I am a part-time server and admit, when I see a group of 18-year-olds seated in my section, I am not exactly excited. Today's typical college students, or anyone born between the 1980s and the year 2000, are considered members of Generation Y. Generationsatwork.com describes Generation Y as being "sociable, optimistic, talented, well-educated and open-minded." The list of positives mentions nothing about being good tippers. Now I thought that those who tipped poorly merely were, well to put it bluntly, cheap. In my research on tipping, however, I came across a Web site, passionsaving.com. The Web site has several recommendations that are reasonable, but some not so. It makes me wonder what impression someone who hasn't done the research on tipping thinks. I tend to think that there are a lot of people out there that don't understand how much servers do behind the scenes. I also believe that if they did, they would be a bit more generous. Besides that, students, of all people, should realize that when you see one of your peers waiting tables, they have the same bills, obligations and stresses-more reason to help your fellow 'millennial' out. Senior public relations major Grace Proctor is a former server who has experience serving young adults. She also admitted that she never looked forward to serving her peers. "I think many people don't tip well because they might not be working themselves," explained Proctor. Not leaving a large tip might make sense if you are living on a small budget, especially with today's economy. But if you can't afford to tip well, can you afford to eat out? Procter commented that there were numerous times she wanted to explain to customers, "Hey, I'm in school and have to be careful with money, too." Mike Lash is also a senior and has been a server for almost two years. Lash, an art major, serves part-time at Molly Woo's in the Polaris Mall. His tip earnings help pay rent, utility bills, and other expenses. Lash claims that when his section is seated with customers that are teenagers or in their early twenties, he attempts to have another server pick up the table. "I always predict the worst tip. Luckily, it's never as bad as I thought," said Lash. "But the tip is hardly ever 20 percent either." Lindsey Rudibaugh is a peer that I actually would not mind serving. Rudibaugh is a sophomore early childhood education major and says that her parents taught her at an early age to tip servers 20 percent. "I always use my cell phone to make sure I tip enough," said Rudibaugh. Not only does Rudibaugh understand that tipping goes along with the process of going out to eat, but she also understands another extreme pet peeve of servers: customers sitting too long at the table. Many times customers will order, eat and then sit at the table forever after finishing their meals. They ignore the fact that without tips, servers make next to nothing an hour. What they don't understand is that while a party sits at a table for hours, they are taking away from money the server could potentially earn. "My girlfriends and I are bad about sitting at a table for hours," explained Rudibaugh. "When we do I always try to tip the server much more than if we left immediately after eating." Brilliant girl. I wish more people thought of tipping the way she does. And as your peer, I beg of you to consider this next time you go out to eat. What would you think if you only received a tip of loose change and pocket fuzz? And remember, pocket fuzz doesn't pay the server's rent.t&c;
Gratuity not included
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