The "Do you take tipping seriously?" thread
 

I take tipping deadly serious. As a former teacher, I don't believe in giving A's for mediocre schoolwork, and I similarly don't believe in giving tips for mediocre service.

Very frequently, we don't tip at all. Many restaurants in town have gotten to know us, and we've gotten to know the good servers (and ask for them by name). A major drawback for us is that we live in a college town, so most of the waiters and waitresses do not take their jobs very seriously. I'm sure if they had kids and real bills at home depending on tips, they'd do a better job.

When I was in college, I worked in food service, and I was a great, attentive, and sensitive server. I also understand that cooks and dishwashers can be an ass-pain to the servers and interfere with their good service. However, as I used to explain to my classes, "You may not be responsible for everything that happens to you, but you are responsible for how you handle it." And in a college town, servers are too apt to say, "Fuck it" when the kitchen gets backed up.

Three years ago at an Applebee's in our town, my wife ordered a brunch that was supposed to include canteloupe. The waiter explained that they were out of canteloupe that morning and there would be no fruit on the plate. My wife pointed out the window toward the grocery store that shared the same parking lot as Applebee's and said, "Well, there's Kroger right there." The waiter apparently told the manager, and the manager came over to tell my wife that he'd just sent a cook over to Kroger to buy her some canteloupe. Many college-aged waiters would have gotten beligerent over a comment like that, but our waiter handled it very well, and got a good tip out of it.

I'm especially interested in hearing how our non-U.S. TFPers feel about tipping.

I have a bad habit of always tipping. usually a minimum of 10% and up to 20% for exceptional service.

I say a bad habit because even if the service has sucked I've still left a tip. Dumbass that I am.

At the very least, I usually lay a dollar on the table. This is the "Thanks for bringing some food to me." tip, as there wasn't much else to it.

This goes up if I've ordered something special, been part of a large group, etc., etc. If I feel the service warrants it, I tip more.

I feel this is especially important when working with the people I support. Sometimes, it's hard for them to grasp why they need to leave a tip and how much it should be. We go over how the service was and if the server did anything especially well that deserves a bigger tip.

I just don't think I could leave a table without tipping something. Seems unnatural to me.

I tip depending on the service; you have to be a good waiter/waitress to get a 15% tip from me. However, unless my server was just not paying attention and I had horrendous service I'll leave something. On the other hand my grandmother was a waitress when she was younger and she never tips. It’s her belief that why should I tip someone that is just doing their job in the first place.

I usually tip 10% as a minimum (*for horrible service*). Exceptional service gets as much as 30%... (*the cheaper the bill, the higher I'm willing to go*) I think that people get what they deserve, and if the did exceptionally well, why can't I give them $8.50 tip on a $35 bill? :)

I've worked for tips before as a driver,
and so I tip well...around 20-25%,
unless the service has been terrible, then nothing.

And I do mean the service, not if the food has been delay or such.
I can tell the difference.
Bad attitude, means bad service.

Mine too is service related but I will occasionally give an encouragement tip if I think someone new is trying hard, even if they mess up. I worked in a restaurant for a while so I have a large appreciation of how hard it is to be a wait person. It pretty much made me dislike the public at large.

I also know that where one of my daughters work she makes $2.30 and hour because the restaurant expects her to get enough tips to make minimum wage. It doesn't seem fair to me but then I didn't get to vote.

Exactly.

I tend to always give *something* and 10% is nice and easy to calculate and also below "standard," so they'll get the message I wasn't happy with the service.

If it's good service though, I'll tip whatever I can afford.

Tipping in NYC is very important.

I know plenty of career food service people and it's not like they are just some "actor" or "college student" trying to make some money (yes, I do have some of those friends too) but the ones that are serious give serious service, from remembering things like no onions in my wife's dishes, to knowing just how I like my martini without having to mention or ask.

Shoddy Service is a shame, and it's a shame that the IRS taxes them on tips that they have yet to recieve, thus putting the burden on the consumer to make the bad decision of tipping bad service.

I usually just give 2 or three dollars, given that I normally don't have more than 5 dollars in my wallet at any time.

Tipping waitresses isn't a habit over in my country. Nobody does it, and I think the waitresses would be rather suprised if you did. We do occasionally treat bartenders to a beer if they're a nice guy.

So remember that when you guys visit europe in the future. You're not expected to tip at all. Save the money, and buy bartenders some of their own beer.

I always tip 10%.
Tipping is something that exists in the UK (for some things) but I, and a lot of people I know, don't really 'get' or take seriously. Lots of reastaurants include a 10% tip in the bill to make it easier.

Of course the downside of this is that our service is friendly (most English people are friendly) but never outstanding. And most English people will never say that the service or food isn't good enough unless it is absolutely inedible. I am as guilty as anyone of this. I was brought up to think it was bad manners to critise someone or upset them, better to just shut up and put up with things. That spirit may have got my grandparents through the Blitz, but it doesn't make my cold pizza any warmer.

Another thing that stops me complaining about food is that I can't really see it having a good result there and then (though I see that in the long run if everyone complains things improve, unless its publuic transport!). For example, your pizza is cold. So either they take it away and microwave it (making it chewy) or they throw it away (a terrible waste of food) and give you a new meal. Either way you have upset the person serving you, delayed when your table gets to eat and have embarrassed everyone. Far better to remain quiet and put up with a little incovenience yourself.

If it's exceptionally bad service I leave all my loose change, much more insulting to the waiter to receive change than to get nothing at all. Exceptionally good service I reward well (25% and up). If nothing stood out about the service? straight 15%.

If the service was good, I usually leave 15%

But if it was bad, I leave 1 cent

If the service is good I'll tip 20-30%. But if the service sucks,you get nothing. I am doing you the favour by frequenting that establishment when I can go elsewhere.You are not doing me a favour by doing your job.I don't mean to sound like an asshole,but really,some places I've gone into had people with some bad ass attitudes.If you don't like your job,go find something else to do.

I was in Boston one time and the restaurant I was in was quite nice.I asked for a Bud and the server brought me Shlitz. I said to her I asked for a Bud not a Shlitz,she apologized, and came back with a Miller Genuine Draft.I laughed and she said"Oh that wasn't what you wanted was it" and I said no.No problem,it's only beer.

I then tell her I'll have the special of the day thinking at least I'll get the food going.Well,25 minutes later I finally see her again and she tells me she forgot to put my order in.She forgot about my beer too.When my food came she brought me a club sandwich instead of the steak sandwich I had order.Again I told her she got the order wrong.By the time I got my bill,the lunch special I ordered apparently came after the time expired so I had to pay full price.I was also charged for not 2,but 3 beers I never drank.To add insult to injury,there was a 15% gratuity added on my behalf.I spoke to the manager and explained the circumstance about my bill.He basically told me tough shit,that's the way it is.So I left without paying.The steak sandwich was terrible anyway.Maybe it would have been better if I had a beer with it.

i have no problem tipping.

but me and 2 of my friends were out eating lunch one time and as we got up to pay, we already left a tip. i payed for mine and was heading out the door when i heard this old women cashier said to them "You did tip your waitress, didnt you?" as i thought about that i should have went over there and taken my tip back.

another thing i dont like is when they put your tip in your bill.
YOU DONT HAVE TO TIP! a tip is out of courtesy and when they tell you that you have to tip, that is just not the way to do it.

When I opened up this thread, I figured it would be a rant from someone who waits tables about not receiving adequate tips. Instead, I found a thread from someone who admits to "frequently not tipping at all."

Waiters and waitresses make TWO dollars an hour. If they spend an hour of their working time with you, you owe them a tip. Period. Tipping is simply not an option - THIS IS HOW THESE PEOPLE LIVE. Pay checks are a joke to them. If you tip only for exceptional service you are doing others a disservice.

If you CHOOSE to go to a restaurant, you are seated in a waiters or waitresses section. He or she probably has only four or five tables. If you spend an hour at one of their tables during rush hour, then do not tip, you just substantially cut their potential income.

Tipping is an art form. If you order the two-for-one special at the local grease bucket, and the check is 7 bucks, you owe your waiter/waitress more than 10 percent. If you spend 250 bucks on a two-person meal, you do not owe the wait staff 50 bucks.

Use your head, but understand there is an opportunity cost associated with waiting tables. If you walk into a restaurant knowing you probably won't tip, you have ruined the opportunity for someone to make even minimum wage during the hour you eat there.

Gibber I do not find it suprising that the waitress did that. I DO find it suprising that the manager said that though. Makes me wonder if they are related or married or something. I defintly tip based on service. Now they have to be REALLY bad for me not to tip or leave a really bad tip. Which I have done before. One time I had a waitress in a very small restuarant basically ignore me and my friend who went through our entire meals without getting one refill on our drinks. And I know it wasn't because she was busy because we saw he just standing around the whole time and we were the only customers in the place. I believe we left a dollar between us. The next time we came in I saw her say something to another waitress apparently about her taking care of us instead of the other one. She was very attentive and nice and got a very decent tip. Just yesterday I had a waitress who went particularly above and beyond. Even so much as to ask them at the cash register to not charge us for something just because I didn't much care for it (There was nothing wrong with the dish mind you. Just not my style) at any rate when it was all said and done she had a 6.85 tip on 20.15 meal. I also particularly dislike restaurants that add the tip on the bill. If they are going to do thay why don't they just raise the prices of the food, put "DO NOT TIP" on the bottom of their menus and just raise the waitresses salary? You also have to remember alot of times whenever waitresses get tipped it goes into a pool and then gets split evenly among all that were there. So in a bigger restaurant the better waitresses may not get that better tip. (although if it is cash she can atleast pocket a dollar or two ;) )

i have been known not to tip....like:

My wife and I were at the Pizzeria Uno in the Fenway neighborhood in Boston. We were there for about 1 1/2 hours:

- Got our menus after sitting for about 10 minutes
- Ordered another 10 minutes later
- Got the food after another 45 minutes
- In the 90 minutes, we got our "free refills" checked once.

In the meantime, we watched our server hanging out at the waitress station, oblivious to our needs.

A good tip goes to someone who is very attentive, doesn't need to ask who ordered what when bringing the food, refills your drinks without asking, etc. Ultimately, if you can afford to eat at more expensive restaurants, you get better servers (management can be pickier).

What I hate to hear is when rich people (ie Michael Jordan, Jennifer Lopez, etc.) don't tip. These are people who usually get their meals for free just for being a celebrity, yet they won't leave the poor schleps who bend over backwards for them a tip.

If I was working as a waiter and J-Ho came in, I would find it worth getting fired to take her meal and just dump it down the front of her dress...

There is a particular Mexican restaurant where we live that does this, and our "usual" waiter there is the best waiter in town, period. Therefore, whenever we eat there, I always discreetly put the tip into his hand and he slides it into his pocket. The tip, not my hand.

I've learned a lot in a hurry from this thread. It's making me rethink some things.

Okay. Why do US waiters/resses only earn "TWO BUCKS AN HOUR"? What is the minimum wage in America?

I think I am not unusual, in England, in thinking that being a waiter is like any other job. And with this job comes a pay packet that is in line with other similar basic service/basic manual jobs. This is protected by a minimum wage (£4.50 an hour from October 2003), but most waiters or bar staff jobs I've seen advertised offer more than this (around £5.50+ /hr).

Therefore tipping isn't something people expect UK waiters to have to live off. Indeed this idea that the person serving you needs your tip or they will go hungry that week seems quite an unpleasant one. Giving a tip to a good server is one thing, but paying waiters so little they *have* to get a tip from you to make ends meet is quite another.

In fact the whole tipping and 'discreetly putting the tip in their hand and them slipping into their pocket' thing seems quite demeaning. Like a pat on the head for serving the rich people well. Taking orders and returning with food and a smile is a job like any other. Why should it be singled out as requiring tips and not a good pay rate, when I don't tip the AA man who rescues my car or the person who drives my bus or the call centre person who answers my query.

The only other job I can think of that gets tips in England is strippers. Says it all really. Give waiters/resses a decent wage, tipping is just a way for restaurant owners to squeeze more money out of their customers and more unpaid labour out of their staff.

One other problem at times is the high turnover of servers in restaurants.I am very patient and also understand that my server may be new or maybe for whatever reasons their world just got turned upside down on top of them.Like Derwood said,having a waitress keeping up her social life when she should be working is unacceptable.

But let me put a spin on things.I'm not sure if tipping is an art form,but I think serving is.Some people are just naturally good at serving.The bars and restaurants I frequent are great to me because they all know me and realize the better the service,the better the tip.And the reason I go where I go is because when I walk in the door,they have a big smile for me and a "How ya doing today." Service isn't just about delivering drinks or food,it is an extension of yourself.

I do the same. If I get good service, I'm very generous with tipping, if not, I give less than 15%.

Tipping is unfortunately a necessity, as restaurant owners and other entrepreneurs who can get away with it have a tradition of shoving onto their customers the burden of paying their employees a living wage.

Minumum wage I believe is up to 6 something an hour. Servers are paid between 2.15 and 2.30 and hour - it is assumed they will make tips to cover this gap. It should also be noted, that servers are required to report at least minumum wage on their tax forms - its not a cash business. I'm a tax accountant - and Uncle Sam is very interested in the hours servers work (provided by employers) - so he can do a quick calculation to ensure at least minumum wage is claimed.

I hope I answered your question 4thTime.

Thank you for your insight into the system employed in the UK. If I'm not mistaken, I believe 5+ pounds converts to over eight American dollars an hour. Quite a difference between to seemingly similar cultures. Thanks again.

I usually tip around 20%. I'll go as high as 25% for really good service. And I'll go down for bad service.

It's very rare that I tip $0.01, but I've done it. That's for the worst possible service.

Thanks for giving college students a bad name
 

So you are a teacher right? Well maybe you should learn that sterotypes are wrong and hurtful to young adults. Please give some credit to the waiters and waitresses that work and contribute to the economy, instead of simply draining money from their parent or student loans.

If you get good service from a student aged server or waiter, please leave a tip. You don't need to leave 20% or anything, but realize that they split it with the hostess, busboys etc. I haev never worked in the food service industry, but I know from friends that customers like you that are total pricks are why they give you such bad service to begin with.

Final thought- you make way more money than the waitresses and servers- so remember $5 to you is a tip, to them its an hour of work. Just remember that the next time you go into Applebees and bitch about fruit. :o

I agree so far with those that do tip for restaurants.. but c'mon.. like Mr. Pink said in Resevoir Dogs, "The guy at McDonald's brings your food, you don't tip him."

Why is it that when I go to Smoothie King, Starbucks (never bought nuthin' from that place, the Pizza shop, etc) all have these tip jars there? WTF is that all about? I didn't grow up tipping you, so why you trying to convince me different?

There are several ways to meet Uncle Sam's requirements. The burden is on the employer. The way you describe above (total sales), PB, is unfortunately, the one that hurts wait staff the most. It is also the easiest to do, which is why it is employed so often.

Taxing on total sales can be a burden simply because the averages don't work out in God's Country, Georgia as neatly as they do on paper in Washington, D.C. If you do 300 dollars in sales, you are expected to make 30 dollars in tips that nite under the method you used. However, we know that on average, you make less then ten percent a table. So you end up being taxed on money you were only assumed to see. And, no, it doesn't make up for the one nite a week you hit over fifteen percent.

I hope one of the things this thread does is that the younger people on this board who may wait some tables in the future will ask prospective employers, "how do you calculate tax on tips earned." The differences in methods are worth dollars.

I lived in a college town for a while and many of my friends worked in local resurants and bars. It is the people that tip poorly when given good service that make the service bad for everyone else. These people upset the waiter/ wiatress so they have a horrible night and hate their job. If everybody tipped well, then all waiters would be happy and give everybody great service. A few rotten apples can spoil the whole bunch.

For the record I always tip well (20% min.) because the waiters are relying on it for their income.

So if tipping is such a bad thing (its demeaning, it can piss off waiters, it can confuse customers, it hits the customers wallets and the worker's pay packet to give more to the restaurant owner) then why aren't there campaigns to do away with it?

I would happily sign up to a popular charter not to tip any more and let free market economics do its thing and raise waiters/resses normal wages. There would be a period when the adjustment hadn't kicked in yet and tips weren't coming, but this could be alleviated by reformed minimum wage rules or by all serving staff resigning on a given day and demanding a renogiated contract. Where are the unions when you need them?

This would mean that every waiter/ress had an adeuqate minimum wage that they could rely on taking home - so they wouldn't get really pissed on nights when people tipped poorly - but you could still tip for outstanding service, giving an incentive and reward to those waiters/resses who go above and beyond.

I never walk into a restaurant having pre-determined that I won't tip. The tip is always available and waiting to be distributed each time, but they do have to go to the trouble of earning it.

I was unaware that waiters only made $2 per hour. However, that seems to me to be even more incentive for them to put out some effort and do a good job.

I don't walk away without tipping when I've gotten good service. I also tip when bad things are happening out of the control of the server, but he/she is doing what they can to minimize it for us. And I don't tip when they don't pay attention to us and don't bring what we ordered.

One thing I will say that this thread has done is defintly shown how f'ed up the whole tipping system is. That is the problem with unwritten rules. There is no way to double check them. Why do we tip waiters and waitresses anyway? I mean now we do it because they get paid so piss poor. Why don't we tip the people at fast food places? Even more so why don't we tip EVERYONE who provides a service? Cop comes and helps you with a domestic dispute, throw a couple of bucks his way. Here is a better question. What about the people who you are ingenerally told to tip but the rules are less clear? Barbers (stylist), cab drivers,sackers (at the grocery store. Trust me. They get paid piss poor too. This is a grey area. You USED to be told to tip them and nowadays less so. ) and other people I probably should be tipping but don't because I don't know too. Also minium wage varies depending on the area of the country. I.E. where I live it is $5.25 an hour but a friend of mine who used to live in seatle told me he was making about $7.45 and that was (or maybe JUST above) minium wage.

Standard tip for services:

Car wash: $2
Pool hall: $1-2, depending on time spent. I tip every time because they give me a frequent customer discount.
Delivery: $2
Restaurant: 10-20% depending on service.

Do any of you tip bouncers at bars that you frequent? If so, how much? Does it get you in the door faster?

I see where you’re coming from but this is not true across the whole U.S. Yes, most waiters/waitresses make less than minimum wage, and are expected to make the rest through tips. However, in some states if a waiter doesn't make the mandatory minimum wage with their tips added into their salary then the restaurant by law is required to make up the difference, this way the employee still gets minimum wage. This was put into law in some states to help employees on slow days/hours when some places get very, very few customers if any at all.

Establishments I frequent more often I tip bigger (don't really go somewhere very often unless I enjoy it). Especially at smaller restaraunts, or bars or what not. Sometimes I'll feel overly generous and tip closer to 25% if everything is just perfect. I almost always tip, at least a buck. My biggest pet-peeve though is if the person is not on top of refilling/filling my drinks. I'll give a healthy tip to the server who's there on top of things, and as soon as your glass is half empty they are there to refill or give you another drink, but if I end up waiting more than 10 minutes for a drink to be refilled multiple times throughout my meal, then I will leave no tip. The other thing I hate is servers who think you want to chat with them while you're trying to shovel food in your math. I don't mind a little cuteness, or what not while you're getting my order, and well if you are a cute female I wouldn't really mind any conversation, but I've had male servers who will sit down and start chatting up a storm, and I guess I have to work on my glare, because they would just keep going. I'm sure they were disappointed when they thought they were being extra friendly and ended up with nothing but maybe a few quarters and dimes for a tip.

I try to tip in the 15% range, rounding off to an even sum of money if the service is acceptable. Acceptable service isn't really much either, be friendly, answer my questions, get me my drinks quickly, get my order right and get it to me in a reasonable amount of time, or at least let me know if it'll be a little longer and check up on me once in a while. Serving is a damn hard job, as a lot of people here know. I don't really expect the same amount of attention on a busy Saturday night when my server probably has 5 other tables, but if it's a slow night, there's no excuse for my server to be invisible. If I get great service, I'll tip great, especially if I plan on coming back. Your reputation as a good or bad tipper will precede you as a repeat customer. If you tipped badly for good service once, chances are you won't get good service the next time, why should the server waste his/her time on you when they could be serving the good tippers?

I tip 10+% for average service, 15+% for great service, and round my bill to the next whole dollar for bad service. It's easier for me to tip when paying with a credit card since I don't carry much cash. When an establishment includes a tip on the bill, I don't go back.

I tip 15% if they did their job or a really good job. If they sucked they get nothing. :)

People do need to remember that bad service is NOT always the fault of the server. Waiter's and Waitresses in our part of the country make on average $2.10 an hour... they count on their tips to complete their wage.

When i waited tables... we had to split a % of our tips with the bussers, and the bartenders which futher diminishes the total earnings. On top of this... before we could end our shift, there was always a certain amount of bullshit jobs that had to be completed (filling ketchup bottles, cleaning and polishing silverware, rolling napkins), of course you're not earning tips when you're busy with all of that (i know many restaurants that are run this way)...

If the kitchen staff keeps fucking up, or the bartender is slow, etc... it's not fair to penalize the server. If i experience bad service, i ask about it to find out where the "fault" lies and then act accordingly. I have been known to tip the server VERY well... but compain to the manager because of other reasons for a bad dining experience.

There are exceptions to every rule but.....

I tip generously everytime I go out to eat. These folks make less than $2.50 an hour; most times their swamped with tables cause they're stupid boss can't hire any extra staff; most times they've got some real jerk-ass in the corner who thinks its fun to watch them jump for an extra buck.

Everybody has bad days. I think that by paying a little extra for the service maybe I make their day a little better. So, what's the harm?

I figure as long as they give me a cursory nod, fill up my glass once in a while and bring me my food, I don't need them to hold my hand while I eat or jump through hoops to get me an extra napkin. It seems to work too. I always get the table that I want and even though I don't ask for it, there's always a little extra attention paid to me by my waiter/waitress.

By tipping well I confident in the fact that my waiter/waitress isn't rubbing my silverware on her butt or blowing loogeys in my food. :D

This is basically exactly how I feel.

I'm an "asshole tipper" and will freely admit to it. For someone to get a decent tip out of me they've either got to catch me in a good mood (I usually tip when I'm out with my girlfriend :) ) or if they give exceptional service.

I know people bitch about how a server depends on tips... well if they depend on tips then ought to have no complaints about working to get them. I'm not a total jerk, I usually leave at least a little something at restaurants unless the service is just horrible. Rarely do I go over 10% though. Pizza boys or valets usually don't get tips though, unless they go above and beyond their roles which is rare.

I like to tip 10 to 15% for a good the decent meal, more if it was really good. If it was bad, one cent, if it was really really really really bad then i just walk out on the whole bill and it come out of the waiters paycheack, like reverse tipping. Sometimes i get served at places that you dont tip, like the stand at a movie theatre, and the server is really great but you cant really tip them because of the line behind you and there is no tip jar, and everything.

A couple of people have said that they walk out of restaurants without paying.....

@ Don't staff come after you or call the police ever?

@ Don't you feel that you are stealing from them? After all they have spent money on staff, overheads and food which you have used (even if you didn't like) without paying for.

I haven't walked out of any restaurant but if things got bad enough and the circumstances were just right I'd walk out, and no I wouldn't feel like I was stealing (but it would have to be an extreme case for me to walk out). But to answer your question, in most cases you pay at the table. So the management wouldn't know you got up and left without paying unless you made a scene or they kept a hawk eye on you.

I have worked in a small family style restaurant for the last seven years and I feel that it has given me a unique perspective on tipping.
1) The waitresses where I work make $3.19 an hour, not $2. I know this is still not minimum wage, but it is higher.
2) The waitresses have to pay taxes on the $3.19 and 8% of their total sales for the night. What this means is: if they make a 10% tip off a table, the last 2% is tax free. I don't know about anyone else, but I pay taxes on every penny I make.
3) Most people around here tip at least 10% and usually much more. It is not unusual for regulars to tip $3 on a $10 meal. Granted, there are some assholes who don't tip, but all the waitresses average out ahead of 8%, even the bad ones who just smoke and ignore their customers.
4) The highest paid employees where I work(and my boss pays very well for a restaurant) are all waitresses - even if they are not good waitresses.
5) The waitresses do NOT share their tips with anyone. Period. No matter what the busboys do to help(much more than they should) they never see a dime.
6) The only thing that can be wrong with your experience that is caused by the kitchen or dishwasher is a long wait, and even that is often the waitress' doing as well. It is not unusual for the waitresses at my work to take an order and then just hold onto it for 10-15 minutes before giving it to the kitchen. Add 15 minutes for the food to cook and that is a long wait. The food can't be cooked until they kitchen knows what it is.
7) If your food is cold, it is probably because it sat on the counter waiting for your waitress to take her sweet ass time getting to it.
8) If your order comes out to the table wrong, how could that possibly be anyone but the waitress' fault? Doesn't she know what you ordered? If it is not right, she shouldn't take it out. More often than not, however, the waitress writes it down wrong or the writing is illegible and the cooks have to make their best guess.
9) Many times, the waitress will accept a special order from a customer (take the ham out of the ham & bean soup, etc.) and they will pass that along to someone else to do, i.e. salad dept. or kitchen. Then, when the customer leaves, guess who gets the tip for this "special service."
10) Whenever the waitresses don't get a tip, they NEVER, EVER think that there is even a SHRED of a chance that it might be because they gave poor service. It is always because the customer is a cheapskate or an asshole or because the busboy stole the tip (they have accused every busboy of this, never proven it once). When I work the cash register, I always ask how everything was, if the customer has a complaint, I ask if they told their server and if their server made it right. Several times I have had a customer tell me that the waitress never came back to the table. Then we take money off their bill, and UNBELIEVABLY the waitress still gets a tip.
11) Tipping is a practice designed to keep servers honest. If they work hard, they get paid well. If they do not work hard, they do not get paid well (in theory), unfortunately, anymore everyone tips no matter what the level of service is. THis is the problem. If they don't need to work hard to get paid, why should they?
Sorry about the length of my rant, but this one hits close to home.

Brilliant post grayman, thanks for making the effort.

(If I could tip you I would :) )

When I eat out, the tip is automatically there for the server to lose. They have to try pretty darned hard to lose it, too. And it doesn't take a whole lot for the tip to grow. I'll go to 20% or 25% if my socks are sufficiently knocked off by the service I've gotten.

I don't go below 15% unless I'm making a point, and then, I leave nothing. Whenever I stiff a waiter (and I've only done it a handful of times), I leave a polite but honest note saying why.

I tip no matter what, unless they were downright rude or something. 10% minimum, even for crappy service. Sometimes people just have a bad day. And I try to let people know when they did a really great job or just made my day nicer. I once had a waitress who was extra special nice. She wasn't perky or fake sunny cheerful or anything, just really nice. She could kind of tell I wanted to be left alone (I was cranky and had had a bad day), so she didn't intrude, but made sure I was taken care of and gave me two desserts. So I left her a whopping huge tip.

I've never been a waitress but I know enough people who have been waitresses or waiters to know that it's a crap job and you have to put up with lots of shit from morons and rude people who think the universe revolved around them. They get paid for shit, usually, and are held responsible for EVERYTHING. It doesn't cost me that much to make sure they want to keep doing their job, first by being polite to them even when they screw up (not a doormat, just polite), and second, rewarding them monetarily when they do good work.

In this part of Asia, tipping is not done in any situation (restaurant, bar, bellboys, hairsylists, etc.), and the service is usually damn god. Thank God. In the states I got really tired of everyone always holding their hand out, and those tip jars in every coffee place and fast food joint? Ridiculous.

As a restaurant manager in the States, I told my staff at every preshift meeting that they had the opportunity to give themselves a raise every time they approached a table. I also made sure that they were educated about every item on the menu. I gave them every chance to make a good living under the system we were stuck with. This led to creating many regular customers, and low employee turnover.

Why would I tip a waitress if she screws up my order, offers slow service and is rude during a slow period? Has she added any value to my meal? I think not.

My wife and my sister were both waitresses. They back me up on that. If you want my money, then don't piss me off.

As a rule I go 15%-20% depending on the bill, of course.

If your service is really bad, I mean bad enough to not leave a tip, do yourself a favor and talk to the manager. That way you will probably get your meal free as well!

It seems like just about everything has been said on this issue, but I will add my pennies for the hell of it.

I have worked just about every job in a variety of eating establishements. I have been dishwasher, cook, waiter, and even a janitor. The system is screwed up, but it seems we are stuck with it for now.

I understand that tips are part of the cost of eating out and a large part of a waiters income. I tip well and it frequently comes down to having the correct change. I round to the nearest quarter. I start at 15% and frequently go to 20 to 25%. Outright rudeness is about the only thing that will bring less. Incompetence leads to the low end. Keep my tea full (and don't fill it with sweet tea....or syrup at some places near hear) and you can keep me very happy.

But I WILL NOT tip for counter service. That is included in the price and those people earn far more an hour than waiters. In a busy Starbucks or smoothie place, if everyone left a dollar, they could make more an hour than I do as a physician....really.

my sister is a waitress so that makes us all more incline to give a better tip for better service, thinking of her

I'm still laughing,...That's rich.:lol:

Here in Australia we don't tip at all, but by some of the figures above, we pay a lot better.

I'll tip if the service is good, but i don't believe in tipping just for getting mediocre service. I'll also tip cabbies, usually cause i'm pissed...

i travelled to the US when i was fairly young and the concept of tipping was alien to me. As Meri said we dont tip at all here in the land of Oz, but our waiters/waitressess get paid fairly well.

ive worked in the food and retail industry for a bit, and the minimum wage i think accross the board for a 20 year old is $13.20 which is around USD $7-8 (not sure of the exchange rate), thats the flat weekday rate and sundays get time and a half (some places may even give time and a quarter for saturdays).

i dont think ive ever tipped anyone in my lifetime, apart from the rare occurance where ive been with some friends and we didnt want to bother splittling all the notes for change.

just my 2 cents

I tip when I get good service. If I forget to tip I don't really care. My girlfriend on the other hand takes tipping seriously. Who invented tipping?

In Australia pissed is good right?

I hate the fact that establishments are allowed to under pay their wait staff because they'll get tipped anyway. A tip is supposed to be a gratuity as in an extra amount that they shouldn't be expecting. We do this for service that we feel deserves something extra. Somewhere back in history, owners were allowed to use this as an excuse to pay less. Pisses me off to have someone barely be civil to us let alone give adequate service and expect a tip. And don't get me started on the "automatic" tip that gets added.

Still. we DO tip! They can't help the way the system is set up, and they do depend on us to make a living. We do however tip as little or as much as we feel they deserve. We'll even go over %20 if we like them.

Something else we do. If they did a good job, as in what they are supposed to do, plus just a little extra, we call the manager over and make sure he/she knows what a good employee they have. As my wife likes to point out, everybody will complain about someone, but almost nobody will praise when it's deserved. Give it a try sometime.

"Drunk", IIRC.

I was at Angels restaurant in Manhattan last night... impeccable service. Very attentive staff from bus boys to waitstaff...great pasta place.

left him a 20% tip on our appetizers and desert (we didn't have entrees.)

If you get tired of waiting for the server to bring your ticket at the end of the meal, do as I do. The quickest way to get your check is to get up and head for the door.

I usually overtip IMO. Not just servers but the person who cuts my hair etc. I think it comes from when I was a paper boy; just a $1 extra a lot of people gave me when I came to collect made a huge difference. I don't think I've ever left nothing. Of course, it varies on the service. If the service isn't perfect because the place is packed I can understand that. I love when my drink doesn't run out and I don't have to wait a long time for the bill.

Check out www.stainedapron.com. It is a interesting, often funny, and sometimes gross sight from the server's point of view.

one time i left a restroom token for a tip for shitty service.

Another Aussie here.. I admit the whole concept was foreign to me until I checked out Reservoir Dogs :D Excellent rant by Steve Buscemi's character, and one whose opinions I share. I may leave a little something extra if the service is exceptional, but it's not considered mandatory here. Heck, I work hard too, but you don't see me getting tipped for putting together an exceptional HTML page, fer'instance ;)

And for those interested... that scene:

I think we've all learned a great deal by this thread (I know I have). As a result of many of the things I've learned here, my wife and I have cautiously resumed tipping again.

I'd like to close with the contents of an e-mail I received from a friend who is a corp. exec. with Applebee's. Here are his definitive thoughts about tipping:


<<My official view on tipping is this.

Servers only make $2.13 an hour. It is extremely rare if one would make more than that. So, yes. Servers are dependent on their tips for putting food on the table.

If the service is horrible, and I know it is the servers fault, I will not leave a good tip. I have always tipped my servers. Now, if the entire experience is a cluster, then I might not leave a tip at all. I think I have done that one time. The best thing to do if there is an issue while trying to enjoy your dining experience is to try to get the owner/manager involved so the entire experience is not shot to hell.

It is common courtesy to leave a tip. 15% to 20% is what you should leave your server or bartender. Remember. If your next bag of diapers or jar of baby food was dependent on what your next table left you for a tip, I would definitely remember the guests face the next time they came into the restaurant. People who leave good tips will be remembered.

A server lives off their tips. The average server paycheck (the hours they worked making $2.13 an hour) one would receive every two weeks is around 50-60 dollars. Think about that one.>>

I used to be a manager at an Applebee's-type restaurant. I know how much it sucks to get stiffed or to be screamed at by a customer. The bottom line is, yes you are there to be served food by someone, but you don't own them while you are there. Their hourly wage totally sucks, so they need their tips. Having said that, if the service sucks, the tip needs to reflect that.

I am disturbed the comments of some that seem to imply that servers are lesser people or that they are beneath you in some way because they are bringing you food. If you are in a rush to get out the door, then tell the server that when you get there. This is one of the reasons I have grown to hate people. Everyone is impatient and rude to each other for no reason. It sucks and is one of the reasons I left the restaurant business. I don't need some jackass screaming at me because his soup was cold.....

Apparently I still have some issues I need to deal with...end rant.

I'm a heavy tipper. It brings me joy to see someones face light up with a huge grin. It costs basically nothing when you see what you get out of it.

Tipped my barber $20 on the holidays. She would have bore my children after that. Tipped the barkeep $20 as well. I'll never wait for a drink again. If the waitperson does a great job we'll each usually throw a ten spot for a nice big tip at the end. I find that people treat you way better when you tip big, and I enjoy the extra attention to detail.

I work for tips as a driver and so tip others heavily. If my service sucks it's usually not my fault. Complain about it too much or stiff me regularly when you live far away and I'll probably steal something from your yard or trample your flowers, because you deserve it.

I think Peetster is on to it. If you tip good you get good service. I frequent a bar in Tysons (Peetster might know where that is), and I drink all I want for $20 (including tip). Why? Because we started tipping our bartender real nice. So now he only charges us for every 3 or 4 drinks. It usually leaves a very low bill and with everyone throwing down a $20 it usually gives a very large tip to the bartender.
Same with the pizza dude (Which I am a couple of nights a week), if he is cool with me, I am cool with him. And eventually he will get big tips and this will make him/her want to make sure he gets to my house while my food is still hot so he can get that fatty tip again (monetarily speaking).
I believe that you should always tip at least 20%. Even if the service was bad. Maybe their cat died, maybe they found out they have some STD...so on and so forth. If I come back and I have the same server and the service is horrible again.....thats when I start evaluating how much the tip will be. But generally speaking, if you make some small talk to someone serving you, they will recognize your face the next time which in turn will give you better service.
Thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

Here in Sweden, the tip is included in the bill by law, so I too find the concept of tipping very alien. Not to say that I don't slip my waiter/waitress some extra money if they've done a good job, but it's not common.

I go along with the Italian stereotype of over-tipping.

Great thread! I really enjoy hearing about different people's tipping habit, for poor service, mediocre service, and excellent service. For my part, I have found that I feel frequently "forced" into tipping for mediocre or poor service. I am not referring to establishments that will automatically add 15% gratuity onto your bill, but rather the social pressures to pity these poor individuals who work so hard on bringing us our food.

I don't know about all areas of this country (US), but I can relate some stories from my own experience.

I used to date a waitress. At the time we were dating, I was employed full-time as a biological scientist and she was working tables part-time while attending school. She did not work at a really nice restaurant where the bills, and therefore tips, were high. She worked at a local BBQ place that was really just a step above fast food. Sure, she got stiffed from time to time. Sure, she got the occassional $1-2 tip from a table of six. But when it came to the bottom line, she always, and I mean ALWAYS, made more money per week than I did. As a college graduate in a professional career, I was being outearned by my girlfriend who hadn't finished her degree yet. It didn't bother me and our finances weren't combined anyway, but it did make me take notice.

What's more, her money was almost all in cash. She (and other waitstaff that I have known) would always claim exactly 50% of the tips they had actually gotten for the night on their tip sheets for taxes. She would average $12-15 per hour and that $2.30 that the BBQ place paid her... well that was what she used to pay her taxes with at the end of the year.

Obviously, I don't think that the waitstaff (at least in my town) are doing all that poorly, or even just scraping by. The truth is that many of them are making enough to put themselves through school without student loans. That is great! I wish more student would have the guts to work instead of taking a handout and ending up in debt (but we'll save that for another thread.)

I guess the point of my story is this: I don't like being made to feel sorry for and feel obligated to tip people who are just doing their job. I've actually approached on occasion by a waiter who I left 'only' a 10% tip asking if there was anything wrong with the service. Yeah, obviously there was, but very poor form on his part to follow a customer and ask after it.

I'll shut up for now and let other people get their say in.

As a former waiter, I know that the way to get remembered is by tipping too low or by tipping high and your service next time depends on it. I gernerally tip 20% for good service, 10% for bad, but will go as high as 50-75% for outstanding service.

I pretty much always leave a tip because it is not easy work and is greatly unappreciated. If they are decent I leave them a decent tip. If they are personable and really on the ball, or if they really run there butt offI leave a very nice tip. I never go by the "standard rules for tipping".

I have been known to leave nothing but crumbs though when someone gives really bad service. It doesn't happen too often though.

Thank God people at fast food places don't have to survive off tips! That seems to get worse every day!

I worked as a waiter for several years in high school at a pretty classy joint. I made good money, but I did have to work my ass off for it -- waiting tables is NOT easy. I approached each table with every intention of being a great waiter (and therefore getting a great tip), but there were always a few people who found many, many things to complain about. If a customer really acted like an ass, I gave up trying to be a good waiter very fast-- I knew that my tip would suffer for it, but I had to keep some dignity.
I still tip at every restaurant, and stay around 15 - 20 percent. I honestly believe that we would have a MUCH better society if everyone worked as a waiter/waitress,even if only for a little while... It teaches you humility, and teaches you to treat people better generally.

Tipping is NOT a city in China.

They make you wash the dishes.....at least that's what they do in the movies. :lol:

It simple for me, if you do an excellent job, I'll tip you well. If you dont, I wont at all.

The funny thing about this? I'm a college student and I understand that these types of jobs can be quite stressful.
They depend on every dollar to make money.

15-20% depending on the service. What really gets me tho, I recently ate in a cafeteria down in Houston, TX and they had a sign on the table that said Tips were really appreciated. What the heck, I did all the work myself. Got the food, got the drink, got the silverware, then put the tray and dirty dishes on a conveyor to the washing area. If anyone deserved a tip, I didn't see it.

this is true.
i used to tip, when i was a barman and used to try to promote the general tipping of all barpeople the world over... but now i´m just too poor.
like i said in another thread, i´ll tip a bar person or a cabbie if they´re great, but apart from that, i don´t do it.

I tend to tip pretty generously if I feel I actually got good service. Otherwise I'll just go with a flat 10% "Wow you did your job!" tip that I feel I do more out of obligation than anything else. Rarely do I actually get bad enough service that I won't tip at all, but it's happened from time to time. I personally think it's an annoying custom, because it's gotten to the point where a customer is a jackass if they don't tip for even sub-mediocre service. However, it's not as bad in the U.S as it is in Europe. In all my experiences over there, they expect a tip for every damn little thing that goes on. It's like you're walking down a sidewalk, and someone coming the opposite direction doesn't bump into you. Next thing you know, he's holding his hand out waiting for a few pounds.

i used to wait tables when i was 15 and i would always try to satisfy my customers. I did this mainly because i needed the tip money to help buy my first car. then in my last few jobs i worked for taco tico and taco bell. when i worked there many of my regular customers would tip me cuz they felt sorry for me, i didnt mind though. but my policy is since i know what good service is and understand how the server feels, i try to tip them according to how much attention they pay to me and whomever i am with. Also i take into factor how often my drink is refilled, dishes cleared away, how fast i get my salad and how friendly they are, but they get docked for asking me questions when i just took a large mouthful of food. anyways i usually at least tip a dollar unless they really make me mad

This one time i was at the olive garden and the waitress went to cash us out and came back and handed me $3 and no change, i asked for the change because i always save my change (force of habit) and she got all rude about me wanting the change, she said well i just thought that was my tip and i was like no im a poor college student and i save my change, then she said that she was too and she had a kid to support while being in school, trying to lay a guilt trip on me. all i could think was you stu[id girl you shouldnt have gotten knocked up cuz then you wouldnt have to take money even if its change from people. You know the sad thing is i was gonna give her a dollar but she took my .67 and that just pissed me off so she didnt get a tip. gosh some people, sorry i had to rant

Actually, Min. wage is $5.15/hr

McD's workers earn minimum wage or better.


I work in foodservice, so I know what the servers have to put up with. I tip as well as I can depending on how much money I have. I will always leave 10% even for bad service, but 20% or better for really good service.

15% if they don't give me a reason to give less (pocket change). Round it up a dollar or two if they're friendlier than average. And Hooters girls usually get a great tip if they don't fall into the first category. I mean, they're giving more of themselves, aren't they?

In New Zealand tipping isn't necessary, but isn't unheard of. I usually tip a little to the bar staff when I'm out on the piss. I never eat in restaurants (too poor, as I'm not earning much above the minimum wage myself) but would probably leave a little if I felt they deserved a bit extra. If/when I travel to the States I will of course observe local customs.

I work in a bar myself. The bartenders usually make a few bucks a night each in tips. Not sure about the waitresses but probably about the same. I'm a glassy (clear tables and clean glasses early in the night, keep the bar stocked when it's late) and as such get tipped less than the bartenders and waitresses. Most of what I have been tipped was from Americans. We love you guys over here. :)

People I tip:
(Provided the service isn’t sub-par)

1. restaurant wait staff including the host or hostess
2. barber / hair stylish
3. grocery store bag boy (outside pick-up )
4. bouncers / bartenders
5. stockmen that bring stuff to your car for you (like the kids at Wal-Mart)
6. clerks in the men’s clothing departments (provided I buy something)
7. taxi drivers (cheaper than a DWI ticket)
8. pizza delivery people

you don’t have to tip a lot, usually a buck or two (wait staff based on bill)
but I live in a small town and I get treated like a king everywhere I go.
It’s a very small price to pay.

I waited tables fo 4 years, and tip well because I remembered how much it sucked. Bad service = 15% and a note on the bill. Good service = 20% or better.

I have two questions, though.
1. Do the girls at Sonic make minimum wage comparable to other fast food employees, or do they rely on tips like waitresses?
2.It was said that you don't need to tip 15% on a really expensive bill for dinner for two. I've also been told you don't need to tip that much for an expensive bottle of wine. Is this true? I used to hate it when people ordered lots of stuff and didn't tip, and I don't want to be the guy that goes to some fancy-schmancy restaurant and tips lousy. When I waited tables, it was certainly not at fancy restaurants, so I was hoping someone with that experience could offer their perspective.

I've worked in a cafe and a country club and because of this yea tipping is serious. In general (or at least s o i'm told) ppl say i'm a generous tipper, But if the service is crap, then the tip willbe too!

I normally don't calculate it and just leave what I think is a suitible amount. Later on I sometimes calculate how large of a tip it was, and it's always above 10%....once in a while as much as 20%...I guess I'm a big tipper.

Depends on the type of restaurant and the service. If it's a cheaper place like Baker's Square or something and the service was exceptional, I usually leave a 5. If I really can't tell what I should tip from the service I received, then I usually double the tax or maybe leave a few bucks.

I usually tip pretty well, at least 15%+ if they did a good job, but it pissed me off the other day when we came in as a big group (9 or 10) to a stir fry restaraunt, and the server (who brought me water like 20 times during the night even though I didn't want any to begin with) and thats it threw a 15% gratuity into our bill because we were a big group. Believe me, you don't deserve $30 from us for bringing a bunch of college kids water for 45 mins on wednesday night. Thanks.

You know they tell me that here in Finland that the service charge is always included. Well I work in a service job and I fail to see where we see the extra service fee that should be included. I tip when I get good service, period. Someone in a service job should be rewarded since there are so many who don't give a damn. I have NEVER had anyone get offended or give my money back to me (of course I am picky and not offensive). I did use to turn down tips when I worked on an ambulance though. Rationalle being I was payed full wages and not a taxi.

Here in Northeastern US, I tip 20%. I feel guilty if I tip less and it's easier to calculate than 15%. I read somewhere a while ago that the academics are the worst tippers and I would tend to agree. Not only are they "merit-based", therefore poor, tippers, they also hog the table for significantly longer than others, being smart and having lots of interesting things to discuss over dinner.

Many years ago I used to belong to Mensa high IQ society and once I joined a dozen or so Mensans out to dinner. After the (rather lengthy) meal, it was fascinating how many of them proceeded to calculate their bill by remembering what each of them ordered and calculating the tax and the tips. I think the woman next to me noticed that I "overtipped" and gave me a pitiful expression. "The poor thing can't multiply."

In a recent episode of "This American Life" (episode: Allure of A Mean Friend audio archive ) a waitresss performs an experiment to see whether the tips she gets really depends on the level of service she provides. Through an experimental method that was not entirely scientific, she reached the conclusion that tips do not depend at all on how cheerful and helpful you are to the customer. As long as some minimum service level is reached, you will get the same amount of tips.

I'm an over-tipper, and damned proud of it.

However, like warrrreagl and a few others I've read so far, I refuse to tip if I'm not seeing service.

Just so the record is straight, when I say I "over-tip", I'm talking tips of 30%-100% of the bill. I've given a waitress $100 for incredible service for my friends and myself in the past, and I'm usually willing to do the same if my standards are met. Even if it's mediocre service, the server will usually see 30% out of my pocket, and that in itself is usually incentive enough for them to treat me right the next time I come in.

On those rare occasions when there is just no redeeming feature for the nightmare dining experience (for example, when the server is doing his or her own thing to the expense of all their tables) then they get just what they deserve....jack shit. I have done this in places which I regularly frequent, and the server(s) who receive nothing usually wind up getting set straight by those I've tipped the hell out of.

Besides, I am more than willing to go to the hostess' stand or seek out the manager to change my seating if I'm saddled with a server who has a track record of poor service (3 or more times with shoddy treatment will get that "track record" going quite nicely in my book). I won't do business with people I cannot count on, and I make sure that those who take pride in their work and in the care of their customers see ample rewards from my end.

I like to think of it as Instant Karma....you get back just what you put out. College student or not, actor or not....I really don't care. If you're a waiter, then that's what you are when you're at work. I don't ask to hear about the tryouts and auditions the "actors" and "actresses" are going to, and I certainly don't care about the hectic college life. I've been there and done that. All I expect of my servers is to be attentive, prompt (whenever possible) and courteous. Failing those three things will get you.....NO TIP!