How do you tip?

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

I say don't go swimming after a heavy meal

I used to hate that saying.....I always wanted to swim after eating........now I know it's really not a good idea.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by vsix

Alway's tip.
IMHO
I see it as an appreciation for the effort they come up with, to give me my comfort and privacy.

I'm cheap. Could be the Asian side of me.

Who came up with tipping anyway? It's like the restaurant 's way of making customers pay for part of their employees ' wages.

[Mr Tonka]

20% on pre-tax food and beverage total. When eating out we generally go to places with good food. Those places are generally on the expensive side and tend to be places where people get cocktails or wine with their meal. We're just about the food, not so much the atmosphere etc... and we typically only get water which further reduces our bill. When we're dining in a place where the average bill is $150 to $200 and our bill is going to be about $75 because no appetizer, spirits or dessert, we tend to be courteous by not occupying their table any longer than necessary and generally go with the 20%.

Service around here is generally very good. I rarely have to teach a server a "lesson" by only tipping 10% and i mean almost never. I'm more likely to tip 20% on top of the total including tax for extra good service.

Like most everything else in life, the patron's attitude has a lot to do with the type of service they get. A while back, we found that the more "cool & laid back" we were, the worse service we received. I noticed that when i was in a bad mood or we were dining with bitchy people, the service level increased. So i started emulating a bad mood upon the servers' introduction. Then once the drinks or food is delivered, i'm happy and joke around with them... what ever elevates the mood. Since implementing that strategy, our received service is generally very good to exceptional. Hence the higher than standard gratuity.

[PoorLurker]

My thoughts

1) ban tipping
2) increase food/product prices to help with number 3
3) provide these workers with a standard wage

While we are on the topic - throw in tax on the listed menu price as well.

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

20% on pre-tax food and beverage total. When eating out we generally go to places with good food. Those places are generally on the expensive side and tend to be places where people get cocktails or wine with their meal. We're just about the food, not so much the atmosphere etc... and we typically only get water which further reduces our bill. When we're dining in a place where the average bill is $150 to $200 and our bill is going to be about $75 because no appetizer, spirits or dessert, we tend to be courteous by not occupying their table any longer than necessary and generally go with the 20%.

Service around here is generally very good. I rarely have to teach a server a "lesson" by only tipping 10% and i mean almost never. I'm more likely to tip 20% on top of the total including tax for extra good service.

Like most everything else in life, the patron's attitude has a lot to do with the type of service they get. A while back, we found that the more "cool & laid back" we were, the worse service we received. I noticed that when i was in a bad mood or we were dining with bitchy people, the service level increased. So i started emulating a bad mood upon the servers' introduction. Then once the drinks or food is delivered, i'm happy and joke around with them... what ever elevates the mood. Since implementing that strategy, our received service is generally very good to exceptional. Hence the higher than standard gratuity.

Interesting strategy for better service......I may have to try this.

[PoorLurker]

ELI5:

Waiter A gets tipped 15% of $40 for delivering a skirt steak.
Waiter B, at the same restaurant, gets tipped 15% of $250 for delivering a wagyu steak.

Waiter A gets tipped 15% of a $40 bottle of wine.
Waiter B, at the same restaurant, gets tipped 15% of a $250 bottle of wine.

[Paletero]

I usually get great service at restaurants so I always tip 20% and always leave the tip in cash and I make sure our waiter got the tip in hand. I don't trust leaving it on my card or on the table. I feel like if you leave it on your card the restaurant could take a cut and the waiter wouldn't know or if you leave it on the table another waiter can take. I guess I have trust issues lol

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by BMW F22

I'm cheap. Could be the Asian side of me.

Who came up with tipping anyway? It's like the restaurant 's way of making customers pay for part of their employees ' wages.

Google gratuity for your answer!
Interesting read for sure.

[MarkM5]

Since I am a sever i usually leave 30%. Previous jobs include; electrician, mechanic, marketing, sales, and plenty more. I can honestly say serving is the hardest job I have had. Even use to work in the kitchen and manage, it was a breeze. We genuinely want to make your evening special and memorable. A friend's dad(higher up in banking) takes out candidates and will higher them based on how they treat the server.

Incase your wondering why(people leave a good tip) just look at all the different opinions and views in this one post with a handful of people. Where a server has to make 50 people happy in a few hours, making sure every reaction(since there is no time to process), has been given the right amount of attention to detail per person.

Hope this helps!

[saleen556]

Originally Posted by M_Six

20% and I round up. So a $34 meal gets a $7 tip and so on. I rarely run across a rude server. Once in a while an order gets messed up, but that's not always the server's fault. Sometimes it's on the kitchen staff. If I think the server messed up or is ignoring us (like when it's time to leave and we just want to pay and go), then I might round down instead of up. $34 gets $6 instead of $7.

This is how I do as well. It's easy to calculate and fair to the server.

[sygazelle]

Originally Posted by MarkM5

Since I am a sever i usually leave 30%. Previous jobs include; electrician, mechanic, marketing, sales, and plenty more. I can honestly say serving is the hardest job I have had. Even use to work in the kitchen and manage, it was a breeze. We genuinely want to make your evening special and memorable. A friend's dad(higher up in banking) takes out candidates and will higher them based on how they treat the server.

Incase your wondering why(people leave a good tip) just look at all the different opinions and views in this one post with a handful of people. Where a server has to make 50 people happy in a few hours, making sure every reaction(since there is no time to process), has been given the right amount of attention to detail per person.

Hope this helps!

I get it. The job is hard and you are taking care of your own. But "usually tipping 30%" is not a reasonable benchmark. Every few months there is another article about proper tipping guidelines. Over time, the % keeps creeping up and up; 10%, 15%, 20%, and now 30%. I respect servers and and I treat them well and I'm never rude or demanding. I tip usually 15% and up to 20% for a great experience. I have no interest in feeling ashamed that the amount I tip isn't enough because some self-serving industry generated article on tipping tells me I'm wrong.

In San Francisco, we get the added pleasure of getting a fee added to our dining bill in some restaurants for a healthcare surcharge.

I go along with the general custom of tipping in the US and I have no problem with a reasonable amount. But I must say after living in The Netherlands for a few years and seeing how it works there it is much simpler. The meal price is the price. You may round up to the next even amount but tips above that are considered rude since wait persons are paid a professional wage by their employers. Heck, I can go back to a restaurant 5 year later and see the same employees at that restaurant. There is no way that I expect that model in the US, but the direction is going the wrong way.

[kprocivic]

I tip based how drunk I am. Normally between 15-20% no matter what. I make friends really quick at New bars cause I believe in tipping well will always come back you.

[Nkc]

Originally Posted by Needbmwpartzz

Tell us how you tip....%...$$ amount.
So when I dine out I still haven't exactly found a formula for tipping.....but I'm usually good for 10% assuming the server was competent enough to be courteous and no spill food or drink on our group.
I will not give tips to incompetence(messing up order completely or rudeness)
Tell us what disqualifies a server from getting a tip from you.

I hate tipping and I only do the minimal required for that country. I'm very Chinese that way.

[RickFLM4]

20% for very good to excellent service when dining in a restaurant; 15% for good; 10% mediocre; 0% for poor service or food. I typically avoid restaurants that force a tip on small parties and would likely avoid restaurants that increase prices and bypass gratuities.

10% delivery; 0% take-out; 0% hotel room service that has a service charge

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by PoorLurker

My thoughts

1) ban tipping
2) increase food/product prices to help with number 3
3) provide these workers with a standard wage

While we are on the topic - throw in tax on the listed menu price as well.

How about letting customers order electronically? Have a small number of people available to answer customer questions when they arise and deliver food, but just have an app that allows customers to place orders from their table, eliminating the cost of waiters? If gratuities are eliminated and prices increased to pay more labor, that would be a logical next step for restaurants with cost-conscious customers, wouldn't it?

[Fundguy1]

First I rub, then just the tip before going all in.

[SDH]

Many a tight b***ard in the uk, most don't tip but I always do. I give 10% here (UK) as their on a half decent wage, unless it's exceptional service then I give more. I give 20% when im in the US as I'm led to believe the wages for waiting staff are shite. I do get annoyed any 1st world country allows employers to have employees on a wage which requires good will of customers to ensure they can get by. Sort it out you guys

[TrAcK TRaP]

Thats funny I never go with % for example if meal costs $82 I pay $100 if its $79 still $100 $85-$86? still $100

[08njSTEP]

For average service a 2x tax. Good service 3x tax. Bad service gets nothing. Math is simple and I round up the tax. Usually left in cash.

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by N54CherryHill

Thats funny I never go with % for example if meal costs $82 I pay $100 if its $79 still $100 $85-$86? still $100

Between 14 and 21 percent. Seams reasonable.

But what if you're eating in Peasantville and your bill is only $61.39 without tax?

[Yessir]

Usually tip between 15-20%, but I am beginning to hate the idea of tipping altogether. Tips were first introduced to "pay" servers because the owners of the business refused to pay a decent , standard wage. With minimum wage laws and employee protection in place, is this still a concern? I know some servers can take as much as 300-400 a night in tips which boggles my mind because they still bitch and complain about low wages. If they didn't get tips, I understand the whole low wage thing but come on, if you are taking at least 100 bucks in tips a night, I don't think there should be any complaints about low wages. I'm rounding up, but at 100 bucks that essentially doubles your pay and sometimes it's tax free! So yeah, I'm not completely against the idea of tipping, but I can't get the idea out of my head that some of these people make more than me in a day even though they are "the lowly server", which in this case, they are not. But yeah, I'll continue tipping the standard 15-20% even though my BS meter tells me not to.

[kscarrol]

Originally Posted by Needbmwpartzz

Tips are called that for a reason....I tip for good service and will tip more for exceptional service but that is very rare.
Find way too many people in the service industry think they are owed a tip....sorry to say that they are not,they have to work for it just like any other job.

You should read what I wrote. I never said they deserved anything and that bad service equals little or no tip. I did say 10% was low. Most service workers get paid a little over $2 per hour plus tips. While they don't deserve something for nothing, they do deserve more than 10% IF they have provided good service.