East Carolinian

Issue date: 10/9/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Ashley Yarber

An event that many students at ECU enjoy is taking a night out with friends or family to go to dinner.

While the food and the company of your loved ones are great, the fun comes to an end as your server leaves the check. Cringing at the total, you almost forget the tip for the server. As a result, the tip is sometimes smaller or larger than it should be.

According to Jim Vandy, a columnist for the Ball State Daily News Online, students are poor tippers, but it isn't their fault.

"In their defense, many students do not know the expectations of tipping," Vandy writes, in his article Odds are I probably hate you: Bad tippers do not deserve service. "Usually, students with first or second hand experience know the rules."

In the United States, it is custom for customers to tip in order to show appreciation for the given services. The tip amount depends on the service as well as the rules of the establishment and while it is voluntary, it is highly encouraged.

According to Yahoo.com's finance section, customers at dinner typically base tip amount on the performance of the server. Customers desire to feel welcome at a restaurant, and pay attention to a server's attitude, personality and promptness, along with overall food service. Tips can fluctuate based on these factors.

Many customers will also base tips on food preparation, feeling that it is the responsibility of the wait staff and cook to ensure that food is prepared adequately. Restaurant goers also factor in the presence of their server. While periodic updating with a table is sufficient, constant interruptions are unacceptable.

According to a CNN report, the national average for tipping is 18.2 percent of the total bill.

"If a [customer] has been [in a restaurant or bar] all night and using our services and if we have given excellent service, they should tip 15 to 30 percent" said Megan McInerney, a senior and public relations major and bartender at 4TH Street Tavern.

According to the NC Department of Labor, the average wage for a server is $2.43 an hour.

"[Tipping] is basically our salary. We only make a couple dollars an hour so tipping is everything" said McInerney.

While not technically a restaurant job, bartending still incorporates the power of tipping. It is customary to tip one to two dollars per drink ordered, according to McInerney.

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