Who do you tip and how much?

[Lemony]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

Also remember that in some states waiters and waitresses are taxed as if they earn minimum wage. That means there is a minimum they have to claim as tips. if they don't make that minimum, they still have to pay tax on it. So be nice!

We tip 20-30% to restaurant servers (we've been known to tip 100% too) and 10-15% for haircuts and pizza.

[m.f.walters]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

That is true here in New Hampshire-Servers tips have to add up to minimum wage with their hourly...but that is not hard to do! I own a restaurant and we have wonderful servers and customers-our servers generally average $12-14 an hour. That sounds good but it is only a few hours a day over lunch-Moms trying to make ends meet while their kids are at school. They are the hardest working women I know! I always tip a minimum of 20% when I eat out. Tip my hairdresser, bellhops, and the guy working the Christmas tree lot...brrr.

[threebeansalad]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

I usually tip 20% because it's the easiest number for me to calculate (an even $2 for each $10 of the bill).

[kealina]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

we tip based on service... we tend to tip in 5% intervals... 10-15-20-25 with most servers getting tips in the middle range... i don't think we've ever not tipped even with bad service... the tip just gets reduced... and no, we don't hold honest mistakes against people... mostly it's stuff like walking past and ignoring us 4 times when there are only 2 other tables with people.... having to wait 5 minutes for a refill... you get the idea...i've noticed sometimes that servers treat us like second class citizens as we always share entrees and it can get irritating... those are the ones that will only get an average tip...
DH used to deliver pizzas when he was in college to help pay his way and he believes that somebody who puts in extra effort should get a larger tip...
and yeah, some people are very cheap in their tips... DH was telling his mom the other day he remembered being tipped with "keep the change" but the change was only 0.15 cents... sheesh... some people are very cheap... if you can't afford at least $1 you should probably just go pick up your own pizza...
guess that's it from me.... i would say we spent max $5 on tips a month as we only eat out once a month and don't spend much either.... DH and i cut each others hair... i don't get my nails done or anything else right now so the only time we have to tip is when eating out...

[abowers]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

Question regarding pizza delivery -- the $1.50 some places tack on for a "delivery fee" does that go to the company or to the driver?

Also, I find it amusing that the delivery fee showed up when gas was around $3/gallon last september due to "high gas prices", but it stuck around through this past year even when gas has been as low as $2/gallon for the past couple months.

[kealina]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

Question regarding pizza delivery -- the $1.50 some places tack on for a "delivery fee" does that go to the company or to the driver?

i don't know the answer but i hope someone does... my DH stopped delivering way before the gas went up high... i have a feeling it might not go to the driver as a tip though... i do know he said he would get compensated some tiny amount based on mileage so maybe they did that to shift the cost of that compensation to the consumer? who knows...

[Homebody]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

We are generous tippers if people deserve it. We are on a trip to North Carolina right now. We tipped the guy who drove us from long term parking at the SF airport to our terminal because we had six very heavy bags and he got up and helped us on and off lifting the heavy bags. I tipped him 10 bucks.

Yesterday two men came and delivered YD's new furniture and set it all up and we tipped them $30.00. The look on the head guy's face was well worth it. He was very grateful and expressed it.

We don't eat out a lot, but usually average 20% if the waiter/waitress is good.

My husband owns/runs a car wash and people tip all kinds of amounts to the employees and they work very hard for it, but do not expect it. Of course not every customer tips, but I do think that is why we are generous tippers because we know how hard our employees work to do a good job.

[Ima saver]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

I know you tip a lot better when you have been a waitress. I am like most of you, I tip very well the girls that wait on me every night. If in a new place, I usually tip 20% Even with bad service, I will leave something. They do have to pay taxes on those tips. The place I worked would not even provide buss boys. You had to buss all your own tables while the dishwasher boys sat around with nothing to do.

[JanH]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

I, too, waitressed for a couple of years and I am sympathetic to those who are working to pay for school expenses. I tip waiters/waitresses, my hairdresser/magician that always manages to help me out in a bind though she is in high demand, maids at hotels that I stay at frequently and appreciate the very clean atmosphere. I used to also tip those high school kids who carried my groceries out in the bad weather and everything at the local grocery store. They quit allowing tips and I quit going because they were higher than other stores. I also tip the pizza guy, but generally I get the pizza myself. Tips were my grocery money so I know how it can be....I also tipped the valets and stuff in a very fancy hotel we stayed in once. Didn't know how much you were supposed to tip them. There is a baggage guy that is about 80 or 90 (really, that's the truth) at the local airport. He does not push himself on you. If I ever use him, I tip him, also.

[tabbycat31]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

I despise the tip jar at many counter food places (delis, fast food, coffee, ice cream, etc). I had an incident where I paid for $4 worth of ice cream with a $20 and the clerk automatically put my change in the tip jar without asking me. I had to complain to the manager about getting my money back.

These employees are not paid a server's wage, but a normal one. They're doing their job. I shouldnt have to give you extra money for cutting a bagel.

[Ima saver]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

Yes, they do make at least minimum wage, so I very often do not put tips in a tip bowl. When I go to a nice restaurant and there is a musician, I almost always put a few dollars in their tip bowl if the music is nice. One time, it was so loud, it gave me a headache, so I did not tip that guy.

[tabbycat31]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

tipping a musician is different than tipping the cashier at Dunkin Donuts IMO. I've tipped musicians/entertainers at restaurants before, and I have no objection to that.

OFten the people at local restaurants are not employed by the restaurant, and just looking for a gig.

[rusty@saving]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

as a person that has been broke and depended on tips, i do not order a pizza unless i can give at least a $3 tip. i tip the barber at least $2, and at restaurants i try to tip at least $5 or more.
to me, businesses do not compensate at all for the cost of delivery for the pizza guy, with the price of gas being what it is, waitresses only make about $2/hr, and with how some people tip in general, it is suprising that they even make it at all.
i think some people have forgotten just how hard it is to make it out there.

[Ima saver]

Re: Who do your tip and how much?

I agree, Rusty. I go to the same restaurant almost every night. This coming week, I will tip each of my waitresses an extra $20 on top of their regular tips ($6)and a little gift of candy.

[JBinKC]

Re: Who do you tip and how much?

I am generally a big tipper probably because my last job depended upon them. I always tip 15% minimum and occasionally will go up to 30%.

I have noticed no one mentioned tips other than for hairdressers, waitresses or drivers. What about bartenders, doormen, casino workers etc.??