Do you tip a bartender when filling a growler?

I can only speak for how things are around here...Pretty much the only places that do growler fills are brew pubs. They do not distro their beer in bottles so a growler is the only way to take some home short of a keg and that may be iffy to get one (I have never tried..lol).

If I am in the pub having some drinks and want to take a growler home, then yes I will most certainly tip. If I am just running in for a growler fill probably not and the reason is simple. I do not tip the liquor store person for selling me a 6er, if a 6er was available of the specific beer I would probably not be getting growlers filled...The exception is if I get service right away and they go above and beyond, then I will tip a bit but not like I would if I was sitting in the pub. IMO growlers are a rip off 99% of the time to begin with...(doesn't mean I don't have any lol)

I've posted about tipping before and according to most people my metric for tipping is way off but I strongly believe in bribing the servers. You take care of them and they take care of you. You notice your drinks are coming out a little stronger, you food arrives before the next table, and of course the occasional free drink. As much as some people here complain about it American wage law revolves around the concept of tipping. Sure others are doing harder more dangerous or more important jobs but you're not making 2.13 an hour in a system that when federal minimum wage got increased by $4 dollars tipped employees did not increase at all. If the tipped employee wage were to be done away with tomorrow many of these non-tippers would be complaining about the costs of restaurants as they now have to include these wages into the product.

Most people who work jobs where tips are expected earn utter sh*t for wages. Less than $3/hour, as noted above, is not uncommon. I generally tip 20% as a rule, adjusted up or down for quality of service. Something simple like running up to the bar for a quick growler fill before leaving, I leave a dollar or two, regardless of the cost of a growler. That might change, too, if service is particularly good or bad. Refusing to leave a tip, as a general rule, shows either ignorance about how the tipping system works, or disrespect for others.

bovineblitz said:

Where did you tend bar? I grew up in Rachacha.

Click to expand...

The old toad on Alexander street. Was there for a year.

ChillWill said:

The old toad on Alexander street. Was there for a year.

Click to expand...

I loooove the Toad, I try to go there every time I'm back in town. I wasted far too many a night there.

Well I've ridden into a lot of bars over the years -few things better to knock the dust out of the throat than a good tall cold glass of brew -and I've always tipped -even for less than perfect service. Just the way I am -and I know I wouldn't want to do customer-service related work anyway. People as a general rule are- uhm, well I just don't have much respect for the general public.
At least not in that setting.
As for growlers -I've never had one filled at a bar (but then the bars I've been to wouldn't have offered up anything beyond the bmc anyway and why on earth would I fill a growler with something I can get at any of the finer refueling establishments along the highway?
In truth, I purchsed my growler to take a couple of liters of my own brew with me when I want to. MY beer is worth the effort (grin) -but then, you can't purchase mine in any refueling establishment.
LATER this year (late fall) my wife and I intend to head up to Virginia for vacation. I WILL bring my growler and I expect to visit a few microbreweries or brewpubs and will certainly bring a growler full to the room to enjoy -and I WILL be tipping. Not only do most of these employees live off of the tips (or greatly suppliment their income that way) but its a nod and tip of the hat in their direction.

I've been a barista, server, busser, bar back, and bartender. Some at the same time at different jobs. Baristas work the hardest by far when it comes to building drinks. Biggest thing I have now realized is that with serving, bussing, or bar backing you can always escape a-hole customers. NOT with bartending. But you say, "Well I'm not one of those people." One day you will be. Dollar a beer is fair for a tip(or less if that's the leftover change). If your drink requires a shaker or more than 3 ingredients, 2$ is fair.

What most people do not realize about take out is that 9/10 times that tip goes to the cooks. So the statement of, "I'm not tipping someone for passing me food." is complete BS. How about tipping the guy who made it? You can always ask the take out person if the tip is going to the cooks.

Lastly the whole argument of no one tipping you for doing your job is also bogus IMO. If you want tips, go work in the service industry and get yelled at a lot. If working at a bar were great or no hassle we wouldn't get shift drinks to boost morale.

Sorry for the rant.

Nightbiker said:

and I've always tipped -even for less than perfect service.

Click to expand...

THIS is the problem with this entire system. What in the world would make you tip someone for giving less than perfect service.

If I do less than "good" or "as expected" at my job, I get warnings, sent home, or could lose my job--not to mention the fact that if I am not on my game I could be sued and someone could die.

Agreed. Tipping even when the service is bad is reinforcing that behavior. Wait staff and bartenders really aren't goingg to care about their service level if they are continually handed tips for ****ty work.

Like you said, in almost all other professions, they'd be reprimanded for less than desirable performance.

But to the OP, yeah I tip a dollar to a nice bartender for filling a fresh Growler.

Boy said:

What most people do not realize about take out is that 9/10 times that tip goes to the cooks.

Click to expand...

where do you work? you're getting hosed. i've worked in several restaurants and the cooks never got tipped. they get paid by the hour. servers/bartenders do not. if your server does a bad job you can tip them a little less, but still not none. that would be like if your boss didn't like what you did today so he didn't pay you.

rycov said:

if your server does a bad job you can tip them a little less, but still not none. that would be like if your boss didn't like what you did today so he didn't pay you.

Click to expand...

If your boss doesn't like what you're doing they CAN not pay you. They can send you home, without pay in about 70% of US states.

Tipping is a reward for doing well. Tipping someone who does ****ty is like giving your dog a treat for ****ting on the floor.

Their JOB is to provide good service. If they can't do their job, they don't get the reward of extra pay from me. If they do well, they will get a good tip. BUT you are not guaranteed a tip.

It isn't hard to do well. Hell, you could screw up really bad, but if you just say "I'm sorry, I'll fix it" instead of the usual pass the buck, it's the cook's/bartender's/manager's/someone other than me's fault song and dance, you'll usually still fair pretty well.

In no way, shape, or form are tips REQUIRED even if you provide me crappy service. If you want to make more than 2 bucks an hour(BTW, about 50% of states require wages somewhere around twice that for tipped workers) then do your frigging job.

Merely filling a growler doesn't mean you get a tip. Congrats, you did the most basic function of your job, here's a reward!

the by the hour usually goes to tax.the biggest check i got from waiting tables was 10 dollars for a week. the tip isn't extra, its their pay. i agree, its one of those jobs that you have to work to get money. but i'm willing to bet more people are willing to give zero tip for mediocre service than they would be to pay zero for mediocre food. how is it different? if your a waiter/server/bartender whatever you should be expected to have a good (if not great) attitude. but to pay some one nothing is VERY rarely acceptable. i think everyone should be required to work in a restaurant for a week before they can eat in on.

If the service is so bad your not leaving a tip you had better get the manager involved. This is a serious problem for the business and the boss should know if someone is doing a bad job. Like you said some posters have said why should he tip for bad service. You shouldn't. Sometimes you have to appreciate when your server is stuck with a party of 12 and she might miss a drink refill or two but no one here is saying that to tip for the server who has to be summoned to refill drinks and brings the food out wrong.
Instead of thinking of tips as a reward system realize that wage law keeps the costs of food unnaturally low. If servers were paid even just minimum wage you can expect every single item on the menu including alcoholic beverages to increase by around $2 each to cover payroll.12-15% is standard drinks were filled order was correct not much interaction. Tip lower if there is some problems keeping the drinks filled. Complicated orders you should possibly tip a little more because the waiter then has to go argue with the cooks to get them to make it right. If the waiter is friendly and takes care of you then tip 20+% and ask for that person next time you go in. This is what every server should be striving for and it results in some amazing service.
I had a whole Buffalo Wild Wings trained. I would walk in and the server would bring me a water and told me what's new on tap. Some of them had memorized my order and all of them knew my tip is based off of my water glass. There was only one or two servers who didn't realize I was a good tipper but unless half the staff was out sick and they were slammed I got the best service in the world there all because I tipped around 25% for the first few weeks I came and then lowered to 20% after that. Remember the not real acronym of tips To Insure Great Service.

All I know is being a good tipper has resulted in a LOT of free drinks and outstanding service. A good return for a small investment.


_

bovineblitz said:

I loooove the Toad, I try to go there every time I'm back in town. I wasted far too many a night there.

Click to expand...

Well that's 2 people on this site I found that go there... must be the beer. I miss working there, was a lot of hard work at times but the customers were great and getting to try so many beers was awesome.

I disagree with the tipping = wages concept but I realize that's how the system works. I don't tip people who aren't paid wages based on tipping unless they went above and beyond their service duties. I find it ridiculous and slightly offensive when I go to a fast food place and they write in or print a tip line on the receipt. If you're making $8/hr you don't need a tip for the two minutes it took to put my sandwich together and put it in a bag.

I'm also not a believer that bad service means I should still tip or waste my time telling the manager his or her employees are not doing their job. That is, after all, the manager's job -- managing. Crappy service just means no tip. Personally I think if you're going to put a line on the credit card receipt that lets me adjust the total it should work both ways. Really bad service means instead of adding to the total I should be able to subtract from it. However, I've yet to try it out. I haven't gotten THAT bad of service in a very long time.

I'm also a believer that the work expected out of you justifies more of a tip. If you serve my table for an hour with taking orders, bringing drinks/food, filling water, etc. you deserve a tip (and more of a tip) than somebody who takes a two minute call for a take out order and two more minutes to ring it up. However, I do usually tip bartenders well above the norm as long as the service is good. I take the quality of service into consideration of how busy it is. If you have all full tables in your section I can understand some wait. If I'm your only table, my water glass shouldn't sit empty.

To the OP, yeah, I'd tip for filling a growler just like ordering a beer. It's pretty much the same thing.

i guess too it depends on why the service was ****ty. if its a person with a ****ty attitude that is rude to customers, i can see that being a reason not to tip. but if its some one trying hard and just can't get it all right, then that deserves maybe a smaller tip, but not no tip.

ChillWill said:

Well that's 2 people on this site I found that go there... must be the beer. I miss working there, was a lot of hard work at times but the customers were great and getting to try so many beers was awesome.

Click to expand...

Make it three. I used to hang at the Toad in the early 90's. It was an awesome bar then and one of the few places you could get good beer. I assume it's still awesome. I think I'm just too old for the Alaxander St. crowd nowadays.

As far as tipping goes, yes. I also follow the $1/draft rule. I'd probably go with a duece on a growler. If I'm gonna be there awhile I'll run a tab and tip a minimum of 10% for even medioce service. If I've got a cocktail waitress running for me she'll get 15%+. If a $20 round of drinks mysteriously disappears from my tab an extra $10 mysteriously appears on the tip.

I have also done the full round of resturant work, everything from dishwasher to bartender and all points in between. Pretty much anyone you have interaction with is working for considerably less than minimum wage and relies on tips to pay thier bills.

jd3 said:

I agree.

I am a paramedic by trade. I do the job because I love it, not because I expect to get rich. Thats a good thing, because I get paid crap.

I bring people back from the dead, and I can't get tipped for it. I don't expect to, either.

Someone picking up a glass and pouring me a drink does not get a buck out of me just for the effort.

IF they give me good advice, great service, and make the stay enjoyable, I'll tip ok. But merely existing and doing the basic functions of their job does not give them some special rights to a tip.

Click to expand...

You get paid more than a couple bucks an hour to do your job. Always tip your sever if they are at least adequate. I don't care if you tip your bartender. I do, but they at least aren't completely relying on tips.

I can't believe people who feel like they should tip servers unless they're unbelievably great. Stay home.

rycov said:

where do you work? you're getting hosed. i've worked in several restaurants and the cooks never got tipped. they get paid by the hour. servers/bartenders do not. if your server does a bad job you can tip them a little less, but still not none. that would be like if your boss didn't like what you did today so he didn't pay you.

Click to expand...

Tipping the cooks has been either required or recommended at every restaurant job I've had. Generally around 10% of either tips or food sales. If it's food sales then it really sucks for the bartender since most people did not tip when ordering food from the bar.

The difference is probably that in OR everyone gets full minimum wage.

I don't mean to hurt any feelings, but it's just plain ******-y to not tip as a general rule. If I went out on a pub crawl with you and you didn't tip, I wouldn't be going anywhere like that with you again. It's just not right. For certain things (like drinks or dinner) tipping is just expected as part of the price. If you don't tip, you might as well try to short change the cashier when you pay the bill.

ChshreCat said:

Most of the bars I go to price their beers at 4 bucks a pint, so if I pay cash I always just hand over a 5 and call it good. If I run a tab, I usually tip about 5 bucks.

Yeah, a bartender is just filling glasses while a waiter/waitress has to do a lot more. But the bartender is also having to deal with a lot more people who become jackasses as soon as the slightest bit of alcohol enters their system so I kind of have more sympathy for them. Especially on Friday and Saturday nights. Plus, a lot of bars I've been to have had as many as 100 people in them and only one bartender working, so he's busting his butt. If I'm making him take the time to fill a growler, I'm definitely gonna give him something for it. Probably a couple bucks.

Click to expand...

My sentiments exactly.

ChshreCat said:

I don't mean to hurt any feelings, but it's just plain ******-y to not tip as a general rule. If I went out on a pub crawl with you and you didn't tip, I wouldn't be going anywhere like that with you again. It's just not right. For certain things (like drinks or dinner) tipping is just expected as part of the price. If you don't tip, you might as well try to short change the cashier when you pay the bill.

Click to expand...

Hopefully noone is offended. I totally agree it is ******-y not to tip.

However, there are certain gray areas when it comes to tipping. I've also recently noticed more and more places adding "tip cups" in front of their register.

There are some fast food/casual dining mexican places in Denver that have a tip cup next to the register.

They are like a Subway but for Burritos and Tacos. It is a half step above fast food. I don't feel like tipping for a "fast food" burrito.

To me, that is a gray area.

dallasdb said:

Hopefully noone is offended. I totally agree it is ******-y not to tip.

However, there are certain gray areas when it comes to tipping. I've also recently noticed more and more places adding "tip cups" in front of their register.

There are some fast food/casual dining mexican places in Denver that have a tip cup next to the register.

They are like a Subway but for Burritos and Tacos. It is a half step above fast food. I don't feel like tipping for a "fast food" burrito.

To me, that is a gray area.

Click to expand...

Places that do that probably dont pay their employees in a way that they are expected to get tips. If I have some spare change ill toss it in (because I hate change) but I wont add a tip amount on my card. As far as tipping for a growler, I think its just expected of you.

Tipping is like scoring a exam. In my book, it's pretty hard to earn a zero on a test. My baseline is 20% for an "average grade". From there, I'll subtract points for bad service and add for good service. I have no problem tipping 30+% for exemplary service. I'm far from a wealthy man and live quite modestly, but when I do out, I want to have a good time and service can make or break a good evening. I also tip higher than average because I know there are many people who feel basic service deserves no tip. It brings balance back to the universe.

I briefly owned a small retail food biz and I noticed that the biggest tippers were service people from other local rest. /bars. Especially the Hooters ladies, big tips and I would have paid them to hang out longer. lol

To all you cheap ass ****ing morons who think you are so above tipping - try serving for one day. Then come back and post here.

skibb said:

To all you cheap ass ****ing morons who think you are so above tipping - try serving for one day. Then come back and post here.

Click to expand...

Agreed. I tend to overtip to make up for the cheap asses that feel they don't need to...

Boy said:

Tipping the cooks has been either required or recommended at every restaurant job I've had. Generally around 10% of either tips or food sales. If it's food sales then it really sucks for the bartender since most people did not tip when ordering food from the bar.

The difference is probably that in OR everyone gets full minimum wage.

Click to expand...

ok. in SC servers don't get paid anything. well, they get paid 2.15 or something, but like i said before that all goes to taxes. so that makes sense that they might share tips. i had to tip the bartenders and bus boys, and pay tax based on sales, not on what i got tipped. a few times the only reason i didn't follow non-tipping customers into the parking lot was because i absolutly LOVED my job (not kidding, i worked at an amazing place). so here in SC not tipping me would be like stealing from me. i have a wife and two kids and that doesn't sit well with me. had i hated my job (which i'm sure some servers do) those nights would have not ended well for the theives.

skibb said:

To all you cheap ass ****ing morons who think you are so above tipping - try serving for one day. Then come back and post here.

Click to expand...

I worked at one of the busiest Starbucks in the U.S. We had six employees working at once--a normal high volume store has 4 max. The line was out the door for the entire time I worked. Try staring down a line of 30 drinks to make. That's like 30 mixed drinks.

You get no sympathy from me. I made minimum wage. I worked from 5 AM to 11 AM and then went to class until 4. I got ZERO tips because it was a franchise store.

Half the bartenders I've dealt with have either been cocky *****ebags or girls who think they are miss California. Last week I tried to buy a water at a club for 5 bucks. The stupid ***** didn't tell me there was a $30 minimum until I asked her why there was no dollar amount for the total. When I told her I'd pass, she put a $250 tip on my name and forged my signature afterward. A month ago a bartender refused to serve me because I only gave him a 10% tip on the first drink I ordered. In college, there was a bar where if you signaled that you wanted to order in any way, shape, or form, you got cut off.

**** THAT. I tip all waiters 20% standard. Bartenders should be grateful for anything I give them. I always tip between 10-20%. You want more? Be nice. Don't be a ****ing ******. Next time one of these idiots has a problem I'm seriously going to try to get them fired.

skibb said:

To all you cheap ass ****ing morons who think you are so above tipping - try serving for one day. Then come back and post here.

Click to expand...

If you seriously want to cry to me about how hard being a server is, I suggest you come to grips with reality. When you grow up and get a big boy job, we can talk about tough jobs and touch circumstances.

Has your job ever resulted in the life or death of someone merely based on your decision making?

Didn't think so.

Your job is to go to work, take an order, bring said order back, and wipe of the ****ing table. STFU.

If you want a tip, earn it. And bitching about it in settings like this is just more likely to make more people anti-tipping.

I have refused to tip one time, exactly one time in my life. I've gotten into street fights with people who mouthed off less than this server did. 20% is standard for me whether it's a waiter or a bartender. And it takes a LOT to get me to tip lower than that. Not uncommon tip closer to 30%. This goes for baristas too. I make a dismal salary for where I live and I'm always paycheck to paycheck if not hand to mouth. But at the end of the day, an extra couple bucks on my bill means less to me than it does to whoever's serving me. I would have brought up the Reservoir Dogs scene had it not been brought up already.

70 posts? really.... my thought is I couldn't imagine anyone not tipping the bartender for a growler.

since everyone's off topic anyways...

As a working cook, my opinion of waiters is pretty low. almost every server that's worked in my kitchen (i've been working at this place for some time and have a seen a lot of servers come and go) is an absolute idiot. orders get lost every day, they put in tickets for the wrong thing and then blame me when i cook what they asked for, etc etc.

That being said, every single person who works in a restaurant is moving as fast as they can and busting their ass, especially at the time of day when you're likely eating. Whether or not they're good at their job is really more related on their aptitude for it then their effort. Especially in the case of bussers (who depend on the tips you give just as much as the servers do) they're working that job not because they want to but usually because they're in a bad financial situation and it's the first job that came around. whether or not you agree with it, every american (and most Europeans too) knows that a tip is expected, and not tipping someone because they couldn't get your special order right or didn't fill your water glass the second you finished it is a terrible thing to do. those people are busting their ass to try and make sure YOU have a good time their. the environment doesn't allow for lazy, so if someones moving slow it could have to do with something else. just because it's not currently crowded doesn't mean the cooks don't have fifty tickets they're working on. and if someone appears to be giving you attitude, it could be because a cook like me just chewed them out for losing messing up a ticket, or because for the twelfth time today some customer order a medium rare steak, got a medium rare steak, insisted it was in fact medium or even something ridiculous like well done (this happened today) and then sent it back and didn't tip because they got the "wrong" doneness on their steak. tip your server

edb23 said:

since everyone's off topic anyways...

As a working cook, my opinion of waiters is pretty low. almost every server that's worked in my kitchen (i've been working at this place for some time and have a seen a lot of servers come and go) is an absolute idiot. orders get lost every day, they put in tickets for the wrong thing and then blame me when i cook what they asked for, etc etc.

That being said, every single person who works in a restaurant is moving as fast as they can and busting their ass, especially at the time of day when you're likely eating. Whether or not they're good at their job is really more related on their aptitude for it then their effort. Especially in the case of bussers (who depend on the tips you give just as much as the servers do) they're working that job not because they want to but usually because they're in a bad financial situation and it's the first job that came around. whether or not you agree with it, every american (and most Europeans too) knows that a tip is expected, and not tipping someone because they couldn't get your special order right or didn't fill your water glass the second you finished it is a terrible thing to do. those people are busting their ass to try and make sure YOU have a good time their. the environment doesn't allow for lazy, so if someones moving slow it could have to do with something else. just because it's not currently crowded doesn't mean the cooks don't have fifty tickets they're working on. and if someone appears to be giving you attitude, it could be because a cook like me just chewed them out for losing messing up a ticket, or because for the twelfth time today some customer order a medium rare steak, got a medium rare steak, insisted it was in fact medium or even something ridiculous like well done (this happened today) and then sent it back and didn't tip because they got the "wrong" doneness on their steak. tip your server

Click to expand...

I never said I don't tip because mistakes happen, or because it is busy or slow.

I will not tip someone who provides me crappy service. Absolutely, will not.

That has nothing to do with the quality of the food, the time it took to serve it, or getting it right. Some of my biggest tips have been left after having an order screwed up. One time and one time only in my life have I asked to speak to a manager, and it wasn't because my order was screwed up. It was because the server was a dick. LIke if I saw him in the bar I'd knock him in the jaw.


For instance: I go to HuHot with my wife a lot. She likes the gimicky food, I think it is hilarious that I pay someone 14 bucks so I can do most of the work. The server does not handle any of the main meal. They great, take drink orders, and bring salds/rice. It is the same routine over and over and over. But Every friggin time I go there, I get a different server(I expect turnover is very high there), and every time the service is stupid bad. Drinks sit dry for 15 minutes(even after asking for a refill. I get that you're running around, but if someone asks for it, just do it), rice comes out cold(this is from a rice cooker, so if it is cold that means they left it sitting too long. And I fully expect that the server is dishing it up, like most places to side salads and the like), or my drink is the wrong thing.


If a server doesn't like their job, move on. Grocery stores and garbage trucks need employees too.

I once long ago worked as a line cook, a server, and even a dishwasher in a few eateries--from pizza joints to 4 star restaurants. I can tell you for a fact that I made a hell of a lot more money when I did my job well than when I was a crabby dick.


If you'd like to see a fast paced atmosphere, I'd offer to let you do a ride a long shift with me and maybe we'll get a major multi-victim trauma or a a cardiac arrest in a friggin mall.


If all someone did was pull the tap and hand me a growler, they might get the difference of the dollar. If they give me good advice on a brew, offer good replacements for a favorite, or tips on something new, they might get a couple bucks.

If they make me feel like I'm not just another buck, they'll prob be rewarded handsomely. If they make me feel like I should have spent my money elsewhere, I probably will.

That's a good minimum guidelines for good service. I usually tip %20 rounded up to the next dollar for good service, more if it's a tiny bill for a meal. For mixed drinks a buck is standard, for bottled beer I'm not sure that there's a consensus. I usually run a tab and tip %20-%30 for drinking beer depending on what I get (ie draft vs bottles) and service.

Ravenshead said:

When I bartended, we had to claim our credit card tips or 6% of our sales as income.

BTW 15% is the standard tipping rate for meals. At the bar, a bone a drink for small bills or 15% for "meal sized" bills.

Click to expand...

Its good to knowb that meals and drinks are priced correctly here at home
bucket in the bar usually gets the change at some point of the evening
And i pay as much tip in resturants here as i will anywhere else
but no where near the same%

No kidding. At least a buck, I think $2 is generally about right unless the beer is crazy expensive.

iaefebs said:

70 posts? really.... my thought is I couldn't imagine anyone not tipping the bartender for a growler.

Click to expand...

Ravenshead said:

I can tell you how those of us who were pretty good servers back in the day used to think about it: 15% - you did your job well enough, 10% - you did poorly, and 20+% - you rocked. 0% meant you had a bad customer or a European who didn't understand the local custom ( or you were probably going to be fired/quit soon anyway).

Keep in mind, we were making 2.15 an hour when min. wage was around 6-7 an hour.

A tip for simply doing your job is actually expected in these situations in the US. In Tokyo I'm not familiar with the custom.

Click to expand...

So if its a good tip it's because of you and if it's not what your sense of entitlement says you are due it's because of the guest?

I have worked in the restaurant industry my entire life and I still think tipping is mostly BS.
I would probably tip $1 on a growler, but a $1 per already hideously overpriced pint of beer is stupid. $2 a drink is bulllllshyt.
I know some of you are in tip credit states so lousy tips can really impact your income. However, I think thats great since it should, by reason, make you want to be better at your job. In Washington the minimum wage, even for servers, is near $9 so they can go F#$@ themselves if they give me crappy service.
Tipping for takeout? HELL NO. The cook did all the work and some ******* server is going to put it in his pocket.
And to those servers who are here bitching about not getting tipped: Its not their culture or you suck. Period, end of report. You will make a ton more money and have a much better time at your job when you stop expecting handouts because you strapped on an apron. I was a server supervisor and trainer in a $3.5M a year concept. Your job can be challenging sometimes, but it is NOT hard. 5 minutes in the BOH and you'll be begging to be out front again. The restaurant can run all day long without you.

As far as taxes go: You are required to claim every penny you make in tips. Since check and credit card tips can be tracked it is best to stay above 10% overall if you don't want a visit from a suit. The only time you are taxed directly against your sales is if you are in an establishment that is small enough to not run your tips through your paycheck. Then you are taxed via Allocated Tips.

People who don't tip aren't standing on some higher moral ground, they're cheap bastards looking for a way to rationalize their cheapness and not feel guilty about it.

The thing is all of us "regular folks" who realize the tip isn't optional, have, or have had friends and acquaintances who were the bad tipper type. Almost universally they are also the same ones who can't order the way the menu reads but always seem to have a special request. They are the ones who demand the most and complain the most, and they are always the last ones to pick up a tab or pay their share even when they had the lobster and you had the salad. It's always "lets just split it evenly" and then they still come up short (somehow the concept of tax is foreign to them ) plus they "refuse to tip" for that terrible service, so you get stuck with their portion of that as well.

We used to say they were the guys with short arms and deep pockets