Being a server isn’t a dream job or a walk in the park.

It can be very testing to deal with different personalities and attitudes on a daily basis. Some people are kind customers that respect their servers and the work they do. Others view servers as just that, servants. Some guests see servers as people that are there to meet their every demand, no matter how impolite or rude the guest may be. Servers are more than that, though. They are people doing what they must to make a living and get by. Some even truly enjoy being a server. Sometimes it is a series of events or circumstances that lead a person to being a server instead of working their dream job. Other times it is simply because they are in school working toward their future career. Either way, they are just as human as the guests that come to eat at restaurants.

The controversial topic that surrounds servers is that of tipping.

Many people don’t know that servers do not get paid much hourly. Most states offer less than three dollars an hour for servers that work for tips. This means that a server relies on tips to make a living. A server may also have to tip out bartenders and hosts if the restaurant requires it. This means that a server doesn’t even get to keep all of their tips most of the time. If a family sits at a server’s table for two hours ordering an appetizer, entrée and dessert, accumulates a bill of over $60 and leaves a five dollar tip, the server didn’t even make minimum wage for the time spent on that table. This is why many people believed in tipping 20 percent of the bill. It is understandable to not tip well if the service is terrible, but most servers work hard to ensure a great experience for the guests. Every refill, order, delivery, and service is harder to manage when the server has multiple tables at once. If a server is managing an abundance of guests and still delivering great service, then they definitely deserve to be tipped.

Many people say that if you cannot afford to tip, then you shouldn’t go to a restaurant to eat. I agree with this 100 percent.

If a server isn’t getting tipped, then they aren’t getting paid. No, it isn’t a customer’s job to ensure that a server gets a payday. But it is common courtesy for a guest to tip adequately for the service, time spent at the table and the cost of the bill. The more a customer’s bill is, the more the server is working.

Yes, it is the server’s job to do these things, but that measly 2.15 an hour isn’t much reward for great service.

If you go out to a restaurant just remember that your server is working to support themselves and maybe others. They aren’t getting paid much and rely on tips to get by. If you don’t want tip a server, then that is what fast food chains are for—quick service and low cost. But if you want a dining experience with great service, you can to a restaurant and sit. Just remember to tip you server.

They work hard so you don’t have to.