Gratuity's for Roofers

We had a guy buy a carton a smokes for every guy on the job and 1/5th of whiskey for us who didn't smoke. That was before the increase in cigarettes, shingles, and our personal labor rates.

My wife has 10 years experience as a waitress and still has a hard time deciding to add gratuity on checks larger than eight. If she doesn't, half the time she regrets it. Other times when she does grat the donkeys who are notorious for leaving a buck, she catches hell. I say plan on up to 20% when you go out, or cook it at home. However, negligent and lazy servers can eat pocket change as their punishment.

I'm always surpised by how meny tips my guys are afford. Sometimes I have to tell the customer not to give as much as they have in thier hand.

Good point twill....Only solidifies that wait-staff should be paid an appropriate wage for their work, as opposed to less-than-minimum wage, and rely on "Tips"...

"Tips/gratuities" should be just that...and not be considered part of a working wage.....Funny how things evolve/work-out.....

Hey; Maybe I'll start paynig 55.00/hr and tell customers that roofers rely on gratuities for their income...HOA's with 8 or more units, will be automatically charged an 18% gratuity....LOL

Last week homeowner bought 2 dozen donuts, coffee, OJ and sandwiches for lunch!

Once my guys all got $100 tip from a guy named Nichols (not nickles). Tips are few & far between.....we really just like being left alone to do our work.

A few weeks ago went TGIFridays. got the ribs. $46 for wife & I. She drank water I had Iced Tea. Tip came to about $7 for barely average decent service & less than average quality meal (wasn't the ribs....the sides sucked & were small)

A few days later we went to a local restaraunt. Got a chicken fingers meal and a sandwich w/ fries. Well under $25. A much tastier meal, w/ better service. The waitress got $5.........less than the TGIF waiter.

This has bothered me since then. Basing the tip strictly on the price of the meal is unfair. The waitress who got $2 less worked as hard, or harder than the waiter.

My guys have been given tips from HO's, on very rare occaisions.

Good one Rocky.....I gererally tip 15%-20% to applicable service industry workers where tips are considered intregal to their income....Never to, say, the plumber, HVAC service guy/etc. though.....

I will add a pet-peeve of mine as to wait staff gratuities; It pisses me off to no end. whenever they add a gratuity to my ticket w/o my approval...I always threaten to withdraw any tip what-so-ever, when that happens; But end up giving a generous tip anyway....

It's a "gratuity", which should be determinded by the customer, based on the level of service one receives; Not an entitlement.....If you wnat to charge more, so you can pay your employees a decent wage, then do so, by all means. But stop with the idiotic games.

I tip at most places. My wife has been in the service industry for 15 years so she's taught me the 20% rule. Of course 20% based on good service!

Just a couple days ago installed a skylight and and told them the bill was $800. He came out of the house with a check for $850 and his wife told him I better take my helper out for a nice lunch or dinner! The next day gave him $6 for lunch and said that was his bonus. What he didn't know what his real bonus with the lobster dinner that night at Red Lobster!

As far as tips I've gotten over the years? Boy, there's been a few... Last Fall did a roof for a son who's father I did a roof for and got a $500 tip. The son tipped us each a case of premium beer (7 cases). Gotten a lot of $50-100 tips for repairs.

The most has got to be the $3,500 tip a couple months ago...

As far as big tips I've given out? A couple years ago got my lumber yard reps roof bought and paid for via 2 blown off shingle tabs. Of course he got outstanding pricing not only being a rep for the yard but also the GM. My crew did the 35sq roof in a day and never billed him a penny. That year his referrals landed me about $100K in roof jobs... Funny too because several other roofers quickly caught wind I was doing his roof and they weren't happy about it. Really doubt my rep ever told them they couldn't beat me price...

comparing anyone in the restuarant,bar buisness to roofing is like comparing apples and watermelons. People in the restuarant typically work for less than minimum wage(legally) and depend on tips to make up the difference, sometimes much more than minimum wage. People in our industry make at least minimum. I have never excepted a cash tip, I have been offered a few times, but I have accepted lunches, soda's and water. My employees can except anything they want except alcohol. I,ve never considered tipping anyone other than food or barber and the pizza delivery

One time, I was doing maintantence for a lady that was continually underfoot and in the way. She seemed to think professional roofers couldn't even go up a ladder unless she was there to hold it. At the end of the job, she held out her hand for me to shake and I noticed it was cupped really wierd. I felt a moment of guilt at being annoyed by a woman with a deformed hand, but when I shook it, I found it had a $100 bill in it. She was from NYC, so I assumed it was some kind of a New York thing.

My helper gets $20 to 30 dollar tips pretty regularly.

The biggest tips I've ever encountered were from an heiress that gave both me and my helper an envelope with $500 while we were working there the week before Christmas. We do regular work for her and I've tried to schedule work around Christmas for her ever since.