Thread: Tip or no?

Don't most places in the US specify a 10% tip? Not that that's too bad given your prices.

Tipping is completely optional over here any many people don't bother at all but there is a minimum wage of something like $11 an hour. It seems the more money people have the less likely they are to tip.

Back when I started working I went to people's houses and sometimes got tips. More so at Christmas and New Year or if I'd managed to knock the price down a bit by forgetting to list some parts. It was always the working class people who tipped well and the posh people with more money than they knew what to do with that wouldn't give you a penny or would hand you something like 50 cents.

I usually leave a tip at most places, apart from bars but sometimes I only leave a small tip like 10 dollars if I wan't impressed.

I've never been in a place here in the US that automatically charged a tip except when there is more than 6-8 people at the table... then they usually add 15% as the tip amount automatically. Some restaurants put a statement on the menu that says something like "gratuity (ie, tip) is not included in the price of the meal and that the customary tip is 15-20%"... that kinda pisses me off a little in a way... I'm sure I don't tip as well when I see that as I would normally.

It used to be that we tipped bartenders pretty well, even if the bartender was the bar owner. And we usually got a free beer for every 2-3 we bought. But that's changed... I haven't gotten a free beer in a bar for a good while. So I don't tip nearly as well in bars anymore. Come to think of it, now that they want anywhere from 2.50 to as much as 4.50 for a beer, I don't drink as much in bars anymore, either.

I visited New Orleans last year and was shocked by the high prices. Furthermore, I was shocked that you had to pay for soda refills and there was usually a "seating fee". After paying $3 for a soda with no refills and upwards of $15 for a simple dinner plus zero service, let's just say not many people got tipped on that vacation.

For the places that did offer refills and competitive prices, I tipped accordingly for the service.

As soon as we left New Orleans, I was relieved to have normal prices and service again.

Originally Posted by shavingsamurai

ok here is my issue

if you have a great diner that has an excellent waitress and the bill is $10

and
in a fancy restaurant you have minimum to subpar service and the bill is $100

So, if 20% for a great waitress --- $2
and
the subpar waiter would get $20

why am I paying the waiter more $$ to carry my food to the table, he didn't cook it, he didnt give me good service?? wy not tip him $2 and give the wiatress $20

Having worked the front and back of the house, I found a lot of Americans do not know how to tip or think the staff get minimum wage (they only get $2.50-$3.20 an hour) and some overseas visitors think it is like in some places in Europe where the "service" is included.

I leave 15% for the food arriving on time, hot/cold as appropriate, refilled drinks, recommendations from the menu, etc. Anything more or less than that will affect the tip. In a diner, where the waitresses are hustling to get the food out and get the tips, but the prices are so low that it is hard to make any, unless the experience was horrible, I'll leave them 30-40%. In expensive restaurants, I expect the service I gave when working the floor and the presentation when working the kitchen. 15% for average to good service, plus a small % for serving wine from the bottle or I will tip the sommelier directly. 20%+ for special orders, exceptions recommendations, etc. Bars/Pubs - % for cocktails, draft beer (pulled correctly...not a glass of foam)...everything else, round up. Doormen at hotels - $2-3 for getting a cab...more if the weather is crappy, Concierge - depends on the service. Bellhops - $2-3 per bag, depending on how heavy. Maid service - $3-5 per day, paid at the end of the stay. I will ask the name(s) of the maids to ensure they get the $$$. I general, I tip the most to the folks that work the hardest. Barber - 25-30%.
Believe me, you are remembered the next time you come in. Combine this with being a gracious guest and taking the time to verbally compliment the service and the food (ask for the chef if it was an amazing dinner...btw, don't tip the chef...we'd rather hear how you loved the food). The staff will talk and remember you...same as if you were a lousy tipper.



Greg

Originally Posted by azjoe

It used to be that we tipped bartenders pretty well, even if the bartender was the bar owner. And we usually got a free beer for every 2-3 we bought. But that's changed... I haven't gotten a free beer in a bar for a good while. So I don't tip nearly as well in bars anymore. Come to think of it, now that they want anywhere from 2.50 to as much as 4.50 for a beer, I don't drink as much in bars anymore, either.

Yes, this is particularly true in the corporate places. In neighborhood bars, here in NY at least, the house generally still buys every 3rd or 4th beer. I usually up the barkeeps tip a little in those cases. Few things are better than being remembered and having your "usual" waiting for you as take your seat at the rail.


Jordan

I tip 15-20% unless the service sucked and then they get nothing. If the service was passable, but doesn't warrant either a good tip or none, I'll leave 10%. That's across the board.

X

Originally Posted by DEwey

I tip for good service and appropriately for poor service.

However, I wanted to point out that carhops at Sonic make about $2.35 and are therefore in need of some small tip for good service. I know it's amazing that they are expected to make up for their salary in tips as a QSR carhop but it's true in my neighborhood.

This is the thing that amazes me is that business in food service are allowed to pay less because their workers get tips. As a food service owner I could expect you to be there all day, work your butt of but can pay you pennies because my customers may or may not give you a tip.

I tip very well if I get good service and quite low if I'm rushed to pay the bill because their shift is ending or it's clear I'm not staying for desert .

It leaves me a little confused why I tip a percentage now. I mean, is it harder to carry expensive food to my table?

When it comes down to it I'd rather be tipping the chef and perhaps leaving a buck for the waitress everytime she fills my glass. I can imagine if I layed a buck down every time my glass (our glasses) got filled he/she would clue in pretty quickly and that would improve my service dramatically.

My tip depends totally on the service. I average 20% for normal service, food hot, glasses kept full etc. I have gone as high as 150% on a full tab for a waitress that really worked her but off yet never interrupted a conversation or let a glass empty. my worst tip was 1 penny stuck to the table with gum and a chat with the manager because she not only gave poor service but actually disturbed me and others by talking too loudly to her friends at another table in full view of the customers.

I don't tip the bartender much for pulling a beer but I do tip them for being friendly with me if I am sitting at the bar especially when I am alone. cocktail waitresses always get a tip equal to the price of my first drink or more in cash when they bring it if I'm planning on being in that seat a while, then I'll run a tab, and get prompt service the rest of the night no matter how crowded it gets in there. At the end of the night I do tip according to my tab as well.

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

t leaves me a little confused why I tip a percentage now. I mean, is it harder to carry expensive food to my table?

Good point. I suspect the tipping percent custom is a throwback to earlier times when dining often was a lengthy experience involving many courses served over several hours... so, the more courses the higher the price of the meal and the more work for the waiter.

In today's world I'll bet most of us consume our meal in less than an hour total and we restrict ourselves to 2-3 courses (soup or salad, main course, and possibly desert). In most restaurants it seems I've barely started my salad when the main course arrives. Pretty soon they're trying to take plates away, even before I've finished. They seem to think they're providing fast efficient attentive service. Well, if I'm in a hurry, it is... but if I'm not, it's annoying. A good waitperson can sense what their customers want... and if the signals are confusing, they ask. The average waitperson, however, seems to be following the lead of the establishment... which is getting you served and out the door as quickly as possible so they can have another seating at the table.

Like many areas of the corporate world these days, it seems little if any time is spent training people to do their job. I can't tell you the number of times I've had a waiter/waitress that says this is their first or second night on the job and they have no idea what they're doing.

As an aside, I've always wondered where the custom of keeping one's beverage glass "topped off" came from and why that constitutes good service? Topping off is NOT what I want a good waitperson to do. My usual beverage with the meal is several glasses of iced tea w/lemon and artificial sweetener. I'd much prefer they bring me a new glass of tea with fresh lemon whenever mine is nearly empty. Constantly topping it off doesn't add additional lemon and makes regulating the sweetener a PITA. I leave the empty sweetener packet in plain sight so the server knows, but it zooms over most of their heads and I eventually have to tell them. I always pass on desert, but if others at my table partake I'll have a couple cups of coffee while we talk and they eat. I use sweetener in my coffee too... again, they insist on topping it off, even if we had a discussion about the iced tea... arrrgh! I find that a good waitperson accommodates this automatically, but most don't seem to "get it"... and it matters not whether I'm dining at Denny's or the Ritz.