Tipping!

[CH4]

If I tip, it's usually $1 to $5, there are exceptions. Zero tip if I order at the counter and have to return to pick it up. To my mind, paying employees a decent wage is the responsibility of the employer. I live and travel all over the world, tipping is is pretty much exclusive to the USA.

I did enjoy tipping cows.

 

[pawngal]

Tipping is a way for the employer to charge a bit less and let his customers pay part of the wages directly. It's a good deal for him and the customer,but only a good deal for the employee if it's an expensive establishment lol. Check the minimum wage in your state for waitstaff. It's a joke in mine

$2.13 here in Iowa. Many places do pay more thankfully. Waitstaff depend on tips. The summer my daughter was 21 she worked at a somewhat high-end local restaurant, 5 hours a night, 5 days a week. Many weeks her tips would be around $1000. No restaurant is going to pay waitstaff $40 an hour.

 

[raljr1]

How about when my wife and i order two dinners and two cocktails. The tab is $75, i tip 20% so i pay $90. Total time expended on my behalf is lesa than 10 minutes.

Guy at the table next to me orders the same two dinners with only water his bill is $50 so with tip it's $60. I pay 50% more for exactly the same level of effort and service.

I am just crabby about this right now because it has stopped making sense to me. Breakfast for two, and we shared an omelet was $25. Without the $5 tip

 

[YeshuaIsa53]

I'm accustomed to tipping on my charge card, but always ask if they get the money. In most instances, they do.

We were at a well-known sandwich establishment one day. When paying, there was 20 percent tip, 25 percent tip, all figured to the penny. The invoice didn't make sense to me, because there was a tall jar with "TIPS" written on it sitting right there with money in it.

I asked the person working there where he would rather get his tip. Told him I had always paid it on the invoice via credit card. He told me the owner or the store(can't remember) received all the tips on the charge cards. The person said "he", so I figured the owner. I do not carry a lot of cash with me, but make sure I carry a tip in cash when going there.

It had been the same way at pizza stores, tips figured in on the ticket. I always thought, well they do deliver. Now I don't know.

 

[UncleEd]

I wonder how many here who have eaten out a lot and have frequented the same places have learned the names of the owner, the wait staff. And how many of you have chatted with them,
learned more about them than just someone who waits on you.

One characteristic the better ones have is that they like people and know that on any given day they are going to have some
jerks and pills who spill their authority as customers on them.
They just smile and keep on doing their jobs well.

 

[mrcvs]

Well! I'll be!

Just went out to the most affordable place around, o usually get something cheap, my wife will get a meal and a few drinks.

The waitress is new there, turns out she's in college, finished her first year, studying speech pathology, extremely well spoken, about the most polite waitress I've ever had. No visible tattoos, smartly dressed and, my wife's words were "she's so cute!" Good, that means I don't have to admit that. She was so good, I felt obligated to tip 20% and rounded up another 3 cents to make the bill an even $82.50. My wife slipped her a $20 bill on top of that. Had nothing to do with this thread, but it's about time we had excellent service. Lately is been poorly dressed folks covered in tattoos expecting a good tip for the ability to maintain a heart & respiration rate.

 

[kozmic]

We were at a very nice restaurant last night in my hometown (about 70 miles away) with family. I didn't know our waitress, but she was very polite, friendly and attentive. The bills were divided up between our various family members. I gave her a tip which amounted to about 37%. I noticed my stepsister and her boyfriend tipped her about 12%. I generally don't judge and didn't say anything, but I was absolutely disgusted. I B****ed about it to my wife all the way home.
That said, I resent folks who basically do nothing and stick a pay screen in front of you shaming you into a tip.

 

[taz666]

At Polish weddings ... generally buffet style ... my old man would tip the waitress right up front. The food just kept coming

 

[A-37]

Some restaurants in my area add a 3% "administrative fee" to cover their cost to the credit card company. When I go to check out, I ask the person at the register if they add an extra 3%. If so, I'll pay cash.

 

[Rustyt1953]

My tipping isn't based on the server's attire, piercings or how much ink they sport. Good service is good service and I reward them accordingly.

 

[Bro. Dave]

I suppose our circumstances are not the average. We live in a relatively small college town and frequent the same places about weekly. The wait staff is either college students or single moms (I know that's an overstatement and generalization).
Many of them call us by name and know our usual drinks and sometimes our usual orders. I unashamedly over tip almost every time unless something just goes horribly wrong.
I figure it this way: I can afford it; they need it; it does improve service on repeat visits; it makes me feel like I've helped some folks who are trying hard to better themselves. Of course, there are always exceptions to the above.

 

[Golddollar]

A couple years ago I was up in Ohio visiting my brother and we went out to a Mexican restaurant on the west side of Cleveland with his girlfriend. My nephew was still in college nearby so we invited him to join us. Our server was a young man probably of college age. He must have been fairly experienced and he was very attentive to our party. I watched him working the other tables and I was very impressed as to how he was hustling to cover all of his tables. Remembering my poverty stricken student days I picked up the tab for my nephew and our combined bills came to around $45. I was so impressed by the work ethic of our server that I put 15 Golden Dollars in his hand and put a $2 bill on top of them. He was very happy. Hey, he earned it.

 

[Exaviator]

Migrate to either Australia or New Zealand, where tipping is neither expected nor encouraged. The downside is that you will have to leave your firearms behind.

 

[Kiwi cop]

We don't have a tipping culture inn Kiwiland. Having said that a lot of bars and cafe's now have a tip jar on the counter. With a $22.50 minimum wage I don't bother.

On our recent US visit I would leave $5-7 in cash for the waitstaff when we had a meal, depending on the bill (usually $30-$35).

During the time in Joplin, where I was using Uber twice daily, it was always $5 cash for the driver (except the one who took me to Carthage to reclaim our belongings from the car. She earnt $50 for helping me in the pouring rain).

During the last few weeks, when eating alone I just rounded up the $28-$29 every two evenings meal to $35 (I would get a takeout box for the in between nights).

Karen's wheelchair pushers at the airport all received $5.

When Karen got out of hospital and we were getting food to go each night, I just out the change plans a couple of $1 bills in the tip jar.

It just became second nature towards the end.

 

[03hemi]

Let your conscience be your guide, but be willing to eat your conscience because of your belief too.
Look, I was in the industry (gratuity) for many years and I never took part of the common practice of retribution because it was disgusting and morally bankrupt, but know this, servers remember you if you frequent a place.
If you don't tip, you will definitely receive either bodily fluids, trash or what other imaginable thing a vengeful server can find to put in your food.
I tip often and I tip well, plus they'll treat you like Elvis.
Common sense should dictate don't eff off the people fix'n your food.

 

[sigp220.45]

I used to work for tips, so I tip often and a lot.

Waiters, waitresses, bartenders, hair cutters, Door Dashers, movers, and on my last flight I tipped the flight attendant because people on planes treat them like ****.

I tip extra for folks with tattoos.

 

[Bekeart]

Dine Regularly - Tip - a Bribe for Future Service

SWMBO and I have three places we often dine at.
Staffs remember us, our table choices, our drink orders, etc.
I overheard one waitress telling anther.
"THEY ALWAYS TIP $X!"

I do not tip for getting handed a burger at the counter.
If my order is delivered to the table - Bingo - A Tip.

Agree with previous post about up front tip getting larger/quicker refilled drinks from bartender.

 

[Kevin J.]

I was so impressed by the work ethic of our server that I put 15 Golden Dollars in his hand and put a $2 bill on top of them. He was very happy. Hey, he earned it.

15 gold dollars. How many do you typically carry on you?

 

[steelslaver]

When I used to be a party guy, I would give the bar maid and bartender a good tip right up front. Drop a $20 on them both tight off the bat and you were set. This was in the early 80s and I didn't go in high end bars.

I tip decent in restaurants. I was in a good steakhouse a couple weeks ago and had an extremely good waitress, she kept an eye out, stopped by to check on us, laughed with us etc. She got a great tip. I am not tipping at McDs etc.

I do know that a good percentage of new restaurants fail. One of my brothers tried it and failed, a good friend who went to culinary school and is a great host, tried it, had decent backing and location and still failed. It is not an easy business.

 

[JohnRippert]

Back in my younger drinking days I tipped a buck a drink. Always got damn good service and even some friendship from the wait staff. I worked in the kitchen of a Red Lobster as one of my first jobs, and when on break I saw what the wait staff had to put up with. These days my tipping starts at 20% for decent service up to 30% for great service. Bad service still gets 10%. Maybe they are having a bad day and I tend to give the benefit of a doubt. Went out to Saltgrass Steakhouse yesterday to take my best friend to lunch on his birthday. Food was great and the service matched it. I handed our waiter a Benjamin and a twenty, and my buddy chipped in a ten. We were both quite happy.