How much do you tip?

[sanantone]

Why does everyone blame the customers and call them cheap, but not that restaurant owner who pays them pennies to serve, (while also expecting the waiters to clean, fill salt/pepper shakers,etc at less than minimum wage). If everyone stopped tipping, then people would stop wanting to be waiters, which will cause restaurant owners to actually pay their employees an actual wage. An employee at McDonalds does just as much work (save walking to tables) and doesn't get paid tips.

I have lived in Europe the last three years and tips are not expected. I even had one guy get insulted when I offered. The food is the same price at the states if not sometimes less. Dining out is a social experience and the customer has the table as long as they desire even if they are not eating (reservations are a must). I have maybe experienced a rude waiter once while in Europe, but encountered many rude waiters in the states (and they still expect 18% for their lousy service).

It's some strange cultural thing. I can tell you that fast food workers do more work. They have to cook, clean, and take orders. Granted, the duties are often split up so you either just have to cook and clean or take orders, clean, and restock; but, you still have a lot more duties than a waiter. If a fast food restaurant can afford to pay its employees minimum wage with its low prices, then a more expensive restaurant can afford to pay its servers minimum wage without even having to pass down the cost to the consumer in the bill.

5 bucks tip for valet parking is way too generous at a restaurant imo. And please don't tip dry cleaners, they're just happy that you chose them to clean your clothes. We live in such a tip happy society, it just boggles my mind sometimes. I had a friend who was winning money playing black jack in Las Vegas and he kept tipping the dealer 5-10 bucks everytime he won a hand. He ended up losing a lot of money in the end with the same dealer. He felt so STUPID giving her probably at least 200-300 bucks. Who ends up buying the rest of his meals for his stupidity? ME!!!

My biggest pet peeve at restaurants is this new trend of putting tip jars on the counter. They expect people who are picking up take out orders to tip the cashier! Why should I tip the cashier for bagging and ringing up my order? I'm taking my food home. They don't have to wait on me or clean up after me.

[anonymouse]

My biggest pet peeve at restaurants is this new trend of putting tip jars on the counter. They expect people who are picking up take out orders to tip the cashier! Why should I tip the cashier for bagging and ringing up my order? I'm taking my food home. They don't have to wait on me or clean up after me.

It's paying the server who took your order on the phone, logged it into the computer and (possibly) gave it to the cooks, checked your order to make sure it was correct, and maybe bagged it up and brought it out for you.

Tips for take-out weren't normal when I was waitressing, and I remember that no server would answer the phone when it would ring near the kitchen. We would watch it ring or quickly find something busy to do as an excuse not to answer it. You didn't want to waste your time. Often, the manager would enjoin someone to answer the phone or simply answer it him/ herself. Also, new servers were sometimes saddled with the task of doing take-out orders.


I used to eat at Moe's a lot, and there is always a tip jar out and a line on the bill for you to add a tip. THIS I find bizarre and exploitative. I don't tip at Subway or Taco Bell.

[sanantone]

It's paying the server who took your order on the phone, logged it into the computer and (possibly) gave it to the cooks, checked your order to make sure it was correct, and maybe bagged it up and brought it out for you.

What is the difference between that and tipping the cashier at a fast food restaurant? Down here, people usually don't call in their take out orders at Mexican restaurants because the food is whipped up so quickly. Even if you did make the order over the phone, I still don't see how that's anymore worthy of a tip than ordering from a fast food cashier. Occasionally, fast food restaurants do get large orders called in. I once had to make 50 sausage biscuit and hash brown orders. Another time, I had to make 100 tacos. These were orders called in at fast food restaurants, and no one was tipped. We got paid a wage to do stuff like this.

[taylor]

Well ok I revived this thread yesterday because I just had another valet parker pilfer my quarters again from my car. And yes I did tip him 2 bucks too. So the valet fee was 6 bucks + 2 bucks tip + approx. 10 bucks worth of quarters he took from me, so basically he made out like a bandit. On top of that someone stole my flip flops at the water park in the same week. Really??? Why would somebody want to steal something that was on my feet? Talk about grodie. Just had to vent =( Maybe I'm just overreacting to the whole valet parking thing but it's happened too many times to me. I guess I will only tip valet parkers that are college kids trying to make extra money but I don't think I'm going to tip the valet parkers with greasy hair anymore, sure red flag.

[mrs.b]

It's paying the server who took your order on the phone, logged it into the computer and (possibly) gave it to the cooks, checked your order to make sure it was correct, and maybe bagged it up and brought it out for you.

Tips for take-out weren't normal when I was waitressing, and I remember that no server would answer the phone when it would ring near the kitchen. We would watch it ring or quickly find something busy to do as an excuse not to answer it. You didn't want to waste your time. Often, the manager would enjoin someone to answer the phone or simply answer it him/ herself. Also, new servers were sometimes saddled with the task of doing take-out orders.

I'm on the "don't cheat the wait staff!" train up until tipping for carry-out came up. It's something that mystifies me, also. The majority of the work in maintaining a table is the errands back and forth when the first person needs a drink, then on the return trip, the second does now, then on the second trip back the third person realized they wanted additional something else...and so on. Or chatting up the children at a table when the parents are too busy in their own conversations to care their kids are annoying other guests. None of that is required for a carry-out order. When I waited tables, the front of house manager or owner took phone orders and handled checking and bagging the orders; they wanted the wait staff covering their tables, not reading a menu to someone.

As for valet...hubby and I dropped a $20 tip on valets this weekend. :willynilly: It was at a hotel, so pulling bag (we only had one - my massive "I'm not vacationing, I'm moving" bag) from the car, opening the door every time we entered or left during the weekend, and returning the car to us in the time it took us to check out (in the same condition and contents it was given), and loaded our bag back into the car. They were essentially multi-function doormen/bellhop/valets; I wondered if we under-tipped until I read this discussion!

[koenigtv]

This is a fascinating thread. I've often been flummoxed at tipping situations outside of restaurants and bars. Restaurants I usually tip 20% - more if service was outstanding and less if it was mediocre. Tip jars at take away places annoy me but there are 2 take out places that I frequent where ive developed a friendly relationship with the cashier or owner and they provide excellent customer service so I admit I do tip a few books at these 2 places.

Funny story - my parents were in China and went dinner at a rural place in Shenyang and left a tip after their meal. They returned to the restaurant 3 months later and the manager went to their table and returned their tip from 3 months prior. He said it was his honor to serve them and he was the one who was thankful for their patronage.

On the other hand, restaurants that have service charges infuriates me because it's never clear if the wait staff gets those tips. You can find yourself paying/tipping upto 10-20% more out of guilt.


Anyway for those interested here's the Emily Post etiquette guide on tipping

General Tipping Guidelines

[taylor]

It seems like those who have been servers seem to think that patrons should tip more. I've never been a server but I did manage a decent sized Japanese bakery for just a little over a year with 25 employees almost 2 decades ago...I must admit I was pretty bad at it. Nonetheless, none of our employees got tips back then (probably a tip jar there now) and a lot of their work was multi tasking and labor intensive. I lean more toward the thought that the business owners should pay their staff more and shouldn't rely so much on customers to pay 20% tip to cover the difference. Food and alcohol mark up is pretty high and although a lot of restaurants go out of business, the ones that are successful are extremely profitable.

[sanantone]

I understand what Hejbelle is saying in that you're tipping the server to for answering the phone and taking away from his or her time waiting tables. But, many restaurants do not have servers answering the phones. If a restaurant does get a lot of take out orders at the counter or over the phone, then they should have a dedicated person to do that.

On the other hand, restaurants that have service charges infuriates me because it's never clear if the wait staff gets those tips. You can find yourself paying/tipping upto 10-20% more out of guilt.

Pizza and Chinese places and other restaurants that heavily depend on the delivery side of their businesses tick me off with their delivery charges. Some of them will tell customers on the menu or on an advertisement that the delivery charge does not go to the delivery person, so they would appreciate tips. I wonder what that delivery charge is spent on. Is it used to help pay the delivery people their wages?

[instant000]

I don't usually tip less than $5. If the meal costs enough that $5 is less than 20%, then I tip at least 20%.

It's really simple. Just multiply the bill times two, and move the decimal.

Example:
Bill is $35.00.
35 x 2 = 70.
Move the decimal one spot over 7.0. Boom, there's your 20% tip, $7.00.

Also, I like to make the total even up at a dollar total.

Example, if the bill was for $35.43, I would tip $7.57, bringing the total up to $43.00.

Sometimes if I go someplace where service looks slow that day, I may tip more, just 'cause I know the wait staff might need it.

Also, I try not to tip someone poorly just 'cause they gave bad service.

I find it more pleasant to let the manager know that staff gave particularly great service, versus dogging about poor service. My take on it is that I have no idea of what is going on in that person's life.

I know that I need grace, so, personally, I give others the benefit of the doubt.

[Lindagerr]

I don't usually like to complain I also prefer to ask for a manager to compliment someones work. On the other hand when I go to a restaurant with 7 or more other people and we are automaticly charged 18-20% tip I get annoyed, if I had great service I might leave a little extra but if the service was only mediocre I would normally cut the tip to 15% so I do not appreciate being told what to tip.

When I do charge a meal I may put 10-15% tip on that but I try to leave cash for at least part of the tip, I don't mind giving a hard working waitperson more I hate giving Uncle Sam more.