Al's Char House (I think that is what it is called) in Chicago land is like that. Me and three gusy from Lativa ended up having to comp out $478 on some Canadians that split on the bill. Happened three times, each time a different set of Canadians. Al's is an awesome place, but their wait staff, all Lithiwanians. They are hard to understand and really strange. I remember this Lithiwanian cabby we had one night. Tried to screw us, driving all over the place to get to a destination to run up the meter. Luckilly on of the guys with us was from Chicago land and knew what he was doing. Needless to say, we did not tip that guy. I have a rule. You don't give me a seperate check, I don't eat there. That, or I order from the bar and take my plate back to the table.
Jeremy, I hear you. But as you say, if it weren't in place, waitstaff would get absolutely hosed. When you consider a working IRS presumption of at least 8% tips off gross sales, it doesn't take many parties of 10-20 stiffing waitstaff before the staff is actually paying the guest for the privilege of serving them. In my mind, the automatic gratuity is an absolute necessity for larger parties. In my experience, provided the host feels the party/dinner/presentation, etc., was a hit, he or she typically exceeds the minimum gratuity anyway.
Understood. The problem is, I go to a lot of trade events, and end up dining with people I do not know. The place ends up seating you all together, even though you do not want to be. So lets say, there are 3 other's that I know, I am comfortable spliting things on a single check. But these places tend to seat eveyone at some large table. So you end up with 20 people at one table and at least half of them do not contribute accordingling. It is a mathematical nightmare, trying to figure out who owes what. If I am out with family and friends it is a different story. But with people you do not know? There has to be some in between.
I hear you on that as well, especially in that situation, where you don't know anybody. The easiest, of course, is what we dealt with at our restaurant, typically - we were the go-to place for presentational events, say, a pharmaceutical rep making a pitch to the area doctors from our regional medical center. One host, with an alloted price per person, all agreed ahead of time. I pull together an evening accordingly. In what you're describing, it can be hell to figure out, and I understand fully where you're coming from.
Not only is it hell to figure out, but most of us have credit cards. I NEVER carry cash. I don't like it, and don't believe it. I need a receipt trail, so everything goes on a CC, including the tip. All this talk about dining is making me hungry!
Hmm, fried worms. My favourite. The issue of splitting a bill for those with credit cards who need to claim expenses very valid. Sometimes if everyone else has cash then you can pay and take the cash and can mark the receipt for the tax man/employer - but you run the risk of someone ripping you off. Yes, Mr "But I didn't have a starter", you. No you didn't... BUT YOU HAD 6 BEERS! Anyways.
What I never understood is why we tip a %. If I go out to breakfast (where the meals are always cheaper) the waitstaff works just as hard as the ones at dinner. So I end up leaving ~$5 on a $12 bill when I go out to breakfast. This is a very high %, but when I go out to dinner the tip is usually much more for the same amount of service IMO.
What I don´t get is in some bars where beer is $2, everyone winds up leaving and extra buck as a tip.
Doesn't it even out? It used to for me. Maybe I just drank excessively over there, but the barman would usually be buying me drinks by the end of the night.
I guess it does, yeah. But for the tourists it doesn´t. They wind up throwing money out of the window basically.
That's twice-fried worms, my friend. Seared premium ahi-tuna loin with a roast garlic-jus: dark (roast) chicken stock, sherry vinegar, roast garlic puree, S & P. Shoestrings are yukon golds, julienned, blanched in low temp oil, rest 2 hours, finished at high-temp.
I work as a waiter in 2 fine dining restaurants and here are some random thoughts and experiences: in the evening I work in a 5 star restaurant where the average ticket per person is over a 100$, and people usually eat in groups of 2, 4 or 6. most of our customers are regulars, whether they come in once a year or once every 2 weeks, for special ocassions. we, the whole restuarant (back of the house and front of the house), try to create an environment that they want to come to. this includes the food, us getting to know them, the atmosphere, the details, etc. when people come to our restaurant, they come for the experience: the food, the wine, the front of the house that knows them by name, usually by the second time they come back, and we get to know them and them us, etc. when you go to other eating establishments, the expectations may be different. if you go to a fast food place, you don't expect them to know you by name and at the same time your not paying a lot in terms of money and time. as far as tipping goes, it depends on your expectations. the tips at our restaurant are pretty high because we usually meet and exceed the expectations of our customers
Just make sure the waiter knows who is going to be allowed to add drinks to it. By the way, congrats on and good luck with Seek Wonder.
I hear you there. I was at the American Airlines Trainging facility last year for a show and had a room tab in the bar. It was for me and my VP. The bill came to $125 at the end of the evening. Now I drink a lot when I am motivated, but $125? Plus, I tend to stick with beer, so there is NO WAY we ran up that big of a bill. When I saw things like miller products, and other skunk beers that I would never touch, I went apeshit on the place. Needless to say, I rectified it the old fashioned way. When I run a tab, NO ONE, goes on it. I make that quite clear to the wait staff, ie., that only I will be ordering the drinks. Thanks a bunch man!
I believe Miller hop scientists developed the first reduced isohumulone extract for use in beer. The net result? Clear bottles, with no light struck/skunk character due to the activation of isohumulone with ultraviolet light(which leads to bond rupture) - "subsequent loss of carbon monoxide from the acyl radical generates the 3-methyl-2-butenyl radical, that recombines with a thiol radical delivered by sulfur-containing proteins (mercaptans, if memory serves). the 3-methyl-2-butenyl radical, that recombines with a thiol radical delivered by sulfur-containing proteins." There, drink your Miller barley tea with impunity.
actually it is the clear bottles that make the beer skunky. The exposure to sunlight is what is killing miller. That's why Bud comes in a dark bottle. Beer should be kept in a cool dark place at all times. Now Corona on the other hand? They get away with the clear bottle some how.