How much do you tip?

[taylor]

I recently paid dinner for two of my customers. One of them saw the bill and said I was tipping too much. And then he told me I should only pay a tip based on the subtotal without the sales tax. Then my other customer chimed in and agreed with his colleague. I generally tip 20% of the total bill including sales tax as long as the service is good. I thought I was the normal one. I think I'd prefer gratuity included in every bill, too much second guessing.

[bluk30]

You know a custom is faulty when everyone has a different interpretation of it. it's kinda silly that a pretty waitress
at the Olive Garden can pull in more than an ER nurse, so I just don't tip. They're serving food, not putting it into orbit.

[IrishRM]

You know a custom is faulty when everyone has a different interpretation of it. it's kinda silly that a pretty waitress
at the Olive Garden can pull in more than an ER nurse, so I just don't tip. They're serving food, not putting it into orbit.

There are different interpretations to everything in life. Waitressing is a job. People are paid for doing their work.
Many people work in the food industry to support their families. Maybe you just should not go out to eat. Just eat at home and wait on yourself.

Taylor tip what you feel is the right amount. Do not let other people interfer with that. I tip on the total bill. Not the bill minus taxes. Actually if the server
is really great of course they get even more.

[LaterBloomer]

It's been AGES since I waited tables, but wait staff still are not paid minimum wage. They are supposed to make up the difference in tips. And yes, your friends are correct. Tips are typically based upon pre-tax subtotal.

[Lyanne]

I usually figure 15% and 20% and tip whatever is the roundest figure in between. I tip on the total, I'm not going to quibble over taxes. Also, remember if dining out on a Groupon or Restaurant.com certificate, to tip on the pre-discounted total. These people make just a few dollars an hour, and spend those hours running back and forth servicing many customers. Also, a lot of restaurants have eliminated bussers so the waitstaff now has to bus their own tables. They may not be doing life-saving work, but all work is honorable.

[Tasman]

For the years I was living in the US, I tipped 15 - 20% of the total bill. As long as I thought the service was ok. Now being back in Australia (or New Zealand for that matter), it is customary not to tip and is usually frowned upon. All wait-staff are on quite good hourly rates so there is no need to tip.

[burbuja0512]

20-25% after tax of the total bill if the service is good. 15-20% if it's decent, and 15% if it's bad. If the service is horrible, I'll still leave a decent tip, but then let the manager know what the problem is.

The waiter only makes a few bucks an hour and has an extremely stressful job. Yes you can be a cheapo and leave a few bucks less, but I personally don't like to do that because I know how tough the job is and I figure that if I have the money to go spend 50 bucks on dinner, I should be able to afford to pay for the service too. I just consider it a part of going out. If I can't afford that, I should stay home.

In the past two months, I have spent time in several Asian countries and in France. Tips are not customary in many Asian countries, but everything seems to be more expensive. I was also shocked to learn that it is also not the custom to tip in France. The first night there, our waiter flatly refused the tip and said that it was his job to serve us without additional tips. HOWEVER... the bill for this normal meal was at least 1.5 times what I would have paid here in the states, not to mention the VAT of 18%. So, no, tip isn't included there, but you still end up paying for it nonetheless.

[cookderosa]

I recently paid dinner for two of my customers. One of them saw the bill and said I was tipping too much. And then he told me I should only pay a tip based on the subtotal without the sales tax. Then my other customer chimed in and agreed with his colleague. I generally tip 20% of the total bill inf cluding sales tax as long as the service is good. I thought I was the normal one. I think I'd prefer gratuity included in every bill, too much second guessing.

Assuming good service, 15% pre-tax. Great service? Whatever you want. I round according to bills just to keep my life easy- so if 15% would be $4.30, I usually leave $5 just because it's easy. Also, remember to tip on coupons and gift cards. For instance, on a B-O-G-O just because you didn't pay for 2, you were still served 2, so you should tip on 2. Also, if you use a gift card and your meal is free, you should still tip. FWIW, I also tip cash even when paying electronically because then I'm sure the server gets it.

[LaterBloomer]

Dating myself, but here goes. Years ago I was in a nice-ish restaurant in London. Everything - soup to nuts and service charge - was included for about $30. The waiter was EXCELLENT. I wanted to tip him extra, and make sure he got it, so I asked him how it was done. He kept telling me not to, then, he bent over and pointed to a table of Sloan Rangers (see, I'm dating myself). He then said, "they have lots of money, and are in here all of the time, but they never tip." Well, not looking to be a Sloan Ranger sister, I tipped.

[ShotoJuku]

My Tip Formula: Double the tax plus a buck. 7% x 2 + $1.00 = Tip.