Finance

[Lou Roe]

There are a lot of morons out there. Of couse no one on here does it, because we are smarter than most people out there. But trust me, as stupid as it sounds, it happens more than you would think.

As far as the automatic gratuity, I think that servers try to add it every chance they get in the hopes off the double tip, and that happens more than you would think too. It is a slimy move and they should circle it and tell the customer when dropping the check.

[Sim]

be more clueless tballa.

[tballa55]

be more clueless tballa.

be more fucking stupid if you don't notice some 20 year old ripping you off while smiling at you as he's handing you your card back.

[rearadmiral]

Bartenders and servers get screwed all the time when a group or table splits the check with some people using a card and some paying cash. This is due to the incompetence of most groups when trying to figure out how much to tip. For example the bill is $100, a group pays $80 in cash and the one person who never carries cash puts the remaining balance on their card. That person then tips on the card on $20 rather than the entire $100 bill.

And there is always, always, at least one person in the group trying to chintz out of paying their fair share but knows how easy it is to get lost in the shuffle of grown-ass adults getting fucking separate checks.

Rule #2 in my establishment: NO SEPARATE CHECKS.

You're grown ups. Have one person pay the bill and figure it out amongst yourselves. No wonder why the staff fucks you.

[AY]

separate checks isn't rocket science. Those POS terminals in restaurants are pretty spiffy these days, RA.

[Lou Roe]

Sometimes the only number in bold is the total after gratuity and the 18% gratuity line can be easy to not see right away. I'm always the asshole who makes the "oh they added gratuity line" in front of the server when she doesn't let the table know its included, just to see the reaction because I know they are trying to get double tipped. For some reason this topic always pissed me off because they are going to get a decent sized tip anyway because of the large bill. One time when I was managing I heard one of my servers bragging about how she made an extra $200. I made up a story the following week saying that someone called back and complained when they saw their receipt and I had to refund the money. From that point on the gratuity was circled and announced every time.

[Lou Roe]

And I was using the most extreme example just to make it easy to follow. Since we are all smart here is the better example, 3 people bill is $100, one person throws in $40 cash, bartender splits the balance on 2 cards for $30 each, those people each tip $5 on the receipt instead of $10. Its not a huge deal and there is still a tip involved but its only a $10 total tip instead of $20 if they all just payed cash.

[Giggles]

It's usually posted pretty clearly the group size at which gratuity is added. Or so I thought.

Separate checks are annoying. I have never worked in the industry but I would be annoyed. It's just unnecessary extra work. When it comes up (rarely) I always ask if it's okay and try to be as non-annoying about it as possible. Nobody wants to run 5 different cards because you suck at math.

Now what I DIDN'T know until pretty recently is that you're supposed to write "cash" on your card receipt when you tip in cash. I would always just put a line through. One time in one of these so-called big group bill-split things where I was paying my buddy saw me do that and said "you'd better write 'cash' in there."

Nobody ever taught me that.

[rearadmiral]

separate checks isn't rocket science. Those POS terminals in restaurants are pretty spiffy these days, RA.

I know it's not. And neither is dividing one check by # of people at table. But I guess it's easier to have a girl ring up 8 different cards and waste everyone's time.

What's a POS terminal?

Or maybe I just don't eat/drink with people who ask for separate checks. Thankfully.

EDIT: or what he said above.

[tballa55]

separate checks isn't rocket science. Those POS terminals in restaurants are pretty spiffy these days, RA.

I know it's not. And neither is dividing one check by # of people at table. But I guess it's easier to have a girl ring up 8 different cards and waste everyone's time.

What's a POS terminal?

Or maybe I just don't eat/drink with people who ask for separate checks. Thankfully.

EDIT: or what he said above.

how do you feel about someone who orders everything on the menu and drinks then gets offended when the person who only got a salad doesn't want to split the bill evenly?

I just hate when the person who orders app/entree/dessert and 4 drinks pays the same as the person who orders a salad...i'm usually the one who orders the app/entree/dessert/drinks too and it bugs the shit out of me still.

[SeanT]

Just throw in the cards and write the amount you want charged on each card on the back of the check. Done and done. No need for seperate checks and people can still pay by card if they want. Plus its the easiest way to track who is fucking up the works if its short in the end (people always forget to add in the tax when they do their tally etc.)

I usually go with the flow if people are splitting it evenly but I'd prefer to pay my share if only because I want to be able to eat/drink what I want and not worry about someone thinking they are getting screwed or that I'm trying to take advantage of the situation.

[UconnBuckeye]

problem solved

[rearadmiral]

how do you feel about someone who orders everything on the menu and drinks then gets offended when the person who only got a salad doesn't want to split the bill evenly?

I just hate when the person who orders app/entree/dessert and 4 drinks pays the same as the person who orders a salad...i'm usually the one who orders the app/entree/dessert/drinks too and it bugs the shit out of me still.

I don't go out with people like that...

Kidding.

When it happens, somebody will point it out and makes sure nobody's getting raked over coals or skating by cheaply.

[Boston]

I don't consider splitting it up on cards "separate checks"

That is when the meal begins and people ask the wait person if they can do separate checks so that everything is separate from the get go.

I think that is annoying/excessive because when there are apps involved its like "which app goes on whose tab?"

Splitting it up on cards is amazingly simple and most places do it without flinching.

[Sim]

100%.