Occupy Ruby Tuesday's

My wife recently started waiting tables at Ruby Tuesday's.  Thanks to a freind who needed maternity leave, my wife was able to get her foot in the door.  Even though we are not "in" a recession, times are hard, and jobs are scarce, so we are thankful.  But, apparently times are hard enough for people to cut back on tipping, but not on going out to eat.

Tipping used to be a "science" that was taught in school.  I remember doing word problems in math in gradeschool that involved figuring the proper tip.  Either our liberal schools have quit teaching that, or our liberal citizens have adopted an "Occupy" mindset, and feel service is their right, not something they should pay extra for.  Or perhaps its both.

Like CS's observations on the type of voter that lives in a house that displays the American flag, my observation of the type of voter that tips generously tends to support my theory that conservatives are just better citizens than liberals.

The other night, my wife had the privilege of waiting on a large party; seventeen people, two adults and fifteen children.  They came in at 11pm, and stayed until 12:30.  One of the adults paid for her meal and four of the children.  The other adult paid for her meal and one child's.  The other ten children paid for their own meals.  That is admirable, but it created a lot more work.  Work that should have been rewarded with tips.  For the whole party, my wife earned her wages ($2.14/hr, times 1.5, $3.21, not counting the other tables she was working at the same time) plus the exorbitant amount of:

                                                                       $13.10.


The total bill for the meals was over $225.  The behavior of the customers was below the expectations of polite society.  So, for putting up with rudeness, for putting up with the extra work of twelve separate bills, for  putting up with having customers after closing time (the restaurant closes at midnight on weekends), my wife was shorted $20.65.  And, out of the tips she did receive, she had to tip out to the hostess, who seated these rude customers at her table (gee, thanks), and the bus boy, who had to help clean up after these children.

I won't go into any demographics about this group of people, other than two "adults" and fifteen "children", but I can be 99.44% certain they supported Mr. Obama.  And I can also be certain that they had a feeling of "deserving" treatment they didn't earn.  And, I can assume that the oldest among them had been cheated by the Department of Education of Jimmy Carter.  And I know that that Department cheated them on purpose, in order to create Obama type voters.

Rules for tipping:

Wait staff 15% - 20% of the total bill before taxes (Note: some restaurants now suggest tipping after taxes because servers thenselves tip out on the after tax amount). Wine served with dinner The safe recommendation is to tip 15-20% of the total bill, including alcohol, even for expensive bottles of wine. However, we've seen some restaurants say it's OK to tip around 10% for expensive wines. Bartenders 15% - 20% of the tab; or, $1 for beer or wine, $2 for mixed drinks.  Ideally, pay your bar tab before leaving for your table.   Order at front If you order at the front and food is delivered to your table, it depends.  If, once you've ordered, the seating and decor compare with a standard, sit-down restaurant, tip 5%-10%.  If the food is delivered to your table only as a convenience, tipping is not necessary. When the wife and I were able to afford dining out, we always tipped generously, for two reasons.  We feel we should reward the people who make our experiences enjoyable, and, we always took at least one small child with us that the waitresses would ooh and aah over.  And I believe in rewarding people with good taste. But since we have fallen on Obamic times, we no longer go out to eat.  Not because we couldn't occasionally scrape together enough cash for a meal, but because we are unwilling to pay for something we consider a luxury.  Eating at a restaurant is a luxury; no one has a right to it.  So if you are going to go out and eat, remember that those people aren't your mothers; they are there to earn money, not babysit you and your kids.