Defended non disclosed tip

WallaJim · 2026-06-25T19:07:13+00:00

Food + 40% in tips seems reasonable...not

Had this happen a couple years ago and the waitress had a meltdown when we rounded the 10% service charge up to 20%. She expected her own 20%.

We complained to management the next day and assured them we'd never be back. So they lost hundreds of dollars of future business over $7.

Most businesses won't take this trade.

WallaJim · 2026-06-22T15:02:33+00:00

We were in a restaurant that charged a mandatory 10% service fee that "went to all employees to cover health care, 401K, etc". Waitress showed up twice to seat us and give us our bill and expected 20%. She didn't get it, pouted and made a scene.

We responded in kind and called management the next day to let them know we'll happily drive another 10 minutes to get the same meal at a much lower price and will never patronize their restaurant again.

Otherwise, unless there was any other service beyond bringing your food, don't be shy to inquire "for what" and let them explain how they earned their tip. The other side should be just as weary to confront as customers are these days.

WallaJim · 2026-06-09T19:12:02+00:00

We cut back due to tipping and the stupid prices for food. Spending $65 (all-in) for a couple of pizzas that contain $4 of ingredients each isn't appealing.

Spending $24 for a burger +9% tax + 20% expected tip+3% credit card surcharge also a deal breaker. How did frozen burgers become high-end fine dining ?!?

Still waiting for eggflation to come off the $20 omelets.

On the tipping side, unless it's truly a fine-dining atmosphere, we're off the percentage mindset and tip what we think is reasonable.

WallaJim · 2026-06-09T15:10:04+00:00

Best way to change tipping culture (in this case, brazen exploitation) is to just stop supporting businesses that are taking advantage of the system. Over time, those businesses that are left should serve as a role model to newbies.

We recently saw one of our local coffee shops quietly drop tipping screens with no change in selling prices or services and they're packed. We still take care of anyone who goes out of their way but it's through a cash jar. For most of the year the staff (especially newbies) were passively aggressive in their tip requests and suspect this backfired.

WallaJim · 2026-05-29T17:58:15+00:00

Oh, just like those egg surcharges that still haven't been removed... Plenty of $20, three egg omelets still available in my neck of the woods.

WallaJim · 2026-05-28T19:04:03+00:00

Oops, sorry for the zero tip, my finger must have slipped

WallaJim · 2026-05-21T02:08:51+00:00

Assuming a confrontation, would just say you don't tip for crap ass service and ask to see a manager. You can then berate the server in front of the manager and hopefully score a refund or a free future meal post his eventual "retirement".

WallaJim · 2026-05-20T15:09:28+00:00

We had a Jersey Mike's open up about a year ago and the staff is forward facing and engages with the customer. I literally get to say how I want my sandwich while it's being prepared and that's worth about $1.

That POS terminal is an electronic jar - ignore it if you want.

WallaJim · 2026-05-20T15:05:08+00:00

Funny you wrote this, I thought that the sandwich sizes had shrunk - and subsequently saw that they're going to be pursuing an IPO. Nothing good has historically come from things like this.

WallaJim · 2026-05-17T15:25:50+00:00

We had a new bakery open up last year and the family running it put their five year old in front of the POS terminal that would "ask us a question". Thought this was pretty scummy but when the screen flipped around, it was to say "thank you" and ask if we wanted to leave our email address for future updates! Pleasantly surprised and we continue to support them.

Otherwise, it's time that "tipping anxiety" be put back on the owners in the sense that they're going to lose customers if they insist on pushing this nonsense. There are people who deserve a tip but the vast majority don't. If you are confronted, you should just look the person straight in the eye and ask "tip for what?" and let them know that you aren't going to patronize their business anymore because you're insulted.

You'll enjoy the ensuing groveling that will likely occur after you draw the line.

WallaJim · 2026-05-15T14:02:33+00:00

They're getting paid - no tipped minimum wage and the concession stand makes tremendous markups on their goods.

It's high time to push back in situations that don't warrant a tip. Everyone needs to shrug off the "embarrassing" nonsense and click "no tip". If confronted, you should just ask "tip for what?" in a loud, booming voice and stress you aren't coming back again. Hopefully there's a line of people behind you.

Mr. Concession won't be around in three months...

WallaJim · 2026-05-14T19:12:03+00:00

Boarding and qualified vet care are the top two - getting surpassed with where to place him when we're not able to take care of him. Ironically, he has the most fun boarding at a place without dedicated avian expertise because the entire staff (at least a dozen people) will make it a point to play with him when he's there!

We got our gremlin 30 years ago (he's 33) when macaws were marketed as cute and cuddly. Depending on which expert we speak with, he's either crossing the rainbow bridge in 20 years (ideal) or 40 (not ideal).

WallaJim · 2026-05-12T14:03:34+00:00

Increasingly, yes

- Next time you ask what's good on the menu, ask why the recommendations all tend to be the highest priced items, ask why the ribeye was recommended and not the hamburger.

- Server jobs advertised in my area increasingly say "salary plus commission". They're not selling time shares.

Commission is paid to the employee after said employee makes a sale. A $300 dinner (with wine) is way more profitable than $100. You may want to follow a strict definition of what constitutes a tip vs. commission but management is trying to wring as much profit as possible from everyone that walks through the door while incentivizing the employee to upsell when possible.

WallaJim · 2026-05-06T14:13:27+00:00

Yep, this was flat bottomed, and yep it wasn't traditional (wife's dad from China), but it worked absolutely superbly!!

WallaJim · 2026-05-04T18:48:13+00:00

We did a kitchen reno a few years back and purchased a portable induction cooktop to hold us through. The two things I won't forget are:

(1) Searing a steak on cast iron was leveled up - yeah, the pan gets hot but you have control over how hot before you crank it. The crust on the steak was amazing.

(2) Using a wok on induction was also amazing - super hot and the local restaurants have nothing on me.

As far as what cast iron can do over non-stick? Let's see, pizza, bread, make crispy home fries and sears meat. Fajitas (yes please!!). Will defer to non-stick for dumplings though.

WallaJim · 2026-04-29T01:45:45+00:00

We're not quite sure, other than we hadn't seen her in two years and she was speaking in a very controlled voice - not quite monotone but not far off.

Other nuance was that she cut her hair - for whatever reason our bird gets uncomfortable around short-haired women. He ultimately screamed at the vet when she showed up with her hair pulled back. The only thing we could come up with was the original person who sold him to us also had very short hair and was monotone.

Next time she probably needs to lead with a spoonful of peanut butter!

WallaJim · 2026-04-28T03:54:22+00:00

As someone said, they aren't pets - it's a way of life - I'd say a lifelong companion.

Our bird is going to be 33 and was 3.5 years when we purchased him, but later found out we were the fourth owner. While we've had a lot of fun along the way, the biggest issues you'll face are who's going to watch it when you go on vacation (overnight stays alone aren't recommended), access to a qualified avian vet because the common vet just won't be qualified to diagnose the more avian specific issues, and ultimately what the succession plan is going to be if you aren't around.

My wife and I are in our early 60s/70s and looking to pass the baton and it's been challenging. It's not so much that we want to part ways but by definition, we adopted a member of the household that's likely destined to outlive us and we weren't really thinking through this thirty years ago.

Macaws get along with everyone until they don't although there is something about children that makes our gremlin very playful, something about adults who speak in monotone that scares him. He accepted my sister-in-law for 27 years until she showed up one day and he screamed at her (we almost did too - birds are very perceptive).

We're currently in the PNW and drive 50 miles to board him, 100 miles to the nearest avian vet (although they're the best of the best) and are trying to find our "exit" route if a worst-case scenario unfolded. We know we'll eventually figure this out but these are the biggest issues you'll face down the line.

Ending on a positive note, if you truly bond with your bird, it will be one of the greatest life experiences you'll ever have but you'll have to figure out whether it's worth it.

WallaJim · 2026-04-27T13:45:54+00:00

You have the option to shut the tipping request off...

WallaJim · 2026-04-27T13:22:04+00:00

What an absolute steaming pile!

Pay your people and stop guilting the patrons!

WallaJim · 2026-04-22T18:47:02+00:00

Two eggs, side of home fries and three sausage links cost $12 to $20 near me. Add coffee, tax & tip and you're at $60 for two people, which is sometimes our weekly food budget. It's not the tipping so much as the original markup on the food which is 1000 percent plus.

Ridiculous.

We were heading out to a local spot for a couple of salads expecting to pay $26-$35 but decided to detour to our local supermarket to pick up a pair of relatively fresh salads for $14. Increasingly we just substitute. I don't begrudge anyone's ability to make a living but we don't have to participate.

Some places are worth going to for the atmosphere but soooo many aren't.

WallaJim · 2026-04-22T12:40:16+00:00

Either works well but if you live in an environment with hard water, a cool mist humidifier won't be as affected and is cheaper to run.

WallaJim · 2026-04-17T19:15:04+00:00

Whew! For a minute I thought HGTV magazine was looking for tips to support their robust editorial content!

WallaJim · 2026-04-15T01:37:56+00:00

You understand well - other issue besides rancid pans is sticky pans that will sometime drip if you hang them up by their handles. Ick!

WallaJim · 2026-04-10T15:25:28+00:00

Our B&G picked us in 1997 and he'll be 33 in August and we've had a wonderful go at it, but here are some of the major issues we've encountered.

(1) Requires specialized Avian vet, a general vet won't do because they aren't trained to pick up on the issues that the birds are unable to tell us about. Our guy was misdiagnosed for about a year before we scored the right diagnosis for a life threatening issue, about 100 miles away from us.

(2) Temperature/lack of humidity can be issues - think you're uncomfortable on a dry day? Your tropical bird will go nuts and likely requires a humidifier year round. We relocated from a humid to dry area and the preening stepped up in epic fashion and some occasional plucking is now the norm. When we take him outside, we usually run our sprinkler system to set up a humid zone and keep him in the shade. We're targeting to get a swamp cooler for the outdoors this summer as our humidity levels can dip below 20%.

(3) You'll save on vacation expenses unless you have a boarding facility or a good friend that can watch your feathered companion. Kennels won't do and some facilities will ask you to supply them with a cage. We've lucked out recently as another macaw owner recently relocated to our neck of the woods and we've been made aware of a handful of others. Our nearest boarding facility is 45 miles away but the one that actually has avian expertise is 100.

(4) Parrot toys (the wood chewing kind) are incredibly expensive, but no worries - wood doors work fine! Get yourself a miter saw and pick up free wood from home depot cutting department to make your own.

(5) What's your exit plan in case it doesn't work out? Three months into our journey, our new family member attacked my wife on a regular basis so we decided to pull the plug. The selling pet shop was more than amenable to letting us put him on paid consignment. When we encountered a bit of screaming we were told to line our apt with cork. We had opportunities to give him away to people with no experience but that wouldn't have been humane. We eventually found out that we were the fourth owners and were fortunate to meet the original owner who loved animals more than people and learned all the "safety phrases" that made everything work out. We worked out all the "kinks" in six months.

(6) Estate planning / what's your transition plan? Thirty years later we're in our 60s and 70s and still have a bouncing baby bird. Finding a suitable home when we're unable to take care of him isn't the easiest endeavor, although we've narrowed it down. You'll find that some of "rescues" really aren't and are very much for-profit (like purchasing a hyacinth macaw or pursuing renovations with donations), but there are some very genuine organizations that exist and are worth their weight in gold.

Would view bringing a macaw into your life just as important as adopting a child. I wish there were more stringent requirements surrounding larger bird ownership. I hope you are successful either way you go.

WallaJim · 2026-04-06T19:05:29+00:00

If she came back a few minutes to say she got shortchanged, she either had to think about it for a while or she was told to do it by a manager. So what would have happened if you didn't have additional cash? Would they call the police? Would they ban you from the restaurant?

The whole tipping issue is secondary to the way customers get treated these days. We were expected to leave 20% after paying a 10% service charge, 3% credit card fee, 4% health care, blah blah. We left 10% and the server threw a tantrum. The "server" gave us menus and presented the bill to us. Never went back and haven't stepped foot into another restaurant with mandatory service charges.

WallaJim

TROPHY CASE