Poll: Tipping Habits at Restaurants

[ZeLunarian]

My average meal for two out would cost me around 50/60euro.. To which I generally generally leave 5(ish)behind so yeah, about 10%... Not that I think the tips for the service should reflect how much they charge for the food.
And if it's not appreciated, 5euro would get good use if it stayed in MY pocket anyway~~


*wee note* Around these parts of rural(ish) Ireland... and the rest of it too sure, tipping is by NO means necessary. And any snooty waitress who looks down on me for not tipping should know I can barely afford the meal as-is xD

 

[Phoenixlight]

Well I don't give the people extra money for doing their job, it just seems rather ridiculous. I wouldn't pay an extra few pounds to the cashier at H.M.V. when I go to buy a game because they're scanning the barcode for me.

 

[Burningsok]

I'd say around 15% but it depends on how much i spend; at local restaurants where the food is usually cheap (like $5.00 for a good size break-fest) I'll tip between $1 to $2.50, I never tip under a dollar. Now for the the more expensive places 15% is what I tip.

 

[FlikViktor]

Depends on the service really. I usually shoot around 20% but if the service isn't good I go around 10% and if the service is just flat out horrible they get nothing. I don't base my tips on the food quality because (as far as I know) the tip goes to the server not to the cook, so if my food sucks it's not the servers fault, however what they do about it is another story.

 

[Marowit]

I rarely eat in restaurants and when I do I don't leave a tip. My opinion is that the food is often so over priced that they don't deserve it. I might give a tip to the waiter if I feel that he/she has given me a service over and above what they are required to.

A place where I might give a tip is a local pub. If I feel that the staff have been friendly and interesting and have engaged me in conversation I may consider a tip there.

You do know that waitstaff get paid like 2 bucks an hour, because it's expected that people tip (in the US at least)?

EDIT: where did my text go?

No I didn't. Not sure if it's true in England. I stand by what I said though, with the amount that restauraunts charge for their meals, they can pay their staff properly rather than expecting me to pay for my meal and pay the waiters wages on top of that.

oh, if you live in Europe then I totally understand why you don't tip as they are generally paid living wages. (I should have asked in my original post if you were living in America)

In the US though, waitstaff is paid next-to-nothing because it's expected that they have to earn their money through tips (you know...America's hardcore attitudes towards work...). It's also the reason why most Americans generally over tip (though it's getting better) while abroad.

 

[ThongBonerstorm]

I tip pretty well, definitely the 15% at least.

As for the people who aren't from the U.S., and where tipping isn't customary, please tip when you come to the U.S.
Don't complain about how it's not your fault that they aren't paid a livable wage, don't whine about how you don't have to tip where you're from. Just do it, it's nigh-mandatory here, and you're taking away from the income of your severs. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

You cant say to tourists 'just do it' just because your food industry refuse to pay its staff a living wage. Tipping is a reward for good service not part of the wage.

On topic I sua;lly tip 10-15% depending on service and the ease of working it out. Crap service and or food and its no tip at best, I might not even pay for the bill if its that bad.

actually in north america tipping is part of the wage. you're allowed to pay waitstaff less than minimum wage since they get tips.

and remember, if your food isn't cooked/prepared right, it's not the server's fault, it's the kitchen, you really shouldn't take it out on them.

 

[centauri2002]

It depends entirely where I am at the time. Since I grew up in the UK, and tipping isn't considered mandatory here, I've never had to tip much here. When I do, it tends to be in the 10-15% range. If they impress me.

When I visit the States, I tend to do it whenever I'm in a restaurant but the tip depends on how good the service is. Generally it's in the 15% range again. If I were more flush, that'd probably go up.

 

[Flames66]

I rarely eat in restaurants and when I do I don't leave a tip. My opinion is that the food is often so over priced that they don't deserve it. I might give a tip to the waiter if I feel that he/she has given me a service over and above what they are required to.

A place where I might give a tip is a local pub. If I feel that the staff have been friendly and interesting and have engaged me in conversation I may consider a tip there.

You do know that waitstaff get paid like 2 bucks an hour, because it's expected that people tip (in the US at least)?

EDIT: where did my text go?

No I didn't. Not sure if it's true in England. I stand by what I said though, with the amount that restauraunts charge for their meals, they can pay their staff properly rather than expecting me to pay for my meal and pay the waiters wages on top of that.

oh, if you live in Europe then I totally understand why you don't tip as they are generally paid living wages. (I should have asked in my original post if you were living in America)

In the US though, waitstaff is paid next-to-nothing because it's expected that they have to earn their money through tips (you know...America's hardcore attitudes towards work...). It's also the reason why most Americans generally over tip (though it's getting better) while abroad.

What is the average cost of a restaurant meal in the US? If it's anything like here then I would do the same there. If they are charging more than £10 for a single meal for one then they can afford to properly pay their staff.

 

[InvisibleSeal]

In Portugal I pretty much start on 10% base rate and tip more if it's great service.

In England however, I have nooooooo idea what to tip. I pretty much ask someone else how much I should tip each time since it worries me a bit. Ridiculous since I've lived in England for longer as well... o the confusion.

 

[Pinguin]

Nothing unless there was a large group of us, or unless the service or food was exceptionally good.

 

[DoomyMcDoom]

I usually pay 15% if it's expensive meal.. more if I'm cheaping out and only buyin an appy or something... cuz where i live minimum wage is the wage of all forms of service personel... and tips = livelyhood for those people... mainly due to the excessive cost of living here...

 

[JCMarksman]

I dont believe in tipping.

 

[HSIAMetalKing]

I always aim for a 15% tip, but more importantly, I make sure that the amount of my bill and tip combined equal a whole number (always pay with a credit card).

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

I dont believe in tipping.

What do you mean you don't believe in tipping?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_pdC7IEz1o (NSFW - Strong Language)

But I actually don't tip.

 

[AvsJoe]

In this scenario, somewhere between 10 and 15% if I use debit, nothing if I'm paying with cash. Since I mostly go with cash when dining out, the poor waiter wouldn't get a penny extra from me.

 

[snow]

I've worked at a couple of different restaurants, and a majority of the time.. The waitstaff were so 2-faced that I feel that it may have affected my overall generalization of waiters and waitresses..

I don't bode well with people who smile one minute, but then throw a fit the moment they reach the safe boundaries of closed kitchen doors over the slightest thing... Though I understand full well if they're flipping out because the customer was generally rude or unpleasant in his/her request of food.

Yeah you can tell I'm a real crowd pleaser when I eat at these restaurants... I know full well of who the whiners are and who aren't...

And yes I understand that it shouldn't matter as long as I get the food and it's made the way I want it, and that their overall opinion shouldn't make a difference whether or not they deserve a tip or not, and that it's their job to be all smiles when out in the dining room area or they'd be replaced, but I feel they should lighten up a bit.. So what if the guy wanted a side of mayo!? (Yes I've actually heard a waitress flip out over mayo... Bad day much?)

Waiting is not that hard of a job.. My girlfriend is probably the most ditzee person I've ever known, or will know, and she's one of the best waitresses at her place of workstuffs... Some of you may disagree with me on that, but I just have to say... Hey she can do it? (Before anyone thinks I'm rude about saying such things about my gf, I say it jokingly... We actually bust on eachother all time like this... She dishes it out as much as I do, so )

And hey.. As a person who's worked in the restaurant business myself, I atleast take some consideration in by making sure I stack everything up and get everything squared away so the Waitstaff can come, pick up the plates, and carry on with their job..

I may sound condescending by saying this, but I've had enough experience with the waitstaff that I can pick out who really deserves a little extra cash and who doesn't.. It's all a matter of reading people. I just feel that if you're going to go back and say something about me, you don't deserve my money, and I'm not even that hard of a person to wait on! o.0

That and I haven't forgotten the basics of it all, quality of service, and all that jazz.. That does play a bigger role. So I don't feel that I'm being too prude about it, since the waitstaff does atleast get Something out of it...

 

[Kamikazi-Cloud]

If they kept us happy then my friend and I usually tip five or ten dollars flat rate since most of the time we try not to go over $25 for dinner anyways.

We are good tippers if we are happy, bad tippers if we aren't.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Nothing at all.

But then, that doesn't really count, since I neither live in a country where it's expected, (I've lived in 3, and... One is Australia, which seems to be a common theme here. XD), and because I pretty much never eat anywhere where it might be expected either.

Though, I order pizzas occasionally here in the UK, and it's certainly never been apparent that the delivery guy is expecting a tip...
Nor is it even accounted for given that I usually pay by credit while doing it (and half of the time the payment is made over the phone.)

All in all, I don't think it's expected much around here.

It makes me wonder about the US though;
It all sounds very messed up, since to my understanding the idea behind a tip is that it's paying someone extra because you think they did an exceptionally good job.
That... Concept is undermined entirely in a situation where it is considered standard practice...

 

[veloper]

*average* is a little disappointing.
I can do an excellent steak myself and that's really no trouble. In restaurants I want good.

Wages are decent here and averageness would earn about 5%.

 

[Marowit]

I rarely eat in restaurants and when I do I don't leave a tip. My opinion is that the food is often so over priced that they don't deserve it. I might give a tip to the waiter if I feel that he/she has given me a service over and above what they are required to.

A place where I might give a tip is a local pub. If I feel that the staff have been friendly and interesting and have engaged me in conversation I may consider a tip there.

You do know that waitstaff get paid like 2 bucks an hour, because it's expected that people tip (in the US at least)?

EDIT: where did my text go?

No I didn't. Not sure if it's true in England. I stand by what I said though, with the amount that restauraunts charge for their meals, they can pay their staff properly rather than expecting me to pay for my meal and pay the waiters wages on top of that.

oh, if you live in Europe then I totally understand why you don't tip as they are generally paid living wages. (I should have asked in my original post if you were living in America)

In the US though, waitstaff is paid next-to-nothing because it's expected that they have to earn their money through tips (you know...America's hardcore attitudes towards work...). It's also the reason why most Americans generally over tip (though it's getting better) while abroad.

What is the average cost of a restaurant meal in the US? If it's anything like here then I would do the same there. If they are charging more than £10 for a single meal for one then they can afford to properly pay their staff.

It depends really. If I'm eating alone it's around 8-12 dollars (5-7 pounds I believe). If I'm eating with my girlfriend it'll be around $20, or ~11 pounds (I think).

And while they may be able to afford to pay their wait staff a livable wage they don't - wait staff is expected to make the majority of their earnings through tips in the states - it's just a different system - not the choice of the restaurants so far as I know.