Party of Six Leaves $2.21 Tip on $177 Meal

• When you have had years and years of crappy corn tortillas and like burritos you end up having a preference to flour tortillas. I like my corn tortillas made in tacos dorados.

• WFT? must have been a Gilipollas or maybe not? I'm making up a new menu, I am making up a new menu an putting Tips or recommendations that help me and my customers have a better time. Our food will be some what different to what most people expect which is what Tip No 1 and 2 are about. Do you guys think it is wrong to put this in small print at the bottom of my menu? Tip 3:  we have no tip policy  but if the service was “very good” you may want leave an above average tip, if it was “good” the customary tip, if OK leave a “below” average tip,  if it was BAD leave no tip, if it was BAD and the food was good leave some tip and “write” for the kitchen, because we share tips, if the service was good and the food is good and took some time, remember EVERYTHING is made to order.  If you think our food tastes different, you have probably never eaten real ****  food before!I'm not in the OK business, I do not pay servers $8.00 an hour to give O.K. service, there is an overwhelming expectation from people that they should double the TAX regardless, do you think I am wrong?I'd love to know what people thinkThe No1 Pendejo  

• Because that's the way real life works. Just because you think it's ridiculous doesn't mean it isn't so—your sphere of influence doesn't cover country-wide (or even county-wide) tipping practice. Do you also complain when tax gets added to the price? After all, that's the restaurant charging you 7.75% more than the agreed-upon price.

• Do you go to any sit down restaurants on a regular basis? How's the service?

• It sums to the $180 Total line, so I doubt that's the case.

• And exactly why should they be expected to hand the server an under-the-table bribe larger than 2 bucks?  Really people, a restaurant sets an agreed upon price for the food.  How is it then, that they are the only business who "has every right" to get insanely pissed when the bill is paid in full?!!!  It is not my responsibility to support poor starving waiters.  It's their responsibility to find a job that can survive on.

• It's the food industry's equivalent of incentive pay. I prefer it to the "professional service" I often get here in Germany.

• Did you scan the previous comments? The same thought occurred to me, I tip heavily, having personal knowledge of how hard they work, theref ore leave cdash rather than a paper trail. On reading the other comments it became apparent that that wasn't the case.

• When you have had years and years of crappy corn tortillas and like burritos you end up having a preference to flour tortillas. I like my corn tortillas made in tacos dorados.

• Rude only to those that deserve it. Dan's a regular reader, but sometimes goes whacko for no reason. Like that love of flour tortillas? WTF?

• Gustavo rude?  Surely you jest.

• Gustavo, I'm not giving you writing advice, you don't need it. I'm making a suggestion, which you don't agree with, but that doesn't mean you have to be rude about it. I'll stop making honest suggestions and alerting you to issues with the site since you apparently have it all handled.

• Hey, thanks for the writing advice! I'll make sure to use it as soon as I give Lola Gaspar a positive review!

• I don't use a jump. *You* use a jump. There was no need for a jump in the article, unless you guys are being told to do it on posts of even less than 400 words. I can understand the need for jumps on posts that are over 1000 words with just one picture but when the picture and 400 words tells the story if there is a jump it is an obvious ploy to gain extra page views. Don't worry Gustavo, I don't hold you guys responsible, I understand the game, it just isn't one that I play with my blog. In addition when one views the single page article seeing the words "after the jump" seems out of place. Since someone viewing the full page article has no jump.

• ...except when you use a jump.

• Come on we all know Jumps are just a way of getting people to increase pageviews...

• From experience, talking to the manager doesn't always solve the problem. There are some times that a small tip is unavoidable, in my opinion. When the service is bad from start to finish. When the service is barely decent and then it takes you 30 minutes to finally get the bill and get the waitstaff to take your money. Personally I've never had bad service at Break of Dawn, and I love the place, but some people do not like to make confrontation and would rather speak with their tip than their voice. I don't fault them for it if the service was really poor. In fact regardless of Break of Dawn's known level of service doesn't mean it was great for this patron. I doubt any of us were the people that did this so we can't know how the service was for them. Even if the waiter appeared to be busting their ass doesn't mean the patron felt that way. But at the same time the person could have just been an asshole and decided to leave a crappy tip. Basically all I'm trying to say is that we don't know the whole story and just because one thinks you should complain about bad service doesn't mean that is the right process. A tip is just that, a gratuity based upon the service rendered and some people use their tip to lodge a complaint. Or they are just a asshole.

• Well, my point was that servers in New Mexico (and a bunch of other states) make $2.13 cash wage per hour instead of the federally mandated $7.25 per hour; here in California, we don't permit that sort of tightwad behavior and so our servers make the state minimum, $8.00 per hour cash. On the other hand, California allows tip pooling and other states do not, so who knows how the math comes out. One thing's for certain... all servers are in the 99%.

• Is it possible that it was an elderly person, with limited vision, who thought the subtotal was $157.79?  (Their handwriting could suggest this as a possibility.)

• If I'm reading the comments correctly, some server received a whopping $0.08 more than he would have received in New Mexico had he worked a full hour yet still felt slighted? Ingrate. Facetiousness aside, it's the math more than anything else that argues in favor of the position taken by Dave et al. Assuming the diners in question did act in a deliberately penurious manner but would have left at least the "standard" 15% had they behaved otherwise, they'd have parted with a rounded-up tip of $27.00--$3.50 per person, up from the $0.37 each originally gave. Though I cannot, obviously, speak for everyone, I like to think I echo the voice of the majority when I say $3.13's a relative bargain to avoid feeling niggardly for any extended period of time. Of course, this sentiment further assumes that the people eating, or at least whoever took charge of the check, felt remiss about being so apparently selfish. Sometimes, company loves not just misery but miserliness, too. I, like many, have worked in the food industry before. While a server in Brea at the currently defunct Bobby McGee's, I discovered that management estimated each server would garner a 12% tip from all tables and taxed declared (i.e., non-cash) gratuity accordingly. Thus, anything less than 12% offered as recompense for food served ironically stole that very food from a server's mouth by taxing him on income he hadn't actually received. Such a situation may not exist at every establishment, but it does suggest a social mandate of munificence whenever and wherever possible, especially considering the relative luxury of frequenting a great number of Orange County's restaurants, an indulgence provided by those who often cannot afford it themselves and who never will experience such gratification if patrons feel as though they can enjoy waited-upon meals gratis. Nonetheless, consumers with opinions divergent from mine will insist that a customer's generosity extends no further than gracing a business with his business and that it certainly doesn't include tipping the scales in the common worker's favor. That's fine: I'm aware people seek nutrition at eateries, not egalitarianism--fare's not always fair. We, however, cannot lend helping hands by remaining closefisted, nor should we expect anyone to lift a finger for us if we give it to those paid to take our orders, not our disrespect.

• It's a story because it happened in Orange County to a great restaurant--if other places want to share such horror stories, we'll report them as well.

• From Dave: JB, I might agree with you on the distracted part if it didn't happen all the time. It's just too frequent to be an accident every time.   Why is this even a story? Call any nice spot in OC and I'm sure there is a similar story in the last day/week.  The only thing more classless than this diner and his lack of tip is the restaurant owner that passed the info on and then answered a poster with vulgarity. Pull up your big boys pants- this is part of the business.  

• This is the worlds smallest viloin playning just for the waitress

• To Dave:   Tell us more about strawmen, please. Both you and GA have made a big pile of stinky hay from dead & dry strawmen. 1. Far from being a cheap bastard, I tip as much and probably more than both of you. More than once I left tips even after total disasters in both food and service dept. 2. Far from being an OCReg/Wingnut drone, I am more progressive than both of you. Both of you would be probably happy to shine shoes at OCReg given a chance (Arellano explicitly <a hre="http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2011/10/saraha_falafel_anaheim.php#comment-329112237">refused to rule this out</a>.) 3. Your sleazy attacks on the messenger when you can't attack the message are lamest of all. -- First, your claim of sock-puppetry based on IP is flat wrong. IP address does not identify one person, far from it. It does not even identify a computer. It only identifies the network through which the post arrived. Check with someone knowledgable before opening your mouth and proving how dumb you are. -- Worse yet, even if I indeed posted under several names that would be totally irrelevant for this debate. 4. Nowhere did I suggest payola or anything else nefarious. I just mentioned that GA gets paid for eating. Which is undeniably true -- even if it happens indirectly. But, for some dumb reason he pretends otherwise. So, think before you ass-ume, or is that too much to expect from lowly grub reporters.

• I think that's what happened too.

• I'm just going to go out on a limb and assume that the GA ans DL are 1099 employees as opposed to W2 employees.  I don't have the time to explain the difference to you Jon but for tax reporting purposes they are vastly different. It would actually be beneficial for them to pay for their meals and retain the receipts for tax reporting purposes to reduce their 1099 taxable liability.   

• bet they work in the financial services industry aka banksters use to screwing others

• JB, I might agree with you on the distracted part if it didn't happen all the time. It's just too frequent to be an accident every time.

• I do like your weak attempt at a straw-man argument here, because of course tipping at restaurants and bars and joining the military have anything to do with each other. There's nothing at all for me to get through my thick skull. Of course there's no law requiring people to tip. It isn't voluntary, though: it's common practice and expected social behavior, and people (not just the server you're stiffing) judge you for it. If you can live with people knowing you're a discourteous, cheap boor, that's your own deal. Here in California we're a bit more civilized than, say, Delaware or New Mexico and we don't permit restaurant and bar owners to pay a lower cash wage—everyone here gets the same $8 an hour minimum wage. Do you know what the wage for a server is in New Mexico, JonBill? $2.13 an hour. You can pull all the <I>Register</I>ian high-horse dudgeon you like about people choosing the job, but what that $2.13 an hour (or the other less-than-federal-minimum amounts allowed in 37 states and DC) represents is the law expecting tipping. Poor JonBill. You're a pariah amongst those who can't avoid eating restaurant meals with you, and you don't even know it because they're probably too embarrassed to tell you that they find a reason to go back in (item left on table, need to use the bathroom, etc.) so they can give the server the tip you so parsimoniously withhold. Accusing someone of payola is pretty serious, JonBill. If you really feel that way you'd best write a formal complaint to the editor-in-chief. You'd probably better have some hard evidence, though, because false accusations of that sort written in letters tend to be viewed as libel. Otherwise, you're just another guy sitting at his computer late at night, trying to correct the Internet and alter it to how you've decided it should be. Here's hoping people are nicer to you than you are to them.

• More douchebaggery from JonBill--this, the moron who previously insisted I want a job at the Reg despite a written record of 11 years to the contrary. Responding at midnight? What, Tube8 couldn't get you to sleep tonight?

• Weakly sauce from weakly tag-team, as usual. Get it through your thick skull: 1. Tipping is completely voluntary. Not volunteering is perfectly moral, sometimes more moral than volunteering. Have you volunteered to kill some brown people in the Middle East lately? 2. The (non) tipper is not responsible for the fate of the low-paid worker. If the worker is left at the mercy of someone, that is the ploy of the greedy owner to dishonestly extract extra payment from customers -- by abusing their pity and sympathy. And a sucker is born every hour. 3. There is no law for tipping (or not), you dumbo. 4. Of course Arellano gets paid for eating. The problem is that he is trying to lie about it.

• This sucks, but it makes me happy/gives me hope to see this many people upset about it. You'd be shocked at the tips left on large checks at Indian restaurants...

• Oh, I love the smell of attempted libel in the evening. Also, did I or did I not correctly predict that as soon as the <I>Register</I> started demanding a little accountability for the brainless spack that passed for a comments section over there (in the form of required, real-name Facebook accounts) that the commenters, desperate for a place to sit in front of their screens and pretend they're all big and important and influential, would turn up at the <I>Weekly</I>? We can see your IP address, Jon/Billg/etc. If you're going to make whiny noises in all our comments section, at least pick one name to do it under. Also, Gustavo, please save Jon/Billg/Fulano the effort and post your long-form birth certificate while you're at it. (rolls eyes)

• 1. No, but you're a classless douchebag if you don't tip. 2. You're playing God over someone's income who probably needs the money more than you do, since you're the one eating out in waiter-service restaurants. 3. If you want to blame someone, go write to your Congresscritters and demand they change the law. I'm assuming you live in Orange County, though, home of the delusional armchair libertarian, so good luck with that. 4. Of course he gets paid to eat places. That's why they call him a FOOD CRITIC. The <I>Weekly</I> pays for his content. And mine. Except this stupid comment. If you don't want to tip, stay home and cook your own food.

• Rick Warren, is that you?

• Thanks for admitting that you're dishonest. 

• Also "Jon" aka "Bill"? Pick one pseudonym and stick with it. No sock puppetry here or we boot your deluded ass over to Fast Food Maven.

• For a pissant like you? Not in a million years—but, hey, keep believing your delusions! We'll just do what we've done for—what is it now, 16 years?

• Your standard cheap bluffs and diversions won't work here. Post your expense reimbursement reports if you're honest.

• Yeah, you're not getting it—and if you really think we get free food and base our reviews on that, then you either don't read the Weekly regularly, or you're straight-up pendejo. Which is it?

• Post your expense reimbursement reports if you're honest.

• We shill for good food and pay for all our meals—company policy since 1995!

• And it's your right to be a sucker, plus a double-douche considering that you eat for free and just shill for restaurants here.

• Hey, it's your right to be a douche!

• Newsflash for Arellano (and others shilling for places where they get paid to eat): -- Tips are NOT obligatory, period. -- Tips are earned (or not). -- Tips are a scam by owners to underpay workers and rip-off customers.

• That's ridiculous. "Asian person" writing? Fuck, mine is just like that, and I'm full wab...

• I'll bet they left cash, and the server didn't want to declare it. Under reporting your tips is common practice everywhere.

• One thing I'm surprised nobody's mentioned thus far is that from the photo, it's obvious that the diner did not write in the tip amount of $2.21 -- only totaling the charge to $180.  For one thing, the ink color is different, and the $2.21 is written in "Asian person" handwriting font, while the $180.00 is clearly "Affluent South County W.A.S.P." font.  The $2.21 was probably written in by one of the BOD peeps, for accounting purposes.  Reasonably, this could be a sign that the diner was distracted (as many of us are when we are about to depart a restaurant...trying to stay engaged in the conversation of our fellow diner(s), secure our belongings/doggie bags, ascertain if we need to use the restroom, etc., all while simultaneously signing the receipt).  The diner could have had "180" on their mind because they were trying to more easily calculate an appropriate tip in their head, and then absentmindedly wrote "180" on the receipt amidst all the things competing for their attention. 

• Why the fuck you eat there more than once if "the food is alright". You must be stupid with lot of money to waste. I woulnt let attitude like yours in our joint anyway.

• You, good sir, know nothing of great food.

• Were the customers old school Vietnamese? Because $1 would be standard...

• Break of Dawn is NOT an impeccable place and Dee is an arrogant fuckwit. His food is alright but it's not like his dishes could stand up to top chefs or anything. Every time I ate there the service was slow. If the food and service were bad, they are lucky they got anything after the cost of the meal. Tips are earned, not a given.

• Nobody should tip poorly based on service if they haven't first let the server, manager, and/or owner know they are unsatisfied.   Only excuse I can fathom in this situation is that the one person that paid the bill by credit card collected cash from the other 5 people at the table and intended to leave a cash tip and simply forgot.  The $2.21 was just to round off to a nice even number.  Either that or it was just a table full of idiots.

• I'd put that fucker up on the window or something. Public shaming!

• AFTER you get  your food.... You dont want Moco's in your eggs!

• Then you talk to the manager (or, in this case, the owner). Leaving a tip like that without talking to the management makes it the diner's fault regardless of what happened.

• Good enough for me... And I love how the picture shows the signature, undecipherable but unique enough that someone might recognize it!

• Love the food but I've had bad service there before.  That said, That tip is a giant screw job

• I landed on this page directly. There is no "jump". 

• Cause it's Break of Dawn. Maybe I've had over-poached eggs once or twice, but their food is some of the best in OC. That's why!

• Not sure if you're a first-timer here (if you are, welcome!), but Break of Dawn is an impeccable place. No way there was a bad meal, bad service, etc.

• Dee would've said so—has nothing to gain by lying, and ain't one.

• If this were on Naval Gazing you'd be right... But since this is "Stick a Fork In It" a food a restaurant blog its quite apropos. 

• I poked a little fun of this place for its Portuguese sausage and eggs and Chef Dee left a thoughtful and informative comment back to me so I would have to think that he has integrity enough not to make this up...  But are we certain they didn't leave a little cash and just rounded the bill up? 

• No excuse? How about poor service, badly cooked food, incorrect dishes brought out, or any other failures that would ruin your expensive night out. Why do we assume the tipper was at fault vs the server/chef/restaurant? Now, having said the above, I do agree if service and food is adequate, 10-15%, if service is very good, 20%, exceptional 25% or more.

• Mike Carona: is that you?

• Maybe they thought tip was included. Either way, DUMB.

• It's good to see that the OC Weekly continues to uphold their sterling reputation for reporting only the most newsworthy events.

• That's terrible. I can see why most places have a mandatory tip for large party. Pinche cheapskates!

• ...except when you use a jump.

• There simply is no excuse for using "after the jump" when viewing a full article page. None.

• Douchebag. Even in France, the tip amount would be higher on such a large check.

TotalComments: 72