What is the difference between substandard service, the minimum requirements, and outstanding service?

I have never worked in a restaurant but I used to work in a customer service position and I always tried to give outstanding service to everyone that came into the store. I never thought that I should provide substandard service or even just provide the minimum requirements.

I don’t have a problem with pooled tipping as long as the owner does not take a cut. All the staff has worked for our meals even if we only see the waitress/waiter and they are ALL deserving, in my opinion. But since the owner sets the prices and the wages, they can adjust them therefore, no tip for the owner.

Owners & Managers can't participate in Tip Pools. Read the link I provided earlier in the thread. It's against Federal Law.

Oh goodie. A Thread about a topic that has never been broached here.

Sooooo interesting and fresh.

Because other businesses pay the current state minimum wage, which is $11/hour. Restaurant owners are only required to pay their tipped employees $7.98/hour minimum, and the tips are counted toward the $11/hour state minimum. If their tips don't combine with the $7.98 to make that $11/hour, then the restaurant has to kick in the difference - resulting in tipped wait staff earning as little as $11/hour - state minimum - even if they're getting tips from customers.

I would never work for tips as someone's employee, if those tips weren't on TOP of minimum wage. Customers don't owe me my day's wages, that's the restaurant owner's responsibility. If he can't afford to pay a waiter $11/hour, allowing the waiters to not count tips toward their hourly minimum wage, then he can't afford to have waiters.

Even when I was busking in Boston exclusively for tips, I earned more than minimum wage.

They might not be ALLOWED - but that doesn't mean they CAN'T. May, shall, must, may not, cannot, must not, will, will not - these all have very specific meanings.

I am not allowed to run a red light. But there's nothing actually stopping me from doing so, if I really wanted to. I CAN run a red light. I am not allowed to, but I most definitely can.

Owners and managers aren't supposed to take the tip money, and kitchen staff and any other staff that works for minimum wage or better, shouldn't be getting a portion of tips from wait staff who earns less than minimum wage without those tips.

Kitchen staff all get minimum wage or better. Wait staff gets LESS than minimum wage, because they are expected to make up the difference with tips.

You really need examples? Maybe you didn't have very good customer service skills, if you don't know the difference. But sure here's some examples:

Substandard customer service for wait staff:
Not coming back a few minutes after serving the meal to make sure they don't need anything - more napkins, top off the water glass, check on the first couple bites of their meal, etc.

Standard customer service for wait staff: making sure the orders are taken correctly, and if there's a delay in serving, then communicating that - along with an apology - to the customer.

Good customer service for wait staff: noticing that a customer at a table NOT assigned to them, just dropped their napkin and immediately replacing it instead of making the customer wait for their own waiter to handle it.

Excellent customer service for wait staff: upon learning from their customer that it's their birthday, bringing the manager over to express a personal "happy birthday" on behalf of the restaurant to the customer. With or without a free dessert.

Personally, I think that if people stopped tipping servers completely, the service in restaurants would get better, not worse. Restaurants would need to hire better employees, pay them more, and they would have more control over their performance. I agree with the poster who said that tipping is nonsense.

One of the questions that is never truly addressed is this, "what really constitutes complete, proper, good old C grade customer service?" Personally, I expect the staff to be business like but pleasant. Take my food and drink order. Bring the order and verify it is correct before withdrawing. Make at least one check mid-meal to see if we require anything else. Finally, observe when we are finished and bring us the correct bill and follow the restaurants payment protocol. Worse might include rudeness, wrong order, wanting to be overly friendly, or wanting to tell us about their day, and my pet peeve, after ignoring us until we are ready to send out a search party for the server, they show up with fresh drinks that you didn't order just so you will think they were paying attention.
And if they earned a good, solid C, they need do no more. Being mildly attentive (warming your coffee, for example) but not intrusive is good. Too much attention (hovering over you) is intrusive and annoying.
Outstanding customer service? Remember, this is normal average waiter/waitress. Seriously, what is there for them to do in a restaurant? Heinrich maneuver if I start choking, wash my car while I'm eating, or donate a kidney if mine should fail while I'm at their restaurant. Really, "outstanding" service! What can it possibly be in your neighborhood Bob Evans or Chili's?

When I am ready and check is nowhere in sight I get up ready to leave walk by the front desk and mention I have to leave now. Lo and behold, the check appears immediately, before I step out the door. Not that I have to do that often, but it works.

Many restaurants in UK have stopped taking orders at your table.
On arrival you are seated and given menus, and after making your choice you order at the bar, and pay at same time.
Many establishments also have their own apps, and you can order and pay from cell, without leaving your table.
Less staff needed to bring food to tables.
Tipping is disappearing with this type of system as nearly all meals are paid with contactless payment.

I would disagree, I have worked in several chain restaurants and never tip pooled. Out of my tips I did have to tip the bartender for service bar and food runners if there was one on schedule that shift, but never pooled tips.

Once again, a post about tipping. Apparently, from a waiter or waitress. Give great service, you get a tip. Don't and you won't. Next subject, please.

Sorry to disagree with you. If you only tip 5%, maybe you should just eat at home