Wow, my post on
leaving a bad tip received a lot of comments, and very quickly. Here are some highlights:
- A lot of people commented that 20 percent is the new 15 percent, and that if you give waiters 15 percent you're basically ripping them off. Still, for every person that said 20 percent was the standard, there was a person who said 10 to 15 percent was okay. I'll keep in mind the 20 percent thing next time I go out, though.
- JonDavies@xanga linked to a great YouTube channel called YourDailyTip, where a California waiter offers some pretty hilarious—and bitter—advice on how to be a better customer, from making sure to add correctly to properly signaling that you are finished with the check. I suggest you check it out (warning: the language is rather R-rated).
- x__RainOnHerParade@xanga pointed out that, if your service is terrible, a really small tip sends more of a message than no tip at all—otherwise, your server might assume that you just forgot to leave a tip, not that you're trying to make a point about his or her service.
- Such_Were_You@xanga addressed some people's comments that tips are optional with the following quote from Paywizard.org: A tip is wage according to the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA). You are a tipped employee—that's for example a waitress or bellboy—if you receive regularly and customarily more than $30 a month in tip. If so, your employer is only required to pay $2.13 an hour in direct wages if that amount plus the tips received equals at least the federal minimum wage of $6.55 per hour. " So even if a tip is "optional"—in the sense that, you know, no one is going to shoot you if you don't pay it—waiters' salaries are clearly built around the idea that they will be getting tips, so they do need them to make a decent living.
And, in my defense, I did not mean to imply in my original post that the three reasons I provided for leaving a bad tip (poor service, mega-expensive restaurants, and insufficient funds) were all
acceptable reasons—though I do believe that the first one is.
I was mostly trying to make an observation about my own imperfect behavior; occasionally, I'll be so outraged by a triple-digit check that I'll leave a small tip, even though it's not the waiter's fault; and occasionally, I'll realize that I didn't have as much cash on me as I thought, and that affects my tip. Of course, I'm working on correcting those last two behaviors.
Any last thoughts on tipping? What's your standard—15 or 20 percent?Image Source
Comments (23)
I give 15% in general.
I give 25% if it's good :)
Lunch I leave 15%, dinner I leave 20%. What I'm trying now is using take-out so I don't have to pay tip! Who doesn't like to save money?
Tipping is overrated. This discussion is old.
@cutesycharm@xanga - I dont' think waiters and waitresses who depend on people leaving them decent tips would say the same.
Anyways, hooray for being quoted! Haha. I checked out YourDailyTip and found it extremely amusing but truthful and interesting. Everyone should check it out (:
I base the standard on 15 because that's what it has always been. It's like... law!!! Good post though, great reader comments that you included. All in all it was pretty thought provoking!
@cutesycharm@xanga - Tipping is important. Service people that get tips have far less minimum wage standards.
@ShimmerBodyCream@xanga - I know this. But I also know that other countries DON'T tip and I pretty much agree with their customs. Just one of the reasons why I don't want to live in the US.
@x__RainOnHerParade@xanga - Psh, I would think it was overrated. I would be pissed that my employer didn't pay me good wages.
@cutesycharm@xanga - But why take it out on the service people? Just don't eat at the restaurant.
good tips are for good people. bad tips are reserved for rude waiters/waitresses. percentages can and should vary.
15% for lunch, 20% for dinner, I suppose. Though I don't like the idea of the required minimum tip for good service constantly increasing.
@cutesycharm@xanga - You could leave. Since you do nothing but complain about just about everything that crosses your path, and you are generally, in fact always, incredibly rude and condescending about, I am willing to bet there are hundreds of people who will show you exactly how easy it is to leave America and never come back.
Also, did you happen to think that other nations do not have the same labor laws as the US? Considering that I don't think much intelligent thought ever goes into one of your comments, I somehow doubt it.
@Sun_Starflower@xanga - I have read and heard that some people still tip for take-out because even though they are not dining in the facilities, someone had to take the order and put it together, similar to the services a waiter/waitress provides. I used to work in the food service industry and I never equated that as the same thing, but I guess it depends on your perspective. I personally don't tip for take-out but just thought I would share this tidbit with you and anyone who might be interested.
bad service gets a low tip (depending on the service).
average service gets a 15% tipgood service gets 20% or moreI posted on your last one, and I posted on the response to your last one. As I said in both, I tip 15%. :) That is what I think is fair. If others think its stiffing the wait staff, then I guess they'll just have to think I'm stiffing the wait staff. I'm not worried about what others think of my tipping.
The only time I totally withhold a tip, or reduce it, is when I get poor (or rude) service. And, I do take into consideration the time of day, the day itself, and what kind of environment the restaurant has at the moment. Such as, if its a busy time or a busy day, I will not hold it against the wait staff if they don't get to me promptly every time.
I will give a reduced or completely withhold my tip on various different reasons, though. If the wait staff is rude, if the wait staff is not busy but is taking their sweet time anyway, if I get a completely wrong order, if my food is cold....etc. Things like that. For the last two I will just dock the tip a little bit. For making me wait beyond what I should have to when the wait staff is not busy, I might do either one. It depends on how long I had to wait. If I think it was way too long, I won't give a tip at all. If its not overly long but still long enough to be unacceptable, I will dock just a bit from the tip. For rude service, however, I will not give a tip at all. To me, there is no excuse for rude wait staff.
And I am fully aware that the wait staff is dependent in large part on the tips that they receive. That is precisely my point in docking or totally withholding my tip. You don't get something for nothing. You have to earn your money, even if its tips, just like everyone else. And just showing up and doing the work half-assed is not a good enough reason for me to give a full tip or a tip at all.
That's how I see it.
I tip between 10-25% depending on how the service was and how much money I have at the time. I am a college student and don't have much money. My ex-boyfriends mother has been a waitress for years and has said that she doesn't even expect college kids to tip her because she knows we don't have much money. I always leave a tip, though, no matter what.
@cutesycharm@xanga - They dont' get paid higher wages because it is expected for their tip to make up the difference.
i agree that 20% tip is the new 15% (think of the bigger picture of inflation and the cost of living has gone up dramatically!) 15% was acceptable in the 90's when things were "relatively" cheaper. But now, with rent so high, gas prices rising, etc...those that work for tips NEED more money!
On the concept of bad service, i would do 10% tip (half of the "normal" tip) which will tell the wait staff that they haven't done their best.
@cutesycharm@xanga - not to pick on you or anything, but think about the service industry as a whole. Employers can hire their waitstaff for $1.80-2.60 per hour (way below minimum wage) BUT the waitstaff will make up the difference (most of the times a lot more) through tips. Therefore, employers get to hire low, and nominally have a good wait staff that is attentive and friendly in order for them to receive higher tips. If the employer paid them minimum wage ($6.XX per hour like lets say McDonalds), the wait staff would give lousy service and WILL HAVE NO INCENTIVE TO BE FRIENDLY/ATTENTIVE. Ever been to fast food joints? U know why they are always so angry and have attitudes?
10-15% tip, extra if he's hot and attentive.
@cutesycharm@xanga - If you think tipping is overrated, try actually being a server.
When I give excellent service and the food is great and I am nice and tentative and I get less than a 20%, I get really pissed. It actually really affects my self-esteem because I don't know what it is I did wrong or what is wrong with me, and there is no way of finding out. I always tip 20-25% if my server is nice and everything is great, but if I get a shitty waiter who doesn't smile or introduce himself, 15% or less. I ABSOLUTELY DESPISE people who get food taken off their bill, get a discount, use a coupon, or sit in my table or booth for multiple hours, and tip me a lousy 3 dollars. People are supposed to tip 20% of the ORIGINAL bill, so before the discounted food, and if you are sitting in the servers table for a long time, at least tip them 20-25% because all you're doing is keeping them from making more money. If a table of 60 year old women sits at one of my tables, all order salads, and just gossip for an hour, I get really annoyed when I only make a total of probably 12 dollars for the whole hour and a half they sat there and had me running around for water refills and extra dressing and to go boxes.
If you can tell your server is actually trying to make your meal good and has a smile on the whole time and is polite, 20% standard. If you don't have enough money to leave a 20% tip, regardless if your bill is 100 bucks or more, don't go out to eat. go to fucking mcdonalds or make your own damn food. If your food is cold and a manager comes to your table, or your food is wrong, or your food is taking too long, and a manager comes to your table to talk to you, your server actually was trying to help you out and you should tip him or her 20% even if your food is bad, because they thought to get a manager to calm you down.
always tip. even if it's really horrible service, tip a lower amount because yes it does say a lot more.. but then the server probably already knows that they are going to get a bad tip for doing badly.
don't ever verbal tip. a lot of older people do this... a verbal tip is "oh wow! you were absolutely amazing today and i would definitely ask for you next time!" and then leaving less than 10%. yes i appreciate your flattery, but you saying i'm amazing and then leaving less that 10% is taking away all that flattery and making me feel like i still did something wrong and you were just too polite to say it to my face.if you're server is lousy, let them know.. NOT rudely. if you tell them something is wrong they are more likely to reflect and try their best to make it betterputting drinks on the end of your table or within sight is a lot easier than just expecting your server to know when you need a refill -- most of the time (when we're not simply swamped), the server is worried about bothering their customers by coming by too often. this cues us in that we can come over without having to bother you.-- 15% is average. 20% is ideal. more even betterquick tipping guide:: move the decimal point of the total bill to the left once. this is 10% double it for good service.
@cutesycharm@xanga - I am a waitress and a single mother. We earn $2.13 and hour, so we live off of our tips. I recently had a conversation with a woman who works at Habitat for Humanity, whom I purchased my home from. She recently had an argument with her boyfriend because he leaves 20% tips. She told him that 10% was enough because we still made at least $6 per hour. I looked at her and informed of my wages and she felt horrible. People do not realize that many of us serving you so that you don't have to cook after a long day or when you have friends you want to celebrate with only make $2.13. Many of us have children, homes, cars, and bills that require your tips in order to stay afloat. Yes some of us make msitakes and it affects your meal....but we are human too just like the rest of you. Think about the fact that your tip might mean more food in our cabinets at home for our kids or less depending on how you tip.
@Resilient_Light@xanga - Well said. Everyone makes mistakes, right?
15%