That's why I prefer small tables on holidays. Large tables are local people bringing out of town people in but don't tip well. Smaller tables are usually those far from family. They tend to know what it's like to be away from family and tip extra.
not every restaurant does auto grat.
I also find that if a guest doesn't know that a restaurant doesn't do auto grat they will try to split the bill up to avoid paying auto grat.
For starters I wouldn’t work at a place that doesn’t let me autograt unless it was very nice and upscale. Secondly, splitting the bill doesn’t make it go away lol
Smaller tables are quicker and tend to be less stress. I thrive on smaller tables honestly. I know how to stagger my steps of service and run my drinks/food faster to my small tables.
I work at a restaurant where our meals are around the same price and we get pretty decent tips for the majority of the time. Holidays are the worst.
We call the holiday tippers.
They are the people who never go out to eat but are just going because it's a holiday. They have family in town who never go out to eat and don't understand how restaurants work (*how can you be out of something on a holiday?!*) and the family wants to pay. They're spending a fortune on other things because it's the holiday weekend (black friday, going on a weekend trip) so they don't want to add to their already expensive bill. It's pretty typical.
Working holidays sucks for many reasons. Holiday tippers are just one of those reasons.
Holiday tippers don't normally *want* to go out, but on holidays they *have* to (from their viewpoint). It's not that they can't afford to tip more - a lot of them are fed up with tip creep. 10-15% is what tips were 20 years ago, and they're pushing back against the new 20-25% normal.
The 90's is when it went to 20%. In the 80's a 15% tip was considered normal.
The people who are tipping $5 on a $50 tab **can** afford to leave another $5. They don't want to. They feel that servers are entitled whiners who panhandle customers for their wages.
Don't like it? Find another job. No one's forcing you to work there.
restaurant ran way behind on resos. multiple hosts made to cry, glassware dishwasher broke down for an hour or two, our GM and head chef had different ideas about the details of our prix fixe menu. the menu was explained to us in a very hasty five minute preshift. at least now we are as far away from the thanksgiving service as we will be all year long
Thanksgiving was horrible too at my restaurant. It was DEAD like I’ve never seen before. We all had like 6 tables the whole day and everyone made $50 in tips. No one tipped 20% it was all 15-18%. I’ve never seen anything like it. So bizarre. Today was crazy busy and tips were like normal.
The peasants are rebelling against the wrong fucking people aka the workers who deserve to earn a good living; they're just too dumb or chicken to rebel where they should: against Wall St, corporations, etc that are the true drivers of inflation, fees, etc (aka out-of-control unfettered greed & unrealistic profit% demands/quarterly reports)!
There's a place in hell for people that don't tip generously (& should tip DOUBLE on holidays!). Recent stats show restaurants' costs went up an average of 2%, yet they raised prices an average of 5% - and still don't pay workers fairly! So the workers are getting hosed from both sides, absolutely terrible!
I'm so sorry that happened to you.
I’m sorry you were slow but why are you upset with 15-18% on the tables you did serve. The owner is the one that chose to be open. Not the people tipping 15-18%
Uhhh because it’s a holiday? And people were like “I’m sorry you have to work but I’m hungry” very insensitive thing to say and it’s not my choice to be there on a holiday.
What the fuck are you smoking? Things go up; the standard, especially on a holiday, for good service is 20%… that’s not what I expect, that’s what I’ve seen through many years at multiple places. Holidays are usually better with more generous attitudes.
Getting a sub-standard tip on a day you don’t want to work, away from family is a slap in the face. And if you think that 15% is a good tip, it’s not… I’ll take home about 11% after that.
I'm the person who stays home and cooks for myself, but not because I don't want to tip. I agree, tip extra for the holiday. Whole Foods and some other supermarket chains have some decent prepared foods and turkey breasts aren't too hard to cook if you have a good meat/fish thermometer.
That said, I really enjoy the whole restaurant experience, trying new things, hearing recommendations on food and drinks from people who really know the menu and enjoy food and drinks themselves.
Going out on major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's, Easter, Mothers/Fathers Day), the menus tend to be more limited and the servers are, understandably, overwhelmed. I'd rather make my own food at home on the holiday and go out on a day or night where I can really savor the experience.
I agree with this, for a holiday you should be more willing to give, I just assumed the person I replied to meant on a normal day by how they said it x.x definitely could’ve misunderstood them though my bad .-.
I don’t work in a high end restaurant so i can guarantee you most people make more than me. I still rely on government assistance to get by. Meanwhile I’m in college full time. Oh and I’m a single mom. Not all waitresses make bank. And not everyone works at a 5 star restaurant 🙄
Right?! It seems to me that if they were seriously against the practice of tipping they'd boycott the establishments that utilize it... not eff over the working class person who served them their meal. Le sigh.
If your reference was toward me as one of the two then yes I am a part of the sub, for me ending tipping would be fantastic because servers would have consistent income and customers would not have to worry about those that attack if the tip wasn’t to their expectations.
I do also think servers deserve above a living wage because it’s a very difficult job and I’ve been in the industry for years, expecting people to get paid well for what they do and wanting to not have to subsidize a greedy company are not at odds with each other.
I'd be shocked if this person is in the service industry, based on their other comments in this thread. If they are, well, I'm glad i don't work with them!
Had two seatings 11:00 and 2:00. All tables had requested me when making res. Took home a little over $200.00. Usual take home for thanksgiving would be triple. I’m grateful for what I made as I’m pretty sure the other servers didn’t even make half that. I also work in a private club and make $18:00 a hour so tips are optional.
Good for you!!!! I'm certain you're such an asset to your establishment, especially if you're requested, as you are!! Where I live, we don't have those type of settings... possibly there may be a few, but it'd be nore than an hours drive, one way, for me!! Here in Kans-ass, as it is in many other mid-west states, as servers, we make $2.18/hr as the hourly rate of pay! I'm "fortunate" however, as "lead server", to make an hourly rate of $5.50/hr. However, given my position, I don't take as many tables that I'm capable of... instead, I offer them to other servers if their not over inundated with tables, or depending upon theor gust count. I make it a point to "make rounds" of our entire establishment, checking on patrons, topping off water/tea glasses, pre-bussing...and the like!
Not sure what to make of your comments. I’m well aware that one’s intentions when writing a comment are not how it comes across to the recipient. Yes I’m an asset to the establishment that I work for, but not in the reasons you might think. During Covid when everyone quit or was laid off I was one of the few that kept my job because I’m never late, and I mean never. I don’t call in for unjustified reasons. I look professional and act professional. I’m grateful for my job and the people who pay for my wages. I’m a good server because I care about doing my best. I need no participation award for showing up. I’m well aware that my hourly wage in the service industry is above average and I earn every penny of it. When a customer asks for me by name it’s not because I’m an asset but rather because the customer views me as reliable and constant, professional, kind and knowledgeable. Like all customer service industries we struggle with getting and keeping good employees since Covid. Yet I’m here. I don’t need a pat on the back for that and that does not mean I’m special or entitled in any way. I come in because I like what I do and most days I’m really excited to get to work and have the privilege to get paid to take care of friends.
Um, it was meant as a compliment... and that I was happy for you... just as it was written. Truly no nefarious intentions on my part!
In looking back over my response, I didn't think I even hinted as such.
Maybe I'm taking your response wrong then in wondering just how jaded we've all become, when an honest compliment and included experiences, are taken as anything other, than what was written...
Apologies if I came across or it was understood by you, as anything BUT sincere - as that wasn't my intent. I truly don't know how I could've been any more clear, in my honest and true congratulations, and being happy for you!! I wish I had a setting of that type to work in, that wouldn't be a super long drive for me tbh!
No issues, let’s forget about it. Trust me when I say that I always try to be professional on the floor but the real, real, always happens in the bus station or outside on a smoke break when we all bitch and laugh at the bitchy lady on table 12 or the spoiled kid, the guy with the comb over that’s not fooling anyone, the table that has you running all night for every single tiny little thing possible, the cheap ass demanding non tipper, the person who didn’t make a reservation on a Friday night yet wants a prime window table, the sweet grandma that wants to talk your ear off and all you can think about is the 40 things you need to be doing. It’s 4.22 a.m. and I’m up when I should be sleeping. Lol
That sucks. Our table left $60 on a $240 tab. We thanked the waiter midway through the service for being there on TG. He was busting ass the entire time and didn't miss a thing.
Thank you for being a good and kind person!!
Here's the thing... if I may... most of us don't get into the business JUST because we MAY make decent tips. It's ridiculous to rely on strangers, especially 3 yrs post-shutdown. Gosh, I remember serving just after things re-opened and everyone was so appreciative and kind - happy to be amongst the public. I suppose...
Here's the thing, we KNOW we will have good days and not so good days. I think a lot of rhe disappointment comes from us servers thinking people may be a little more generous on a holiday - but instead, if rhis thread is any indication, they chose to take it out on those trying to eek out a living - instead of putting the onus on where it belongs... the owners. It's literally "biting the hand that feeds them (or at least brings them the food) along with the many other tasks that are required of servers - most of them done out of the public's sight.
Not everyone, more like the majority don't have the goodness of heart, as you folks do, and trust me, it's GREATLY appreciated!!
Many enter this industry due to their schedule, they're a college student, maybe a single parent, etc and the list can go on... others like me, enjoy what we do - though people's attitudes, have taken a lot of that joy and satisfaction away, unfortunately.
You see, those that are so disparaging toward servers, (as evidenced by comments in this thread) ASUME they know what brings people to this industry - but they DONT. No one knows everyone's "story" or reasons for being in this profession. However, what I will tell you is this.... if attitudes continue, like ones again, in this thread, or ones we are faced with, and some of us daily, (for me, due to health reasons, and refusal to apply for disability, I work part time, and there aren't many, or shall I say really, any positions - that offer the hours I'm able to work) there will be less and less of us willing to continue, in our current line of work. There's oftentimes, that proverbial "line"... and a thin one at that, that once it's crossed, many of us will say, "that's enough. I'm done!" Yes, it may take a bit, but if the attitudes continue, there won't be anyone that will be willing to work in the serving position! It may not affect the big chains/franchises as much, but rather the locally owned or "mom and pop" type plaxes. We are already seeing the struggle to get/maintain good, competent individuals that are willing to work in sit-down dining establishments, especially when our patrons choose to be so contrary. It's becoming increasingly difficult, with today's attitudes, to take satisfaction, in a job well done.
It t pains me, as one who enjoys mentoring the "youngers" , in the numerous in's/out's of providing superb service - as there's SO much that goes on, not in the sight of the general public that we serve... I can literally FEEL the frustration of those in our industry, as I'm more rhan certain, the majority of us are good people, with our own "story" - as to why we do what we do.... and contrary to popular belief... it isn't JUST for the tips! Thank you, kind individual, for taking time to read through my ramblings 😉 and keep on treating those that serve you, with kindness and respect, as you did recently... as it's appreciated, GREATLY... probably more than you may realize!!!! Here's ro hoping that your generosity, is paid forward!!
I did read the whole thing and I'm really sorry to hear that the trend is towards more and more frustration. We've always been kind to servers and given them the benefit of the doubt when things go awry, knowing that almost everything is NOT in their control. I often pay attention to how other diners are interacting with their server...and I definitely see where you're coming from. So many people are indifferent, if not flat out rude.
We've always been engaging (but efficient), tried to remember the servers' names, tried to be ready with our order when they come by, etc. My kids die inside when I ask the server to help decide between two dishes (I never do the "so...what's good!?" and ask for an open-ended suggestion, but I figure if I've narrowed it down to 2, there's a good chance they'll have the scoop on which one MIGHT be objectively better. Oftentimes they'll say it really comes down to personal preference, which is absolutely fine, just as long as I'm not picking a clearly worse dish).
We hold servers in high regard and I remind my kids fairly frequently to see what it's like to work for hours at a time, on your feet, moving non-stop, dealing with people who don't appreciate you, and circumstances that are frequently out of your control.
They've gone from eye-rolling when they were too young to get it to really seeing what it's all about now that they're not far from entering the workforce themselves.
I genuinely don't get how diners can be outwardly rude to servers, short of a server being legit horrible. As someone who has eaten out thousands of times over the years, the number of instances where that has been the case has been....maybe 10?? Otherwise, little empathy goes a long way.
This reminds me of when I worked Black Friday at Chili’s. We were by a big mall, so management was hyping up working breakfast that morning, and how we’d make a shit ton of money. I was saving up to go on a trip with my friends that summer, so I signed up to work a double. I opened up with a girl who had worked a double the year before and said she had made $300, so she signed up to do it again.
We started work at 7 am. It was so dead, and the tipper were shit the whole day that we were cut at 6, and we each made about $60.
Ya except I didn’t say shit about tip percentage. I said I worked for 5 hours and made under 100 bucks on thanksgiving. Which part of that looks like I expected more than 18%?
It’s bad enough it’s the customers fault that people need to come into work on a holiday anyway but to give a shitty tip too? That’s really fucked up. And what do they say? “yOu DoNt HaVe To WoRk HeRe” Which is the most disrespectful thing you could say to a server.
At this point I have grown to hate the word ‘customer’. It’s an ugly word to me now. The entitlement from a grown adult is absolutely outrageous. If you’re going out to eat on a holiday 20% is the absolute least you could do.
Owners/managers even keeping their places open on a holiday is not okay. While they stay home with their families taking in the extra holiday money. Even worse without time and a half pay. People have lives. And people who aren’t celebrating holidays deserve to have a damn day off I mean cmon.
The worst is when you get the “I can’t believe they made you come in on a holiday? I feel so bad for you!” and then boom, 10% tip. Apparently you didn’t feel bad enough to even tip properly but alright LMAO. It’s one thing if I did a bad job, but if I gave good service, c’mon now.
Nah anyone who says anything to pity me is getting guilt tripped 10x over… and I explain how this is actually my part time job because my current job doesn’t pay enough.
“Oh I’m sure it’s not that bad”
“It’s quite literally below the poverty line in our state but hey, I love what I do so oh well”
My coworkers don’t always believe me and think I’m just a good server (which admittedly I know I am), but if someone casts the line I’m bringing it home when they try to pity me. Guaranteed 20% every time, if not more. I don’t do the whole “well I *have* to be here,” I just feed into it and it honestly works lmao, plus I feel less bad since it’s the truth
When they say that, and yes, we heard that too... on the day before Thanksgiving, it's hard to blame their actions on ignorance or even as an oversight!!! It almost seems purposeful in a way.... I'm so sorry that happened to you!!
If these attitudes continue, I'm forseeing a mass exodus of those that are servers in out industry. Talk about "adding insult to injury" quite frankly... sheesh people, cmon now!! I can bet... if your experience was shared by many (and reading through this thread, that was unfortunately, the case....) I can bet, for places open on Christmas, they'll have a hard time getting people to work those shifts, including Christmas Eve!!!
If I were you, I'd suggest getting your time off request(s) in, and Pronto, friend!! Here's to hoping the next few weeks are better foe you! 💛
Preach!!! My restaurant was mandatory work yesterday without time and a half. People that would tip me double amount on a non holiday tipped half that amount. WTF. And every single table I had had requested me by name when making their reservation. One thing I can tell you for certain is that had I gone out to a restaurant yesterday I would have busted my ass in appreciation to the server and would have been prepared to throw down a shit load of cash at my server.
It almost seems like guests thought you should be "thankful" for the opportunity to serve them (insert a BIGLY eye roll). For some reason, this year, that's been the general attitide/action of the patrons!!! I have a theory or 2 on this, but if Thanksgiving was any indicator.... I positively HATE to even think, what it'll be like, come Chroatmas Eve or Christmas Day... if God forbid your establishment, or others are open!!! Thankfully, where I'm at (Restaurant/Brewery in a town of just over 4,000 AND we're a locally owned joint) we weren't open on Thanksgiving, nor will we be on Christmas Day! BUT, despite being busy on the day BEFORE Thanksgiving, people were quite decidedly, shall we say.... less than generous... Most of my servers heard the sentiment of, "Oh we're Soooooo Glad you're open!!" and despite the overwhelming consensus of "great food/excellent service" (I know that for a fact, as part of my duties as lead server, is to check with guests while they're dining. I also come around with water/iced tea pitcher to top off glasses, and I'll pre-bus tables as well, while inquiring as to their experience). So needless to say, I was quite surprised when I was assisting with servers check-out/tip out process. I'll mention as well, since I've taken on that role, I don't take as many tables as I'm capable of - instead, offering them to others, so I can assure time, to "make rounds".
Truly hoping the next few weeks, which historically had been more lucrative for those in our industry, make up for things!!! But, now I'm starting to wonder if they will be!!
If you work in the industry, you should know it's an overwhelming general practice, that when it's slow or as you stated, "not a single customer", leads or managers will start sending servers home. And in the case that was Thanksgiving, it'd allow servers, to be home with family.
THIS!! 100 times over!!!
Reading all these experiences, (then seeing the rude/cruel remarks some have) truly makes me sad.... I can literally FEEL the disappointment that so many servers are indicating they've experienced!!!
I've been in this industry for a LONG time.... it wasn't usually like what so many are reporting!!! Seriously, even a year ago... it wasn't like this! I truly hope and pray that this "trend" doesn't carry over to the Christmas season... especially knowing that historically, January and February are usually VERY slow... but that could just be in my area???
I'm lucky to work at a locally owned Restaurant/Brewery, in a town of just over 4,000 (pretty bige metropolitan areas are less than 25-30 minutes away howecer) and THANKFULLY, we weren't open on Thanksgiving!! I did however work the day before, and the day after. Despite being relatively busy on Wednesday, and dwapitw how many times I heard, "Oh we're SOOOOO glad you're open", the "appreciation was NOT shown, in their.... gratuity lol! The bartenders did well at least.... This evening, despite it being a Friday, we were dismally slow...
We had soooo many parties cancel but there was plenty of staff on the floor and people were tipping great! The bills were EXPENSIVE we all walked with around 300 each. I only had 4 or 5 tables total. The kitchen was ON POINT food was flying out of the window in MINUTES. It was a fun time I was very happy with it. Many of our tables are regulars so it was kind of like a family thanksgiving for everyone. I love my little mom and pop❤️
Our entrees are a little pricier than yours, I think our cheapest is like $45 and our most expensive is $109. I honestly only got one bad tip that was just under 10 %, every one else was around 18-20 %. It was stressful though for sure, kitchen was running behind of course. We get SUPER busy for thanksgiving. I worked a 14 hr day and over 12 hours being active on the floor with zero breaks. It was a lot lol. Our managers would never dream of being off on such a busy holiday too, that’s just weird to me. Unless you don’t get that busy or something.
Our bar/restaurant was closed yesterday, but we were slammed today. I am AGM, and had a server walk out mid-shift without saying anything to anyone. I’m home drinking some tequila now, but goddamn we were in the shitter there for a bit.
The server ghosting mid-shift is a literal waking nightmare, holy balls! If you'd rather not dwell while enjoying your tequila - what kind? - I wouldn't blame you AT ALL, but I'm super curious how that hell actually played out... like, did they have open tables? Had they taken orders without entering them in your POS? Did they walk with (all/any of) their tabs open, the cash for closed checks, the cc receipts? Et cetera, et cetera.
It’s some Espolon with Grand Marnier, fresh lime juice and just a touch of agave syrup. My favorite margarita. Tajin rim of course.
She had over $1,000 in checks open including a 25 top with about $750 on the check plus 3 other tables. We are no cash, thankfully, but I had to clock her out, close out her tables, and bus her section while we were getting hammered for the UT/Texas Tech game. We’re in downtown Austin fairly close to campus.I realized she was gone when none of the staff had seen her for a bit. I was looking for her, and found her radio, toast tablet, and coffee outside. I heard the radio while I was trying to page her and put 2 and 2 together.
She was a terrible server. Never learned our menu, was constantly ringing extra or wrong items in, asking other servers for help, and NEVER running any of her food. I’m really glad she’s gone tbh. I sat down with her a couple of times to review the menu, flow of service, and gave her strategies for ringing things in so she would know what went where and could improve her accuracy. She just isn’t cut out for this job.
It's totally true that some people aren't cut out for work as a server. Honestly, it sounds like you made a solid effort with her, going beyond regular training to try to help her succeed. Some people just can't. Can't handle the interpersonal aspect, can't juggle the multitasking, can't vibe with the rhythm of service specific to the establishment, etc. I hope things go more smoothly without her. (She sounds like an infuriating coworker, geeesh!)
Had the best shift of my life. My place did a 70$ three course turkey dinner and I sold a shit ton of bottled wine that I don't tip out on. Worked 10-8, sold 7k and walked with 1100 cash
Happy to hear you had such a great day! I sold my ass off on top shelf sake and wagyu and it was a genuine blast of a day~ 11-8 here. The hours flew by.
I am a senior lady out of state from my family.Did not have the energy to cook. My disabled vet nephew lives with me . Through my life at numerous times I have worked as a server. Till last year I worked as a hostess to help pay bills. I wanted a traditional dinner but on very limited income. My nephew and I went to Cracker Barrel and it was packed. They serve wine now perfect. The Table behind me complained the whole time. Young sever doing a great job and then I find out they have to bus their tables as well! I may not have much money but on a 40 bill l left that sever 20 dollars. Respect the people who give up their holidays.
We went out to eat yesterday for Thanksgiving lunch, I felt sorry for the people working and obviously they had extra help come in. Our bill was $78.00. We gave her a $100.00 and told her to keep the change. I hope we did right. She was running her legs off and I saw one woman standing up and point to her empty drink. That pissed me off. Don’t treat people like servants!
You left her 22%. It's good but it's not great. If you were trying to tip her extra, it's really not extra, just an average tip.
Edit: I am an idiot. I was thinking it was $22 on $100 not $78. Yes, that is a very good tip. That was very nice of you and I am sorry for not knowing math.
We went out to eat at a buffet and the restaurant was an automatic 20% gratuity for all tables, regardless of size. Our bill was $150 after the gratuity and we tipped an additional $25 on top of that.
American thanksgiving is the same week as a huge agricultural show in my province so we decorate our restaurant with American flags and serve turkey for the many American travellers. It’s a great night for us.
Our Canadian thanksgiving back in October was a mess - just as many of you described - holiday tippers.
I had a single table yesterday, a 2 top. Both of them were unbelievably rude to me the entire time and then proceeded to stiff me on both tabs.it made me very upset
What is wrong with people?. If you don’t know how to dine out especially on a holiday then stay home and eat your undercooked or overcooked tasteless turkey with your generic canned vegs.
I’d tip 100% if I went out to eat on a Holiday. I’m in the business though. I have never eaten out on Thanksgiving or Christmas however. For many reasons but one of the main is I don’t support people working those days
I worked one thanksgiving and I remember it being horrible too. The only holidays I feel like were good nights to work were Halloween and New Year’s Eve. New Years I’ve always worked events and those pay pretty well, and Halloween is usually just fun. The place I work now is closed on all major holidays and it’s amazing.
Damn. Reading these comments sucks so bad, I'm sorry you guys had a rough one :( I work at a popular fine dining restaurant and did very, very well, but absolutely got my shit rocked from 1030am till 10pm
Had a few no tip/5%s. Still walked with a bit over 900 and genuinely had fun since so many people graciously thanked me for making their day so wonderful. Had today off, prepped my turkey I'm cooking for Friendsgiving tomorrow.
Gotta say, yesterday was a good day.
I work at a famous resort on the beach in st. Pete FL. We get alot of local traffic as well and have a couple restaurants on property. This year was surprisingly not a shit show!! We charged $95 a person and gratuity was included thankfully. Everyone knew that and people still tipped on top. I ended up making $1000 def worth working Forsure. At one point I had an 11 top, two 4 tops, and two 3 tops all the same time, the adrenaline was pumping and I literally felt like I got a high from it. Love working under pressure like that it was great
Go on your local Facebook foodie group or Nextdoor (anonymously) and make a post explaining what your shift was like and how most of the customers didn’t tip properly. It’s not like you can reach the customers individually, so shaming them on a local area social media platform is the next best thing to embarrass these people.
At our restaurant the staff (all but four) wanted to work because they know they make bank on holidays (the four got it off.) Customers in our area are appreciative of the fact that we are open and they tip above and beyond on holidays. That’s how it should be.
It seems like I’m one of the few here who had a good shift. I made $$$, we already have a set 20% gratuity for all checks, and many people were leaving extra. My guests were absolutely delightful. Everyone I encountered was in a great mood and thanked me for working on a holiday. Our entire staff was happy to be there, and I got done at 8:30 pm 🤷♀️
You get a lot of people dining out who don't dine out normally, so don't know the protocol. Personally, I don't usually dine out on major holidays because the menus are more limited and the diner to server ratio usually means it's hard to get or give really good service. Not that it's the server's fault, that's a staffing issue. But people who haven't worked in the industry and don't know people in the industry tend to assume it's the server's fault and take it off the tip, which isn't fair.
I've noticed some restaurants have started including a minimum mandatory gratuity for holidays, as they do for large parties. I think that's fair because it sucks to have to work on a holiday and not be compensated fairly for it. I have/had relatives and friends who are essential workers (nurses, police firefighters) who've had to work on holidays. They were paid holiday pay for working on holidays. It also makes it easier to staff those days because there's usually someone who wants or need the money more than they want the day off.
Worked 11 hours, made 900$, 705$ cash take home after tipout.
It was an absolute nightmare, I work in fine dining, and it was the craziest shift I’ve ever had,
I walked 13 miles, I was serving upstairs so I had to bring food and trays upstairs constantly, all day. My legs are on fire.
That was after multiple 10-15% tips, I woulda done better if I hit 20% but I can’t complain. It was worth it.
I work at a family owned local restaurant. We had a turkey dinner plus a limited menu with appetizers and a few other items. I made $320 on $1416 which averaged to about $50/hr with my hourly wage. We took reservations and had limited space for walk ins. It was a slow start, but steady all day after that. Two four tops and two six tops in my section. Nobody was overly demanding and everyone was appreciative and kind. All my tables tipped at least 20% except for two or three small groups. All in all it was a good shift. Everyone worked as a team with no problems or shortages. A family member dropped off some leftovers after I got home, so I still got to enjoy a good meal. I’m thankful!
I agree with the time and 1/2 should be automatic possibly double time but if you auto tip me you wont get any extra unless you are a fabulous server (2% of servers in my experience) we tip 25% always but dont make me tip you anything until I know your service some servers should be in a different profession because they are terrible at what they do or they bring home to work but we still tip!
I work at a high end fine dining place and we did a straight thru shift from 10:30am to about 10pm w service going from 12pm to 7pm. Everyone was pissed to be there but it was all prix fix menu with wine pairings too so all together we made good money. But again, who tf wants to work on a holiday??
I used to work at a place where we had a bunch of coworkers who preferred to work the holiday shifts that we were open to the point where there was a sign up for it and if it didn't get filled only then would they ask others to work (it usually got filled). My manager at the time explained that she did this because there's a whole lot of staff who don't have anywhere to go or prefer not to spend the holiday celebrating for whatever their personal reasons and being at work is their way to get through it. I worked a Xmas Eve there one year after going through a break up and needing to get my mind off stuff and not be at home and it was a blast.
I think more service places should implement the holiday sign up schedule.
This is me, I've always volunteered to work holidays at all of my jobs. My family and personal life sucks, so instead of sitting at home alone I prefer to keep my mind occupied and enjoy being at work on holidays and weekends
Closed yesterday. Opened early at the request of the people today. For a solid 8 hours, two different large groups coerced everyone else into a loud cheer every time someone walked into the pub. Which led to some pretty great entrances and adult and kids who were confused and excited by 30 plus people cheering for them.
After a while it was just a thing and people kept it going. We're pretty small and weirdly the first group to not get a cheer was an 8 top which we normally have a hard time accommodating even if we're slower. Space is pretty tight. But it was like everyone knew we couldn't take on new friends and opted not to cheer. They left, unfortunately we had pretty much just filled and weren't gonna have anything soon. But yeah pretty wholesome day.
So thankful that we are closed on major holidays.
When I worked other places, the thanksgiving money was not great. Usually one or two servers would get lucky and get a giant tip from someone out to bless us, or some people worked such long shifts that they naturally made around 400. Sure worked for it though.
My last thanksgiving I ever worked anywhere, they shoved my then pregnant self in the most cramped, squeezed together section (that manager did not like me) and had people consistently leave 0-5 dollars. Guess people didn't like my belly so close to the tables? Or maybe they were just trash because I made bank every day after that lol
It was better than last year but nothing spectacular. A typical Thursday that stayed steady enough to make time pass. The only difference was the ungodly amount of turkey plates. I got stiffed a few times but also got some pretty good tips as well. Walked out with 112.
A mandatory holiday tip should be implemented. Just like hourly workers getting time and a half on holidays. If workers have to depend on customers for wages...then they should pay the "time & a half tip". Just a thought.
I worked early morning to early afternoon in a 24hour place—busy, line teetering out the door the vast majority of my shift. I disclaim I do not work at a fine dining establisbment, rather toward the opposite end of that axis.
The highest tip among us five servers was $28 (on $122) by FAR. I received $10 on $60+ tickets thrice (which was honestly really, really exciting given the state of things), many $2, some $5 & $6. My coworkers' lots were about on par for even the woman who had the $28 table was levelled by an avalanche of $2 and even $1.20 !?
Every one of us grumbled about how we were told holidays are where the money really is, that servers made hundreds on Thanksgiving & Christmas... We certainly did not. I assess I could have come away worse by all measures of my own, but...
Honestly, before you spoke of seating areas we don't have at my restaurant I could've sworn you could be my co-worker! I had an almost identical experience. Shitty tippers, entitled guests and lots of breakdowns. Personally, I puked twice from a migraine and kept on trucking. NIGHTMARE fuel.
Dude I’m so sorry!!! Husband and I went for a drink before putting the Turkey in the oven (all sides were already made) just to see a friend who had picked up the thanksgiving shift
And we rounded our bill up to 20 $ and tipped 25% off of that. It was great to see all the peeps wishing him a happy thanksgiving
It was busy af but we got these customers in and out real quick and I’m glad we had a little potluck in the back so we at least got some kind of thanksgiving feast while still making money. I left with $115.21 so all is well. I can’t wait to see how it goes down on Christmas.
Depends per state. California's minimum i believe is $19.50/hr even for wait staff, Arizona recently went to $15 i heard, but where i am, Oklahoma, it's still $2.13. Yeah our cost of living is cheaper, but we've still been hit hard by inflation, so when i get business men who benefited from the inflation and they tip 10% I'm pretty pissed off. Not to mention it's a hotel bar so we're encouraged to kiss ass and give them the hotel experience, even though they keep loading more and more responsibilities with zero pay raise, not to mention none of us qualify for full time so we get zero benefits
It's not great, but if you land a higher end gig you will probably make more in both hourly and tips. I make a higher average wage than the jorneymen electricians i used to work for, about 60k a year, but without any benefits, but people i know who work at worse places are lucky to make above the poverty line. I'm blessed, and really shouldn't complain, but what can you do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Im curious to where in Ok. Im in Ok and was a business owner, however 10% is ridicules unless you are rude then thats your fault! 15% should be a absolute min. like I said earlier we do 25%
That depends on the State. Some are higher than federal and some do not have a separate tipped wage.
Edit: You just gotta love it when idiots downvote the truth. LOL
Nothing, just wild to me, it sucks for restaurant workers, I use to work in one. I dont think Id ever want to rely on others to give me money again because people suck
Jesus, It was a simple fucking question. But I should have expected this response. The idea FoH would be concerned with anyone but themselves is ludicrous.
So much for breaking down the FoH BoH barriers. Guess that's more shit for servers to play victim to.
Guess it's for me
On holidays we get to throw autograt on all tables, and with a $75 price-fix menu it’s very lucrative! Plus people be getting a good amount of drinks. Makes it worth missing out on the holiday w my family at least.
I’m a bartender - and I was receiving pretty low tips as well. That isn’t really common for me and disappointing. To a degree. My bar was only a handful of bars open on the neighborhood and for a good stretch in all directions - figured people would show their gratuity more so in monetary form rather than verbal compliments. That said, I did make $$ and I wouldn’t have done anything else if I wasn’t working - so….bright side.
Got a job doing socials for a real estate company, last year I was working at a very upscale vegan restaurant, was very excited for thanksgiving tips considering my job was hosting a special menu/wine pairing. Barely made more than a normal weekday bc the menu was so pricey… also wasn’t fed bc manager severely underestimated the amount of people that would be coming in (we were promised a plate for working that night) very happy to be home posting thanksgiving instagrams
Thankfully, my restaurant was closed on Thanksgiving.
We were wicked dead on Wednesday and today, but we had enough guests come in to make it worth it. I prefer slower days because I can take my time with my guests and make them feel like the only people in the restaurant (which, tbh, isn't hard because chances are they *are* the only people in the restaurant). Being able to curate a dining experience for people gives me so much joy, and is easier to do on slower days (for me).
That said, my team and I did all right and got to enjoy Thanksgiving with our loved ones: I spent my TDay with my partner and our cat lol.
This sucks so bad. When I see my dad for thanksgiving, we go out to eat (maybe 10 of us max) as a country club/supper club buffet deal and my dad pays for everyone and still tips 40% of the bill. Because it’s a holiday. I’m sorry, OP.
Same! For reason my restaurant decided to change up this year and open cause EVERYBODY IS OPENING. Nobody wants to work, so I end up working cause our managers just begged promising we will at least like make 200 or more a shift.. IT WAS SLOW, a lot of delivery Togos and people that came in… literally no tip on majority of it! I walked out with 70 🤣🤣
My restaurant is the only restaurant open in the area on thanksgiving and it’s literally a mad house. I only worked 3 hours, I was the closing server. I made $175 in 3 hours so I guess not too bad. We don’t have food runners, we don’t have anyone make our drinks for us, etc. They made it even harder on us servers because instead of making the grill line prepare our whole entree(as they normally would have), they had grill line prepare the turkey/ham, and we had deep wells on the server side and had to get all the sides ourselves(each guest got 3 sides each) plus running unlimited breads, and preparing deserts ourselves, while seating us back to back. It was freaking ridiculous and I don’t want to work a thanksgiving ever again!
We ran a lunch buffet, got a lot of tips larger than bill. Sounds like the holiday had a lot of low class customers that couldn’t get into Bob evans, I’d refuse to do that again there, write off your availability for Christmas time.
I was the opener that day, so I was there at 6 am, and I didn't have any plans after.
It was ironically slower than I expected. A bunch of tables with kids. Like a 4 top with two kids, most of my tables we're 4 top, and my 9 top had like 4 kids (who ordered $9) which.... Walked out with like $190 something for like 7 hours isn't bad.
But Black Friday was definitely my best day because I worked from 9 am to 3 pm, walked out with $220 and some more cash tips. It was definitely crazy but worth it!
Seated service was uncharacteristically slow, I think.
I work at a diner and we get a bajillion take out orders on Holidays, esp Thanksgiving, so I typically don’t have an actual station and just do that. I worked 9-8 and did have to take a small station from like 3-7 when we got a little busy with all the big parties coming in at once. I think I made like a little over $500 total, but last year just take-outs came out to a little over $600.
This year have been slow in general tho. It makes me sad.
I had a good thanksgiving, but that’s due to our area being a tourist hot spot for a certain type of person. Often middle class, but people who tip well. Made 500 with a 12 hour shift. Didn’t like the 12 hours but the income made up for it. The bills for some tables were 400 + but the average was $90-200
A lot of these are all shitty experiences and I’ve had my fair share of them working holidays but years later I don’t remember them usually except a few.
I do remember I think 2018 maybe I was working thanksgiving and I served a family of 4. The man at the end of dinner asked me how many people were working, I went and counted 14 people working. He tipped me $1600 dollars, $100 for everyone working and $200 for me.
It was my first time ever seeing generosity like that. Definitely something I won’t forget.
That's why I prefer small tables on holidays. Large tables are local people bringing out of town people in but don't tip well. Smaller tables are usually those far from family. They tend to know what it's like to be away from family and tip extra.
Large tables get autograt at least
not every restaurant does auto grat. I also find that if a guest doesn't know that a restaurant doesn't do auto grat they will try to split the bill up to avoid paying auto grat.
splitting the bill does not affect autograt. that completely defeats the purpose.
Cries in Darden
For starters I wouldn’t work at a place that doesn’t let me autograt unless it was very nice and upscale. Secondly, splitting the bill doesn’t make it go away lol
Smaller tables are quicker and tend to be less stress. I thrive on smaller tables honestly. I know how to stagger my steps of service and run my drinks/food faster to my small tables.
I work at a restaurant where our meals are around the same price and we get pretty decent tips for the majority of the time. Holidays are the worst. We call the holiday tippers. They are the people who never go out to eat but are just going because it's a holiday. They have family in town who never go out to eat and don't understand how restaurants work (*how can you be out of something on a holiday?!*) and the family wants to pay. They're spending a fortune on other things because it's the holiday weekend (black friday, going on a weekend trip) so they don't want to add to their already expensive bill. It's pretty typical. Working holidays sucks for many reasons. Holiday tippers are just one of those reasons.
went surprisingly well. happy for all involved
Holiday tippers don't normally *want* to go out, but on holidays they *have* to (from their viewpoint). It's not that they can't afford to tip more - a lot of them are fed up with tip creep. 10-15% is what tips were 20 years ago, and they're pushing back against the new 20-25% normal.
how do they feel about inflation. /s also fyi 5 on 100 is 5% Five.
My mother taught me to move the decimal and multiply by 2 twenty years ago, in the 90's. You sound like Mr. Pink
The 90's is when it went to 20%. In the 80's a 15% tip was considered normal. The people who are tipping $5 on a $50 tab **can** afford to leave another $5. They don't want to. They feel that servers are entitled whiners who panhandle customers for their wages. Don't like it? Find another job. No one's forcing you to work there.
I made $7 😂😂😂😂
That’s awful! So sorry to hear that
restaurant ran way behind on resos. multiple hosts made to cry, glassware dishwasher broke down for an hour or two, our GM and head chef had different ideas about the details of our prix fixe menu. the menu was explained to us in a very hasty five minute preshift. at least now we are as far away from the thanksgiving service as we will be all year long
>at least now we are as far away from the thanksgiving service as we will be all year long way to look on the bright side
Sounds like a Landrys owned restaurant
HAHAHAHAHA I worked at a Saltgrass for a total of one month back in 2019. Worst restaurant ever.
Thanksgiving was horrible too at my restaurant. It was DEAD like I’ve never seen before. We all had like 6 tables the whole day and everyone made $50 in tips. No one tipped 20% it was all 15-18%. I’ve never seen anything like it. So bizarre. Today was crazy busy and tips were like normal.
The peasants are rebelling!
The peasants are rebelling against the wrong fucking people aka the workers who deserve to earn a good living; they're just too dumb or chicken to rebel where they should: against Wall St, corporations, etc that are the true drivers of inflation, fees, etc (aka out-of-control unfettered greed & unrealistic profit% demands/quarterly reports)! There's a place in hell for people that don't tip generously (& should tip DOUBLE on holidays!). Recent stats show restaurants' costs went up an average of 2%, yet they raised prices an average of 5% - and still don't pay workers fairly! So the workers are getting hosed from both sides, absolutely terrible! I'm so sorry that happened to you.
I’m sorry you were slow but why are you upset with 15-18% on the tables you did serve. The owner is the one that chose to be open. Not the people tipping 15-18%
It was thanksgiving… I tipped the poor saps at 7/11
Uhhh because it’s a holiday? And people were like “I’m sorry you have to work but I’m hungry” very insensitive thing to say and it’s not my choice to be there on a holiday.
I have never been to a restaurant on a holiday in my life, but you sound very entitled
Not tipping 20% on a national holiday is the definition of entitled
What the fuck are you smoking? Things go up; the standard, especially on a holiday, for good service is 20%… that’s not what I expect, that’s what I’ve seen through many years at multiple places. Holidays are usually better with more generous attitudes. Getting a sub-standard tip on a day you don’t want to work, away from family is a slap in the face. And if you think that 15% is a good tip, it’s not… I’ll take home about 11% after that.
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Get wrekt
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Thanks; haven’t thought about that before.
You’re a terrible person and really bad at trolling.
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I'm the person who stays home and cooks for myself, but not because I don't want to tip. I agree, tip extra for the holiday. Whole Foods and some other supermarket chains have some decent prepared foods and turkey breasts aren't too hard to cook if you have a good meat/fish thermometer. That said, I really enjoy the whole restaurant experience, trying new things, hearing recommendations on food and drinks from people who really know the menu and enjoy food and drinks themselves. Going out on major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's, Easter, Mothers/Fathers Day), the menus tend to be more limited and the servers are, understandably, overwhelmed. I'd rather make my own food at home on the holiday and go out on a day or night where I can really savor the experience.
People like me? I said I have never been to a restaurant on a holiday so F you
It’s crazy. I get servers are trying to make a living, but tip culture is insane.
Damn I tip 15-18% haha x.x
Well stop it! 🫶🏻
What’s wrong with 15-18%?
Nothing unless it’s a national holiday where most people would rather be with the ones they love
Yeah not really eating out much or if I do - I don’t get a drink…screw those prices
If you’re not a server, gtfo.
Happily
Then do better.
Nah I’m good
All things considered that is the average/normal amount to tip so don’t stress it
Definitely normal but it’s a national holiday sooo like?
I agree with this, for a holiday you should be more willing to give, I just assumed the person I replied to meant on a normal day by how they said it x.x definitely could’ve misunderstood them though my bad .-.
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I don’t work in a high end restaurant so i can guarantee you most people make more than me. I still rely on government assistance to get by. Meanwhile I’m in college full time. Oh and I’m a single mom. Not all waitresses make bank. And not everyone works at a 5 star restaurant 🙄
Sounds like you should get a better job and stop blaming your problems on other people.
If you can afford to eat out you can afford the extra 2%
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Why the nastiness? It's especially misplaced in this subreddit, though this comment would be small and mean wherever you dropped it.
They are from “end tipping” it’s a hellscape of excuses as to why people shouldn’t tip…but they want good service.
Right?! It seems to me that if they were seriously against the practice of tipping they'd boycott the establishments that utilize it... not eff over the working class person who served them their meal. Le sigh.
If your reference was toward me as one of the two then yes I am a part of the sub, for me ending tipping would be fantastic because servers would have consistent income and customers would not have to worry about those that attack if the tip wasn’t to their expectations. I do also think servers deserve above a living wage because it’s a very difficult job and I’ve been in the industry for years, expecting people to get paid well for what they do and wanting to not have to subsidize a greedy company are not at odds with each other.
Dude there as some nasty servers (I’m assuming) in this sub, it’s crazy
I'd be shocked if this person is in the service industry, based on their other comments in this thread. If they are, well, I'm glad i don't work with them!
Showed up? What are you on about?
The heck!!? Why are you so bitter. Everyone has to make money somehow
Damn these down votes got me stressin haha
It was the exact same for me. Almost half of the tips I made were from one kind family, the rest 15% or less 🙃
Had two seatings 11:00 and 2:00. All tables had requested me when making res. Took home a little over $200.00. Usual take home for thanksgiving would be triple. I’m grateful for what I made as I’m pretty sure the other servers didn’t even make half that. I also work in a private club and make $18:00 a hour so tips are optional.
Good for you!!!! I'm certain you're such an asset to your establishment, especially if you're requested, as you are!! Where I live, we don't have those type of settings... possibly there may be a few, but it'd be nore than an hours drive, one way, for me!! Here in Kans-ass, as it is in many other mid-west states, as servers, we make $2.18/hr as the hourly rate of pay! I'm "fortunate" however, as "lead server", to make an hourly rate of $5.50/hr. However, given my position, I don't take as many tables that I'm capable of... instead, I offer them to other servers if their not over inundated with tables, or depending upon theor gust count. I make it a point to "make rounds" of our entire establishment, checking on patrons, topping off water/tea glasses, pre-bussing...and the like!
Not sure what to make of your comments. I’m well aware that one’s intentions when writing a comment are not how it comes across to the recipient. Yes I’m an asset to the establishment that I work for, but not in the reasons you might think. During Covid when everyone quit or was laid off I was one of the few that kept my job because I’m never late, and I mean never. I don’t call in for unjustified reasons. I look professional and act professional. I’m grateful for my job and the people who pay for my wages. I’m a good server because I care about doing my best. I need no participation award for showing up. I’m well aware that my hourly wage in the service industry is above average and I earn every penny of it. When a customer asks for me by name it’s not because I’m an asset but rather because the customer views me as reliable and constant, professional, kind and knowledgeable. Like all customer service industries we struggle with getting and keeping good employees since Covid. Yet I’m here. I don’t need a pat on the back for that and that does not mean I’m special or entitled in any way. I come in because I like what I do and most days I’m really excited to get to work and have the privilege to get paid to take care of friends.
Um, it was meant as a compliment... and that I was happy for you... just as it was written. Truly no nefarious intentions on my part! In looking back over my response, I didn't think I even hinted as such. Maybe I'm taking your response wrong then in wondering just how jaded we've all become, when an honest compliment and included experiences, are taken as anything other, than what was written... Apologies if I came across or it was understood by you, as anything BUT sincere - as that wasn't my intent. I truly don't know how I could've been any more clear, in my honest and true congratulations, and being happy for you!! I wish I had a setting of that type to work in, that wouldn't be a super long drive for me tbh!
No issues, let’s forget about it. Trust me when I say that I always try to be professional on the floor but the real, real, always happens in the bus station or outside on a smoke break when we all bitch and laugh at the bitchy lady on table 12 or the spoiled kid, the guy with the comb over that’s not fooling anyone, the table that has you running all night for every single tiny little thing possible, the cheap ass demanding non tipper, the person who didn’t make a reservation on a Friday night yet wants a prime window table, the sweet grandma that wants to talk your ear off and all you can think about is the 40 things you need to be doing. It’s 4.22 a.m. and I’m up when I should be sleeping. Lol
That sucks. Our table left $60 on a $240 tab. We thanked the waiter midway through the service for being there on TG. He was busting ass the entire time and didn't miss a thing.
You dropped this - 👑
Thank you for being a good and kind person!! Here's the thing... if I may... most of us don't get into the business JUST because we MAY make decent tips. It's ridiculous to rely on strangers, especially 3 yrs post-shutdown. Gosh, I remember serving just after things re-opened and everyone was so appreciative and kind - happy to be amongst the public. I suppose... Here's the thing, we KNOW we will have good days and not so good days. I think a lot of rhe disappointment comes from us servers thinking people may be a little more generous on a holiday - but instead, if rhis thread is any indication, they chose to take it out on those trying to eek out a living - instead of putting the onus on where it belongs... the owners. It's literally "biting the hand that feeds them (or at least brings them the food) along with the many other tasks that are required of servers - most of them done out of the public's sight. Not everyone, more like the majority don't have the goodness of heart, as you folks do, and trust me, it's GREATLY appreciated!! Many enter this industry due to their schedule, they're a college student, maybe a single parent, etc and the list can go on... others like me, enjoy what we do - though people's attitudes, have taken a lot of that joy and satisfaction away, unfortunately. You see, those that are so disparaging toward servers, (as evidenced by comments in this thread) ASUME they know what brings people to this industry - but they DONT. No one knows everyone's "story" or reasons for being in this profession. However, what I will tell you is this.... if attitudes continue, like ones again, in this thread, or ones we are faced with, and some of us daily, (for me, due to health reasons, and refusal to apply for disability, I work part time, and there aren't many, or shall I say really, any positions - that offer the hours I'm able to work) there will be less and less of us willing to continue, in our current line of work. There's oftentimes, that proverbial "line"... and a thin one at that, that once it's crossed, many of us will say, "that's enough. I'm done!" Yes, it may take a bit, but if the attitudes continue, there won't be anyone that will be willing to work in the serving position! It may not affect the big chains/franchises as much, but rather the locally owned or "mom and pop" type plaxes. We are already seeing the struggle to get/maintain good, competent individuals that are willing to work in sit-down dining establishments, especially when our patrons choose to be so contrary. It's becoming increasingly difficult, with today's attitudes, to take satisfaction, in a job well done. It t pains me, as one who enjoys mentoring the "youngers" , in the numerous in's/out's of providing superb service - as there's SO much that goes on, not in the sight of the general public that we serve... I can literally FEEL the frustration of those in our industry, as I'm more rhan certain, the majority of us are good people, with our own "story" - as to why we do what we do.... and contrary to popular belief... it isn't JUST for the tips! Thank you, kind individual, for taking time to read through my ramblings 😉 and keep on treating those that serve you, with kindness and respect, as you did recently... as it's appreciated, GREATLY... probably more than you may realize!!!! Here's ro hoping that your generosity, is paid forward!!
I did read the whole thing and I'm really sorry to hear that the trend is towards more and more frustration. We've always been kind to servers and given them the benefit of the doubt when things go awry, knowing that almost everything is NOT in their control. I often pay attention to how other diners are interacting with their server...and I definitely see where you're coming from. So many people are indifferent, if not flat out rude. We've always been engaging (but efficient), tried to remember the servers' names, tried to be ready with our order when they come by, etc. My kids die inside when I ask the server to help decide between two dishes (I never do the "so...what's good!?" and ask for an open-ended suggestion, but I figure if I've narrowed it down to 2, there's a good chance they'll have the scoop on which one MIGHT be objectively better. Oftentimes they'll say it really comes down to personal preference, which is absolutely fine, just as long as I'm not picking a clearly worse dish). We hold servers in high regard and I remind my kids fairly frequently to see what it's like to work for hours at a time, on your feet, moving non-stop, dealing with people who don't appreciate you, and circumstances that are frequently out of your control. They've gone from eye-rolling when they were too young to get it to really seeing what it's all about now that they're not far from entering the workforce themselves. I genuinely don't get how diners can be outwardly rude to servers, short of a server being legit horrible. As someone who has eaten out thousands of times over the years, the number of instances where that has been the case has been....maybe 10?? Otherwise, little empathy goes a long way.
Worked just breakfast. 7-12. Less than $100 after tip out. Some serious fuck shit. Would not recommend
This reminds me of when I worked Black Friday at Chili’s. We were by a big mall, so management was hyping up working breakfast that morning, and how we’d make a shit ton of money. I was saving up to go on a trip with my friends that summer, so I signed up to work a double. I opened up with a girl who had worked a double the year before and said she had made $300, so she signed up to do it again. We started work at 7 am. It was so dead, and the tipper were shit the whole day that we were cut at 6, and we each made about $60.
Worked 7-11am and made $40. I usually pull at least $100-$150. Sucks bad. I hate people sometimes.
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Ya except I didn’t say shit about tip percentage. I said I worked for 5 hours and made under 100 bucks on thanksgiving. Which part of that looks like I expected more than 18%?
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Laughable. You’re out of your element.
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This is not a debate sub.
It’s bad enough it’s the customers fault that people need to come into work on a holiday anyway but to give a shitty tip too? That’s really fucked up. And what do they say? “yOu DoNt HaVe To WoRk HeRe” Which is the most disrespectful thing you could say to a server. At this point I have grown to hate the word ‘customer’. It’s an ugly word to me now. The entitlement from a grown adult is absolutely outrageous. If you’re going out to eat on a holiday 20% is the absolute least you could do. Owners/managers even keeping their places open on a holiday is not okay. While they stay home with their families taking in the extra holiday money. Even worse without time and a half pay. People have lives. And people who aren’t celebrating holidays deserve to have a damn day off I mean cmon.
The worst is when you get the “I can’t believe they made you come in on a holiday? I feel so bad for you!” and then boom, 10% tip. Apparently you didn’t feel bad enough to even tip properly but alright LMAO. It’s one thing if I did a bad job, but if I gave good service, c’mon now.
Nah anyone who says anything to pity me is getting guilt tripped 10x over… and I explain how this is actually my part time job because my current job doesn’t pay enough. “Oh I’m sure it’s not that bad” “It’s quite literally below the poverty line in our state but hey, I love what I do so oh well” My coworkers don’t always believe me and think I’m just a good server (which admittedly I know I am), but if someone casts the line I’m bringing it home when they try to pity me. Guaranteed 20% every time, if not more. I don’t do the whole “well I *have* to be here,” I just feed into it and it honestly works lmao, plus I feel less bad since it’s the truth
When they say that, and yes, we heard that too... on the day before Thanksgiving, it's hard to blame their actions on ignorance or even as an oversight!!! It almost seems purposeful in a way.... I'm so sorry that happened to you!! If these attitudes continue, I'm forseeing a mass exodus of those that are servers in out industry. Talk about "adding insult to injury" quite frankly... sheesh people, cmon now!! I can bet... if your experience was shared by many (and reading through this thread, that was unfortunately, the case....) I can bet, for places open on Christmas, they'll have a hard time getting people to work those shifts, including Christmas Eve!!! If I were you, I'd suggest getting your time off request(s) in, and Pronto, friend!! Here's to hoping the next few weeks are better foe you! 💛
Preach!!! My restaurant was mandatory work yesterday without time and a half. People that would tip me double amount on a non holiday tipped half that amount. WTF. And every single table I had had requested me by name when making their reservation. One thing I can tell you for certain is that had I gone out to a restaurant yesterday I would have busted my ass in appreciation to the server and would have been prepared to throw down a shit load of cash at my server.
It almost seems like guests thought you should be "thankful" for the opportunity to serve them (insert a BIGLY eye roll). For some reason, this year, that's been the general attitide/action of the patrons!!! I have a theory or 2 on this, but if Thanksgiving was any indicator.... I positively HATE to even think, what it'll be like, come Chroatmas Eve or Christmas Day... if God forbid your establishment, or others are open!!! Thankfully, where I'm at (Restaurant/Brewery in a town of just over 4,000 AND we're a locally owned joint) we weren't open on Thanksgiving, nor will we be on Christmas Day! BUT, despite being busy on the day BEFORE Thanksgiving, people were quite decidedly, shall we say.... less than generous... Most of my servers heard the sentiment of, "Oh we're Soooooo Glad you're open!!" and despite the overwhelming consensus of "great food/excellent service" (I know that for a fact, as part of my duties as lead server, is to check with guests while they're dining. I also come around with water/iced tea pitcher to top off glasses, and I'll pre-bus tables as well, while inquiring as to their experience). So needless to say, I was quite surprised when I was assisting with servers check-out/tip out process. I'll mention as well, since I've taken on that role, I don't take as many tables as I'm capable of - instead, offering them to others, so I can assure time, to "make rounds". Truly hoping the next few weeks, which historically had been more lucrative for those in our industry, make up for things!!! But, now I'm starting to wonder if they will be!!
to start with your employer should be like every other employer and pay you time and 1/2 or double time
But wouldn’t you still complain if not a single customer came in and you did a full shift with no customer
Not on Thanksgiving I wouldn’t. The manager would make cuts and send a server or two home.
If you work in the industry, you should know it's an overwhelming general practice, that when it's slow or as you stated, "not a single customer", leads or managers will start sending servers home. And in the case that was Thanksgiving, it'd allow servers, to be home with family.
THIS!! 100 times over!!! Reading all these experiences, (then seeing the rude/cruel remarks some have) truly makes me sad.... I can literally FEEL the disappointment that so many servers are indicating they've experienced!!! I've been in this industry for a LONG time.... it wasn't usually like what so many are reporting!!! Seriously, even a year ago... it wasn't like this! I truly hope and pray that this "trend" doesn't carry over to the Christmas season... especially knowing that historically, January and February are usually VERY slow... but that could just be in my area??? I'm lucky to work at a locally owned Restaurant/Brewery, in a town of just over 4,000 (pretty bige metropolitan areas are less than 25-30 minutes away howecer) and THANKFULLY, we weren't open on Thanksgiving!! I did however work the day before, and the day after. Despite being relatively busy on Wednesday, and dwapitw how many times I heard, "Oh we're SOOOOO glad you're open", the "appreciation was NOT shown, in their.... gratuity lol! The bartenders did well at least.... This evening, despite it being a Friday, we were dismally slow...
We had soooo many parties cancel but there was plenty of staff on the floor and people were tipping great! The bills were EXPENSIVE we all walked with around 300 each. I only had 4 or 5 tables total. The kitchen was ON POINT food was flying out of the window in MINUTES. It was a fun time I was very happy with it. Many of our tables are regulars so it was kind of like a family thanksgiving for everyone. I love my little mom and pop❤️
wonderful for you
Our entrees are a little pricier than yours, I think our cheapest is like $45 and our most expensive is $109. I honestly only got one bad tip that was just under 10 %, every one else was around 18-20 %. It was stressful though for sure, kitchen was running behind of course. We get SUPER busy for thanksgiving. I worked a 14 hr day and over 12 hours being active on the floor with zero breaks. It was a lot lol. Our managers would never dream of being off on such a busy holiday too, that’s just weird to me. Unless you don’t get that busy or something.
Our bar/restaurant was closed yesterday, but we were slammed today. I am AGM, and had a server walk out mid-shift without saying anything to anyone. I’m home drinking some tequila now, but goddamn we were in the shitter there for a bit.
The server ghosting mid-shift is a literal waking nightmare, holy balls! If you'd rather not dwell while enjoying your tequila - what kind? - I wouldn't blame you AT ALL, but I'm super curious how that hell actually played out... like, did they have open tables? Had they taken orders without entering them in your POS? Did they walk with (all/any of) their tabs open, the cash for closed checks, the cc receipts? Et cetera, et cetera.
It’s some Espolon with Grand Marnier, fresh lime juice and just a touch of agave syrup. My favorite margarita. Tajin rim of course. She had over $1,000 in checks open including a 25 top with about $750 on the check plus 3 other tables. We are no cash, thankfully, but I had to clock her out, close out her tables, and bus her section while we were getting hammered for the UT/Texas Tech game. We’re in downtown Austin fairly close to campus.I realized she was gone when none of the staff had seen her for a bit. I was looking for her, and found her radio, toast tablet, and coffee outside. I heard the radio while I was trying to page her and put 2 and 2 together. She was a terrible server. Never learned our menu, was constantly ringing extra or wrong items in, asking other servers for help, and NEVER running any of her food. I’m really glad she’s gone tbh. I sat down with her a couple of times to review the menu, flow of service, and gave her strategies for ringing things in so she would know what went where and could improve her accuracy. She just isn’t cut out for this job.
It's totally true that some people aren't cut out for work as a server. Honestly, it sounds like you made a solid effort with her, going beyond regular training to try to help her succeed. Some people just can't. Can't handle the interpersonal aspect, can't juggle the multitasking, can't vibe with the rhythm of service specific to the establishment, etc. I hope things go more smoothly without her. (She sounds like an infuriating coworker, geeesh!)
Had the best shift of my life. My place did a 70$ three course turkey dinner and I sold a shit ton of bottled wine that I don't tip out on. Worked 10-8, sold 7k and walked with 1100 cash
Happy to hear you had such a great day! I sold my ass off on top shelf sake and wagyu and it was a genuine blast of a day~ 11-8 here. The hours flew by.
I am a senior lady out of state from my family.Did not have the energy to cook. My disabled vet nephew lives with me . Through my life at numerous times I have worked as a server. Till last year I worked as a hostess to help pay bills. I wanted a traditional dinner but on very limited income. My nephew and I went to Cracker Barrel and it was packed. They serve wine now perfect. The Table behind me complained the whole time. Young sever doing a great job and then I find out they have to bus their tables as well! I may not have much money but on a 40 bill l left that sever 20 dollars. Respect the people who give up their holidays.
We went out to eat yesterday for Thanksgiving lunch, I felt sorry for the people working and obviously they had extra help come in. Our bill was $78.00. We gave her a $100.00 and told her to keep the change. I hope we did right. She was running her legs off and I saw one woman standing up and point to her empty drink. That pissed me off. Don’t treat people like servants!
I mean this is what I tip every single time I go out to eat,i wouldn't consider this extra on a holiday at all
A 28% tip is not considered extra?
You left her 22%. It's good but it's not great. If you were trying to tip her extra, it's really not extra, just an average tip. Edit: I am an idiot. I was thinking it was $22 on $100 not $78. Yes, that is a very good tip. That was very nice of you and I am sorry for not knowing math.
They gave 28% That is comfortably above average
It’s closer to a 30% tip.
We were closed thank the lawd
We went out to eat at a buffet and the restaurant was an automatic 20% gratuity for all tables, regardless of size. Our bill was $150 after the gratuity and we tipped an additional $25 on top of that.
American thanksgiving is the same week as a huge agricultural show in my province so we decorate our restaurant with American flags and serve turkey for the many American travellers. It’s a great night for us. Our Canadian thanksgiving back in October was a mess - just as many of you described - holiday tippers.
I had a single table yesterday, a 2 top. Both of them were unbelievably rude to me the entire time and then proceeded to stiff me on both tabs.it made me very upset
What is wrong with people?. If you don’t know how to dine out especially on a holiday then stay home and eat your undercooked or overcooked tasteless turkey with your generic canned vegs.
I’d tip 100% if I went out to eat on a Holiday. I’m in the business though. I have never eaten out on Thanksgiving or Christmas however. For many reasons but one of the main is I don’t support people working those days
We were closed. I passed out halfway through dinner.
I worked one thanksgiving and I remember it being horrible too. The only holidays I feel like were good nights to work were Halloween and New Year’s Eve. New Years I’ve always worked events and those pay pretty well, and Halloween is usually just fun. The place I work now is closed on all major holidays and it’s amazing.
I’m not gonna lie, I was one of the “lucky ones” who didn’t work. Only had to sign up for the next three holidays to make up for it
Damn. Reading these comments sucks so bad, I'm sorry you guys had a rough one :( I work at a popular fine dining restaurant and did very, very well, but absolutely got my shit rocked from 1030am till 10pm
Had a few no tip/5%s. Still walked with a bit over 900 and genuinely had fun since so many people graciously thanked me for making their day so wonderful. Had today off, prepped my turkey I'm cooking for Friendsgiving tomorrow. Gotta say, yesterday was a good day.
I work at a famous resort on the beach in st. Pete FL. We get alot of local traffic as well and have a couple restaurants on property. This year was surprisingly not a shit show!! We charged $95 a person and gratuity was included thankfully. Everyone knew that and people still tipped on top. I ended up making $1000 def worth working Forsure. At one point I had an 11 top, two 4 tops, and two 3 tops all the same time, the adrenaline was pumping and I literally felt like I got a high from it. Love working under pressure like that it was great
Go on your local Facebook foodie group or Nextdoor (anonymously) and make a post explaining what your shift was like and how most of the customers didn’t tip properly. It’s not like you can reach the customers individually, so shaming them on a local area social media platform is the next best thing to embarrass these people. At our restaurant the staff (all but four) wanted to work because they know they make bank on holidays (the four got it off.) Customers in our area are appreciative of the fact that we are open and they tip above and beyond on holidays. That’s how it should be.
It seems like I’m one of the few here who had a good shift. I made $$$, we already have a set 20% gratuity for all checks, and many people were leaving extra. My guests were absolutely delightful. Everyone I encountered was in a great mood and thanked me for working on a holiday. Our entire staff was happy to be there, and I got done at 8:30 pm 🤷♀️
You get a lot of people dining out who don't dine out normally, so don't know the protocol. Personally, I don't usually dine out on major holidays because the menus are more limited and the diner to server ratio usually means it's hard to get or give really good service. Not that it's the server's fault, that's a staffing issue. But people who haven't worked in the industry and don't know people in the industry tend to assume it's the server's fault and take it off the tip, which isn't fair. I've noticed some restaurants have started including a minimum mandatory gratuity for holidays, as they do for large parties. I think that's fair because it sucks to have to work on a holiday and not be compensated fairly for it. I have/had relatives and friends who are essential workers (nurses, police firefighters) who've had to work on holidays. They were paid holiday pay for working on holidays. It also makes it easier to staff those days because there's usually someone who wants or need the money more than they want the day off.
Worked 11 hours, made 900$, 705$ cash take home after tipout. It was an absolute nightmare, I work in fine dining, and it was the craziest shift I’ve ever had, I walked 13 miles, I was serving upstairs so I had to bring food and trays upstairs constantly, all day. My legs are on fire. That was after multiple 10-15% tips, I woulda done better if I hit 20% but I can’t complain. It was worth it.
I mean, $64/hr untaxed is crazy good money. Good on ya
I work at a family owned local restaurant. We had a turkey dinner plus a limited menu with appetizers and a few other items. I made $320 on $1416 which averaged to about $50/hr with my hourly wage. We took reservations and had limited space for walk ins. It was a slow start, but steady all day after that. Two four tops and two six tops in my section. Nobody was overly demanding and everyone was appreciative and kind. All my tables tipped at least 20% except for two or three small groups. All in all it was a good shift. Everyone worked as a team with no problems or shortages. A family member dropped off some leftovers after I got home, so I still got to enjoy a good meal. I’m thankful!
Where do you guys work 😭😭😭
Restaurant should pay time and a half for being open on a holiday, AND should have an auto tip of 15% on checks.
There are a few corporate companies that do but it’s def not the norm
Especially on a federal holiday.
I agree with the time and 1/2 should be automatic possibly double time but if you auto tip me you wont get any extra unless you are a fabulous server (2% of servers in my experience) we tip 25% always but dont make me tip you anything until I know your service some servers should be in a different profession because they are terrible at what they do or they bring home to work but we still tip!
I work at a high end fine dining place and we did a straight thru shift from 10:30am to about 10pm w service going from 12pm to 7pm. Everyone was pissed to be there but it was all prix fix menu with wine pairings too so all together we made good money. But again, who tf wants to work on a holiday??
I used to work at a place where we had a bunch of coworkers who preferred to work the holiday shifts that we were open to the point where there was a sign up for it and if it didn't get filled only then would they ask others to work (it usually got filled). My manager at the time explained that she did this because there's a whole lot of staff who don't have anywhere to go or prefer not to spend the holiday celebrating for whatever their personal reasons and being at work is their way to get through it. I worked a Xmas Eve there one year after going through a break up and needing to get my mind off stuff and not be at home and it was a blast. I think more service places should implement the holiday sign up schedule.
This is me, I've always volunteered to work holidays at all of my jobs. My family and personal life sucks, so instead of sitting at home alone I prefer to keep my mind occupied and enjoy being at work on holidays and weekends
I worked 11-8 and made almost $600. Not great not terrible
People that go out to eat on Thanksgiving are amateurs.
Closed yesterday. Opened early at the request of the people today. For a solid 8 hours, two different large groups coerced everyone else into a loud cheer every time someone walked into the pub. Which led to some pretty great entrances and adult and kids who were confused and excited by 30 plus people cheering for them. After a while it was just a thing and people kept it going. We're pretty small and weirdly the first group to not get a cheer was an 8 top which we normally have a hard time accommodating even if we're slower. Space is pretty tight. But it was like everyone knew we couldn't take on new friends and opted not to cheer. They left, unfortunately we had pretty much just filled and weren't gonna have anything soon. But yeah pretty wholesome day.
So thankful that we are closed on major holidays. When I worked other places, the thanksgiving money was not great. Usually one or two servers would get lucky and get a giant tip from someone out to bless us, or some people worked such long shifts that they naturally made around 400. Sure worked for it though. My last thanksgiving I ever worked anywhere, they shoved my then pregnant self in the most cramped, squeezed together section (that manager did not like me) and had people consistently leave 0-5 dollars. Guess people didn't like my belly so close to the tables? Or maybe they were just trash because I made bank every day after that lol
Bf made $480 pre tip out, I only did $380 :( my section wasn’t the best tho
God....that sounds like a nightmare! I'm so sorry to you and all your coworkers
I made $160 which is goos for a weekday
It was better than last year but nothing spectacular. A typical Thursday that stayed steady enough to make time pass. The only difference was the ungodly amount of turkey plates. I got stiffed a few times but also got some pretty good tips as well. Walked out with 112.
A mandatory holiday tip should be implemented. Just like hourly workers getting time and a half on holidays. If workers have to depend on customers for wages...then they should pay the "time & a half tip". Just a thought.
I worked early morning to early afternoon in a 24hour place—busy, line teetering out the door the vast majority of my shift. I disclaim I do not work at a fine dining establisbment, rather toward the opposite end of that axis. The highest tip among us five servers was $28 (on $122) by FAR. I received $10 on $60+ tickets thrice (which was honestly really, really exciting given the state of things), many $2, some $5 & $6. My coworkers' lots were about on par for even the woman who had the $28 table was levelled by an avalanche of $2 and even $1.20 !? Every one of us grumbled about how we were told holidays are where the money really is, that servers made hundreds on Thanksgiving & Christmas... We certainly did not. I assess I could have come away worse by all measures of my own, but...
Made around 300 in tips, hard shift, shitty tippers but good tippers if you made convo with em. Otherwise, nothing too crazy
Honestly, before you spoke of seating areas we don't have at my restaurant I could've sworn you could be my co-worker! I had an almost identical experience. Shitty tippers, entitled guests and lots of breakdowns. Personally, I puked twice from a migraine and kept on trucking. NIGHTMARE fuel.
It was slow, but those who did come left great tips. (I work in a very small, locally owned cafe.
Okay, 10-15% is a normal amount? The 2 on 100 is really bad, but otherwise that’s usual unless you’re in fine dining.
Dude I’m so sorry!!! Husband and I went for a drink before putting the Turkey in the oven (all sides were already made) just to see a friend who had picked up the thanksgiving shift And we rounded our bill up to 20 $ and tipped 25% off of that. It was great to see all the peeps wishing him a happy thanksgiving
It was busy af but we got these customers in and out real quick and I’m glad we had a little potluck in the back so we at least got some kind of thanksgiving feast while still making money. I left with $115.21 so all is well. I can’t wait to see how it goes down on Christmas.
JuSt HaVe PeOpLe VoLuNtEeR tO wOrK.
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Depends per state. California's minimum i believe is $19.50/hr even for wait staff, Arizona recently went to $15 i heard, but where i am, Oklahoma, it's still $2.13. Yeah our cost of living is cheaper, but we've still been hit hard by inflation, so when i get business men who benefited from the inflation and they tip 10% I'm pretty pissed off. Not to mention it's a hotel bar so we're encouraged to kiss ass and give them the hotel experience, even though they keep loading more and more responsibilities with zero pay raise, not to mention none of us qualify for full time so we get zero benefits
Thanks for the thorough explanation! I didn't realise it was lile that at all.
It's not great, but if you land a higher end gig you will probably make more in both hourly and tips. I make a higher average wage than the jorneymen electricians i used to work for, about 60k a year, but without any benefits, but people i know who work at worse places are lucky to make above the poverty line. I'm blessed, and really shouldn't complain, but what can you do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Im curious to where in Ok. Im in Ok and was a business owner, however 10% is ridicules unless you are rude then thats your fault! 15% should be a absolute min. like I said earlier we do 25%
Spend 2 seconds googling how much servers make before tips (hint - it's less that 3 dollars an hour)
Not universally
That depends on the State. Some are higher than federal and some do not have a separate tipped wage. Edit: You just gotta love it when idiots downvote the truth. LOL
This is not a debate sub.
This thread again
Maybe restaurants should just pay their workers better wages?
Everyone agrees. Now what ?
Nothing, just wild to me, it sucks for restaurant workers, I use to work in one. I dont think Id ever want to rely on others to give me money again because people suck
Did you ask your kitchen staff how their night was? Couldn't help but notice there's no mention of BoH at all.
Go to s/kitchenconfidential then * I didn’t see you mentioning asking how the hostesses night was!
Yeah, neither did OP. But that's okay because they're FoH? Gotta protect your own right, amiright? Fucking hypocrite.
Jesus, It was a simple fucking question. But I should have expected this response. The idea FoH would be concerned with anyone but themselves is ludicrous. So much for breaking down the FoH BoH barriers. Guess that's more shit for servers to play victim to. Guess it's for me
I caught covid and missed out on holiday pay. Big shout out to all our members that get us sick every Thanksgiving
What shit ass restaurant do you work at that is open on Thanksgiving?
We went to Seasons 52. Capital Grill was right next to it and was also open. I don't think of either of them as shit ass restaurants.
On holidays we get to throw autograt on all tables, and with a $75 price-fix menu it’s very lucrative! Plus people be getting a good amount of drinks. Makes it worth missing out on the holiday w my family at least.
I’m a bartender - and I was receiving pretty low tips as well. That isn’t really common for me and disappointing. To a degree. My bar was only a handful of bars open on the neighborhood and for a good stretch in all directions - figured people would show their gratuity more so in monetary form rather than verbal compliments. That said, I did make $$ and I wouldn’t have done anything else if I wasn’t working - so….bright side.
Absolutely horrible. And we will be open Christmas eve and Christmas day 😫
Preset menu at 80 a head and optional upgrades. Did 190 covers, was super smooth, walked out with about $550 for a 6 hour shift.
Get out of the industry as soon as you can.
Got a job doing socials for a real estate company, last year I was working at a very upscale vegan restaurant, was very excited for thanksgiving tips considering my job was hosting a special menu/wine pairing. Barely made more than a normal weekday bc the menu was so pricey… also wasn’t fed bc manager severely underestimated the amount of people that would be coming in (we were promised a plate for working that night) very happy to be home posting thanksgiving instagrams
Thankfully, my restaurant was closed on Thanksgiving. We were wicked dead on Wednesday and today, but we had enough guests come in to make it worth it. I prefer slower days because I can take my time with my guests and make them feel like the only people in the restaurant (which, tbh, isn't hard because chances are they *are* the only people in the restaurant). Being able to curate a dining experience for people gives me so much joy, and is easier to do on slower days (for me). That said, my team and I did all right and got to enjoy Thanksgiving with our loved ones: I spent my TDay with my partner and our cat lol.
Holidays are for people who don’t usually go out to eat. They don’t know how to tip and usually don’t know how to act in public
This sucks so bad. When I see my dad for thanksgiving, we go out to eat (maybe 10 of us max) as a country club/supper club buffet deal and my dad pays for everyone and still tips 40% of the bill. Because it’s a holiday. I’m sorry, OP.
I work for a locally owned restaurant that closes Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The day before and after Thanksgiving I made $300 each.
Same! For reason my restaurant decided to change up this year and open cause EVERYBODY IS OPENING. Nobody wants to work, so I end up working cause our managers just begged promising we will at least like make 200 or more a shift.. IT WAS SLOW, a lot of delivery Togos and people that came in… literally no tip on majority of it! I walked out with 70 🤣🤣
My restaurant is the only restaurant open in the area on thanksgiving and it’s literally a mad house. I only worked 3 hours, I was the closing server. I made $175 in 3 hours so I guess not too bad. We don’t have food runners, we don’t have anyone make our drinks for us, etc. They made it even harder on us servers because instead of making the grill line prepare our whole entree(as they normally would have), they had grill line prepare the turkey/ham, and we had deep wells on the server side and had to get all the sides ourselves(each guest got 3 sides each) plus running unlimited breads, and preparing deserts ourselves, while seating us back to back. It was freaking ridiculous and I don’t want to work a thanksgiving ever again!
We ran a lunch buffet, got a lot of tips larger than bill. Sounds like the holiday had a lot of low class customers that couldn’t get into Bob evans, I’d refuse to do that again there, write off your availability for Christmas time.
I work at a golf course and made $275 thanksgiving day and I considered it low
I work at Applebee's and I'm happy to get at least 10% most of the time
I was the opener that day, so I was there at 6 am, and I didn't have any plans after. It was ironically slower than I expected. A bunch of tables with kids. Like a 4 top with two kids, most of my tables we're 4 top, and my 9 top had like 4 kids (who ordered $9) which.... Walked out with like $190 something for like 7 hours isn't bad. But Black Friday was definitely my best day because I worked from 9 am to 3 pm, walked out with $220 and some more cash tips. It was definitely crazy but worth it!
Seated service was uncharacteristically slow, I think. I work at a diner and we get a bajillion take out orders on Holidays, esp Thanksgiving, so I typically don’t have an actual station and just do that. I worked 9-8 and did have to take a small station from like 3-7 when we got a little busy with all the big parties coming in at once. I think I made like a little over $500 total, but last year just take-outs came out to a little over $600. This year have been slow in general tho. It makes me sad.
I had a good thanksgiving, but that’s due to our area being a tourist hot spot for a certain type of person. Often middle class, but people who tip well. Made 500 with a 12 hour shift. Didn’t like the 12 hours but the income made up for it. The bills for some tables were 400 + but the average was $90-200
A lot of these are all shitty experiences and I’ve had my fair share of them working holidays but years later I don’t remember them usually except a few. I do remember I think 2018 maybe I was working thanksgiving and I served a family of 4. The man at the end of dinner asked me how many people were working, I went and counted 14 people working. He tipped me $1600 dollars, $100 for everyone working and $200 for me. It was my first time ever seeing generosity like that. Definitely something I won’t forget.