Letter to the Editor 1/11

To the Editor,

I am amazed that The Pitt News allowed such an ignorant and offensive article… To the Editor,

I am amazed that The Pitt News allowed such an ignorant and offensive article that is devoid of logical reasoning to be published. With his Jan 8 article, “Gratuitous gratuities unacceptable,” Jacob Brown has not only misinformed the Pitt community, but essentially demeaned the work done by servers and bartenders throughout Pittsburgh. As a server for three years, I could not have been more shocked at his misinformation on the purpose of tipping.

Brown fails to mention that servers never see full minimum wage on their paychecks. Servers and bartenders get taxed nearly double what a regular part-time job gets taxed. I have had paychecks that [were] literally $0, and I have known servers who actually owed money. Our tips are our wages, and for some of us, these wages are used to pay rent, bills, and college.

When servers serve food late, customers need to understand that it’s not always their fault. The sad part about being a waitress is that you get blamed for everything because you are the customer’s interface to the restaurant. If food comes out late, don’t immediately berate servers and deduct their tip. Often, it is the kitchen that’s backed up.

Is not tipping poor form? Yes. If you were so hungry, go to McDonalds or Subway, you don’t have to tip there. Why would you come into a restaurant and ignore the service component of your meal? Stiffing your server is like stealing: you received something for free that really shouldn’t be. Why? Because on average a server will be at your table several times a night, provide you with drinks, food, dessert and anything else you desire — that is our job! It’s unfortunate that tips are not included in the bill, but that’s the way it is, sorry. It is extremely expensive to run a restaurant, and if the owners had to pay their servers above minimum wage, they would have to raise the food prices, thus eating out would become less desirable.

If you don’t have the money to tip an extra couple dollars, then you probably shouldn’t be eating out at all. You’re wasting our — and other paying and tipping costumers’ — time by filling up our restaurants. As for not tipping bartenders, it’s usually an extra dollar. You’re really that cheap?

Kiersten Schilinski

School of Arts and Sciences