Restaurants: Children and Celebrities

My daughter works locally part-time as a server at a microbrewery restaurant while going to college. Even as a teenager, she always worked on our little island resort town during the summer season. She is a sweetheart, has a great attitude, beautiful smile, and has experience in giving customers great service; she is a professional at what she does. Ever so often, she comes home commenting that someone was very rude, the people complained about everything or the children were out of control but the most insulting was them not tipping correctly or not at all when she had given the customer great service.

We come from a family of good tippers, actually we sometimes tip more than the standard, usually it is closer to 20% if not more. Many times people do not realize that not everything that goes wrong is the server’s fault i.e. kitchen problems, staff shorthanded, waiting list, or additional customer demands exceeding the reasonable for one table, etc. Note: Servers are not personal slaves or hired to take abuse from the adults or children.

This brings me to a couple issues, etiquette and tipping. With raising my children, etiquette was a huge issue and still is. It is amazing what you witness in restaurants these days by children and the parents that allow them to act out like monkeys. Please explain to me why the parents allow this behavior! I have my own theories, but give me a break, it is obvious to me that they are not taught properly at home. Etiquette being taught to children is another post, another day hopefully I will express a few pointers in the future. It is disgusting to me to see parents sit there while their children run through the tables, throw food, scream to get their way, totally misbehave and show no respect to others. Recently a restaurant posted a sign that caused a controversy and many other restaurants across the nation are doing similar things. Now a few mothers are boycotting and I found on one forum a mother’s reply “Hopefully this group will turn out a list of other restaurants they're boycotting. That way I'll know where I can go to avoid irresponsible mothers with bratty kids.”
I am a Single Mom and mine were raised to behave properly and they did. So, it definitely makes me wonder on children that have two parents why this is occurring everywhere and not just in restaurants.

Back to tipping, I saw on the news where some of the wealthiest people in our country are the cheapest when it comes to gratuity. At Celebrity Tippers-Saints N Scums provides a list and summaries. In our country many people rely on tips as their primary source of income here is a link to Tipping Guidelines

The story was reported using this link Bitter Waitress.com warning some of the descriptions have explicit details and strong opinions with language that may not be suitable for children. On their site under STD= Sh*tty Tipper Database, they offer a search option.
Britney Spears
Tom Cruise
Al Gore
Jennifer Lopez
John Kerry
I tried finding Republicans but no record of bad tipping reported, however Madonna and Martha Stewart came up…they should be ashamed. Do your own search and read the comments. (smiling)

At ivillage-Daily Babbler they reported on Ben Affleck with the title Waitresses Strike Back Against Cheap Celebs!

So does anyone have an opinion on tipping, children’s behavior and/or Cheap Celebrities? Myself I could careless about the celebrities, but there is no excuse for BAD MANNERS!!!
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