Poll: Would you eat out with someone who doesn't tip?

[FTL_Ian]

Why does this poll not include the options "Yes but I would order on a separate check" or "Yes but I would insist we eat somewhere that tipping is inappropriate, such as where the owner personally waits on diners." ??

I changed "yes I will likely tip", which some admin added to the poll, to the separate check option.  If you did not mean to select this option, please revert your vote to simply, "Yes".

[SpeedPhreak]

simply - yes... I do not control or am I responsible for someone elses actions.  That is not to say that I have never or in the future, won't ever cover someone elses tip.

as mentioned in the other thread - I used to bartend.  people who did not tip did not get served... this allowed me to maximize my own income.

there have been times where I leave a tip of only the change on the bill - this way "they" know I didn't forget it.  I wanted the server to know I didn't appreciate the crappy service they provided.  just because someone is a service industry professional () doesn't entitle them to a tip.  I have also tipped people who never "normally" get a tip because they took the time to go over & above the "normal" amount of service they provided to me (cable guy, mechanics, etc..).

[K. Darien Freeheart]

Yes, but I would request a seperate check.

[FTL_Ian]

To those of you who'd ask for a separate check, how many times would you do this?  Would you keep going back to the same restaurant with your non-tipping friend?  What if the manager said to you, "We'll serve you, but not your friend"?  Would you just move on to another restaurant, and hope they don't do the same thing eventually?  Would you at any point say to your friend, "Hey, I really like eating out with you, but in the future, I can only join you if you'll tip.  This is getting embarrassing."

[Vitruvian]

Do you tip, Vitruvian?  If not, do you inform the server in advance you'll be breaking the custom?

I almost never eat at restaurants so I can largely avoid this dilemma, but when I do order food at a restaurant I do tip (admittedly, out of a sense of obligation, though I know there is none).

[Fluff and Stuff]

I also don't know why he put "young people" as a group that doesn't tip well, in my experience, young people were the best tippers of all.

I don't know.  I noticed that high schoolers and those of similar age tend to be the worst tippers with a sizable percentage not tipping at all.

[mackler]

To those of you who'd ask for a separate check, how many times would you do this?  Would you keep going back to the same restaurant with your non-tipping friend?  What if the manager said to you, "We'll serve you, but not your friend"?  Would you just move on to another restaurant, and hope they don't do the same thing eventually?  Would you at any point say to your friend, "Hey, I really like eating out with you, but in the future, I can only join you if you'll tip.  This is getting embarrassing."

I think I missed something.  Why is it my problem if my friend isn't getting served?  I'm only eating my own food.  If my friend goes hungry that's his problem.

[Fluff and Stuff]

To those of you who'd ask for a separate check, how many times would you do this?  Would you keep going back to the same restaurant with your non-tipping friend?  What if the manager said to you, "We'll serve you, but not your friend"? 

Come now Ian, that is almost unheard of.  Many people don't tip.  To imagine a manager actually kicking someone out or refusing to serve them for something like that...maybe at a nice restaurant.

[SpeedPhreak]

I think I missed something.  Why is it my problem if my friend isn't getting served?  I'm only eating my own food.  If my friend goes hungry that's his problem.

with friends like that....

[dalebert]

I don't see any way to change my choice on the poll.

[Lloyd Danforth]

I always found black people to be pretty good tippers too.  I also don't know why he put "young people" as a group that doesn't tip well, in my experience, young people were the best tippers of all.

When I drove a cab in Hartford, CT during the mid 70's a large percentage of my customers were Black and few of them tipped.

[Kat Kanning]

This whole debate makes me want to quit tipping. 

[K. Darien Freeheart]

To those of you who'd ask for a separate check, how many times would you do this?  Would you keep going back to the same restaurant with your non-tipping friend?

It has to do with why my friend isn't tipping, honestly. I think it's rude not to tip, but if I know before hand... There's just too many variables there. If I knew my friend was a non-tipper, I'd avoid places where tips were expected. If he's having some financial issues, I might tip for him. It all depends, there's no set rules.

Honestly, it would come down to how I feel. If I feel his not tipping is reflecting badly on me, that would probably move me to act.

What if the manager said to you, "We'll serve you, but not your friend"?

I'd react the exact same way I did when Red Lobster went to non-smoking. I refused to spend money there. My wife is a smoker, I am not. Yet if you're going out of your way to make MY meal uncomfortable by creating this division between myself and those I'm dining with then I don't want to patronize your restaurant.

Places that EXPECT customers to tip place the burden of wages on the customer. I think there's something wrong with that, honestly. I'd prefer to avoid those places if I know they exist.

Would you just move on to another restaurant, and hope they don't do the same thing eventually?  Would you at any point say to your friend, "Hey, I really like eating out with you, but in the future, I can only join you if you'll tip.  This is getting embarrassing."

Yes. You can discuss the custom of tipping all you want. You can discuss the economics of it, or the origins or whatever. In the end, I'd act on the "you make me look bad by not following customs" thing. If I was feeling embarassed by someone else's behavior then I'd tell them if I actually considered them a friend.

[Sam A. Robrin]

Too much mind-reading required here, too much room for miscommunication and misunderstanding, not to mention the logistics of getting fair compensation for the rest of the staff.  I think I'd rather see the prices raised 15%, the employees paid a fair wage, and custom recommending an extra 5-8% for exceptional service.  
When terms of a contract aren't spelled out, disasters are inevitable (that's why there's so much failure among marriages . . .).

[FTL_Ian]

I don't see any way to change my choice on the poll.

Weird.  Thought I'd selected that option.