Who do you tip and how much?

[Broken Arrow]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

I always tip at least 10%. Even with poor service. Standard service gets 15%, and great service gets 20%. Usually, I lean towards 20%. They are also counted as part of my food budget, so this isn't "leaked" out.

[Ima saver]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

Sarah, you are right. You are taxed as tho you have received the money, even if you don't. Waitresses are even taxed on take out food because it is part of the gross sales. If you can not afford to tip, you can not afford to eat out.

[cschin4]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

Get take out. Same food, no tip necessary.

[Ima saver]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

sitting down with my husband, enjoying about 2 hours of conversation, drinks and a nice meal are one of my most treasured times. That is why I do it, almost every night!

[PRICEPLUS]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

Well, I have to tell you that if I am sitting two hours and the waitress is pleasant and competent I have at times tipped up to 25%. Working in the service industry is hard to be sure but those who go into it know the ups and downs. I worked hard as a bartender while being nice to some obnoxious people. I smiled and was courteous. I believe being a waiter or bartender is a profession. I'd like to think I carried myself in a professional manner even on days when my personal life was falling apart.

I will never stiff anyone who is working hard but I'll not reward anyone who does not do their job. Heck, what if doctors, firemen, or police officers did not do their job properly because they were having a bad day? I feel sorry for folks but if you are not up to doing your job don't go into work. I always felt that I had to be on top of my game while working and I made every effort to do so! I guess it is just a different way of looking at things.

I don't think there is a right or wrong per se, I just think it is a matter of personal comfort and custom!

[Diolla]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

Sarah, you are right. You are taxed as tho you have received the money, even if you don't. Waitresses are even taxed on take out food because it is part of the gross sales. If you can not afford to tip, you can not afford to eat out.

Actually if you keep a good record (I had a little notebook with date and amt of tips received) you can pay taxes only on the tips you actually received even if it is less than your 'allocated tips' Like Ima after being a waitress I probably tip more than I should especially after getting particularly good service. I usually mention it to the manager too.

[toys]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

I have a semi-philosophic water system for tipping in restaurants. If the glass is half empty most of the meal, they get 15%. If the glass is rarely half empty, they get 20%. If the glass is never half empty, they get 25%.

I drink a lot of water, and I realize it's hard for a server to keep up with my thirst. I think a server deserves at least 15% just for dealing with all the other bums who refuse to tip more than $2 or not at all, regardless the price of the meal.

Delivery (pizza, Chinese, etc.)... depends on wait time. When I place the order, I always ask how long. If they say 45 minutes and the food arrives much later, the driver gets only a $2 tip. If it's earlier... bigger tip.

Hairdresser... depends on the conversation. If I think they were listening, 20% or more. If they pretend to listen, 10% or less. I've only ever had one bad cut, and he didn't get a tip at all.

I only ever tipped a dry cleaner once... for not ruining my shower curtain (after someone hurled on it at a party). I've never tipped for clothes (then again, I've never had anything badly soiled) and have yet to clean the shower curtain again.


How much do I spend a month on tips? ...at least $50, but I don't eat/order out very often.

Since when is 18% standard? I never got that memo.

[Ima saver]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

I agree that wait staff should be paid minimum wage, but they are not. I can't believe it but some people just do not tip at all.
We all hated to work sundays, that is the day of NO tips to speak of. I had a church group that all wanted to sit together, a group of 18. They ran my legs off . More bread, more tea, more coke , etc. They left a grand total of 87 cents. Is that fair?

[geojen]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

Waiting tables is one of the only jobs I know of where you can get your salary docked for every little mistake you make--or mistakes others make (i.e. cooks). You could run your butt off for an hour, but forget to bring an extra fork for the desert and half to make another trip, thereby making the customer wait for all of 10 seconds, and your tip gets cut in half, if not more.

Not tipping because you don't think it is fair is just plain wrong. That's the way the business works. Yes, people could choose higher paying professions, but how would everyone else go out to eat then?

[pearlieq]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

At a restaurant my baseline is 20% for competent, reasonably friendly service. I have no problem leaving as little as nothing for unacceptable service, and I have no problem tipping 100% or more for something truly extraordinary.

I actively resist the proliferation of the "tip jar" culture. I'm not tipping someone for making me counter service food/beverages!

[savvy06]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

We rarely go out to eat or order in, but when we do we always tip 20%.
A relative cuts our hair for free, and accepts no tips. We also return the favor with free babysitting and etc. When we travel, we live the maid somewhere between $5 to $10, depending how much cash we have left.

[rduell]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

I agree that wait staff should be paid minimum wage, but they are not. I can't believe it but some people just do not tip at all.
We all hated to work sundays, that is the day of NO tips to speak of. I had a church group that all wanted to sit together, a group of 18. They ran my legs off . More bread, more tea, more coke , etc. They left a grand total of 87 cents. Is that fair?

Been there, done that. When we lived in Virginia when we were first married I waitressed for 2 years. I quit when I was 7 months pregnant with our first child.

I made $2.01 an hour and was expected to earn enough to bring that up to minimum wage. We also did all the cleaning for the restaurant. Sundays was actually our busiest day and the best for tips.

I worked the breakfast shift as the only waitress for the last year and loved it. I made great tips because it was mostly regular customers, mainly single men.

[kunoichi]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

I start my tipping at 15% and go up or down for good service. There has yet to be a circumstance where I did not tip at all but there have been a few at 10% and one at 5% (it was really, really bad and the server was rude). I also tip at salons, usually about $10. Other places I tip are pizza, bell hops, some times taxis, and other service industries.

[abowers]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

I tip 15% on the rare occasion I get a manicure or pedicure (I went a month ago because I had a gift certificate for the first time in a couple years).

I tip 15% for hairdresser -- which is usually cheap because I go to the chain places, my hair is long and I don't do anything crazy with it.

We tip 20%+ when we eat out for good/very good servers, 15% for Ok servers, we've only tipped a little less than 15% for bad/rude servers a couple times.

We tip about 15% ish for Pizza Delivery.

[Snoopy2645]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

I usually only tip waiters & waitresses but since I only eat in that type of restaurant a few times a year its not so bad I am a TW but I was a waitress when I was very young so I know what the pay is like & 15 yrs later its not improved!!! I will even tip a bad waitress because I feel badly for them.