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The only member of that particular program's panel who had never really worked in a restaurant was, naturally, the first one to pipe up with an opinion. I'm not outing him as a tightwad, and I can't recall the exact wording of his response, but the essence of his answer was that he either didn't tip on wine at all or deducted the price of the wine from the check when calculating the tip before maybe throwing in a couple of extra bucks.
I sputtered my rebuttal because I was so offended by the cavalier sensibility of both the caller and my fellow critic. A server is a commissioned salesperson, I argued. Why should he or she be penalized for selling an expensive bottle of wine? No one would suggest that a restaurant patron leave the exact same tip for a burger than they would for, say, a Kansas City strip, though it may take exactly the same level of effort to take both plates of food from the kitchen to the customer's table.
I have never claimed to be a wine connoisseur, but in the early days of my 16-year serving career, I attended enough professional wine tastings to be able to make some kind of reasonable recommendation to customers unfamiliar with the vintages on the wine list. It was pretty easy in the early 1970s, when most casual-dining customers rarely ordered wine; if they did, it usually was a glass of white zinfandel or the rotgut "house Chablis." The good news: I had only one customer who wouldn't tip on the vino.
I bring up this argument because a friend of mine — who has a dazzling knowledge of fine wine — likes to make a big production of ordering rare and costly vintages at local restaurants. When the check comes, he doesn't tip a percentage of the final tally of the bill; instead, he deducts the cost of the wine. Servers loathe him.
My friend Larry Roth, author of the Living Cheap News, is very frugal, but he still tips: "The wine, like the food, the service and the ambience, is all part of the dining experience," he says. "I tip on the whole package."
That's my whine ... where do you weigh in?
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I would never condone stiffing the server on a wine tip. However, after viewing numerous blogs on the subject, I can see why customers find server expectations and their "attitude" annoying. The opinion of many wine etiquette web sites and even professional chefs call for 5 to 10% tipping on wine (especially expensive wine that are near or exceed the meal cost) and 15 - 20% on the meal (all before tax). There are many in the restaurant industry strongly advocating 15-20 % (or more) on the total tab, including tax and wine. This is obviously in their self interest, and they wind up lacking credibility. Also lacking credibility - they always seem to insult the customer with crys of "cheapskate", or "if you can't afford to tip stay at home". An irrelevant misdirection, attacking someone instead of addressing the substance of the issue. Being able to "afford" a 20 % tip is frankly irrelevant. I can afford to tip 1000% on a $500 bottle of wine, but so what ? What is reasonable and appropriate ?
I think many people have a problem with the ever increasing mark-ups on wine (i.e. gouging), and the fact that a good bottle of wine could cost 3 to 4 times that of the entree. Should a waiter make a "professional level salary" off an expensive bottle of wine for a few minutes work ? Customer issues also include:
�There may be a 200 to 400 % mark up already there.
Does it take 10 times more effort to pour a $200 bottle of wine vs a $20 one ? (And I�m not talking about using the services of a professional sommelier).
�Does a $200 bottle take up 10 times more storage space than a $20 bottle ?
�AND IMPORTANTLY - Does a $200 dollar bottle of wine take as much effort to serve as the preparation, presentation, and serving of a $200 meal ?
Lets discuss the ethics, and avoid elementary school insults.
I would never condone stiffing the server on a wine tip. However, after viewing numerous blogs on the subject, I can see why customers find server expectations and their "attitude" annoying. The opinion of many wine etiquette web sites and even professional chefs call for 5 to 10% tipping on wine (especially expensive wine that are near or exceed the meal cost) and 15 - 20% on the meal (all before tax). There are many in the restaurant industry strongly advocating 15-20 % (or more) on the total tab, including tax and wine. This is obviously in their self interest, and they wind up lacking credibility. Also lacking credibility - they always seem to insult the customer with crys of "cheapskate", or "if you can't afford to tip stay at home". An irrelevant misdirection, attacking someone instead of addressing the substance of the issue. Being able to "afford" a 20 % tip is frankly irrelevant. I can afford to tip 1000% on a $500 bottle of wine, but so what ? What is reasonable and appropriate ? I think many people have a problem with the ever increasing mark-ups on wine (i.e. gouging), and the fact that a good bottle of wine could cost 3 to 4 times that of the entree. Should a waiter make a "professional level salary" off an expensive bottle of wine for a few minutes work ? Customer issues also include: • There may be a 200 to 400 % mark up already there. Does it take 10 times more effort to pour a $200 bottle of wine vs a $20 one ? (And I’m not talking about using the services of a professional sommelier). • Does a $200 bottle take up 10 times more storage space than a $20 bottle ? • AND IMPORTANTLY - Does a $200 dollar bottle of wine take as much effort to serve as the preparation, presentation, and serving of a $200 meal ? Lets discuss the ethics, and avoid elementary school insults.
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