When Paying Your Waiter/Waitress Is It Rude For Them To Ask "Do You Need Change?"

HacheMan · Dec 13, 2012

I consider myself a very good tipper, but I've noticed the following is becoming a popular trend with waiters & waitresses...

They bring your bill, you hand them cash, and instead of going to check you out & bring your change, as soon as they have your money in hand they ask "Do you need change?".

Ok... First of all if my food total is $40 and I hand her a $50, and he/she asks me "Do you need change" it's not that big of a deal, I say keep the change.

But, in cases like the other day I was at a restaurant and my bill was just under $50, and I handed her a $100 Bill and shes asks me that same question, I'm thinking to myself What The Hell.

Bottom line is... Is it even right for them to be putting the customer on the spot like that by asking "Do you need change?" instead of just being a good server and leaving it up to the customer what they decide to tip...?

seanm0520 · Dec 13, 2012

Personally, when I was a server/bartender, the only time I ever asked was if I was extremely busy and rushing around. If I had one or two orders up in the window, ready to go to my tables, often times I wouldn't even look at the bill(s) and just ask so I knew I didn't have to swing back around for anything more than thanking them and telling them to have a great night as they left. For me, it was two-fold though. If I'm handed a check and bills, but I have food waiting and there wasn't a runner or expo available, making change and bringing it back to the table is not first priority. Restaurant 101, hot food takes precedent over anything. So now, if I didn't ask a customer if he needs change and I just make the assumption he wants it, well it could be 5+ minutes before I get back around. Hot food, greeting new sat tables, refilling a drink or glass basically shoved in your chest as you walk by, etc. Chances are, my tip just decreased because who the fuck wants to wait for their change for 5+ minutes?

Asking ahead of time, allows me to in a pinch, and on my feet, prioritize and basically map out my next 10 steps.

stale · Dec 13, 2012

I understand the servers point of view, however, if you want to leave the change, people do it all the time, they say keep it.

Dylanger · Dec 13, 2012

Totally unexceptable but it happens all the time, really surprised its not brought to the waiters and waitresses attention by their manager staff that it is not to be done.

Jstack34 · Dec 13, 2012

seanm0520 · Dec 13, 2012

In most instances, at least the restaurants I worked at and managed, it was asked for the sake of the customer who actually does need change because as I said, hot food and hot orders take precedence over change and not asking, and simply making you wait, is far more unacceptable, in my opinion.

Murphy8276 · Dec 13, 2012

Im not entirely sure its rude persay if you are getting ready to go.. if u look comfortable and they ask in the middle of dessert or talking or whatever then I think they are shooting for a freebie sure.

-murph

BAGIANT · Dec 13, 2012

I remember when I used to watch the NFL on Sundays at a Marina del Rey restaurant in Ca., every single week when I paid the waitress with a $100 bill, she would seem to disappear. I always tipped her well, but I think she thought I had too much to drink and would forget about the money. I always had to hunt her down to get my change. Really would piss me off after it happened a couple of times.

seanm0520 · Dec 13, 2012

I say, if they haven't been a bad server, give them the benefit of the doubt in that they're asking for your benefit and simply for them to be able to prioritize. In a good, profitable restaurant, on a Friday or Saturday night in particular, you don't have a second, as a server, to have a thought of your own. It's absolutely a job where you need to know exactly what you're going to do next and where that has to be. It absolutely makes the job more efficient for the server.

Doug · Dec 13, 2012

I try to keep some small bills for such occasions and ask for the check halfway through the meal, so I don't have to wait to pay....this is where I love to slip in a $2 bill that might be mistaken for a $20.

the check holder thingee is often closed and the waitress doesn't know if it is a CC or cash , so not a problem to me..I don't think many have the tits

to think that no change from a $50 bill is due on a tab of say $30, tip there is $5-6 , not $20.....unless there is some happy ending to follow !

aceduecetrey · Dec 13, 2012

Doug said:
I try to keep some small bills for such occasions and ask for the check halfway through the meal, so I don't have to wait to pay....this is where I love to slip in a $2 bill that might be mistaken for a $20.

the check holder thingee is often closed and the waitress doesn't know if it is a CC or cash , so not a problem to me..I don't think many have the to think that no change from a $50 bill is due on a tab of say $30, tip there is $5-6 , not $20.....unless there is some happy ending to follow !

Doug you ever listen to the adam carolla podcast? He has a thing he does on there called "tales of the cheap". Lately some of the things you have been saying just remind of his segment. Not saying in any bad way, just reminds me of it.

The $2 mistaken for a $20 thing though is a very bad thing to do though as when the waitress goes to settle up at the end of the night, she is going to be out $18.

aceduecetrey · Dec 13, 2012

I over tip to an extreme. I worked in a bar and owned a bar, so it is just something I do. Almost always giving around 50% if not more, but that being said.....

I would rather have someone just say, "I will be right back with your change" and leave it kind of hanging, rather than the "do you neeed change"

JustinCruise · Dec 13, 2012

Of course not as long as they say "I'll be right back with your change" then you can say you don't need it.

CoolBreeze22 · Dec 14, 2012

BAGIANT said:
I remember when I used to watch the NFL on Sundays at a Marina del Rey restaurant in Ca., every single week when I paid the waitress with a $100 bill, she would seem to disappear. I always tipped her well, but I think she thought I had too much to drink and would forget about the money. I always had to hunt her down to get my change. Really would piss me off after it happened a couple of times.

they probably had to go to the cashier or office to get change for the $100 bill you gave them, if the person they're getting change from is busy that can probably take them out of their station for 7-10 minutes(thus making them fall behind elsewhere). Sometimes only to come back and have the person tell them"keep the change", or the guest has already left when the waiter just wasted 10 minutes going to get them change.

Doug · Dec 14, 2012

aceduecetrey said:
Doug you ever listen to the adam carolla podcast? He has a thing he does on there called "tales of the cheap". Lately some of the things you have been saying just remind of his segment. Not saying in any bad way, just reminds me of it.

The $2 mistaken for a $20 thing though is a very bad thing to do though as when the waitress goes to settle up at the end of the night, she is going to be out $18.

not to cheat someone out of $18....but it's funny when somebody thinks they got over-tipped and thinks a deuce is a twenty.

KillaRSox · Dec 14, 2012

I think the best thing for them to say is "ill be right back with your change".
Most of the time this is where the customer would come in with either an "ok" or "keep the change"

aceduecetrey · Dec 14, 2012

Doug said:
not to cheat someone out of $18....but it's funny when somebody thinks they got over-tipped and thinks a deuce is a twenty.

Got ya

JustinCruise · Dec 14, 2012

Hache Man said:
I consider myself a very good tipper, but I've noticed the following is becoming a popular trend with waiters & waitresses...

They bring your bill, you hand them cash, and instead of going to check you out & bring your change, as soon as they have your money in hand they ask "Do you need change?".

Ok... First of all if my food total is $40 and I hand her a $50, and he/she asks me "Do you need change" it's not that big of a deal, I say keep the change.

But, in cases like the other day I was at a restaurant and my bill was just under $50, and I handed her a $100 Bill and shes asks me that same question, I'm thinking to myself What The Hell.

Bottom line is... Is it even right for them to be putting the customer on the spot like that by asking "Do you need change?" instead of just being a good server and leaving it up to the customer what they decide to tip...?

I seriously doubt that most servers would ask that in this situation. Very very few would. That server is just dumb.

BAGIANT · Dec 14, 2012

CoolBreeze22 said:
they probably had to go to the cashier or office to get change for the $100 bill you gave them, if the person they're getting change from is busy that can probably take them out of their station for 7-10 minutes(thus making them fall behind elsewhere). Sometimes only to come back and have the person tell them"keep the change", or the guest has already left when the waiter just wasted 10 minutes going to get them change.

No, that wasn't the case with this broad at all. She was a real hustler. She had all her cash on her tray and that was her bank. She knew exactly what she was doing.

HacheMan · Dec 16, 2012

BAGIANT said:
I remember when I used to watch the NFL on Sundays at a Marina del Rey restaurant in Ca., every single week when I paid the waitress with a $100 bill, she would seem to disappear. I always tipped her well, but I think she thought I had too much to drink and would forget about the money. I always had to hunt her down to get my change. Really would piss me off after it happened a couple of times.

A few weeks ago I was out and standing at the front of a bar for about 45 minutes.

I watched this female bartender wait on many ppl and instantly picked up on what she was doing.

She would bring them their drinks, take their payment, go to the register, then lay their change to the side as a "just in case" precaution, then coincidentally get busy talking to other ppl, never returning to the customers with their change, as they would eventually tire of waiting and walk away.

I'm sure she had the system down pat and would monitor ppl she would wait on throughout the night & use her own judgement on which ones she could attempt that with.

Finally one lady waited & waited for her, questioned what she paid for, and called her out on it.

The bartender then told the lady "Oh I'm sorry honey I have it it's right over there" as she pointed towards register (remember the 'just in case' stack I mentioned above just in case this happened).

No telling how much money she was pocketing by ripping ppl off night after night...

When Paying Your Waiter/Waitress Is It Rude For Them To Ask "Do You Need Change?"

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