Tipping in restaurants (1 Viewer)

[Yee-Ming]

thank goodness for a "tipping not required" system!

having said that, around here there's a so-called 10% "service charge" which gets added to most restaurant bills. this is theoretically an institutionalised tip, where the service charge gets redistributed back to the staff. however, not all restaurants do this and some apparently retain it, or use it to pay for breakage or wastage caused by staff before distributing it.

after high school, I worked at a Pizza Hut for a while. their system was to use the "service charge" collected to pay for breakage/wastage, and what was left was distributed to staff based on the performance points they'd earned that month, in effect rewarding better workers more, and all staff if the restaurant had had a good month.

 

[Shane Bos]

IRS assumes that waiters are receiving 15% on average, so there is a tacit expectation that 15% is standard.

This is now being cracked down on in Canada too. However if you only leave you server 15%. after they have tipped out the bartender, the kitchen, the bus staff, and possibly even the hostess. Your server is now left with approx 10-11%. Less than what he/she has to pay taxes on as received income.

A friedn of mine actually made a short film called A Customer's Guide to Tipping. It is a comedy about what happens behind the scenes in a restaurant that affects the service at the table.

 

[MikeAlletto]

I start at 15% and go up or down from there. They have to be really bad though in order for me to not leave a good tip. But at the same time I have no problem with letting them know how I felt about their service through a bad tip.

When in a group I look at it differently. I won't tip according to the total bill amount, but I'll tip according to what my share is.

 

[Malcolm R]

Yeah, I've never got that one either. Why should servers in upscale restaurants get higher tips just because the menu prices are higher than at Applebee's?

 

[Justin Lane]

Yeah, I've never got that one either. Why should servers in upscale restaurants get higher tips just because the menu prices are higher than at Applebee's?

Generally speaking, in upscale restaurants, the waiter usually is responsible for a wider range of knowledge, including description and understanding of daily specials and wine recommandation for a particular meal. At an upscale restaurant, servers are more professional in nature (dress and presentation) and thus considered at the pinnacle of their career. An upscale restaurant cannot afford to have the goofs that sometimes occur in a restaurant such as Applebee's so they hire only the best individuals.

A great, high end dining experience involves excellent food and service, so the waitstaff should be accomadated accordingly.

J

 

[Phil Kim]

Question. When ordering a take out food, are we expected to leave a tip? I would think not, but I want to make sure.

 

[Jed M]

I tip around 20% on usual. I don't know why, I always have. On the flip side, the smallest tip I have left is a dime on a 15 dollar ticket, but I can't stress how much he deserved it. Even if my service is mediocre I will tip well. I've always seen it as one more dollar will help him/her more than me. I understand that there are a lot more factors going into my service than just the server. As long as he is friendly, he will get a good tip. If he is friendly, personable and knowledgeable he will get a very good tip. If a place is absolutely horrible from the food to the service I will show my displeasure in the ultimate way, I will never go back. I've always felt that if you don't have the money to tip, you don't have the money to go out. Stay home and eat Mac and Cheese.

 

[Steve_Tk]

I can't stand people that are cheap on tips. None of my friends are like that and anyone that goes out with us that turns out to be like that, we give them hell.

Those people are working a shitty job. You may not be bad customers, but find someone that is a waiter and ask about all the assholes that complain about their drink not strong enough, chicken not cooked enough/chicken overcooked, you put too much salt on my fries, this water is too lemony, not enough lemon!, I need some more ketchup because I like fries with my ketchup, this knife is not very sharp, I couldn't even kill someone with this knife, can you tell that guy over there not to talk about how he doesn't like my favorite basketball team, I don't like this bread because it's not the same as my mom makes at home, blah blah blah bitch bitch bitch. It's hard for these people to make every individual happy. And some people actually expect for the waiter to know exactly what they want without them telling them. Idiots.

Anyone that works with the public, I feel for you, I really do.

 

[Michelle Schmid]

Phil-if a host/hostess takes your order, you are not expected to leave a tip. If a server takes your order you can leave a tip or not. Keep in mind, however, that with everything computerized under the server's name these days, even to-go orders are added to the server's daily receipts and they are required to report that amount to the IRS as tipped income, even if a tip wasn't received. It isn't right, of course, but the server can't do anything about it.

 

[Bryan X]

Generally speaking, in upscale restaurants, the waiter usually is responsible for a wider range of knowledge, including description and understanding of daily specials and wine recommandation for a particular meal. At an upscale restaurant, servers are more professional in nature (dress and presentation) and thus considered at the pinnacle of their career. An upscale restaurant cannot afford to have the goofs that sometimes occur in a restaurant such as Applebee's so they hire only the best individuals.

Still, that doesn't explain why a higher bill should mean a higher tip. If I'm in that 'upscale restaurant' why should the waiter get more if I pick an expensive dinner off the menu versus a cheaper one (and conversely, why should the waiter get a smaller tip if I pick something cheap)?

I agree that you may get more attentive service in an upscale restaurant. But this is my point. Pay based on the level of service and how many people are in your party, NOT how much your meal cost.

 

[Patrick Larkin]

Exactly what I said in my post above. If I order lobster and filet mignon, why should the waiter get a higher tip than if I ordered a salad? Dumb system.

 

[Tony Whalen]

Boy I'm glad some of you folks weren't customers of MINE during my stint as a waiter.

I spent over a decade working in the restaurant industry.

I started in a highway-side diner/truck-stop, and finished as a cocktail waiter at a dinner theatre. During that time, I also worked at a couple of upscale restaurants, and took several courses on wine, service and other things.

Patrick, if you order lobster and have a problem tipping to that level, you must remember that there is a tad more work for the wait staff, and probably *considerably* more work for the kitchen staff, who probably get a cut. The percentage system is fair, at least in my eyes. I know that as a cocktail waiter, I certainly had to work more for tables that had higher bills.

Regardless, not tipping fairly because you think the system is "dumb" is hardly fair. It's the way the system is. I don't see it changing any time soon. Sorry... leaving poor tips because you don't like the system sure doesn't help anyone...

And yes.. at that time... tips were how I made my living.

I *always* tip 15%, unless the service was poor. If the service was great, 20%. More if warrented.

I expect eye-contact. I expect courtesy. I expect to be checked on during my meal. I expect to have a pleasent dining experience.

If, for some reason I don't, and it is NOT the servers fault, I'll have a word with the manager. If it IS the servers fault... I'll let my tip (or lack thereof) do the talking, and I will still let the management know what the problem is, rather than just leaving a poor tip and not indicating WHY there was a problem. Otherwise, the problem will repeat itself, if not with me, then with other diners.

Just my tip o' two cents.

 

[Patrick Larkin]

Tony - Read my previous posts as well. I always tip 15-20%. Me ordering a $25 entree is NOT the same as a couple ordering 8 drinks. YOU do more work fetching the drinks - you DON'T do more work fetching the plate of lobster. (Of course, I've eaten at restaurants where the wait staff actually stood tble side and picked the meat from the lobster, but thats a different level of service.) My parents ran restaurants for years and I never remember chefs getting part of the tips! The chef was always paid well so tipping for the chef doesn't hold up for me. Like I said, I tip and play the system BUT I always have a hard time rationalizing giving more of a tip because my wife and I happened to order expensive entrees. If I take my wife out and order a bottle of Cristal, should I add $40 in tip for the $200 bottle of champagne? I wsih I could make $40 fetching a bottle of champagne for someone!

On the issue of feeling sorry for the waiters, I don't see the grocery clerks and other retail folks getting tips for dealing with the same assholes. If you don't like the crappy wages and working for tips, you can work as a Walmart clerk and get paid a straight wage. Its really up to you.

 

[MickeS]

Well then, if you don't like tipping more for more expensive food, you can stay home and make it yourself. It's really up to you.

 

[JamieD]

Well then, if you don't like tipping more for more expensive food, you can stay home and make it yourself. It's really up to you.

Not an equal comparison in any way, unless the tip was being legally enforced.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

My general tip amount is 20%, but will get dropped to 15% if the service was not very good. Only on very rare occasions have I dropped below 15%. The worst tip I left was 25 cents on a $50 bill, but both the waitress and manager were extremely rude in handling a situation with the bill. Leaving an extremely small tip instead of none makes a better point, IMO (they do not think you simply forgot). We have not been back to that restaurant.

Knowing quite a few people who have been waiters, you'd be surprised how cheap some people are when it comes to forking out the tip. These people work their butt off at times, trying their hardest to please the customer and then get left 2 bucks on a 40 dollar check, just because the customer is cheap. Something is just not right with that picture.

I have a friend like this. When we dine out (not very often), I usually make up the difference on his small tip. The gratuity is part of the waiter's wages, and most of them work hard for their money.

 

[Charles J P]

Didnt read the whole thread, but this is a big issue for me as well. First of all, I'm also someone who doesnt tip for just getting a beer from the bar. Especially when its not busy. Usually, the only reason I tip the bartender is if its really busy and I'm trying to get some assurance that I will be served more promptly the next round. I always wonder if beer/drink prices are set to try to guarantee a certain tip. I.e. which would get you a higher tip, a beer thats $2.75 or one thats $3.25? Would you only leave a quarter as a tip for the 2.75 beer or would you leave a whole buck and a quarter? I think most people would leave the .75 in the second case. Any way, like I said I usually dont tip the bartender any way. He's standing right there any way. Hell, at bars where they have mostly bottled beer and just a few beers on tap, he's usually just opening the bottle for me. Christ, I'll do it myself.

You do realize that most wait staff get paid a little over 2 bucks an hour and rely on the tips to make up the rest of their wages?

This bugs me too. Get a different job then. Wal*marts hiring. I dont know when it got to a point that 20% was standard. You people that are tipping 30%+ are insane.

Yeah, they need to make decent living, but even if they are waiting just one table an hour (not likely, even at slow places) and they all leave a 15% tip at a place where the average meal is $15 and the average table is two to three people, they are making anywhere from $7 - $9 for that hour. And those numbers are conservative. My wife and I eat at LoneStar a lot. Our waite-person is typically waiting on 3 or more tables and most people are in and out of there in an hour and a half, so say on average, two tables an hour. Now, one or more of those tables is usually more than just a couple. I would say that the average table ticket there is $65 (my wife and I spend $50 with no alcohol, so this is again, conservative). So that equates to over $20 for that hour. Now, I know this is during dinner times, etc. and they wont always do that well, but say at worst they make $5 an hour and at best they make $20. I'm an IT auditor for one of the Big4 and I barely make $20 an hour over a 40 hour work week, and considering that I work closer to 60 hours, I could conceivebly make the same being a waiter at a nice-ish steakhouse. So, YES, 15% is a FINE tip and there is no way in hell they're getting more than 20% Think I'm an ass if you will.

EDIT: I should note, that I always leave a tip and I'm probably not as cheap as I sound in my post, but this upping of the minimum amount over the last 5 years has gotten absurd. I know people who were waiters/bar tenders that made a TON of money. My roomate in college worked 1 night a week at a bar at an upscale hotel in town and made more in a month than I did working 25 hours a week at an internship that paid $10 an hour. I also knew people who made crap waiting tables. There was always a difference in these people. The onese who made good money were smart, clean, always worked hard, and earned their money. The ones who didnt, typically werent. I hate to sound like a classist bastard, but there's probably a reason why your waiter at Applebees is a waiter at Applebees instead of a professional.

 

[Max Knight]

I usually tip 20% or so (maybe 18% if it makes a round number). I'll tip 25% and up for really good service. Being a waiter is a tough job, and if my extra few dollars help out then that's fine.

I have a pretty regular group of restaurants that I go to, and the wait staff usually remember me. As a result, I often get a lot of perks that others do not. At one always crowded sushi place in downtown Manhattan I never had to wait in line (they don't take reservations). I got free food and drinks, and the manager gave me his cell phone number to call and reserve a table (something very few people were allowed to do).

Good tipping is like karma. A little extra from your part can go a long way. If you plan on going back to a restaurant, tip well. The staff always remembers who tips well and who is cheap, and believe me you don't want people handling your food to harbor bad feelings towards you!

 

[MickeS]

I have no clue what you mean by that. Why is the comparison not equal, and what does legal enforcement have to do with it?

 

[Bryan X]

Well then, if you don't like tipping more for more expensive food, you can stay home and make it yourself. It's really up to you.

That's just absurd and the typical attitude of people today who think they are entitled to things 'just because'.

When I go to a restaurant I'll tip X number of dollars per person in my party (up or down based on the level of service). Don't even try to tell me that because I order a $20 entree at Red Lobster that the waiter does any more work for me than for my wife who may order a $10 entree. That's just a bunch of BS from people who want something for nothing. I have no problem tipping for service. Work hard for me and you'll get tipped well.

The best solution would be for the restaurants to pay normal wages and charge accordingly for their meals.