How much do you tip?

[Ace_King]

Went to a restaurant the other day, noticed they included the tip into the bill already. I still tip in that occasion however many of my friends claim not to tip because it's included in the bill already. What do you guys think?

[mrs.b]

I follow ShotoJuku's formula, but with a sales tax rate of 10%, I just double it to get 20% pre-tax. For restaurants that include gratuity (usually at 10 or 15%), I add whatever is needed to reach 20%. If I'm with a large group and only one server covered the table without issue, they're likely to see a much larger tip. If someone gives sub-par service, I'll deduct however much seems to match the level of service given (unless it's a situation where a server is clearly the only one covering a large section and they made an obvious effort).

Minimum wage for wait staff eligible for tips is $2.13 per hour. While higher end restaurants may pay a higher hourly starting rate, it is often still not much without tips. Having been a waitress years ago, it's a terrible job for terrible wages. There are far too many people who expect you to tap-dance, refill their drinks the instant they take a sip, and dab their mouths with napkins for them to earn a base 10%. I try not to be "that girl/guy."

[taylor]

Wow, this forum is full of gracious tippers. I was checking other sites about tipping and noticed that there was more of a mixed bag of opinions. I guess I'll stick with my MO of 20% of the total bill, haven't got a sideways look from a server yet.

Now are we supposed to tip the doormen at 711's and the window scrubbers at the traffic light too? Just kidding.

Thanks for your advices.

[jmichelle79]

Went to a restaurant the other day, noticed they included the tip into the bill already. I still tip in that occasion however many of my friends claim not to tip because it's included in the bill already. What do you guys think?

I can't stand it when they do this!!
I tip twice the tax, if the wait person is amazing I might throw down a couple more bucks.

[NumberSix]

I usually tip 20% of cost w/o tax. If it is someplace I go to often I may be more generous.

[RedOp*14]

12%, regardless of whether they did a good job or not, is standard. In expensive destinations, they typically add 18% on automatically.

[brothert69]

I usually tip 20% of the total including tax as long as the service is good. On smaller checks (under $25) I still leave $5 without regard to the percentage.

[taylor]

This list might be a good guideline for some of us.

CNN/Money: How much to tip

[ryoder]

I always tip 15-20% for dine-in and about 10% for carry out at a nice restaurant.
I disagree that waiters are poorly paid, however. I worked in a computer store at 17-21 years of age that was situated right next to Outback Steakhouse where friends and family worked. I made $5.50 per hour for about a year and then got some raises, topping out at $9 per hour. I had 4 years of experience fixing, building, installing and selling computers.
16 year old hostesses made about $8.00 to start with no experience and a good waiter pulled in $150 per night for about 5 hours of work. Father's day and other days like that were huge and they could make hundreds of dollars. The Outback employees all had nice new cars in college and were some of the "richest" kids in school.
It was hard for me to justify making so little money as a computer tech when my bills were barely being paid, but that time helped prepare me for a job in the software industry, so it was probably worth it.

[frankiebleyes]

Those servers didn't get that $150.00 a night on their base pay, it was including tips. I have worked in college as a waitress and have members of my family who have waited and without decent tips you average $2.00 to $3.00 per hour, if you are lucky. I usually tip between 15% to 20% depending on the service. If I am at a high end quality restaurant and have received excellent service will tip a little extra.

I hate to see people treat servers as their personal slaves and then can't even fork out a few dollars for a tip because they shouldn't have to pay for the right to eat out. That is just my opinion.