Gratuity or Tipping at a Restaurant? (King: Valentine's day, sales tax, prices)

[Chris19]

In most cases, I tip at least 15% at a sit-down restaurant. If the service is OK, not terrible but not super, the waiter usually gets 15%. If I get excellent service, the tip is around 20%, sometimes more. If the service is terrible and/or unfriendly, I give the waiter a tip but is more like 10%. Nine times out of ten, I have good or outstanding service and tip at or above the 15% threshhold.

With hotels, I usually leave a tip for the maid staff for a job well done.

There are bad workers in service industries, but many good ones. The good ones far outnumber the bad ones in my experiences. I like to reward the good ones through tipping or compliments (in instances where tipping is not allowed).

Tipping can be tacky in places such as Dairy Queens and Subways as mentioned in the prior post along with tip jars (offensive and tacky in my honest opinion). Tipping at a steakhouse or Applebee's is more understandble and sensible. There are grocery stores in the Upper Midwest along with other retail that have policies that do not allow tipping of employees, since they pay the employees well above minimum wage and do not want the customers to feel obligated or coerced to tip when it is not necessary to do so.

[mrspowers]

Originally Posted by baybook

Just wondering... I tip at the end of the night. Not after every drink. Do you think your decision to give poor service to people that you think are poor tippers has anything to do with receiving 25 cents total from 6 people?? Weak drinks, slow service and being ignored at a bar tick me off also.

Just a thought...

What you don't understand is that these people come in every single night usually Friday - Sunday. I know who they are, I know how they act, and I know they don't tip.. sometimes they might even try to sneak out without paying their bill and I am forced to chase them out of the restaurant asking for their money!!! It's absurd. Anyway, I treat every single guest with the same respect unless they are calling me "Ma" and "Baby", or "Hey You!!" which is usually the case with these people. I don't give bad service. Each and every one of those couples had excellent service and were happy with everything, and some even commented on how good their drinks were. They just DON'T tip. I honestly think that some people don't know that you're supposed to tip, no matter how long they've lived in America where it's a custom and been out to restaurants, they continue to do the same thing. I think once I remember explaining to someone that we live off our tips, and they were shocked to know that I didn't make $15 an hour..

[roanokers]

I wish all of the people who don't understand why they should tip could come and work in a restaurant for one night. The ridiculous demands that people make, coupled with running around like a crazy person, and trying to remember everything would give them a new appreciation for their servers.

[IndianTrailer]

Originally Posted by vindaloo

That is like when I order Indian to go. I pick it up and leave a dollar or maybe two. They really didn't do anything. Hopefully they don't expect a tip. It is like being at Starbucks and tipping the cashier for "handing" you the coffee.

Those to-go people have to put the order together in the back, and actually sometimes do more in terms of getting your meal ready, than a server would do in the restaurant. Everything is boxed and they check to make sure you have everything correctly, as well as make the to-go drinks, bag it and take other orders from walk-ins/calls during the whole process. I would consider tipping them more.

[roanokers]

Amen!!!

If people don't want to tip they should stay at home. When I'm too broke to tip, I cook dinner or order a pizza, and pick it up myself.

[Tober138]

Originally Posted by roanokers

Wow. First, have you ever worked in a restaurant? Secondly, if you had you will realize that restaurants get you (the customer) to pay the server's salary. Servers are worth $12-15 an hour, but restaurants have been paying them 2.13 an hour for the last 30 years. All but about 20 cents an hour gets eaten up in taxes. So basically when you go out to eat, that server is an independant contractor who you are hiring to provide you a service. If you don't tip well, that server still has to pay 3 to 4% of your bill to their support staff, and pay taxes on the tips (yes the computer keeps track of everything). So once its all said and done they don't keep as much as you think. Imagine if someone came to your job, worked you to death, and then paid you whatever they felt like when you got your paycheck? 15% should be your "baseline", so that it at least makes it worth it for that person to serve you. Its all supply and demand, if you don't want to pay servers will find somewhere else to work, and you will be getting minimum wage fast food service at a high dollar establishment.

Um...so what?

As I've said above, I used to work for tips. I always tip well (except in extremely rare cases of bad service - which results in a nominal tip to make my point and a conversation with the manager). I even generally leave a tip for the maid in my hotel room (even though most of my business trips involve 1-2 nights in the same hotel room, max, and they never see the room until I leave). However, having said that....

I agree with the poster you responded to. Tips are just that - something extra for the service, on top of the bill - for anyone in any service industry to expect them to be mandatory well...hate to burst your bubble but, no, its not. No bartender / waitstaff person is "entitled" to a tip of any sort. Yes - I know it makes up a great deal of your income and you tend to get less than minimum wage but...if that's really an issue, maybe you should find something with a better salary. Although in a good establishment, chances are you make a lot more than you otherwise would at any place that paid minimum wage.

If I go out for dinner or drinks, I expect a certain level of service, and I will tip well for it, but you get that tip because of your service, not because you are entitled to it.

And speaking of fairness...for those of you posting who do receive tips at your jobs: how many of you report 100% of the tips you receive as income on your taxes?

[Tober138]

Originally Posted by IndianTrailer

Those to-go people have to put the order together in the back, and actually sometimes do more in terms of getting your meal ready, than a server would do in the restaurant. Everything is boxed and they check to make sure you have everything correctly, as well as make the to-go drinks, bag it and take other orders from walk-ins/calls during the whole process. I would consider tipping them more.

So does the guy taking the to-go orders at Baja Fresh, as does the person at the drive thru window at any fast food restaurant. Do you tip them? Or do you consider tips for "to-go" people appropriate for some types of restaurants but not others?

[Chris19]

There are some situations that are confusing. I have been to Sonic a few times. If I go into the parking areas with the order screens and order something and have it brought out by a carhop, I give a dollar tip if it is a meal or $.50 if it is just a cherry limeade or java chiller.

I find it rather disgusting when people go to sit down restaurants, for example, and do not tip or tip adequately if the server works his or her tail off. I have heard about it. Normally, if I am not in the mood for tipping, I either get carryout pizza, fast food via drive through, or cook at home.

[roanokers]

Originally Posted by Tober138

Um...so what?

As I've said above, I used to work for tips. I always tip well (except in extremely rare cases of bad service - which results in a nominal tip to make my point and a conversation with the manager). I even generally leave a tip for the maid in my hotel room (even though most of my business trips involve 1-2 nights in the same hotel room, max, and they never see the room until I leave). However, having said that....

I agree with the poster you responded to. Tips are just that - something extra for the service, on top of the bill - for anyone in any service industry to expect them to be mandatory well...hate to burst your bubble but, no, its not. No bartender / waitstaff person is "entitled" to a tip of any sort. Yes - I know it makes up a great deal of your income and you tend to get less than minimum wage but...if that's really an issue, maybe you should find something with a better salary. Although in a good establishment, chances are you make a lot more than you otherwise would at any place that paid minimum wage.

If I go out for dinner or drinks, I expect a certain level of service, and I will tip well for it, but you get that tip because of your service, not because you are entitled to it.

And speaking of fairness...for those of you posting who do receive tips at your jobs: how many of you report 100% of the tips you receive as income on your taxes?

I think we are kind of on the same page, at least I think. You seem like a person who tips well when you recieve good service, and that is great. When I am eating out I expect good service as well and tip accordingly. My problem is with the people who leave you 10% when you give them good service. I've waited on people who have a $100 tab and leave me $7.00 on a credit card. Well, thanks alot because I have to pay $3.50 in tip out, and pay taxes on the rest. So I made a whopping $2.75 for an hour's worth of running.

I am an excellent server. My motto: I am not trying to ruin anyone's meal, because I never know what you are celebrating. When my wife graduated college and last weekend on our anniversary we recieved awful service from servers who just didn't care. They ruined my evening and they didn't get tipped well at all.

Also the only reason why I wait tables is because it allows me time to be at home with my kids, and earn my degree. I know that some people think that waiters are either lazy or stupid, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. 70% of my coworkers are in school or teachers who are working during the summer. Yes there are some lazy people but that is not representative of us all.

[FLtoNC]

I posted a new thread about tipping that I thought would be easier for people to respond to & others to gain info from. It was moved to a general forum. How come that one was moved, but this thread gets to stay? I was interested in what people do in Charlotte.