Tipping Etiquette

[thiosk]

Tipping is a standard custom in the united states, and it is an unending source of indecision, doubt, annoyance, and confusion. When should I tip? Whats the right size tip? Whats the dependence of tip on service quality?

When you go to a standard table service restaurant, it is fairly clear that the standard gratuity is about 18-20% But what about those other style restaurants-- you know the type. You go in, stand at the counter, order, and sit down with a number. The staff brings you food, and busses you table, but you get your own drinks and ordered your own food. What the heck do you do here? Its not exactly a fast food joint, where no tip is expected, and its not a table service restaurant...

Some countries don't do tips. I've visited Korea, and if you order a 7 dollar (converted from their currency) dish, you leave 7 dollars on the table. No tax, tip, etc considerations.

How I yearn for that system back home.

Talk about tips here. Concerns, what you do about them, when you don't tip, and especially what to do at those in-betweener restaurants.

 

[madwarper]

Much like trying to explain colors to a person who was born blind, if you've never worked a job which is tip dependent, you just won't understand.

 

[Vault101]

really interesting

here tipping just isnt a "thing"

is tipping somthing thats "needed" over there as opoased to here?

 

[The Preened Mr. Fust]

I tip based on professionalism. I've left no tip before, and I've also left $10 tips before. Being that I took training in such matters as waiting tables in a Culinary program, I've got a fairly good idea of what good waiting is.

 

[Jodah]

The reason tipping is so stressed in the US is because our businesses, such as restaurants, are allowed to pay below minimum wage in the expectation that the server will get paid tips to make up for it. (There are rules about it so the server should never make below minimum in total.) Delivery people also have to supply their own vehicle and pay for gas. In other countries they are paid a reasonable salary and, thus, tips aren't expected.

As for me I do the following:

Restaurant - about 15%
Delivery - 10% - 20% depending on the distance
Football Day* - 5 dollars or 25% whichever is higher

*My friends and I usually gather for the Steelers games at the local Applebees. We stay the whole time which is three or four hours. Because of that I usually tip extra.

 

[Kae]

I don't eat out in restaurants, but I was a waiter (not that long ago actually just 2 weeks ago I was still a waiter), I really have no idea about tipping, it's strange I must say and my co-workers always got pissed at me because I never remembered to pick up my tip, I always forgot, but then again being as clumsy as I am I was a horrible waiter and normally I didn't expect any tip, you know that guy who asks you around 3 times what you ordered and still got it wrong? That was me, I normally got around 2 bucks though...

 

[Treeinthewoods]

I tip 15%-20% depending on the service level, if it's a tip jar kind of place where I get my own drinks and all that I just drop the change and maybe a buck into the jar. Places with jars do a tip share so all employees divide up the jar once a week (including kitchen and stuff).

Servers in restaurants must tip a portion of their sales (usually 2%-3%) to their bussers, 1% to food runners and a certain dollar amount (2-3 bucks on average) for the line help (stocks salads, dishes, all of that stuff). If you stiff someone around here you are actually costing them money because the bussers and all that still have to be paid.

Yes, that's right. If you have a 100$ check and leave nothing your server still has to pay around four dollars to their support team. Don't be a dick. Even on crap service I leave a few bucks for the hard working bussers.

 

[Jodah]

I tip 15%-20% depending on the service level, if it's a tip jar kind of place where I get my own drinks and all that I just drop the change and maybe a buck into the jar. Places with jars do a tip share so all employees divide up the jar once a week (including kitchen and stuff).

Servers in restaurants must tip a portion of their sales (usually 2%-3%) to their bussers, 1% to food runners and a certain dollar amount (2-3 bucks on average) for the line help (stocks salads, dishes, all of that stuff). If you stiff someone around here you are actually costing them money because the bussers and all that still have to be paid.

Yes, that's right. If you have a 100$ check and leave nothing your server still has to pay around four dollars to their support team. Don't be a dick. Even on crap service I leave a few bucks for the hard working bussers.

Pretty much this. I don't dock tips for things that aren't the server's fault. If the food isn't cooked correctly I may say something but I don't blame the server.

However, if the food has been cooked but arrives cold or I ask for a refill of my drink three times to no avail I won't tip. At that point it is punishment for the server.

 

[Todd Ralph]

I used to work in the described restaurant above. Come in order your meal get your drinks and a number and I'll bring you your food shortly.

the problem was that I was also the cook/waiter/busser/cleaner working for a servers wage which was due to a grandfather clause 5.25 instead of the minimum of 7.25 and the server minimum of 3.50.

so not was I doing way more work than others the work (actual serving such as refilling cups and the kind of service you would see in actual restaurants) I was doing was generally not getting tipped because of the style of restaurant I worked at and not the service they were given.

 

[WeAreStevo]

Meh. I used to deliver pizza back in the day and I would bust ass. Sometimes I'd get a 5 dollar tip (which for delivering pizza is AWESOME) and other times I'd get nothing.

As such, I consider myself to be a good tipper. I mean, the people working hard depend on the extra income from tips.

That being said, I absolutely will NOT tip if the service is horrible. And I don't mean horrible like "he didn't refill my drink every 2.5 minutes." I mean horrible like how last week my fiance, myself and our two friends went to a fancy place by our house and the customer service was atrocious. The waiter came by our table 3 times total within 1 and 1/2 hours. Once to take orders. Once to bring drinks. Once to deliver our order. Then we were completely left alone. Nobody came by. Ever. We had to seek out another server (they all congregated towards the back and were talking) simply to get the check.

I felt no qualms with leaving a big fat 0 in the tip section.

If you want a tip, work for it. I did.

/end rant

 

[WolfThomas]

Australia, we don't really tip much only if it's exemplary service, rounding up is the most often method of tipping, leaving a fifty if it's 46.35 or something.

 

[Thaluikhain]

In Australia, people have to earn at least minimum wage, so tipping doesn't really happen here.

 

[Fatboy_41]

I will never tip based on some pre-determined percentage. I'll tip based on the service I've received and weather it was above and beyond. Waiters and waitresses are already paid to provide a minimum standard of service. If they go above and beyond that standard, they then deserve to be rewarded for it.

 

[SpAc3man]

Tipping is almost non-existent in New Zealand. Sometimes if someone is feeling generous and is probably an immigrant they will tell a barman or waiter to keep the change. It's really just a random act of kindness that is never expected. We do have a decent minimum wage here of $13 an hour which is about US$10.80

 

[DanielBrown]

I hardly ever eat in a restaurant, but I don't think tipping is something you normally do in Sweden. I had a friend who was a bartender though and he made lots due to tipping. On Christmas eve I believe he collected 2000SEK(about £200).
Can't say I see the point in doing it. I think you Americans should go on a tipping strike until the employers start paying them normal saluries. Shouldn't be your job.

If I could tip someone I'd tip the chef. Then perhaps he'd stop spitting in the food!

 

[achilleas.k]

I think the US tipping system is a bit too formal, forced and expensive for us on the other side of the pond.

By formal I mean people are expected to tip at least 15% which is evident from the wages you mentioned, which also means you're kinda forced (as a social convention) to tip a certain amount.

By expensive I mean 20% is a LOT of money. On a 4-5 person bill, it's an extra person's worth of food+drinks. 20% on a bill can turn an average priced restaurant into a "too expensive for me" priced restaurant.

Where I come from (Cyprus), people usually don't tip much. 10% is normal, sometimes less, depending on what kind of place you're eating at. Sometimes I just round up to the nearest 5 or 10 multiple (keep the change sort of deal), especially if I'm just out for drinks at a bar.

I've been to countries where they don't tip at all (bars in Athens usually don't expect you to tip much, or at all). I lived in England for a few years and I don't remember tipping much there either (again, just rounding up).

Generally speaking, I think only Americans obsess over the whole tipping business. Though I've never worked as a waiter (or any kind of service job) so I'm not sure what it's like on the other side where I live, or anywhere else for that matter.

EDIT: Come to think of it, people may be tipping more and I just might be the stingy asshole that never does and thinks everything is OK

 

[Frybird]

Thank god i live in germany where waiters and waitresses are (well, should, it's not like i can observe it) making thier living with thier salary, not thier tips.

As such, i tip depending on the service, mostly rounding up if it's ok

 

[Sandjube]

>Australia.

So no tipping here. Always seemed kinda interesting I guess. But yeah, we earn min wage at worst, so it's probably better this way. Since people are usually, you know, asses.