If you stay an extra hour and order nothing, please compensate your server with a moderate increase in tip.
Sorry, but tips are for "SERVICE" ONLY, NOT for just sitting. If you aren't doing anything at all for the customers, WHY should you get an increase? We aren't "RENTING" that table from you? If anything, if we were renting the table, we'd pay the owner, NOT YOU!
If the service is over, so is the the tipping! TIPS STAND FOR - TO INSURE PROPER OR PROMPT SERVICE!! Notice the word "SERVICE?"
That's being selfish to think customers should pay you more just because they want to sit for an hour longer. If we aren't ordering or asking for anything, guess what? We aren't in need of you during the hour, so WHY should we consider that hour in the tip? Let's say I have paid my bill at 8:00p.m.. Let's say we stay until 9p.m., well what have you done to *******EARN********* MORE MONEY? You haven't done ANYTHING, so tipping for that hour for NO SERVICE would be nuts. Do you like paying for something you aren't receiving? Do you like throwing money away? If there's no more service, the tip is over with as well. The tip has been given at 8p.m. If we stay until 9p.m., that has NOTHING to do with you earning more money. It shouldn't matter if a party stays 3 hours if they aren't asking for anything anymore. They aren't in need of your services anymore. The service is over with, so is the tipping.
2. Understand that sometimes things go wrong. Sometimes its the fault of the server. Usually it's not. An order gets lost, food isn't prepared correctly...mistakes happen. You're the customer, you have a right to be satisfied. You do not have the right to be abusive and, as in almost all things, you will get better results by showing kindness and understanding that you will by ranting and raving.
Actually, most of the time it IS the server's fault, quite honestly.
1. The server can input the order wrong into the computer.
2. The server can bring you the wrong food.
3. The server can forget to bring something from the kitchen to our table.
4. The server can bring out something wrong that is very obvious such as the customer states "NO bbq sauce on their ribs, just on the side", then brings out the ribs with bbq sauce on them and/or no side of bbq sauce. That's not the kitchen staff's fault my server didn't get the mistake fixed before they brought me the food wrong, is it?
5. If another server brings out the food, it's still part of our service if we receive a mistake with our food, even if our server put the order in right, the service still suffers regardless. So when I have had another server a couple of times forget a side dish that wasn't my server, I still took it out on the tip, because for one thing I don't know if my server is at fault and even if I did, it's part of my service that sucks, therefore it's something that should affect the tip. The other server may be at fault for forgetting my side dish, but the tip IS and SHOULD be affected, because it's part of the service.
6. Containers or bottles of condiments can always be brought out ahead of time, so you cannot blame ANYONE ELSE for YOU forgetting those since they need no COOKING involved and take less than 5 minutes to get to me.
When the food is not prepared correctly, SOME mistakes you can literally SEE without having to TOUCH the food to notice them. Things like no ranch on the plate when I ordered ranch is OBVIOUS and is 100% the server's fault REGARDLESS of WHO delivers the food to me, because ranch needs no cooking. There's no need to wait 15-35 or so minutes to bring me ranch. I would say don't just bring it, because some customers may not like that, but you can OFFER to bring it out ahead of time to ENSURE that part comes out correctly.
Once, I had a stupid waitress at Outback bring me dark brown overdone fries when I had specifically told her "Lightly cooked, yellow, not overdone fries" when I placed my order. I noticed within 2 seconds of the plate in front of me and even my husband agreed with me that the fries looked extremely overdone. I have had the fries lightly cooked A LOT there, so it's not like this restaurant can't do it. The uncaring waitress didn't apologize. She blamed the kitchen staff by saying "I put the order in right" or something like that. I couldn't believe how stupid she was to think it wasn't her fault. I know she didn't cook my fries, but if I would have been the server, I would have REFUSED to SERVE the fries like that. I would have told the kitchen staff to recook a set of fries. That's the server's job. My job is not to tell the server about DUH, OBVIOUS mistakes like that. Color differences should be OBVIOUS to the server's eyes. This isn't rocket science. I was nice about the mistake by just simply repeating my order by telling her I had ordered my fries lightly cooked, not overdone. It's ashame that servers don't want to apologize when they are wrong and want to blame the kitchen staff at times. It's also ashame that they are too lazy to COMPARE the written orders to each plate of food BEFORE DELIVERING IT TO THE TABLE. My server's job is to bring my order as right as the server can SEE. That's why I am tipping the server. NOT just to bring me anything, but to try their very best to make me happy by getting what I ordered the way I ordered it as far as not only trying to put in the order correctly to begin with, but also trying to bring it out as obviously correct as they possibly can.
You will show better results with APOLOGIZING and ADMITTING FAULT when you are wrong instead of being defensive. MOST customers aren't stupid. They know who is at fault and who isn't.
The things a server cannot control would be if they put in the order right would be things like:
1. Raw food if it's not obvious
2. A steak cooked incorrectly if there isn't an obvious color difference such as rare vs. well done. If another server brings out an obvious color difference mistake, my server couldn't control that if they put in the order correctly, BUT, it still does affect the service.
3. A wrong burrito filling
4. Something covered up by something else that cannot be easily seen such as a pickle under a bun.
There may be other things I cannot think of, but the point is, MOST food mistakes ARE the server's fault in general. If another server brings out the food wrong even if the main server put the order in 100% correctly, that still is part of the service. Yes, it's unfair, but it's unfair to the customer as well if you think we should tip based on as if nothing went wrong when it did. Good tips are for good service, so even if YOU didn't bring me the wrong food and put in the order right or you didn't forgot my side dish or whatever kind of obvious mistake I have, I will still have lousy service waiting for the correct food. WHY should I tip well based on the fact I am not happy with my service even if YOU aren't in control of the other server messing up? Tipping is based on SERVICE.
I know this post is you mention "FINE DINING", but these type of mistakes can happen at any restaurants, even fine dining ones.
1. You will be waited on by a server. Please understand that this does not mean they are a servant. Treat them like humans. Servers are your link between the kitchen and the food that's about to go into your body. Think about that for a minute before being arrogant, condescending or acting like you are entitled to a crown. These are the people who stand between whether you enjoy a nice steak and vegetable or enjoy a nice steak and vegetable that has passed through the ass crack of an angry cook. Be nice, and they will almost certainly be nice as well.
Treat us like humans too. We WANT that apology. We want you to ask your manager to comp something if something went wrong that was MAJOR such as a wrong entree.
There's to a point when I will be nice, but if the server keeps making so many mistakes, you can tell they aren't trying their best and are very lazy or just aren't cut out to be a server. Don't expect me to be nice to you if you be rude or don't even try to get my order obviously right.
10. If something is wrong with your food, drinks, experience, et. al. I will say again that the person you're going to want to see is the manager.
Sorry, but calling a manager over isn't our job. That's the SERVER'S JOB if it's something went wrong that was major. Do you think customers want to talk to a manager? They didn't go out to eat to be miserable, did they?
It's YOUR JOB to do all the talking to the manager and YOUR JOB to decide if it's approrpiate to get them to the customer's table or not. For instance, you forget my ranch, that's minor. I don't want to speak to a manager over that. If you bring me the completely wrong food, it's YOU that should try to make it right by telling your manager and asking to comp the item. If the manager won't comp something, I think you should pay for at least something, even if it's just a soft drink at the very least for messing up their outing. NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO SPEAK TO A MANAGER! WHO wants to deal with negativity? We don't go out to eat to complain to a manager.
Don't make it out to be the manager's fault. Honestly, I think if something is bugging you a lot, you should tell your server at the end of the service(so they won't have the opportunity to spit in your food or drinks). Sometimes, I don't feel you should have to tell your server what went wrong if it's obvious. Things like making a customer wait 10 minutes to get their check they requested, which then you wonder why the customers stiffed you. Like DUH, customers that ask for their check generally want to leave as soon as possible. We have stiffed due to once 17 minute wait to get our check rung up. We were held hostage until we got to pay our bill in a way. I think stiffing is deserved when you wait that long for something 100% in the server's control such as a refill or the check.