Tipping: What to leave...

[Hogan11]

Got into a bit of a debate yesterday on the above subject and I know Sass & I have discussed it on many occasions, so I'm asking the forum:

What is the correct amount to leave for a tip for resturants/bartenders/bellhops/etc.?

To me, it seems like there's no uniform system for the correct amounts. Many people say different things. I had a co-worker once who actually had a laminated wallet sized scale that showed what to leave based on the amount (I wish I could find a copy of that somewhere on the net...if you know please leave a link to it)

[GonzoLays]

It's quite simple, poor to average service gets a 15% tip and excellent service is suppose to be 20%.

Now, if you are eating by yourself at a sit down restaurant and your total bill comes out to be six bucks for lunch, you don't not leave .90 cents (15%) or 1.20 (20%) because that is hella tacky. At the min, you should leave two bucks when you are a single diner.

On an interesting note, I can calculate 15% of any number in less than three seconds. They call me the rain man of restaurant tips. It's a gift, really.

[Crushaholic]

No matter the quality of service, I always leave some sort of tip. Lousy service would get less, but I'm usually calculating around 15-20%.

[theAPAOps5]

As a former server and bartender I always tip 20%. The standard is 15%. I kind of have a weird system for bad service. If the person is just like I don't care I give the usual 15%. If the person is just getting thier asp kicked I tip 25%. I have been there and empathise. As a server I got darn good at figuring out the tip. Its funny when I am with people who break out their cell phone calculator. I always beat them.

[ludo21]

A couple bucks, no matter the bill

[AboveAverage]

I should probably just stay away from this thread, as I have served while in college. I know a few comments will make me want to go on a rant.

Anyways, I tip 20% usually.

Oh, and if you're food gets ****ed up, use a little brain power and realize the servers aren't responsible for everything that goes wrong with your meal. Servers don't get paychecks, and it's a little disheartening when some dip**** cook screws up, you get yelled at for it, and you'll not be receiving a tip as well.

Most of the cooks I've worked with could give a **** less about their jobs. Restaurants will hire any bum off the street to be a cook, and it usually shows.

[-Slap-]

I tip pretty generously. I think people should be more cognizant of the service industry workers who rarely receive gratuities for their labor. Specifically, hotel maids, who work incredibly hard and witness the aftermath of the most disgusting human behavior imaginable.

Also, when the person who delivers your newspaper every morning at 5:00 AM, regardless of weather conditions, sends you a Christmas card in early December, its so you'll have their home address. Hook 'em up.

[Spider]

Always leave a 10 spot , that waitress`works damn hard

[Sassy]

http://www.tipping.org/tipcards.html

[Spider]

it is Christmas , throw the chart away be generous , you just might make some kid somewhere a tad bit more happy

[Mtbrncofn]

I guess I'm an average tipper, but when it comes to ****ty service I'm mean. And when I say ****ty, I mean a rude waiter/waitress. I always check to see if they're busy if that's the reason they are sucking out loud. If that's the case, then they get the bigger tip, but if not screw em.

They shouldn't be in public service if they can't be nice to people.

[TailgateNut]

Always tip according to service. Restaurant tips depend on quality of food and service (10-25%).
Hotel maids $10-20 per day depending on the size of the suite. (min $5 for reg rooms).


Don't forget about those who you don't usually see. The behind the scenes workers. (Trash guys, newspaper delivery, milk man, mailman etc.) I like to "make their day". These people are out there all year regardless of weather making sure you are "taken care of".

[smalltowngrll]

I almost always tip 20%...unless it's just terrible service. What I mean by terrible service is service that is intentionally negligent or terrible. Not necessarily terrible due to business or understaffing, etc.

Although, things change when I tip at a bar or having cocktails. I tend to get a lot of drinks for free, meaning I'll have a round and sometimes the second or third (or in the case of after the game Sunday...4 free drinks). In that case I'll figure in how much the bill should have been with those drinks and tip on that amount. Or, another general rule is to tip a $1 a drink ordered if you aren't running a tab. Trust me, I tip well, the bartenders I frequent know it, hence my free drinks!

[-Slap-]

Originally Posted by TailgateNut

Hotel maids $10-20 per day depending on the size of the suite. (min $5 for reg rooms).

Hotel maids are lucky if they get $10-20 in tips during an entire shift.

[RhymesayersDU]

I always hear a lot of people say "I used to work in a restaurant, therefore I try and tip high, because I know what it's like." I am the complete opposite of that. Not saying that philosophy is bad, because it's not.

But, my dad has owned (and owns currently) many restaurants, at which I've worked pretty much every job except cook. So I'd like to think I know a thing or two about waiting tables, and know what goes into it. It can be tough. But some things are inexcusable.

Therefore, I tip on how I think you did. Sure, I'll use a % as a base. For example, if 5 bucks is in the 15-20% range, I start there. Now, if you have 20 tables and your place is packed, I'll cut you some slack. But if I'm your only table yet you still find a way to not get my order right, you're going to get dinged. I will put you down to 4 if I'm really unhappy, or 6 or 7 if I thought yu did a good job.

The problem I have seen with many servers is that they have the attitude that they'll get the tip either way, so who cares. Not saying that's everybody, but a lot do, at least the ones my dad has employed at various times. So for me, I give them what I think they earned.

As for bars, it's tough. For example, when I went to DU, the two campus bars (The Stadium & The Border) usually got big tips from me, because when those places are packed, you want the bartenders to recognize you. At The Stadium, for example, I was on a first name basis with all of them. And it paid off when I'd come up to the bar, yell hello, and they'd get me my drink right away.

Now, just a normal bar, I usually try and tip well, partly because I'm hammered. I don't do the "tip a dollar for every drink" thing, but I try to hook the bartenders up, especially if I'm going to have to come back to the bar constantly. If I have waitservice at a table, I'll just open a tab and tip something decent at the end of the night. I usually overtip when it's last call because I'm hammered.

[smalltowngrll]

Originally Posted by RhymesayersDU

I usually overtip when it's last call because I'm hammered.

Yeah, it's always amazing when I look at my receipts after a night out drinking....I think, WHOA, I sure left a big tip!

[Hogan11]

"I don't tip because society says I have to. All right, if someone deserves a tip, if they really put forth an effort, I'll give them something a little something extra. But this tipping automatically, it's for the birds. As far as I'm concerned, they're just doing their job."

"I'm very sorry the government taxes their tips, that's f'ed up. That ain't my fault. It would seem to me that waitresses are one of the many groups the government f's in the ass on a regular basis. Look, if you ask me to sign something that says the government shouldn't do that, I'll sign it, put it to a vote, I'll vote for it, but what I won't do is play ball. And as for this non-college bullshat I got two words for that: learn to f'n type, 'cause if you're expecting me to help out with the rent you're in for a big f'n surprise."

- Mr. Pink on tipping from Reservoir Dogs

[RhymesayersDU]

Originally Posted by Hogan11

"I don't tip because society says I have to. All right, if someone deserves a tip, if they really put forth an effort, I'll give them something a little something extra. But this tipping automatically, it's for the birds. As far as I'm concerned, they're just doing their job."

"I'm very sorry the government taxes their tips, that's f'ed up. That ain't my fault. It would seem to me that waitresses are one of the many groups the government f's in the ass on a regular basis. Look, if you ask me to sign something that says the government shouldn't do that, I'll sign it, put it to a vote, I'll vote for it, but what I won't do is play ball. And as for this non-college bullshat I got two words for that: learn to f'n type, 'cause if you're expecting me to help out with the rent you're in for a big f'n surprise."

- Mr. Pink on tipping from Reservoir Dogs

, I was waiting for somebody to reference that movie. Whenever I get into a tipping conversation, it never fails, somebody brings up that scene.

[Hogan11]

I couldn't resist

[Sassy]

Originally Posted by TailgateNut

Always tip according to service. Restaurant tips depend on quality of food and service (10-25%).
Hotel maids $10-20 per day depending on the size of the suite. (min $5 for reg rooms).


Don't forget about those who you don't usually see. The behind the scenes workers. (Trash guys, newspaper delivery, milk man, mailman etc.) I like to "make their day". These people are out there all year regardless of weather making sure you are "taken care of".

Bad girl here...I've never tipped a maid. Guess I never think about it. I do give my mailman a little something...

[REB]

I do 20% unless it was piss poor service. And by piss poor service I mean if the waitress was a miserable beeyotch and gave nothing but attitude the whole time.

[Popps]

18% is actually the standard for dining, though most people round to 20%. I usually start at 20% and go up based on the experience. Rarely do I go lower, as I worked in the service industry forever until my business took off.

Honestly, I've never really had a mean waiter/waitress. Maybe a bit neglecting. Conversely, I've regularly dealt with mean employees in retail places, grocery stores, etc.

Tipping works. People b**** about it, but imgine dropping $150 on a dinner for you and your wife, and the person that's serving it to you makes around min wage. You'd get **** service.

The tipping procedure keeps service people on their toes, plain and simple. (As a rule.) It also allows restaurants to stay in business. They work on a VERY small profit margin. If they had to pay their wait and bar-staff double, they'd be going under at an even faster rate than they already are.

That's why I sort of laugh when I see a tip jar at a Starbucks or something.
First off, those chains operate at a mind-boggling profit margin. They can afford to pay wages, while restaurants can't. Second, if you've worked in both environments, you realize that waiting/bartending for most places is a highly skilled, and difficult job... increasingly with upper-scale establishments, of course. Nothing against the kids making some extra cash, but it's not really in line with the overall concept of tipping, imo.

[Mtbrncofn]

Glad you said that, Popps. I'm just cheap by nature, can't help it. It pains me to overpay for my damn coffee toffee frappe that I get once or twice a week, but damnit....it's over the line when I have to add a tip for it too!

I'll feel less guilty now about my whopping quarter I leave. $3.75 for that should be illegal anyway.

[Sassy]

So...I pay 189 per night for a hotel room plus 17% added to breakfast for room service (which is plenty expensive as it is) and I'm still expected to come up with 10-20 bucks a day for housekeeping...that's crazy!

[Mtbrncofn]

I gotta agree with you, Sassy. That's a damn lot.