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I know servers have it hard enough so I'm pretty lenient when judging the level of service. I can deal with slow-ish service if the restaurant is busy as long as the server keeps the drink glasses full and updates us on what's happening in the kitchen.
I even tipped when the waiter forgot to bring our food. To explain, our daughter was around 6 so we ordered appetizers for us and put in her food order so she could eat. The server was new and forgot to take our food order but the appetizers were plenty so we didn't need to order anything else. He still got a good tip because I could see he was really trying hard to do his job well.
At a minimum, I'll tip 15% but for great service, I'll tell the manager to make sure that server gets recognition and will tip 20-25%.
IMO, tips will suffer in the near future due to rapidly increased prices ... attempting to recoup lost business due to COVID and increased supplier prices. I realize it's not the waiters fault and generally tip 18-20%. However, when a $10-$15 dish suddenly increases to $20, who are you going to send the message that the diner's costs have also increased significantly??
We eat out several times per week and even sometimes "tip the tab." But it seems like everyone expects a 20-percent tip - even when the diner orders at a counter or kiosk, gets their own drink and pays at the table scanner!
Our tourist town (Destin) has a large service-sector which cannot generally afford in-town housing. Meanwhile, most restaurants struggle to find enough help ... even at $14-$15 per hour (plus signing bonus). As a direct result, the service (and diner) suffers. Meanwhile the liberal politicians are so busy pandering for votes with their $15 minimum wage, they never consider (or don't want to know) who is going to pay for it!
It seems to me there needs to be a shift in the paradigm between how much of a server's salary is supposed to be made up by diminishing tips. But, it's a vicious cycle and usually the 'low man on the totem pole' bears the brunt of the pain.
We don't always know why service is bad so I will tip at least 15%. My usual tip is higher. If I see obvious unwarranted inattention or servers engaged in frivolous conversation or intentional avoidance, I might tip lower. I travel and usually eat alone and never hit $100 but I can get past $60 on rare occasions. Single men often get poor service or are ignored in restaurants. My wife's experience was that single women are almost invisible to servers.
When I first saw this thread, I first thought, how do you spend $100 on a meal. The wife and I have never spent that much for even the best steak dinners at the best restaurants. We don't drink so I can imagine the meal going over $100 with alcohol.
As far as a tip for bad service 10% would be the most I would spend, for good service I usually do 25%.
The only thing I could add to this is I would never go back and I haven't to the places that have given us bad service.
When I first saw this thread, I first thought, how do you spend $100 on a meal. The wife and I have never spent that much for even the best steak dinners at the best restaurants. We don't drink so I can imagine the meal going over $100 with alcohol.
As far as a tip for bad service 10% would be the most I would spend, for good service I usually do 25%.
The only thing I could add to this is I would never go back and I haven't to the places that have given us bad service.
The OP hadn't really made it clear how many people were dining at his table. I'm sure that many of us who have dined out with family and friends have experienced a bill at the end of the meal that can equal if not surpass the $100 that the OP was talking about. Whether everyone at the table contributes to the cost of the meal, or the cost is taken care of entirely by one person, there is still the tip to consider.
While Covid restriction may be going by the wayside, restaurant owners are now being forced to pay servers more.
This, of course; will ultimately show up on your tab.
If the person gives bad service but is trying very hard and seems genuinely apologetic and the bad service is a product of that server being 'swamped" in work because the company they work for didnt hire enough employees, than i usually give the full tip.
So you actually talk to servers to find out why they provided bad service to you ?
Simple question, and I'm saying $100 just to have a nice round number
What should be the tip on a $100 meal with bad service?
Two cents. I actually did this one time. Waiter brought a sizzling dish and banged it down on the table in front of me so the sizzling juice splashed on me. Plus he carried the food lopsided so the food all slid to one side of the plate. I paid in cash, two cents over the amount and told the waiter to keep the change. The look on his face was priceless. Another time the waitress pulled my plate off the table while I was in the middle of raising my fork with the last piece of my food to my mouth. She got no tip. I never returned to either of those restaurants. The servers acted like they were slopping pigs, not serving diners.
Simple question, and I'm saying $100 just to have a nice round number
What should be the tip on a $100 meal with bad service?
Zero.
And you tell the manager/owner about the bad service and you'll probably be comped.
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