I came across these tonight, and after working in the restaurant industry for over 5 years now, I have to pass them on. It might not be a bad idea for your to send them to some friends as well.

13 Things Your Waiter Won\'t Tell You

Let me touch on a couple:

I don't condone messing with people's food, and I can honestly say I've never done it - but I've thought about it countless times. People need to realize that we are human, we make mistakes. I understand that you are upset, that's fine. But what people fail to realize is that when you are upset but civil, frequently whoever is taking care of you will go to the ends of the Earth to satisfy you. But when are a jack@$$, you are doing so at your own peril. Trust me.

I really like this one too:

13 Things Your Pizza Guy Won\'t Tell You

Again, let me touch on a couple:

OK, that was more than a couple, but trust me, those are all VERY VERY common problems.

I'm sure anyone here who has worked in the restaurant industry will agree with the posts.

Comments?

I can see the point of view but there is one issue that has been a personal pet peeve of mine for a long time.

This whole business of tipping has become like a requirement, all because it is considered part of the wait staff salary...which to me is a total crock of bull. The whole concept of a tip originated as a reward to the waiter/waitress for a job well done.
Most wait staff workers in this country work for below minimum wage, which is justified by how much they earn in tips. I personally feel that should be illegal. I think wait staff workers should get minimum wage and what they get in tips should be their own. Screw this whole business of counting tips as wages and taxing them as salary. Wait staffers work bloody hard for what they get and for those that do their job well the rewards of their efforts should be theirs alone. For the rest of the people who do this job with s chip on their shoulder and an attitude to match, let them get their minimum wage and be happy with because they suck at their jobs.
I have absolutely no problem with tipping and tipping well for good service (and I dont mean boot licking) they are human and are juggling a lot of crap at once...but for the ones who just plain dont give a crap, I dont give them squat...not because I cant afford it, but because they dont deserve it.
When people make the counter arguement that I should still tip because other people get part of that money too, I refer back to my original statement...pay the bloody staff. If McDonalds can do it why cant other places.

I work phones in a pizzeria and I can definitely agree with #1. On a normal Friday night we have all 4 of our phone lines ringing and probably 3 or 4 people in-store waiting to get our food and with only 3 of us working it makes it very aggravating when someone calls and then tells us to hold on. It's incredible how people don't think about what they want to order until they call in.

I don't deliver that often but I've experienced a few of those already, the cell phone one and leaving me out in the cold and rain are probably two the most common ones I've experienced.

Tim I agree. But until things change here's what I do with tips.

When I walk in the door my plan is 15% cause to me that's average and I expect average service. How the visit goes from there will determine what the tip will be. If the service is above average then I'll leave the customary 20%(or fairly close on a rounding basis)if it's crummy it'll be in the 10% neighborhood if I feel the service was not tip worthy the manager will be hearing from me.

Buffet's I'll tip $2 a sitting(if the drinks are served)if all they do is clear the dirties then it's a $1 a sitting.

Don't get me wrong, I totally agree with that. If they don't deserve a tip, then don't give them one. I lot of people feel it's required when you go out to eat. If they give you crappy service, then they need to know they screwed up.

A pizza delivery driver is a different story though. Frequently they DO make minimum wage, and even if your pizza takes a while to get to you, usually that's not the driver's fault. They work as fast as they can, but might just be understaffed. If they are rude, by all means, don't tip them, but it's not quite as clear cut as with a waiter.