In an effort to help customers understand what the correct gratuity should be, many restaurants are printing tipping suggestions at the bottom of the receipt. This is helpful for those customers who still live in the dark ages and don’t have a calculator or an “app for that” on their phone. It can be a great help for servers except when the gratuity suggestions are wrong, wrong, wrong.
Case in point: this receipt from Texas Roadhouse. It was sent to me by a server who works there and noticed that the totals are way off. I have covered up any incriminating evidence on the receipt because I do not want the server to get in trouble. I will say this particular restaurant is in Texas. On the receipt, the total for food and drinks is $59.97, before tax. With tax, the total is $65.67 and if this was my receipt, it would be no-brainer for at least a $13 tip. Well, the good folks at Texas Roadhouse have a tip guide that doesn’t even come close to $13. According to their calculations, a 20% tip is $6.40. Ummm, that ain’t 20%, Texas Roadhouse. It’s actually only 10.672% and that is a shitty tip. What they claim is an 18% tip is really a 9.6% tip and their suggestion of 15% is only a 8%. Oh, fuck no.
The server tells me that she has brought this miscalculation to the attention of her manager and his advice was to simply rip off that part of the receipt. No, manager, that is not an option. The correct response would have been as follows:
Oh man, I am so sorry. That is completely unfair and I will immediately go fix that. If I am unable to change it myself, I will call corporate and have them correct it. Please accept my apology as well as this coupon for a lifetime supply of our Hurricane Margarita.
The sad thing is that so many customers would look at that 20% total and be stupid enough to think it’s correct. They will waddle out of the restaurant with their bellies full of fried pickles, ribs and Big Ol’ Brownie thinking they left a good tip when they only left 10% or less. Since the server has already asked her manager to change it and he basically just sharted out a side of apple sauce instead of doing the right thing, I think it’s time we share the hell out of this photo so Texas Roadhouse knows that some of their servers are getting the short end of the boneless buffalo wing. Am I wrong? Am I missing something here? Can someone explain it to me?
I bet if the right person sees this about their bogus tip guide for “legendary service,” someone will pull the Chicken Critter® Salad out of their ass and get it changed quicker than a Red Hat Lady can ask for a separate check.
On your mark, get set, GO!
By the way, if you like my bitchy attitude on this blog, you will love my book. You can preorder it on Amazon right now by clicking here.
Grumpy Cat
The percentage of a common tip seems to constantly go up with time. 20% is super high. Also, tip is pre-tax. You don’t tip tax. If you want to give up ludicrous amounts of cash for a tip to support labor that their employer doesn’t wanna pay, have at. If you feel that you should make more money via tipping because you make 2 dollars an hour due to a stupid law, I’d suggest getting another job.
John Sahlberg
Hello
Guess what ,this is still going on in may of 2018 ,I just sent a note to corporate ,said they would check it out .
What a joke . The food was great and we tipped the appropriate amount
Mmp
Heather, I work for Darden and they also have an emergency fund for employees. Seems you’re the one who’s speaking without being fully informed.
Jessica
I worked at Texas Roadhouse for a shirt time. I noticed this as well. I didn’t care working there. Most of my guests tipped in credit, but come check time I wouldn’t see any of it. I literally made around $200 one week in credit tips and got a check for $15. Explain that Texas Roadhouse.
Pam
You should send this to Kent Taylor the founder of TRH and say “i noticed this and this is what my managers solution was. Anything we can do about this?” He has plenty of time going around doing “Bubba in your face” surly he can fix this.
Sam
Restaurant manager here– this looks like management has not coded items correctly in the back office computer. when buttons are input into to the POS, there’s all sorts of boxes that you need be sure are ticked so the item prints to the correct printers in the kitchen and shows up in the correct places on your back end reports, permit the application of certain discounts, AND is included or excluded from suggested tip calculations. A lot of managers are intimidated by the back office menu stuff (I am too!), but this can be fixed with a quick phone call to the tech support of whatever POS they use.
Iggy
This has been an ongoing issue since the day TRH started putting the tip guide at the bottom of the checks. It happens when there is any price adjustment to the original bill through discounts, coupons, promotions, gift card sales, guest satisfaction, etc., or if an item is ordered through the TO-GO icon, however, our store doesn’t do it with alcohol. With the TO-GO’s I hand type “to-go order please” then send it to the kitchen as a regular order and bypass the TO-GO icon all together. I feel justified in doing this since I’m taking the order at the table, boxing and delivering it to my table, paying a tip share to the house on those sales regardless of any tip I may or may not receive, and since I make a wage somewhat less than the minimum wage. Besides, the guest still gets to choose if they want to tip on it.
The tip guide math policy has been brought to the attention management, but rarely are our concerns addressed by them, and if we complain too much, well in this case, there is no need to adjust the tip guide, just the suggestion to adjust our attitudes. So most servers rip off the bottom of the bill, regardless of the figures being right or wrong. Keep in mind there are over 500 stores and management is bombarded with pressure ranging from their Marketing Partners (their boss), to guests often over mundane complaints, both which can affect their bottom line and bonuses, now since this issue doesn’t translate into $ for them it is a non-issue. It is what it is and I love my job, I know this to be true since I have a closet full of t-shirts that keep reminding me, so I’ve dealt with it. All joking aside, I really do love my job and here’s the good news, last night I noticed the suggested tip guide reflected the original bill and I don’t even live in Texas! So this original complaint got to the right person. Yee-haw! Thank you, thank you, thank you! A further suggestion to that awesome Corporate employee… Please consider rethinking the suggested tip guide with regards to the TO-GO orders and only address those bills that were ordered using the store “retail” number and retail items. My suggestion is to remove the suggested tip guide all together with any bill using the store retail number. Retail items, like gift cards, should be adjusted regardless of how they are ordered. If you do any research you will quickly discover the standard tip for TO-GO orders is 10%, but this is such a grey area it would really be best to just remove the tip guide from retail sales all together and let the retail guest decide all on their own if they want to tip. Our TO-GO girls work very hard to earn what little tips they do get through retail and this is a step towards them becoming Legendary Servers. The suggested tip guide of $0.00 on all their orders doesn’t give them much incentive to learn the menu and further obscures that grey area. Thanks again!
Lisa W.
Most folks leave whatever amount of a tip that they want. They pay no attention to those caculated numbers on the bottom of a receipt. I was just happy to get a tip when I waited tables for 24 yrs. Whatever amount I got I thanked the Lord for because at least that lil bit of money would help me pay rent, buy groceries, buy stuff for school for my kids etc, etc. And I don’t thin TEXAS ROADHOUSE is trying to screw their employees .
Chris
If the server would actually talk to the store manager, market partner or even call the support center they can fix that issue. Posting online doesn’t do any good as people do make mistakes and if you aren’t going to be part of the solution you are part of the problem. Most of the employees at the corporate office are very helpful and will work for their employees.
Michael
This was the canned response from the Texas road house Facebook page :
Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Michael. We want to make sure that our servers are properly compensated for the legendary service they provide to our guests. We have looked into this matter and the tip guide amounts do not include promos, comps, tax, or to-go items. We are working to include to-go items in the tip guide in the future via a new system.
Steve Hill
My texas roadhouse took a vote on whether to keep it or not despite if someone gets a to go item the total are wrong. We voted to keep it because it rarely happens and the tip suggestions do help overall, we actually asked for itl. I know my managers are not trying to screw us with this and neither is corporate. They want us to make money.
mikka
The only bad math is saying tip is on the food amount and not full tax amount
Did I miss something?
HATE REDNECKS IN ARNOLD, MISSOURI
IF PEOPLE CANT FIGURE OUT AT LEAST 20% OF THEIR TAB THEN THEY SHOULDN’T BE SPENDING THEIR WELFARE AT ROADHOUSE ANYWAY!!!! I CANT BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE ARE SUCH ASS HATS THAT THEY CANT FIGURE OUT A GOOD TIP, AND MOST FAT ASSES THAT COME IN OUR ROADHOUSE IN THEIR GREY SWEATPANTS, UNSHOWERED WITH A CAMO HAT ON SHOULD NOT BE EATING THERE ANYWAY. THEY SHOULD BE BACK AT THE TRAILER SAVING THEIR MONEY FOR THE 8 KIDS TO GET AN EDUCATION SO THEY DONT END UP LIKE MOMMY AND DADDY, ON WELFARE AND BEING A METH MONKEY!!!!
TOM WHITNEY
THIS MATTER SHOULD BE ADDRESSED THESE SERVERS DESERVE NO LESS. MOST SERVERS ARE ON THERE FEET 8 TO 12 HRS A SHIFT TO TO TRY TO MAKE ENDS MEAT FOR THEIR FAMILIES. THEY HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ENTIRE DINING EXPERIENCE. SUCH AS IF YOUR DRINK IS MADE WRONG YOUR FOOD IS COLD OR NOT PREPARED CORRECTLY. NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE THEIR FAULT BUT IN THE END THEY ARE THE ONES PEOPLE PUNISHED BY A LOUSY TIP. IF YOUR WAIT PERSON DOSE
EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO MAKE SURE YOUR REQUEST HAVE BEEN MET DON’T TAKE YOUR FRUSTRATION OUT ON THEM. THE EASIEST WAY TO LEAVE A TIP TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE BEING FARE IS MULTIPLY THE TAX BY 3 THIS WAY YOU WILL ALWAYS BE LEAVING 18-22 PERCENT. IF YOU CAN’T AFFORD THAT YOU SHOULD STAY HOME COOK YOUR OWN MEAL DO THE DISH’S CLEAN THE KITCHEN, THEN SIT DOWN BITCH YOURSELF OUT FOR BURNING OR UNDER COOKING SOMETHING. BUY THE WAY WHEN YOU ARE FIXING YOUR TIPPING PROBLEM AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SLIPS YOU SHOULD LEAVE OFF THAT 10 PERCENT JUST THINK OF ALL THE INK YOU WILL SAVE…JUST SAYING
CincyDrunk
WHY ARE WE YELLING!?!?!?!
Gretch T
Technically you’re supposed to tip the pre-tax amount. However, I always tip after taxes because I’m too lazy to look for the pre-tax amount – LOL
http://emilypost.com/advice/general-tipping-guide/
That said, the numbers on that receipt don’t seem to tie back to anything…
Mary
Bitchy, I wanted to share my response to Texas Roadhouse’s canned corporate reply:
https://m.facebook.com/comment/replies/?ctoken=10154262320535995_10154262848395995&count=1&pc=1&ft_ent_identifier=10154262320535995&gfid=AQCUb3Zs2xxBIZtP&ref=m_notif¬if_t=share_comment
elise
yeah but, Bitchy (and, like please, i do NOT condone what sounds to me like some high-minded social economics notion designed to justify penny-pinching, but it does gets some bandying around time), isn’t the tip calculated before tax? i haven’t calculated what the new tip would amount to in this Texas example because it’s late and i’m sleepy, but it eould get closer to being decent obv.
Lavender Brown
I have been a server for 25 years and every place I’ve ever worked, tip is based on the check total. Managers hound us about check average and how the higher the check, the more money for us. For this company to know that the computer doesn’t account for everything on the check and still leaving the tip suggestions on the check is just plain stupid. I’d be willing to bet there’s another reason they have done this. Somehow this tip “suggestion” is saving them money somewhere. Corporate restaurants don’t do anything unless it’s going to bring in revenue for them.
Sharon
You have spoken the truth!
Jennifer
Murrells Inlet, SC has the same problem. With summer coming with tourists it would be nice to have this fixed. Please and thank you.
Linda Voelker
Sounds to me like you have a lazy GM
Samantha
Yeah, Texas Roadhouse just replied to my comment and my sharing of the post in general with this:
Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Samantha. We want to make sure that our servers are properly compensated for the legendary service they provide to our guests. We have looked into this matter and the tip guide amounts do not include promos, comps, tax, or to-go items. We are working to include to-go items in the tip guide in the future via a new system.
How a giant corporation let this get by is beyond me? But I can say one thing, I saw over 100 posts with this link shared to their main page so you definitely got the attention of the company!! Hopefully we put the fear of servers in their cold little corporate hearts so now their employees can get properly tipped. (Counting on the fact that customers actually tip accordingly with or without a tip calculator, wouldn’t that be fantastic, or am I asking too much here??) lol, thanks again bitchy waiter!
Heather
From one former waitress to another, although your attempt to help protect these servers was full of good intentions perhaps you should actually look into a company before completely bashing them. Had you done your research you would have learned that this is indeed a computer glitch that at times may go unnoticed, not everyone is perfect nor should they pretend to be, but the company replied to your little rant with full intentions of making right (which is really all that should matter at this point). Instead all it took to put you on your high horse was the word of a random employee from a singular store, and there you were attempting to run a company through the dirt. Once you learned through the research that not every Roadhouse uses this tip guide option, you might have also learned that it is a one of a kind company and cares more about it’s people than any other restaurant chain I’ve had the experience of working for. For instance you would have discovered it is the only company with an emergency employee fund in the instance that an employee falls on hard times, and not just for the big wigs but we’re talking servers, hosts and dishwashers too. In fact there is an entire store that was built on the understanding that all of their profits would go towards this outreach fund. You may have also learned that each year there is a meat cutting competition in each region, for all those Legendary meat cutters did I mention the winner receives a check upwards of $20,000. These are just two examples of how this company goes above and beyond for it’s people, do some real research and I promise you’ll find more. So please next time you decide to be a keyboard warrior and spokesperson for all the servers out there get the facts, the next company you try to hurt may not have so many friends to support them.
Karen
TRH is not the only place that takes care of their employees when they fall on hard times. Ruby Tuesday’s had the same thing and they also had scholarships for employees as well as other chain restaurants I have worked for.
Anna
Just so you are aware it is NOT the only company that has a fund set up for employees who fall on hard times. Outback (and it’s affiliates), Arby’s (yes, even fast food restaurants) as well as many other corporate chains have programs to assist employees in need. Please do your research before bashing. Thank you.
Holly Heatherly
It’s all Aloha’s fault. I worked at a locally owned restaurant where the tip suggestion was always way off like this. It screwed us on what could be a good tip because the “math” was there and they didn’t give it a second thought. We would fold along the bottom part and neatly tear it off.
On a related note, we went to Texas Roadhouse for Valentine’s Day and noticed the tip suggestion, I told my boyfriend, “I bet that math is way off.” It was. I wrote in the Correct math in case our waitress never noticed the error, we tipped 40% and left.
In conclusion, people have a hard enough time with tip percentages and general courtesy, why make it worse with bad computer math?
Sharon
Hopefully whoever this is from their corporate offices will get it corrected. Otherwise, the answers given by the management staff can be replaced by three little words, “I don’t care.”
Please, pass the word when and if this is addressed.
Bottom line is, customers who have to have even a tip amount calculated for them are really lazy blobs… but, then that is blog post for whole ‘nother day.
Shannon
Former TRH employee here….First I was told it was a calculation on subtotal, then subtotal minus alcohol, then, just don’t worry about it. That MP is up for MP of the year (market-specific, I believe).
Michelle
I currently work at Texas Roadhouse and we have the same exact problem. Our general manager is aware and doesn’t seem to care. He said it is because the tip calculations don’t include alcohol? Why not? Also, we were told not to remove that part of the check.
Sharon
That does not make sense in this case because the only drink listed was $5.50. If you take that off the bill you still do not have 20% listed.
Jen
I work for TRH about a year ago our locations receipts had the same miss calculations at the bottom. We brought it to the attention of our service manager and our managing partner. They called the service desk and simply had them remove that portion of the bill. Bam problem solved! If the MP at this location refused to listen to the concerns of the rodiez (aka servers) then maybe he shouldn’t be an MP.
Tyler Durham
My name is Tyler Durham and I work at the Texas Roadhouse Corporate Office. We would love to know which location and restaurant this is for so we can get this corrected as soon as possible. Please email socialmedia@texasroadhouse.com. Thank you
Brooklyn
I actually have this same issue at my location. I work at the Blue Springs, Missouri #291 location.
Holly Heatherly
Well, you should probably just take it off. Aloha does this and there is a system option to not even have it on the receipt.
Linda Voelker
This is very simple to fix. I am in restaurant business in Las Vegas . I have it on my tickets. Your merchant company will help your manager fix this. Only a phone call away.
Sharon
Just take it off the receipts! I am not a moron… you do not have to figure my tip out for me.
Kendal
I am a waitress at Texas Roadhouse this receipt is probably misleading… Because Togo food isn’t calculated into the tip and they probably got some of that food as a Togo order !
Sharon
Sorry. That does not make sense… the receipt plainly has a table # AND it says there were 4 ( F O U R ) guests. Why would all four people go to pick up a meal and then leave to eat it??????
And, I don’t see the words “To Go” anywhere on the receipt.
Tom
This is 100% true I’m a manager for another chain and to go food is not calculated into the tip!
Alicia
Hey Tyler! This happens whenever there is a to go order added to the check. The GRATUITY SUGGESTION is based on all DINE-IN services received. Makes me mad that someone would post something like this about our company. It also upsets me that there’s that much ignorance out there in our field that employee’s don’t understand this concept.
This website got it…. Wrong wrong wrong!!!
Sharon
Then leave the suggestion OFF OFF OFF the receipt.
Mandy
I worked at a Texas Roadhouse in Tennessee for almost 2 years. I have to agree with previous posters…after we went to the Aloha system and gratuity was listed on our checks, it was consistently incorrect…TOGO or no TOGO.
Danielle
I worked for TXRH for many years before leaving a couple months ago to finish school and enter my career field. This actually happens ALOT. Pretty much on any check that has a comp or coupon of any kind. It ends up calculating off the total deducted from the check for some reason. Togo food shouldn’t actually make a difference.
AK
I work at a TRH and there is no suggested gratuity/tip guide listed on our checks. My guess is that this is a store- or district-specific issue, and could be easily rectified if brought to the attention of whomever runs the POS software for that particular store.
Alexis
I am a server at Texas Roadhouse and I have noticed this before as well. When I asked my manager about it, she told me it was because they ordered some food togo and the computer doesn’t calculate togo food as needing a tip. There may be a problem with this specific stores computer or they may not be telling you the whole story.
Eric
It looks like they’re using Aloha. The Aloha system is consistently wrong when calculating gratuity.
Hate how roadhouse fucks employees
YES, Aloha is always incorrect and has been for 15 years since I was in the industry!! This is not the only place that does this, Red Robin also did this for a while until so many of us bitched about it that it was taken off the tickets. This is a fuckin that Roadwhores is doing and they are greedy fucks anyway!
brandi
Yes and tip out. We were getting 0$ checks
John
They did the “E-Club RDM” line item incorrectly in the order of operations of calculating the tip+total. I bet that item isn’t on most receipts, so it only affects a very small percentage. Still a problem that should be worked out. Here’s how the math works out:
What it says is 20% — $6.40 — add the $6.99 back to that to get to $13.39. That amount is 20% of the total: $66.96 ($66.96 * 0.20 = $13.392)
Sharon
This make me need a gin and tonic…
Lee
Gratuity is not based on the amount with tax
. It is the amount before tax.
Andy
Still wrong dumbass and from your comment everyone knows your cheap
Briana
Umm not actually true.
Peter
The server’s make their money on tips, I always tip them 20% minimum , they have to tip out at the end of their shift, 7 to 10% ,if you don’t know how to tip please eat at mcd’ s .
Last time I ate at txroadhouse the food was awful, I still tip my server 20% she did her job and was very pleasant.
Marie
Yup!! Totally agree!!
Lynn
Still can’t believe people don’t know how to tip. How long have you been on this planet. Don’t you read papers? Can’t you do simple rounding of numbers and math? Plus if your annoying and most people can tell if they are being annoying, tack on a buck or two, if your servers cool with you. COMMON CURTESY folks!
Michael
Thats a good catch. The system is deducting 6.99 out of the tip too. Pretty crappy really.