Tipping

[mrspdawg]

well Gnome, you know what they say "chicks take a paragraph to say what guys can say in 5 words" ... so i guess i put in my 2 cents worth of 5 words into the mix, right? lol ... thanks for the welcome.

dadburnit, i did it again.

 

[knotquiteawake]

does anybody tip when you pick up your order instead of getting it delivered?

I only tip in those cases when its the hole in the wall locally owned Mexican or Chinese or Indian place because I'm afraid if I never tip them they will make me wait longer, give me older food, ect. I usually give them 5-10%

 

[floyd242]

If I pickup from a bartender I'll tip a couple bucks, if it's someone working the to-go counter or the owner or something I don't tip.

 

[northernlad]

Oh, and don't EVER kneel down at my fecking table.

 

[jezter6]

I'm ok with being approached a few times -- so long as it's to refill drinks that are obviously nearing empty. If you're being haggled when you have full glasses, that's just crazy.

I always tip better when the server is smart and knows I want another drink and comes to my table with a full one before my last one is completely gone...without ever asking.

Of course, my story about my waitress tells that we have her well trained to be good to us. My bartender sees me walk in and has a beer waiting for me wherever I sit down. She's been trained well too.

If you plan on being a regular, tip well and get great service. If it's a once off...just tip according to standard guidelines.

 

[BeerWars]

does anybody tip when you pick up your order instead of getting it delivered?

No.

I usually tip 20% if they keep my drink full and are decent (showing up at the right time). If someone is REALLY on their game I tip 20% + I round it up to the next $10. For some reason waiters always want to chit chat with my wife and I. Nothing worse than the waiters that want to talk long after we break eye-contact.

I only go to one place where I have the same waiter every time (Gibsons). Had the same guy for the past 15 years. He remembers my order (or has it in a database somewhere) because I have a lot of little particulars that he always gets right. I only go a couple times a year now but I tip him 100% (which is kind of convoluted because he brings out a lot of stuff to try on the house).

 

[srm775]

I really wish the entire service industry would just work on salary and have to answer to their manager for poor performance like everyone else.

In Italy, there's really no tipping (it's built into the check, isn't expected and isnt' done), and the service isn't good. Tip's do induce better service.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

In Italy, there's really no tipping (it's built into the check, isn't expected and isnt' done), and the service isn't good. Tip's do induce better service.

Service is generally not so great in the US either. I feel that more often than not, a good server is motivated more by their own personality than the promise of a bribe. That goes for any country and any server.

 

[ericd]

I just tip 15% and leave it at that.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I have a barely related story about tipping that i would like to tell, just out of a possible interest to some of you.

I apologise in advance for some of the terminology, this took place in apartheid South Africa. Their terms for race, not mine.

I was staying in an hotel in the cape province, in a coloured area. The hotel was owned by coloureds, but had white clientele (Like me) The owner had a staffing problem, and asked us white guy guests if we could help out in the restaurant. We all shared a good relationship, so we agreed. I put on the only suit I ever owned, and waited tables to both white and coloured guests. (White people could eat in coloured places, but not vice-versa)

There was one family of coloured guests that had clearly enjoyed their meal, and the "head" of the family offered me a tip of 50c...It was not a good tip, but that is unimportant. I was working for free. A tip was of no importance to me. Foolishly, I didn't think about the meaning behind the gesture, and to this day I don't know if there was a deeper meaning to it or not. The fact is that I politely rejected it.

In retrospect, I have been kicking myself for nearly 30 years whenever this incident crosses my mind. This was a COLOURED guy in apartheid South Africa, offering a tip to a WHITE guy that had just served him food!! Hellfire, to this day, I wish I had just thanked him graciously and taken his crappy tip. I was young and stupid and never thought things through.

Who cares about 15, 20, 25% tips for so-so service.

 

[user 30639]

Good god, reading some of the posts here, I'd be amazed if some of you guys don't go to a restaurant with a checklist, stopwatch, calipers and a spreadsheet.

"OK, here's the bill. The waitress only made eye contact for 3.6 seconds when she took my drink order and my third refill was 7.1 millimeters below the lip of the glass. And she didn't ask us how we were doing today. Based on my calculations, she gets a tip of 11.49 percent."

I tip 20-25% unless the service is just horrible. And if even if the service sucks, it's not always the fault of the waitstaff. I've found it's better to talk to a manager about your complaints instead of taking it out on the waitstaff.

 

[rawlus]

great book on this subject, "Waiter Rant" based on a blog by a NYC waiter over the course of several years, he has a new book out now on tipping. both are great, filled with interesting stories, etc.

i dont go out alot, i prefer to cook for myself. but if i do, it is always a good restaurant with professional staff... i dont really go to chain restaurants at all, which is where i think you can find the greatest variance/unpredictability with waitstaff, servers, bartenders, etc.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

15% for reasonable, prompt, friendly service.
Up to 20% if the server makes me think, "Wow, great service!"
Sometimes over 20% if things really go well.
Less than 15% if the service stinks, quickly sliding downhill as I get more agitated.

Yes, I've left a penny, nothing, and/or a handwritten "tip" for improving service (ok, I only ever wrote one note, and the waitress was HORRIBLE!). The gestures were no more rude than the service I received.

If the place is very inexpensive yet offers good service, I'll sometimes tip well over 20%, particularly when the total bill is less than $20. It just doesn't seem right to leave pocket change for a good server who is clearly underpaid and likely overworked.

 

[Pappers_]

If the place is very inexpensive yet offers good service, I'll sometimes tip well over 20%, particularly when the total bill is less than $20. It just doesn't seem right to leave pocket change for a good server who is clearly underpaid and likely overworked.

+1 For example . . . . Nancy and I had brunch Sunday afternoon at a local pancake house (not a chain, just a local diner). Total bill came to about $15, but I left a $5 tip - great service, I like all the people there (waitresses, bus boys, owner) and it just seems right. They work hard and I think life is better when you have a attitude tilted toward generosity.

 

[flyboy]

Having worked as a server in college, they are paid LESS then minimum wage but tax on estimated tips which is MORE then minimum wage by a long shot. If the server does ANYTHING that wants me to come back I give at least a 20% tip. I the service is "Meh", I give 10-15%. If they don't do anything, they don't get anything.

 

[the_bird]

Of course not, then ...see movie script above....it's just like going to McDonalds. You don't tip them do you?

If I get a little change, or a dollar back, I'll toss it in the jar on the counter. But, the only place we get takeout from is a place we eat at a lot, and we get absolutely outstanding service every time. They're super-friendly to the kids (they've given Bean a tour of the kitchen, when they could tell we needed a break). The sushi chef always comes over to say hi and get the kids to smile at him. I'm pretty sure they're just friendly anyway, but consistently tipping on the higher side (default is 20%, usually round up) has got to help.

 

[jezter6]

I'll agree with the loose change thing. I always leave a minimum of a buck or so, even if my part of the bill is under $10. I just think a 43c tip is rude, even if my bill wasn't enough to qualify for a bigger tip. The server does the same job (plate of food and a drink or two) if it's $6 or $15 or $20.

 

[PDawg]

Wow, PDawg, your missus sure can type a LOT!

Welcome to the forum Mrs PDawg.

She is very passionate about this. Its her belief and I tend to agree that wait staff are the salespeople of the business. Her staff will always know all the Food and Beer/Wine and will be able to pair them up. She is a very dynamic manager and if she thought for a minute that one of her customers was being neglected the situation would be rectified imediately.

 

[HotTrailerBrew]

A few of my friends have been waiters and waitress', so my usual tip is 20% and i usually try to leave a cash tip. I too feel its something thats earned. Sometimes the waitstaff has earned less, sometimes they have earned more.

But that leads me to a question or maybe more of something that irritates me. I've been noticing, mostly at chain restaraunts, we are sat by one person, maybe the server will come by and ask for our drink order, or sometimes it's not our server, then the server will come by and ask if we've gotten our drinks and offer to take our order. Someone new brings our meal out, and usually rushes off. A few minutes later the server will come by and ask how the food is. Many times our order has been wrong and if we try to explain it to the new person they don't know what we ordered they're just handing us our food. Why does it take many different people to wait on us? I think it really leaves the customer feeling disconnected having so many people come around.

I know in this scenario I only mentioned about 3 people. But many times we've had 4+, one time I even remember having 6 people throughout our meal

 

[jpc]

Having worked as a server in college, they are paid LESS then minimum wage but tax on estimated tips which is MORE then minimum wage by a long shot.

I understand that waiting tables is tough work, and the guaranteed wage is pretty low, but please... don't give me this nonsense about being taxed on estimated tips. They SHOULD be taxed on all income, just like I am. Just because the system in the US is that the diner pays the wages for the server instead of the employer, it doesn't mean that the servers shouldn't pay "their fair share" of income tax.

 

[northernlad]

A few of my friends have been waiters and waitress', so my usual tip is 20% and i usually try to leave a cash tip. I too feel its something thats earned. Sometimes the waitstaff has earned less, sometimes they have earned more.

But that leads me to a question or maybe more of something that irritates me. I've been noticing, mostly at chain restaraunts, we are sat by one person, maybe the server will come by and ask for our drink order, or sometimes it's not our server, then the server will come by and ask if we've gotten our drinks and offer to take our order. Someone new brings our meal out, and usually rushes off. A few minutes later the server will come by and ask how the food is. Many times our order has been wrong and if we try to explain it to the new person they don't know what we ordered they're just handing us our food. Why does it take many different people to wait on us? I think it really leaves the customer feeling disconnected having so many people come around.

I know in this scenario I only mentioned about 3 people. But many times we've had 4+, one time I even remember having 6 people throughout our meal

I worked a long time in a major chain that relied heavily on the support team. The server takes your order and if he/she is not at the window as soon as the food comes up the expeditor or another server will run your food. It is designed to minimize your wait.
If the point of going out is to be waited on and have your dinner cooked by someone else, I don't understand why it matters who brings your food to your table. The server tips out the entire support staff so it is all equal in the end.

 

[MetallHed]

I leave a one cent tip if the service is bad.. and i have recently. I figured they might think I just forgot to tip if I didn't leave anything.. one cent leaves a message. And I pay with card so I actually right "0.01" on the tip line and add it in. I like the food at this one place for breakfast but constantly get the grouchy waitress.. I leave a dollar on a regular basis. She still isn't nice....

F 'em.

 

[Melana]

She is very passionate about this. Its her belief and I tend to agree that wait staff are the salespeople of the business. Her staff will always know all the Food and Beer/Wine and will be able to pair them up. She is a very dynamic manager and if she thought for a minute that one of her customers was being neglected the situation would be rectified imediately.

For this exact reason if i ever find myself in your neck of the woods i will see your establishment out and eat there.

I tend to tip 20-30% - more in some cases. If we get bad service we tip lightly and never return. If we get fantastic service...? We're back there on a monthly basis and we tip well.

 

[BeerWars]

I leave a one cent tip if the service is bad.. and i have recently. I figured they might think I just forgot to tip if I didn't leave anything.. one cent leaves a message. And I pay with card so I actually right "0.01" on the tip line and add it in. I like the food at this one place for breakfast but constantly get the grouchy waitress.. I leave a dollar on a regular basis. She still isn't nice....

F 'em.

I was out to lunch with my wife and one of her friends. We had the WORST service. I was happy stiffing the waitress. Her friend asked my wife if she had any pennies. My wife handed her a few. She was busy organizing them on the table for a few seconds. Then she said viola - she had made a on the table with about .10 and put the tab next to it.

I always thought leaving a penny was a burn. I can assure you that this sent a much clearer message.

 

[Melana]

I was out to lunch with my wife and one of her friends. We had the WORST service. I was happy stiffing the waitress. Her friend asked my wife if she had any pennies. My wife handed her a few. She was busy organizing them on the table for a few seconds. Then she said viola - she had made a on the table with about .10 and put the tab next to it.

I always thought leaving a penny was a burn. I can assure you that this sent a much clearer message.

NICE!

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Also, in every well-managed restaurant I worked in, if a server/bartender ever returned a tip to a customer in a 'keep your lousy 3 pennies' manner...instant termination.

 

[jmendez29]

In Italy, there's really no tipping (it's built into the check, isn't expected and isnt' done), and the service isn't good. Tip's do induce better service.

I tried tipping once in Italy. The guy chased me down the street trying to give us our money back. I ended up taking it back because of the language barrier - I didn't know how to explain to him that it was for his excellent service, which it really was.

Anyways, I try to take into account how much server minimum wage is in the state that I'm in. In Michigan, the minimum wage for servers is lower than the standard for other jobs. Because of that, I will generally use 20% as my standard. Better service is rewarded appropriately, likewise poor service. When I go other places, I will generally use 15% as a standard. But if the bill is rather high, I use common sense. Recently, I went to a rib house with my family. After drinks and food for 6, the bill came to almost $150. I felt that a $20 tip was sufficient for the environment and the level of service, despite being lower than the "standard" 20%.

The last time I left nothing was about 4 months ago. Some friends and I were in a brewpub that happened to be rather busy that night. Now granted, the server was a bit busy, but on one occasion (amongst several) we tried to get the servers attention to refill our drinks. After three attempts, one of which she acknowledged, one member of our group literally stood up and waved his hands above his head to get her attention. She came over, and I swear she told us through a grimaced smile, said that waving down a waitress is a sure way to piss her off. I took that to mean that we pissed her off by trying repeatedly to get her attention. On a few more occasions, one of which was waiting to get our bill, we didn't even see our server for at least 5 minutes, despite how busy it was in the restaurant. We even asked a different server to get the manager for us so we could inform him of the server, and after waiting for 20 minutes, decided that was a waste of effort. I don't know who all left a tip, but I'm sure it was less than half of our party.

Other offenses of the night included: waiting more than fifteen minutes to get our drinks refilled - twice, not clearing appetizer plates from an already overcrowded table when our meals came out, attempting to remove my plate of food instead of bringing me the "to go" box that I asked for (others at the table recieved theirs). One member of our party called the restaurant the next day to file a complaint. And after talking to a couple people I know who frequent the place, I found out that the server had been fired from more than one place in town for poor service and frequent complaints. But I still go to the brewpub because that type of service is not the norm.

 

[hal2814]

I used to think the US had bad wait service until I went to London. You ever see a movie everyone told you was bad and you think "Well, it can't be that bad!" and then you go see it and it is that bad? London wait service was like that. The waiter would come and take your order. Then they'd stand in a corner and play a game of avoiding eye contact with you until they absolutely had to acknowledge you. Occasionally at some point during that game they'd bring you your food but not always.

 

[hoss75]

does anybody tip when you pick up your order instead of getting it delivered?

I actually do with this one place. I had ordered food once and paid for it online, then forgot and handed them my card again when I picked it up. They called me 5 minutes later and told me what happened and that they credited my card.

My tip avg is about 12-15% for average service. Though I think 'average' service is pretty bad this day and age... so I consider myself generous. I've tipped as much as 50% for people that have gone to great lengths for service.

If a waiter/waitress acts like an actual waiter/waitress I tip about 20%. They have to know how to appear when they're needed and be invisible. They should know that I need silverware without asking, know to keep my water full. Know how to open a wine bottle. Ask me if I want another beer when my beer has emptied..... not when it's 1/4 full and not when it was finished 10 minutes earlier. And they should never, ever, question a reasonable request. But few have read a book on waiting tables so it's pretty easy on the wallet.

I also try not to dine with former servers and they seem to have the idea that a waitress should get 25% for lax service.