I was wondering what is the customary percentage you leave for a tip in your state. In California, it's an "unwritten rule" to leave 15% percent for marginal service.
What do you guys think is fair, and what do you think about tips? And what kind of tip should be left for bad service? I usually leave them a penny so they can chew on it if they're rude.
And also, does your state require food/beverage service establishments to give their employees guides on how to record their tips for tax purposes?
Posted by The Wiggin (Member # 5020) on :
From what i've seen in NM and TX its been like 10-15% depending on the person. and as fro bad service I like the penny since it lets them know you didn't forget the tip you ment not to leave one they had such bad service.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
In Wisconsin, 15% is still the status quo, and most people leave 20% for satisfactory service.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I was taught to leave a dime, rather than a penny.
A penny could easily have been left accidentally. A dime leaves no doubt.
Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :
*nods at rivka* I'll take that to heart. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
My dad* would be so proud.
*who tips very generously when he likes the service, and was talked out of dime-leaving by my mom the only time I remember that it came up
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
We won't discuss the tip I gave the pizza delivery guy today.
Posted by Zevlag (Member # 1405) on :
*laughs*
Too much? or "What Tip?"
I far too often probably don't tip pizza guys enough. I normally will just leave them the change to the dollar, maybe add a buck or two. *feels bad about that*
At restaurants I usually tip well, 15-20%. I've not left a tip before, for bad service. But I like the dime idea.
[ June 04, 2004, 01:21 AM: Message edited by: Zevlag ]
Posted by fallow (Member # 6268) on :
I ALWAYS tip generously. It just feels right.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I suck at math.
And I'm generous.
Which means I gave the guy $12 for a $9.07 pizza.
Posted by fallow (Member # 6268) on :
mack!
good for you!
fallow
Posted by Troubadour (Member # 83) on :
The whole tipping thing just seems to weird to most Australians. We do tip, but it's definitely not the rule. We only tip for good service, and usually only at restaurants. The idea of tipping the pizza boy is totally foreign to almost everyone I know.
But then we actually pay our award-rate at a liveable level....
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
A couple dollars for the pizza delivery person. Same for a haircut.
I almost always leave 20% for waitstaff, but may leave more for exceptionally good service. Only once have I decided not to leave a tip, and that was because the waitress seemed to be purposely avoiding our table throughout the meal despite empty beverage glasses and much beckoning.
The one I'm alwaeys stuck on is what to tip the shuttle service drivers who pick you up or take you to the airport. I usually just add on about five dollars, but I have no clue what it should be.
Posted by Troubadour (Member # 83) on :
You tip your HAIRDRESSER?!?!?
I pay over $50 for a haircut. I go to that hairdresser because he's excellent and charges accordingly. His reward for being excellent is charging high prices and still having customers. Why on earth would you consider tipping?!??!
Posted by Damien (Member # 5611) on :
You pay over $50 for a HAIRCUT?!?!?!
Why on earth would you consider THAT?!
Respectfully, D
P.S.-To Whom it May Concern, there's a good bit about tipping at the beginning of the movie, Reservoir Dogs. =)
[ June 04, 2004, 06:00 AM: Message edited by: Damien ]
Posted by vwiggin (Member # 926) on :
Delivery people should get tipped slightly more than the standard 15%. I think they work slightly harder and there is always the hazard pay (i.e. visiting complete strangers in their apartment).
So good for you Mack!
I remember a multi-page tip thread here a month ago. *waits lazily for kayla to bring it up*
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
As a former foodserver (waitron?), I am a good tipper when the service warrants it. Because I am a former foodserver, though, I know when I am getting bad service due to outright laziness (as opposed to being very busy). So I'm pretty picky. I know what is acceptable.
I tip 10% for marginal service, 15% for acceptable service, and 20%+ for outstanding service. Serving food is hard work (if done properly), and in many states, you get less than minimum wage (and are expected to make up the rest with tips).
In California, when I was working at Denny's, you had to declare at least 8% of your food gross as tips. If you didn't get many tips, you lost money working that day. (Basically) Waitrons ARE taxed on their tip money, and are required to declare their tips on taxes. Of course, lots of servers fudge on their tax returns, but if you are declaring at least 8% of your food gross, the IRS doesn't usually investigate.
I tip the pizza deliverer fairly generously, because they had to actually drive it over here, and even though it is their job, I live on the second floor of an apartment building. Plus, they have to come on base (military) and go through the gate (front gate: guards: I.D. required: hassle). So I appreciate the fact that they bring food to my lazy @ss. Of course, I also require fairly timely service on this, as well. I know how long it should take from Tony's (our favorite) to here. They've rarely disappointed me.
I tip my hairdresser two-three dollars because I like her. She does nice things to my hair. And I pay less than twenty dollars for a haircut, so I'm not spending that much anyway.
As our income has gone up, my tipping amount has gone up, and I feel good about that. I like tipping. I'm very stereotypically NY Italian like that.
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
Does anyone else's idea of what is acceptable service vary from place to place?
If my wife and I are celebrating our anniversary at a fine restaurant, I expect better service. I'm paying quite a bit more for dinner and I expect the service as well as the food to reflect that.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
quote:Delivery people should get tipped slightly more than the standard 15%. I think they work slightly harder and there is always the hazard pay (i.e. visiting complete strangers in their apartment).
At least in my state, waiters and waitresses are paid much less than delivery drivers. The law assumes that most of a waiter's income comes from tips, and most of a delivery driver's comes from wages.
I tip ~20% for good service, 15% if I ever have an empty water glass, and below that for truly horrible service.
Dagonee
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
"You tip your HAIRDRESSER?!?!?"
Yes!!!! Most hairdressers, unless they own their own business, have to rent their chair. So I tip my hairdresser well. OK, she is one of my best friends. She charges me fifteen bucks for a cut and dye.(not that I am old and gray or anything. Ahem.) So, I tip her twenty-five bucks to make it forty, which is still WAY below what a salon would charge, but I will not let her get away with cutting my hair for free. She DOES own her own salon, in her home, and has two kids and a huge mortgage, so she has a lot of overhead as well.
My husband is a bartender. Servers have to declare their tips, and make a very small salary(a couple of bucks an hour). I start at fifteen percent, and go up from there. If a server really bites, I give them ten percent. I have only stiffed two people, ever, and they were outrageously bad.
Until I met my husband, when I was 21, after four years of college, I did not know you were supposed to tip a bartender. Well, you are, and I still feel bad about all my drunken barscapades that went tipless.
You should also tip chambermaids, baggage claim dudes, and tons of other people that I DON"T know about. (There is a list somewhere, I will try to find it.)
Edit for major typos.
[ June 04, 2004, 08:37 AM: Message edited by: Elizabeth ]
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I usually tip 20% because I'm lazy and it's easier for me to figure out in my head than 15%. (I taught my kids a lot of math when they were growing up by handing them the bill, having them add it up mentally and then figure the tip). I like to be generous because I tried being a waitress once. I sucked at it.
If it is poor service, I either drop it to 10%, or don't tip at all.
And our state does have tax laws regarding the reporting of tips. But I can't recite them to you at the moment.
Farmgirl (*who still has fights with the guys at work over whether or not Sonic employees should be tipped)
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Oh, and a little "tip" for everyone. IF you tip a bartender well, it will go well for you. Believe me. I have been to see music at big bars, and when I tip the bartender, they look at me with such gratitude. I am pretty much assured of getting a couple of freebies if I go back to the same person. It is sort of an unwritten code.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
"This page is the first of its kind, and probably still the only one and the most complete. There is no right or wrong when it comes to tipping, just common sense. Also note that tipping is an option, not a must. There are circumstances that are obviously not as simple as black and white. Use your judgement when deciding to tip or not to tip."
[ June 04, 2004, 08:46 AM: Message edited by: Elizabeth ]
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Beyond that, having the bartender greet you by name is a great assist in picking up chi...er, impressing the ladies. Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
True!
Posted by punwit (Member # 6388) on :
I tip waitstaff, delivery people, and my barber. I will not tip anyone that is rude or impolite and I absolutely refuse to tip anyone that badgers me ahead of time about their gratuity. I had a bartender once come up and attempt to take a couple of bucks that were sitting on the counter next to my beer. When I questioned what she was doing she indicated that she was taking her tip. This sense of entitlement burns me up. I will tip but by God it is my decision and I reserve the right to refuse gratuity contingent on quality of service.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Punwit, traditionally, money left on the counter next to your drink IS meant to be the bartender's tip. She wasn't being rude; she was mistaking your intent.
[ June 04, 2004, 09:10 AM: Message edited by: TomDavidson ]
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
True, Tom, but...
Punwit, there are lots of little signals that seasoned bar patrons know about. Sorry you(and she) got caught up in it.
Usually, if you are sitting at the bar, you would pay with a twenty, say, and leave the change in front of, or next to you. The bartender just sort of takes money for drinks from that. It is not assumed that it is a tip until you say you are leaving, or leave, and the money left on the bar is theirs.
Also, there are different kinds of bars, and many bartenders with little or no etiquette themselves.
Posted by punwit (Member # 6388) on :
I didn't include the conversation that transpired following her attempt to take the money. This was at a bar that I frequent often. I always tipped the young woman by either putting money in her tip jar after each purchase or by leaving the money on the bar when I leave. It's not like she wasn't familiar with my normal modus operandi. She wanted to take the money I had sitting on the bar and put it in the jukebox. The problem was she just assumed it was ok and didn't bother asking me. When I stopped her she gave me a lecture on tipping which was ridiculous since I always tipped her. Besides which it is still my perogative as opposed to her take which was you tip no matter how poor the service is.
Posted by Troubadour (Member # 83) on :
And all this is why you guys still have $1 notes. Can you imagine how big your wallet would be if your $1 was a coin?
Elizabeth: the service industry in general gets paid a lot more in Australia as a base wage than in the US. Also, hairdressers here tend not to have to "rent" their chair, they're just regular employees, sometimes on commission.
However I get my hair done by the guy who owns the salon. It's worth it to pay the bucks for a good haircut. I just don't see the point in tipping for it - or anything outside the restaurant/bar industry.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Troubadour, As Punwit said, it is your prerogative to tip or not. I am a good tipper because I survive on my partner's tips.
And, Punwit, the addition to your story puts the bartender in Mega-Rude standing. No server should ever lecture a customer. I would walk right on over to the manager and then out the door.
Posted by BlueJacsFan (Member # 6590) on :
I tend to start around 20% and go up or down from there based on how good/bad the service is. I have issues with someone telling me how much I have to tip though, so when I'm in a large party, and they tell me that they've already added 15% gratuity to the bill, that's usually all they get, unless they've provided exceptional service.
I tend to tip a little better on Sundays, though. The after-church crowd (at least here in Columbus) has a bad reputation for being light tippers, so I try to compensate for that a little bit.
Posted by suntranafs (Member # 3318) on :
Good thread Nick. tip 50% for exceptional service, 15%, maybe 20 for good service, 15% for marginal service and 15% for bad service, tip nothing if you cannot afford it or for truly horrible service, and hope it looks like you forgot. i.e. Rivka's Mom was right What if they're a nice person having a bad day and you make it worse? OK, so some of you just don't care but I'm a softy, so shoot me.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
quote:As a former foodserver (waitron?), I am a good tipper when the service warrants it. Because I am a former foodserver, though, I know when I am getting bad service due to outright laziness (as opposed to being very busy). So I'm pretty picky. I know what is acceptable.
Back when I was a waiter I noticed that other waiters or former waiters (actually, the gender-neutral form that I heard was "waitoid") were the best tippers. Waiters and former waiters tend to be completely forgiving of honest mistakes and slips due to having too many tables, and completely unforgiving of laziness. And, as you said, they always know which one is happening.
That said, I pretty much tip 20% as a minimum for everything. If the service is shockingly bad I will sometimes leave a note instead of a tip, but it has to be exceptionally and almost deliberately bad. It's not unusual for me to tip higher for particularly good service or for cheaper meals. And I always add the tip on the post-tax total instead of the pre-tax subtotal, so that adds a bit as well.
Oh, and when I was waiting tables we were supposed to declare 10% of our sales. The rationale was that after tipping out the bartender and bussers you'd usually have around that and if sometimes you were under, you'd be over other times and it would balance itself out.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Saxon, There are new laws lately. I will get back to you, but you have to declare much more than you used to.
Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :
quote: What if they're a nice person having a bad day and you make it worse?
That's true. My sister is a server at Chili's, and she says that if she goes to work glum, she comes back with enough money in tips to buy a pack of gum. Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
That is an awesome haircut.
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
The point is, though, even if you are having a bad day, you are in the Service Industry. If you are having a bad day, and doing a bad job, you get a bad tip. It's your BUSINESS to make the customer happy, not yourself. It's a JOB. Now, I don't mean that you have to be chatty and perky...I don't tip waitrons on their personality (well, not usually)...I just mean that I need my d@mned iced tea refilled promptly and my food hot out of the serving window.
I get a little 'het up' about this.
"Having a bad day" is a cop-out.
And Troub's hair IS really amazing. I think he should tip EXTRA much. Hee.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I could never, never be a server.
"Can I get a..."
"No."
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Mack, That is why I always worked in the kitchen with the other grumps. I hear the crapola my husband takes with a smile and I shudder. there is one guy who comes into the bar who is obsessive compulsive. he is like Jack Nicholson in "As Good As It Gets." Steve just deals with it, and I get worked up just HEARING about it.
Jexx, you are right. If you can't stand the heat, get INTO the kitchen.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
Waiting tables was the only job I've ever had that made me feel stress. I work on projects now where I could potentially destroy hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars of equipment with a slip of my hand and I still think waiting tables is more stressful.
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
My best friends and I go to the same place all the time (cause it's basically the only one we all have easy acces to) and there is this one waitress who keeps avoiding our table. We almost need to shout at her if we want something, and after one person has ordered, she makes a move as if she wanted to go, so we need to call her back. We can't figure out why she hates us so much.
Posted by Ayelar (Member # 183) on :
quote:The point is, though, even if you are having a bad day, you are in the Service Industry. If you are having a bad day, and doing a bad job, you get a bad tip.
I totally agree. I do a lot of tech support/customer service, and if I'm slow or rude or unresponsive, I'm not doing my job. It's not the customer's fault if I'm sad or tired or pissed off.
There's no need to respond to bad restaurant service with rudeness, but I think a bad tip or no tip is exactly what poor service deserves. Mark and I are particular about service; it's part of the "going out to eat" experience. If we're paying a ton of money to enjoy ourselves at a restaurant, we don't want to wait an hour and a half for cold food served with a sneer. We tip very well whenever someone does a good job or even just tries to do a good job, despite mistakes, but if it's clear they just don't care.... uh-uh. And we probably won't come back again, either.
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
Pet peeve - fast food places, like Subway, with tip jars by the register.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
That gets me too.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
YES! It annoys me to no end.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
The thing about tipping bartenders is absolutely true. I tip even if I'm just buying a soda, and I usually get several free Cokes out of it.
The one person I always forget to tip is my hairstylist. I think it's because I usually pay with a check.
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
It annoys me, too. I feel like grabbing them by the collar and saying, "What have you DONE to get a tip???? I even fill my own DRINK!!!!"
I will, however, tip someone at a regular restaurant when I am coming to pick up food to take out. It's not expected, and it makes a little happy. I only tip a dollar, though.
(edit: was in response to tip jars at fast food places)
[ June 04, 2004, 03:29 PM: Message edited by: jexx ]
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
My hairstylist is awesome. I love her and always tip, and for some reason, she always charges me less. She says it's 'cause she likes me, I have an easy cut (if you know what you're doing), and I have to come in more often than most women.
Which reminds me. I probably need a trim next week.
Oh, and my little sister is a cosmetologist AND a server! Poor dear.
Posted by Epictetus (Member # 6235) on :
I agree, my work has a tip jar by the register and frankly, I think it is very redundant. However,concerning tipping the pizza-dude, I would definately give one to him because they may be paid more, but at some places (like my work) they aren't on the clock when their out delivering.
[ June 04, 2004, 03:31 PM: Message edited by: Epictetus ]
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
Epictetus, do they get paid by the delivery?
As far as tipping bartenders, I always made a point of tipping even on nights where one price got you free drinks all night. No matter how crowded the bar gets, you will always get served first.
Of course, one day I had an epiphany, realized I had a real job, had real money and no longer needed to skimp by drinking cheap beer.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
One time NOT to tip a bartender is at a wedding, if there is an open bar, and a tip jar on the bar. It is, in that case, very inappropriate of the bartender to have a tip jar out. There is a gratuity included in the WHOPPING bill. The point of an open bar is that your guests are drinking for free. Period. If you WANT to tip them, fine, but there should be no cup. Tacky to the max.
Posted by punwit (Member # 6388) on :
When I was younger I waited tables as well as tending a bar. I actually really enjoyed waiting tables and bartending was ok. The bar I worked at only served 3.2 % beer and I made virtually 0 dollars in tips. The restaurant I waited tables at was a Country Kitchen. If I worked either day shift (7:00 to 3:00) or swing shift (3:00 to 11:00) I made tips similar to the female staff. If I worked bar rush (after 12:00 PM) I made squat while the young ladies I worked with made out like bandits. I was a good waiter, friendly and competent but that mattered not to young drunk folk.
All of this is background to my rant on tipping. I never thought I was entitled to a tip. I was disappointed if people didn't tip because I knew I was giving good service AND I wasn't being paid minimum wage. I think it is a crime that businesses can pay wait staff less than minimum wage. I believe tips should indicate gratitude for a job well done and not be considered part of the basic pay structure. And the whole idea of gratuity being added to the bill infuriates me. If you aren't paying your staff enough to do their jobs then you shouldn't put the onus on us if you'll pardon the pun.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
"If you aren't paying your staff enough to do their jobs then you shouldn't put the onus on us if you'll pardon the pun."
Restaurants are also masterful when it comes to not letting people work the full 32(?) hours that makes it mandatory that they offer health insurance.
[ June 04, 2004, 06:32 PM: Message edited by: Elizabeth ]
Posted by Eruve Nandiriel (Member # 5677) on :
quote: quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You pay over $50 for a HAIRCUT?!?!?!
$50 Aussie dollars is about $35 US. Which is good for a haircut that awesome.
Around here we usually tip about 15%. 20% if the service is good, maybe as low as 10% if the service is bad. I think its kind of rude when restaraunts add the tip into your bill. It defeats the purpose of a tip, and tips should be an optional thing anyway.
Hmmm...come to think of it, I'm overdue for a haircut, too...
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Egads, I just read in my "Keep it Simple" magazine that you are supposed to tip the person who gets your take-out order! I figured that me driving there to get it cancelled out the need for a tip. Wrong again.
Posted by punwit (Member # 6388) on :
Next thing you know it will be customary to tip at a serve yourself buffet.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
When I waitressed/bartended/coatchecked my way through life, it was ridiculous how much a $1 tip meant to me. Not so much for the content, although that was welcome, but for the context -- the difference between 20% and 25% psychologically was enormous.
Back then, I ate smaller meals so I could tip more on my limited budget. Now because I can, I make it a point to be generous. (OTOH, as was said above, I'm pretty harsh on lazy-bummed waitstaffing, as I know the difference. Yep, typical for an ex-waitey.) But whenever I can find something to really praise, I track down a manager and/or write a letter. Positive reinforcement. Posted by Richard Berg (Member # 133) on :
quote:Egads, I just read in my "Keep it Simple" magazine that you are supposed to tip the person who gets your take-out order! I figured that me driving there to get it cancelled out the need for a tip. Wrong again.
Never heard of that rule + never heard of that magazine + it makes no sense = ignore
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
The reason you have not heard of the magazine, Richard Berg, is that the ACTUAL name of it is Real Simple, not Keep It Simple. But I bet you still haven;t heard if it. ha ha.
Posted by Risuena (Member # 2924) on :
I've heard that you're only supposed to tip for take-out if it's brought to your car (like what Outback and a couple other places do). Even then, I wouldn't tip nearly as much as I would a waiter/waitress. Definitely wouldn't tip for regular take-out though.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Risuena, Just went back to read it again. Isays, for regular take-out orders, tip up to ten percent. For rush orders or orders taken to your car, ten percent or more. (sorry, I had looked at their pocket pull-out version.)
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I worked for ten years in food service, and was living on tips for years. Some people just don't tip, and it isn't usually who you think. You often think you're going to get a large tip, and then don't...or think one group isn't good tippers, only to be proven wrong.
I have had large groups of black people sit in my section, and all the other waitstaff turned to me and said "I'm sory you got stuck with them.". Imagine their suprise when I got 20% from them. Here's the secret...to me they were just customers, like any other ones! Most of the reason the other servers kept getting stiffed was that they had treated this party (which came in every Sunday) differently because of their preconcieved notion that this group wouldn't tip reguardless of the quality of service. I just made sure that I treated them no differently than any other group....and I NEVER knew what any group would give.
To me they were just wrong in assuming any such thing. I have heard over and over that various groups, ethinic or otherwise, don't tip well, and occasionally that is true. Some of the church groups were so bad that the manager went over and asked if something was wrong. But most of these "facts" weren't based in truth.
If a server thinks that a party isn't going to tip,then consiously or not he treats the table differently. It's that treatment that causes the party not to tip, which only reinforces the stereotype. That goes for groups and orginazations as well as ethnic groups.
I have found that people of all types of origins and backgrounds respect good service, and usually tip better for it. There are individuals who have no sense about tipping, but I don't find most of the stereotypes of non-tippers to be true.
There was a church group that came in often, and only tipped 5%. My manager finally went over to the minister and talked to him in private. Turns out the whole staff of the Cracker Barrel, myself included, refused to serve them again. They were a group of 14-20 people, and they would take up my intire section for hours at a time. So one night the waitstaff refused to wait on them. The ENTIRE waitstaff, all 12 of us. So when my Mgr found out why, he confronted the minister, and the minister was horrified. Turns out that he use to wait tables, and the $5 that was left each time was his tip...just for his meal! No one else was leaving a dime!
The minister went over to the group and embarressed them all, and then paid for the whole meal himself, and left me a $50 tip! (I waited on them because my store mgr told me what his plan was) He then told the group that they had caused their church to have a terrible reputation, and that he never wanted it to happen again.
From that point on, they tipped a consistant 15%....
If you have a problem with the meals, or the service, fine....don't tip at all.
But I DO agree with the policy of adding a standard % to large groups, as long as you let them know ahead of time. Too often when a party splits the check, the tip leaks out somewhere else.
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but I'm a softy, so shoot me.
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