I see that the servers work their tails off. They're friendly with the customers although they've been on their feet all day. They have a sense of humor and are professional. I haven't heard them complain about their jobs. When I go out to eat I tip big. BTW my first adult job was a server.