Gratuity. Everyone knows the standard rule for tipping or leaving gratuity to a server is that if they do a good job, the customer should tip at least fifteen to twenty percent. If the server isn’t up to par, a ten percent tip is an absolute minimum to leave for someone who is providing you a service.

I currently work in a pub and I also have experience working in a restaurant, as well as two bar and grills, so I have plenty of experience with gratuity, good tippers, and bad tippers. Gratuity has meant a lot to me at each of my jobs because I have only gotten paid minimum wage at one of those places I worked at. My hourly wage has varied from $2.30 per hour to $9 per hour, but even at the higher paid job, I still depended on my tips to help me eat and be able to pay my monthly bills.

My co-workers and I are highly encouraged to socialize with the customers and keep them in the barstools for a longer amount of time, however it is discouraging when a customer who we have served quite a few times while we are also tending to other people and their needs does not leave a tip or leaves less than a ten percent tip.

On the other hand, there is a new “challenge” floating around social media called the tip the bill challenge, where the customer simply tips the same dollar amount as their bill. I think that this can be a little over the top and ridiculous. While I appreciate the generosity of the customer, I do not think that any amount of sucking up I do would lead to me deserving a tip that large.

The moral of this little rant is to always leave a tip for someone in the service industry because it is hurtful when you do quite a bit of work for a customer and they seemingly don’t appreciate your effort.