Just a little
By Hannah Naughton
Kansan staff writer
Her section of tables was filled with more than 30 people. All were men, and the majority of them were drunk and acting obnoxious.
Danelle Spears, Lawrence resident, had been harassed mildly before while waiting on unruly customers, but this was different.
"I was under enough stress since it was still one of my first graveyard shifts," Spears said. "They were saying obscene, obscene, obscene things that I would never
James Grau / KANSAN
Your server may be earning less than minimum wage.
repeat. They had me in tears."
The group eventually was kicked out of Village Inn. 821 Iowa St., because of their behavior, and Spears received no tip.
Spears' worst tip experience may pale in comparison to other servers' experiences, but it is one example of what waiters and waitresses learn to stomach so their pockets will be full when their shifts are finished.
Servers make less than minimum wage, which is $4.25.
and rely on tips as their income, said Ron Lambert. Lawrence resident and bartender at Free State Brewing Co.,636 Massachusetts St.
In addition to bartending, Lambert has worked as a server at Free State. He said the rules for tipping food servers applied to bartenders, too.
twenty percent is a good tip," he said. "Fifteen percent is minimum. Below 15 percent makes the server wonder if they've done something wrong."
In his experience, Lambert found that most customers tipped in proportion to how the server made them feel.
If the food isn't up to par, the customers still will tip if the server makes them feel comfortable, he said. Lisa Grey, Overland Park sophomore, works as a waitress at Quinton's Bar and Deli, 615 Massachusetts St. She said that if waitresses were paid a set wage and didn't work for tips, the service wouldn't be as good.
"With a set wage you'd have unhappy people," Grey said. "Waitresses wouldn't care about getting the food out and wouldn't work as hard.
"If it were a set wage of $4.50 an hour, I would not do it," she said. "It is hard work. You're constantly on your feet catering to other people's needs. For $4.50 an hour, it wouldn't be worth it."
Mike Kidwell, Lansing senior, said he always tipped, but he didn't think tipping should be required for the customer.
"They are taking the expense out of the merchant's hands and are putting it in the customer's," Kidwell said. "Pay a waitress a good wage. Reserve tips for when they do an extra-special job. I pay what I think they deserve."
Aaron Franz, Olatee junior, tables at the Massachusetts Street Delicatessen, 941 Massachusetts St. He said some customers didn't realize everything they were paying for when they left a tip.
"We wait on them, clean up after they are gone and clean the restaurant at the end of the night," Franz said. Franz used to work as a server at the Woodlands racetrack in Bonner Springs. Franz said he had found that some people in Lawrence didn't know how to tip the correct amount.
"They don't realize what 15 percent is," Franz said.
"They'll get a bill for $29 and see the two and not that it is almost $30. They'll tip $2 or $3 instead of $3 or $4."
Franz also said the larger the bill, the more often the tip was less than 15 percent.
"Once you get past a five dollar tip, people's butts tend to pucker up," he said. "Some of them haven't been taught that 15 percent is standard."
Spears said tipping basically was a sign of common respect.
"We're doing something for them, and we should be paid for our services," she said. "If a person has enough money to come into a restaurant and order a meal, they should have enough money to tip their waitress."
Spears recommends that a tip should equal 15 percent of the bill's total. However, she also said that many times servers deserve more.
Village Inn is a popular place for students to study while sipping coffee and nibbling french fries. Spears said people should consider time when tipping and how many times the waiter or waitress checked on the table instead of basing the tip solely on the amount of the ticket.
Unal Yagcioglu, Istanbul, Turkey, senior, delivers pizzas for Gumby's Pizza, 1445 W. 23rd St. He said people needed to tip pizza delivery people because they didn't make much money without tips.
"I make $3.50 an hour," he said. "Ten percent is an average tip. Some give more, and some give less."
Chris Meyers, Olathe senior, said he tipped most servers because he used to rely on tips as half his income when he worked at a carwash. He said he tipped between 15 to 20 percent unless "someone was really rotten."
Brett Rosenberg, Kansas City, Mo., senior, said he would tip waitresses and waiters 15 percent unless he had to wait a long time or the food was really bad. He also said he would tip more if he had a lot of money and the service was exceptional.
He said he didn't tip delivery people because there was a service charge built into the total.
Hicks believes differently.
"They deliver you food," she said. "They're a waiter, too."
Lambert said tipping was important because most of the servers in Lawrence weren't working as part of a career but were going to school and supporting themselves.
"I would remind students that they are most likely being served by other students," Lambert said. "I feel like students should realize that everyone is in this together and should at least meet the traditional tip of 15 percent. If they do serve better service than before, show them."
The night of Spears' worst-tip experience with the rowdy men at Village Inn didn't end unhappily. She received her best tip that same night. Two men and two women, all about 20 years old, gave her a $35 tip on a $14 ticket.
"They said people should be appreciative of good service," Spears said. "I was really shocked. Maybe there is a little justice in the world."
Mama always did have her
Sometimes it's okay to pick favorites. Especially when you're picking for KU's Top of the Hill Awards. Vote for your favorite restaurants, bars, retailers and places on campus from November 6 to November 17. Entry forms will be published in The University Daily Kansan. You can find additional ballots in Wescoe Terrace (cafeteria), the Kansas Union Cafeteria (3rd floor of the Union) and at the Information Counter on the main level of the Kansas Union. Drop your completed ballots in the collection boxes at any of those three campus locations or at our business office at 119 Stauffer-Flint.
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