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i used to tip about 15-17% of the before tax amount. For example, if a bill comes out to $80 before tax and then is $87 with tax, i would typically tip about $13 which ends up at around 16% of $80.
these days i tip around 16-18% of the after tax amount so $14 on an $87 bill.
if the service is poor, i'll usually stay more in the 13-15% range after tax (so $12 on an $87 bill).
what do other people do?
i did have one incident that stands out. i was visiting boston with my family and there were 3 of us (me, wife, infant child). we went to legal seafoods in the mall and i don't remember everything that we ordered but i probably ordered a drink (i'm not a big drinker but will get a cocktail sometimes) and some food and the bill was around $80 before tax and $87 after tax. the service wasn't **** poor but it wasn't great either. our waiter was a tall asian guy who simply had no personality. he spoke in a monotone without looking at you and simply stood there saying "are you ready to order?" and would take our order without saying a word (no acknowledgements, etc.). he wasn't a bad waiter but he simply had no personality and gave off a weird vibe like he didn't want to be there and he didn't like his job. he never smiled, never checked on us, etc. i also know that it's not their job to entertain children but he didn't acknowledge my son either (usually waiters will at least start with a smile and say hello, etc.). my son just sat there and didn't eat anything or make a mess.
i ended up giving the guy $12.
boy was he pissed. i finally saw some emotion come out of the guy when he saw the tip. i knew it wasn't a great tip but i also didn't think it was a complete insult. he pressed on with questions like "did you not like your service today?" "was there anything i could have done to give you better service?" etc. but rather than asking in a manner that was apologetic or open to learning, he was challenging, rolling his eyes, etc. i didn't feel like getting into an argument with the guy so i just said "eh, you did alright..." and left.
This question is not a frugal-specific question. The general answer applies because being frugal is a personal decision and being frugal should not adversely affect others. For good or ill, restaurant wages in the United States are structured based on the 15%-20% gratuity standard. That's what frugal people should tip. If the desire is to reduce the cost of restaurant dining, that should be accomplished by reducing the number of times one visits a restaurant, and/or reducing the grade of restaurant visited.
I think it is strange to reduce the tip based on lack of personality or overt friendliness, and surely wouldn't reduce the tip just because I thought the server was different, nor because they didn't entertain my children. (I would increase the tip of a server's personality enhanced the meal.) I would tip the standard amount as long as the server did the job of taking my order, checking on our needs, etc., effectively.
Asking how one could have done better is reasonable, but challenging the tip given is unprofessional. Without hearing the server's side of it, it is hard to know whether what you perceived as eye rolling was something much more innocuous. I would generally give people the benefit of the doubt, knowing that most people don't like to be challenged especially people who just provided a lower tip, and therefore will often perceive a negative aspect (like eye rolling) when no such negative aspect was present. I'd be especially careful about the accuracy of my judgments about a server when I already felt uncomfortable with the server enough to call him "weird".
There is something to be said that management should be paying wait staff a wage that does not require tipping but that is another subject.
If one is to be a frugal tipper as the OP is, they had better be prepared to get either dirty looks or challenged.
A few days ago my restaurant bill was $85. The food was delicious and the waiter very attentive. I tipped $20. I do not think the OP would have ever tipped that much no matter how things went. So again, he should be prepared for the dirty looks or challenged.
There is something to be said that management should be paying wait staff a wage that does not require tipping but that is another subject.
Precisely - it's not frugal-relevant, and not even relevant to the act of tipping, but rather only relevant to the decision whether to avoid a restaurant because bases its compensation model on the standard system instead of a non-tipping system.
On the rare occasion that I dine in a restaurant with servers, I tip what is customary for the establishment, which is typically 20%. More if the service was truly exceptional. I am frugal, not cheap.
On the rare occasion that I dine in a restaurant with servers, I tip what is customary for the establishment, which is typically 20%. More if the service was truly exceptional. I am frugal, not cheap.
I could have typed the above post word for word. That is like bogo free, we always tip on what the two meals would have been if paying full price & that would be 20%. We have seen toooo many instances here in the South where people just do not tip or leave a couple of dollars for a table of 6 that have just eaten a full course dinner. I have said for years if you don't tip properly stay home so the server can make a decent living from another customer.
My husband, a former bartender used to say, I may not remember the good tippers, but always remember the bad. You don't want to be the one a server is angry with the next time you come in, believe me, I have heard some horror stories.
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