Tips for tips: advice on being a server

[ImTellinTim]

Re: Tips for tips: advice on being a server

Yeah, and hopefully you end up in jail for it.

LMAO. I'm not a server, but if they want to come get me for tipping in cash, we're all in trouble.

I forgot, servers not reporting all their cash tips is why the country is in debt. Give me a break!

[55]

Re: Tips for tips: advice on being a server

Overreact much? Holy hell.

Well, some folks have been known to call this place "Overreaction Sports" from time to time.

[Burns11]

Re: Tips for tips: advice on being a server

I'm pretty sure 100% of Americans lie. Aren't you technically supposed to report anything you receive as a gift too? If my grandma gave me a $50,000 in cash she had stashed away I sure as hell am not gonna let the government take a % of it.

My statement was in response to this and the other tax fraud.

Edit: I just wanted to note gifts aren't taxed anyway, a gift isn't income on your end and it's not taxed by the giver until they exceed several million over a lifetime.

[Chef Matt]

Eh, anyway slick, remember enjoy a good game of grab *** now and then.

[cardsfan2222]

Re: Tips for tips: advice on being a server

I'm pretty sure 100% of Americans lie. Aren't you technically supposed to report anything you receive as a gift too? If my grandma gave me a $50,000 in cash she had stashed away I sure as hell am not gonna let the government take a % of it.

Just because you don't like a law doesn't mean you can break it. I don't like all the red lights on my way to work, but if I decide I'm not stopping, I doubt a cop will let me off because I don't agree with the need for a stoplight.

Back to the original topic, the one thing that drives me crazy is when servers don't refill drinks. I should never have to ask for a refill. Keep my drink filled, and I'll tip well.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: Tips for tips: advice on being a server

My statement was in response to this and the other tax fraud.

Edit: I just wanted to note gifts aren't taxed anyway, a gift isn't income on your end and it's not taxed by the giver until they exceed several million over a lifetime.

Acutally, gifts are taxable to the donor on an individual donee basis after an an annual exclusion amount (it has increased over the past decade, and is around $20K right now). It also depends on the nature of the gift. If you would like to see how it works - http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/...108139,00.html

Anyway, let's take a real look at the tax situation of a majority of servers. Generally, they are of the younger crowd and many are paying their way through school. In any case, most of the tax paid on tips is going to be offset by education credits, child credits, or various other deductions. Most servers actually report a portion of their cash tips, but really it's not that serious if they don't report all of them.

So, yeah, I'd rather my tip - let's say $5 on a $20ish lunch with a friend - have that extra 2 or so dollars go towards a beer after work or their rent than go through the rigamarole of having it taken out of their next check and then them getting that money back early the next year if they are able to do so.

[Burns11]

Re: Tips for tips: advice on being a server

Acutally, gifts are taxable to the donor on an individual donee basis after an an annual exclusion amount (it has increased over the past decade, and is around $20K right now). It also depends on the nature of the gift. If you would like to see how it works - http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/...108139,00.html

After the yearly exemption, the rest gets reported then eaten by the estate tax exemption, which currently stands at like $5 million. I just had to learn all this stuff while helping my mother take power of attorney for my grandmother and take on her assets when failing health forced her into a nursing home. Form 709 is a bitch, BTW.

Anyway, let's take a real look at the tax situation of a majority of servers. Generally, they are of the younger crowd and many are paying their way through school. In any case, most of the tax paid on tips is going to be offset by education credits, child credits, or various other deductions. Most servers actually report a portion of their cash tips, but really it's not that serious if they don't report all of them.

So, yeah, I'd rather my tip - let's say $5 on a $20ish lunch with a friend - have that extra 2 or so dollars go towards a beer after work or their rent than go through the rigamarole of having it taken out of their next check and then them getting that money back early the next year if they are able to do so.

Most servers in my experience aren't teenagers or college students, maybe it's regional. In any case, if they felt like they weren't going to have to pay taxes that's why you fill out a W-4 and tell them how much money to take out of your check for taxes. Even if you would have gotten income taxes back, you still have to pay FICA.

That's also skirting the crux of the issue, suggesting I tip cash so servers can decline to report those tips to the IRS.

[TheMatrix31]

Re: Tips for tips: advice on being a server

SMH @ the turn this thread has taken:



Anyway.....I present to you the story of the only time I ever DIDNT tip at a restaurant:

I had the worst service of my life tonight.

Went to a pizza/pasta restaurant in Hollywood. First mistake. Anyway, we get there, everything looks delicious, nice place, whatever. Waiter approaches us, total dick with the drink orders and everything. He kept asking if we were ready even though our other member of the party wasn't there yet. We ordered garlic breadsticks, calamari, a deep-dish meat lovers, and another pizza.

Breadsticks come out and were amazing, but the busboy brought them. Calamari didn't even come at ALL. No biggie, ask the waiter and remind him, right? He's nowhere to be ****ing found. Pizzas took forever, but one was deep dish so whatever, that's to be expected. The pizza was hella cold, considering its a meat lovers and considering it took a good 40 minutes to come out anyway. Waiter, again, nowhere to be found. We just ate the damn thing cuz the flavor was good.

We were going to order this Nutella ravioli as a dessert, but the guy comes and just drops the bill and bounces. Didn't come to check ONCE, didn't ask how the food was, nothing.

We left absolutely no tip whatsoever. For the first time in my life, I didn't leave a tip. It was THAT bad.

The amazing part? As we're waiting for the valet to bring our cars around, the guy comes OUT of the restaurant and asked us if something was wrong. I said "Honestly? Yeah. The pizza was beyond cold, we didn't even get our calamari, and you never came to check up on us to see if things were alright or if we needed anything. In fact, it was probably the worst service I've ever had in my life, and I don't know if that's something you can fix, or if its the restuarant...or what."

He was just like "mmhmm....yep...okay...alright....cool". I didn't even bring up the fact that he was a ****ing dick and that we would have ordered dessert had he even come to ****ing check up.

I'm going to call them Monday if my buddy held onto his credit card receipt so I can see what the waiter's name was. Unreal.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: Tips for tips: advice on being a server

After the yearly exemption, the rest gets reported then eaten by the estate tax exemption, which currently stands at like $5 million. I just had to learn all this stuff while helping my mother take power of attorney for my grandmother and take on her assets when failing health forced her into a nursing home. Form 709 is a bitch, BTW.



Most servers in my experience aren't teenagers or college students, maybe it's regional. In any case, if they felt like they weren't going to have to pay taxes that's why you fill out a W-4 and tell them how much money to take out of your check for taxes. Even if you would have gotten income taxes back, you still have to pay FICA.

That's also skirting the crux of the issue, suggesting I tip cash so servers can decline to report those tips to the IRS.

Yeah, estate tax comes into play when a person dies within the same tax year. No doubt about that.

It's not up to me as a customer to decide how a server reports their taxes. I'm an accountant, who in my most recent position does payroll taxes (not for long ), I know how it works. I still stand by what I've said. The server life isn't a glamorous tax-break lifestyle by any means. I'd rather crusade against the multi-millionaires who move money around to avoid paying much larger amounts of taxes.

If you don't want to make a conscious effort to tip in cash for that reason, I don't give a ****. Just please don't suggest that it's a problem. If you're serving for a living, you're doing really hard work for not much money.

[Sublime12089]

Re: Tips for tips: advice on being a server

From 7 years in restaurants, mostly BOH, be nice to the cooks. Not many people are so they tend to really appreciate it, and they can mess your money up easily if you get on their bad side. Understand, their job sucks more than yours and they get paid less to do it. Being nice and understanding will go a long way.

[Sublime12089]

Re: Tips for tips: advice on being a server

After rereading the thread, a lot of you guys are the reason restaurant employees tend to hate their customers (aside from a few cherished regulars).

Seriously, servers reporting full income? Just as a heads up, that never happens. And why? So they can lose 30-40 percent of it while billionaires pay at 14%? Amazed at some people.

If you don't have the money/don't care to tip at least 20% for good service, then you dont have the money or disposition to go out. Stay home or get carryout.

I no longer work at restaurants but I tend to tip 30-40% places I go regularly and know the employees, and 25-30 random places as long as the service is good.

Regardless of your situation, the server could probably use that money much more than you can, esp when you are eating a $12 cheeseburger.

[slickdtc]

Re: Tips for tips: advice on being a server

Eh, anyway slick, remember enjoy a good game of grab *** now and then.

Got ya!

@ Matrix... that's a perfectly reasonable time to not tip anything.

@ Scott -- why is it the worst job? I've worked at a few places now, and while serving will probably be the worst as far as bull**** I'll have to put up with, the money should offset that just a bit. Really, that's all I'm focused on. Having slaved for a few years at a ****ty company where I'm pissed just thinking about going to work, I'm relieved to get out and do something I wasn't planning on doing again (serving).

[cardsfan2222]

Re: Tips for tips: advice on being a server

After rereading the thread, a lot of you guys are the reason restaurant employees tend to hate their customers (aside from a few cherished regulars).

Seriously, servers reporting full income? Just as a heads up, that never happens. And why? So they can lose 30-40 percent of it while billionaires pay at 14%? Amazed at some people.

If you don't have the money/don't care to tip at least 20% for good service, then you dont have the money or disposition to go out. Stay home or get carryout.

I no longer work at restaurants but I tend to tip 30-40% places I go regularly and know the employees, and 25-30 random places as long as the service is good.

Regardless of your situation, the server could probably use that money much more than you can, esp when you are eating a $12 cheeseburger.

I have to report my full income, they should to. Simple as that. And who are you to say that a server could use that money more than me? I'm a decent tipper, but there's no reason they deserve 30% to bring my food and refill my drink.

[Beantown]

I have to report my full income, they should to. Simple as that. And who are you to say that a server could use that money more than me? I'm a decent tipper, but there's no reason they deserve 30% to bring my food and refill my drink.

There's no reason you can't cook te same food at home for probably less money.

If you don't like the practice of tipping don't go out to eat, or get take out (which you should still tip a dollar or two on), instead of screwing over those of us that simply bring you your food and drink.

[AUChase]

Re: Tips for tips: advice on being a server

I get the feeling some people here haven't worked in a restaurant before. I've never worked in one with an actual waitress, but I did work in the United State's highest sales volume Captain D's for exactly three years.

I've spent time in the dining room catering to elderly and other folks and hardly ever received anything. I learned enough in those three years to know that REGARDLESS OF WHERE I'M EATING, I'll always tip good, unless the service sucks and I'll still tip something, because it's not always their fault.

As far as reporting all of their tips... PUHLEASE!

I actually received a rare $10 tip, for loading 16 bags of concrete mix, 10 bundles of shingles and 14 2x4-8's and I should report that **** to my money hungry company ? Yeah right.. that's my money..

I get ****ed by this country enough, they even tax my bonuses at work 30%.... go ahead and throw my *** in jail.