Tipping Etiquette

HipsterWhovian

The only time I'll tip is if there isn't a service charge on the bill already (I don't have a problem paying that) unless the service was shocking!
I won't tip delivery drivers, hair dressers, taxi drivers, or anyone else.
I understand the reason for tipping in the US (although I think it's a silly reason to have to tip - staff should be paid at least minimum wage) but over here in the UK, I don't think it's necessary to tip everyone and their mothers.

LauraBee96

I'm an American who manages a busy high-end steakhouse in Australia. Tipping is never expected but certainly not out of the norm. Corporate guests often leave a credit card tip or couples may choose to leave the change (e.g. the account is $96, they give you a $100 and say 'that's fine').

We divide the tips evenly that night with everyone who worked, including the Chefs.

Australia pays living wages.

anissa333

In the US you definitely need to tip even when you do carry out. The reason being is because in most states the servers only make $2.13 and hour and they have to leave their customers to get your order ready. I live in Honolulu and have many server friends and they hate serving here because there are so many people visiting from countries that do not tip so they dont tip here either.. Restaurants here now give out tip guides with the bill. Its not their fault. In there country they dont tip so they dont know.

Here is what makes me mad, I cant stand people who are cheap. Its simple, if you cant tip then dont go out. Also if your food is wrong or overcooked, please dont take it out on the server. They didnt cook your meal, the cook did. If you just would tell the server in a nice way about it then they will want to make it right. Its all about communication. Servers and mangers will want you to be happy. Dont not tip the server cause of the cooks because that server is trying to make a living like you and you not tipping just hurts their kids if they have any.

People dont realize that servers are alway waiting on other tables and trust me, some customers will have them doing stupid special requests so that are gone or away, Just know that you are not perfect at your job so please understand that they are human like you and mistakes can happen. Last thing, tell the churches to talk about tipping. Its all im saying about that one.

wolverine66

Oh! Also adding in to derail this completely. Its pretty common practise to tip your postman at Christmas in the UK.

Stuff like that is cool. I try to remember to give something to my trash dudes. My postman is a prick, so nothing for him.

My wife makes trays of goodies. Homemade cookies, candies, etc. Her and my daughter spend a week cooking and putting them together. We pass them out during the Holiday season. Mail Carrier, Gas Station Attendant, Co-workers. People we come into contact during the year on a regular basis.

While I do tip (approx 20%) it is starting to irk me. Not just in restaurants. It seems like everywhere you turn these days, someone has placed a "Tip Jar". My personal opinion is that if you are relying on the generosity of others to eek out a living, get another job.

Maybe I should put a tip jar on my desk.

the irony is I am less likely to tip or i generally tip less if there is a "tip jar."

kjarvo

I tip anywhere between 10% and 25% depending on service. If the service is not good I still leave a minimum 10%. If they were absolutely amazing, or if they are a friend of mine (have several friends that are waitresses and I go eat where they work and ask for them intentionally) then I leave 25%.

Sad story: one time, a large group of friends and myself stopped at a Denny's in a town we do not live in to eat. There were 9 of us and we came in around 10pm at night. Our waitress had just come on duty. We were all between 17 and 20 years old and we were a little obnoxious. We weren't bad kids, just a little bit like teenagers. We were there 8 hours and we drank more coffee than should have been allowed us in a year. I still think it is crazy they didn't charge us more for all the coffee we drank. As we were leaving around 6am, the same waitress that had stuck with us and put up with us all night long was just getting off. She was so sweet and so patient We drive the 100+ miles home and meet up when we get there (we were in different cars.) We are all talking about the trip we had come home from and our experiences of the weekend and the waitress from that night comes up. As we are all talking, we all come to the realization that every single one of us had neglected to leave a tip!! That woman that had put up with us all night, in a little dumpy Utah town made crap wage that night because we were just about the only customers she had all night. We called up the restaurant and tried to see if the manager would charge a card over the phone to tip the waitress (no such luck!) After trying everything else we could think of, we asked when the waitress would be working again. Luckily, the manager agreed to give us this information. 2 days later, 3 of us jumped in a car and drove the 100+ miles back up to Denny's and sat in her section. We pretended not to recognize her from before (although, I have no idea how she could believe we could possibly forget her) and ordered a coffee each. We sat there about 30 minutes, just drinking coffee and talking, waiting to see if she said anything or treated us differently. She was as sweet as ever, very attentive and never said a word. We left without saying anything. When she arrived at the table, she found a card (that had been signed by the 9 of us that were there the first night) in a sealed envelope with $200 cash. She ran outside and caught us before we drove off and gave us all a hug

That seems ridiculous to someone from the UK. She shouldn't get an additional $200 for doing her job. We wouldn't dream of giving that here. We once went on a big group meal with orchestra, maybe 40 of us. We all had the £10 special meal and paid it in a group, ordering our drinks separately. At the end there was a pot that went round for a tip and most people put in £1 or £2 and there was a £60 tip, the organiser took £40 out and only gave £20 tip, keeping the other £40 for the orchestra. £60 is too much for 2 hours work. For 4 servers that would be an additional £7.50 an hour on top of their £6.19, a ridiculously high wage for serving.

In our group of 24-25 year olds when we go out and order 5-6 x £15-£20 of food we normally leave a £3 tip in total between us. That might seem really cheap to Americans but it adds an extra £1.50 an hour to a wage, loads. No one deserves any more than that. They should do a good service because you go to a restaurant to be served upon, otherwise I would cook at home.

Besides, in the UK, most tips are put into a pot and then split between everyone. And like the other arguements, why does only a server deserve a tip and the cook gets nothing?

kjarvo

the irony is I am less likely to tip or i generally tip less if there is a "tip jar."

Same with me! It makes me think why should they expect one. I am buying a cup of tea, they give me it, why do they EXPECT a tip?

PhearlessPhreaks

Yes it is true that you don't have to tip at all in some countries.

Australia is one of them.

Believe it or not, the whole world does not do the same as USA

When we first went to live in the US from Australia tipping caused us so much stress. How much, when, add to bill or leave on table. It was almost a relief to get home to grumpy wait staff who dont expect a tip and treat you accordingly.

I haven't been to USA - but that hasn't been my experience of waitpersons in Australia - most are friendly and attentive.
and its nice to know people are friendly because they are friendly, not because they are just after extra money.

I found waitpersons in UK friendly and attentive too - and tipping, whilst not non-existent there, is nowhere near as entrenched as in USA.

Of course, waitpersons in Australia are paid much more reasonable wages to start with.
Much better system IMO.

What are their wages? I ask because when I was waiting tables, I averaged about 37K annually. That was in a small ski town in upstate NY, in a cozy adirondack bar & grill, and then my own family-run restaurant in the same town. If one is good at what they do in this business, there's a lot of money to be made in tips. The downside is, everything else- health insurance, retirement, etc… is your responsibility alone.

OP- I generally tip a few bucks on take-out. Definitely at least 10% on delivery, and anywhere from 15-30% when dining in. Stellar service or a friend will garner 30%, but generally I find we leave about 20%, unless the service just plain sucks. I dislike leaving nothing- I have only done it once and it was well deserved.

Aello11

20% if you are good (ie your polite, prompt and un-obtrusive ) ... take out I don't tip, I called and came to pick it up. Now I know the pizza delivery guys fight over who gets to deliver to my house ... if you are driving food to my place you are getting a really nice tip (pizza shop is not far away and they usually get $5 minimum)

page8040

For those of you who say you never tip on a to-go order because it doesn't involve any work -- what do you think, that it miraculously appears all put together for your eating pleasure? I worked in the food service industry for 8 years and I freaking hated to-go orders. On top of my regular guests who were dining in, I had to make to-go drinks, steam bread, wrap it in foil, make a to-go butter, get plastic silverware and napkins, ensure the order was correct, make desserts to-go, stop what I'm doing to run your credit card, get you change, answer your questions, entertain your conversation, etc all while still trying to be attentive to my dining in guests. It doesn't just come pre-packaged out of a vending machine -- someone is still doing the work and it certainly wouldn't kill you to add an additional $2, $3, $4 on. I certainty don't expect 20%, but a little something. It is still a service that is being provided.

The way I view tipping is, tipping is part of the dining out experience. Agree with it or not, that is how it works in the states. If you cannot afford food and a tip, then you cannot afford to eat out. Go through a drive-thru or cook your own meal and save going out for occasions when you can afford both food and tip. And at the end of the day, what is $4 versus $3 to you? Probably very insignificant. But if every table left an extra dollar on top of what they might leave normally, that really adds up at the end of the night for a server who makes $2.13 an hour (actually, much closer to zero dollars an hour once we get taxed). That being said, I do also think that poor service should be of some consequence. But 8 out of 10 times when tables complain, its really a complaint of the kitchen, and yet it gets taken out on us. Of course we chose our profession, no ****. Pilots chose their profession with the hopes that they won't die in a plane crash. Surfers chose their profession and hope that they won't get eaten by sharks. Teachers chose their profession and hope their student doesn't shoot up the school. Bank tellers chose their profession and hope they won't be robbed. Just because we chose a profession doesn't mean we deserve the **** end of the deal.

For all of your who don't tip, I pray that your kids never end up waiting tables and call you crying because they waited on ****s like you and can't make their rent.

rml_16

I do not tip for takeout. The staff that handles takeout makes minimum wage (at least) while servers make a lot less (thus the need for tipping).

Some people do tip for takeout, but it isn't expected. (I have been both a server and a hostess.)

281Danielle

I usually leave about a 20-25% tip because I know the struggles waiters and waitress have. Now at bars I tip roughly 30-40%, maybe it's because I'm drunk or because I feel like they have way more customers to take care of but either way I always try to tip good. In my opinion if you don't have to money to leave a good tip then you shouldn't go out...I even tip horrible service but that is usually only 10-15%.

kjarvo

For those of you who say you never tip on a to-go order because it doesn't involve any work -- what do you think, that it miraculously appears all put together for your eating pleasure? I worked in the food service industry for 8 years and I freaking hated to-go orders. On top of my regular guests who were dining in, I had to make to-go drinks, steam bread, wrap it in foil, make a to-go butter, get plastic silverware and napkins, ensure the order was correct, make desserts to-go, stop what I'm doing to run your credit card, get you change, answer your questions, entertain your conversation, etc all while still trying to be attentive to my dining in guests. It doesn't just come pre-packaged out of a vending machine -- someone is still doing the work and it certainly wouldn't kill you to add an additional $2, $3, $4 on. I certainty don't expect 20%, but a little something. It is still a service that is being provided.

The way I view tipping is, tipping is part of the dining out experience. Agree with it or not, that is how it works in the states. If you cannot afford food and a tip, then you cannot afford to eat out. Go through a drive-thru or cook your own meal and save going out for occasions when you can afford both food and tip. And at the end of the day, what is $4 versus $3 to you? Probably very insignificant. But if every table left an extra dollar on top of what they might leave normally, that really adds up at the end of the night for a server who makes $2.13 an hour (actually, much closer to zero dollars an hour once we get taxed). That being said, I do also think that poor service should be of some consequence. But 8 out of 10 times when tables complain, its really a complaint of the kitchen, and yet it gets taken out on us. Of course we chose our profession, no ****. Pilots chose their profession with the hopes that they won't die in a plane crash. Surfers chose their profession and hope that they won't get eaten by sharks. Teachers chose their profession and hope their student doesn't shoot up the school. Bank tellers chose their profession and hope they won't be robbed. Just because we chose a profession doesn't mean we deserve the **** end of the deal.

For all of your who don't tip, I pray that your kids never end up waiting tables and call you crying because they waited on ****s like you and can't make their rent.

Take-out(away) too hard. Don't offer it as a service then.
Saying 'And at the end of the day, what is $4 versus $3 to you?' is assuming that everyone is rich, that is not the case. Are low waged people or even servers themselves not expected to eat out?

kjarvo

At a sit down place I tip 20-25%
Take out 10-15%
At a bar or coffee shop $1 a drink.... $0.50 is even ok

This is US standard anything less and you are cheap. Go pick up some groceries at the store. Cook your own food. Do you own dishes and stay home. People are providing you a service so you should tip accordingly. That's how our culture is in the US. With that said I do think its messed up that our government says its ok to pay less than min wage and count on customers to make up the difference. A tip should be a bonus to someones wages not most of their paycheck.

So people are providing restaurants or take-aways from the good of their heart and not to make money?

281Danielle

For those of you who say you never tip on a to-go order because it doesn't involve any work -- what do you think, that it miraculously appears all put together for your eating pleasure? I worked in the food service industry for 8 years and I freaking hated to-go orders. On top of my regular guests who were dining in, I had to make to-go drinks, steam bread, wrap it in foil, make a to-go butter, get plastic silverware and napkins, ensure the order was correct, make desserts to-go, stop what I'm doing to run your credit card, get you change, answer your questions, entertain your conversation, etc all while still trying to be attentive to my dining in guests. It doesn't just come pre-packaged out of a vending machine -- someone is still doing the work and it certainly wouldn't kill you to add an additional $2, $3, $4 on. I certainty don't expect 20%, but a little something. It is still a service that is being provided.

The way I view tipping is, tipping is part of the dining out experience. Agree with it or not, that is how it works in the states. If you cannot afford food and a tip, then you cannot afford to eat out. Go through a drive-thru or cook your own meal and save going out for occasions when you can afford both food and tip. And at the end of the day, what is $4 versus $3 to you? Probably very insignificant. But if every table left an extra dollar on top of what they might leave normally, that really adds up at the end of the night for a server who makes $2.13 an hour (actually, much closer to zero dollars an hour once we get taxed). That being said, I do also think that poor service should be of some consequence. But 8 out of 10 times when tables complain, its really a complaint of the kitchen, and yet it gets taken out on us. Of course we chose our profession, no ****. Pilots chose their profession with the hopes that they won't die in a plane crash. Surfers chose their profession and hope that they won't get eaten by sharks. Teachers chose their profession and hope their student doesn't shoot up the school. Bank tellers chose their profession and hope they won't be robbed. Just because we chose a profession doesn't mean we deserve the **** end of the deal.

For all of your who don't tip, I pray that your kids never end up waiting tables and call you crying because they waited on ****s like you and can't make their rent.

Yes, I agree, I have never been a waitress but pretty much every woman in my family has and I know how much of a struggle it can be. If you can't tip good don't go out, it is that simple. I tip for take out too, why not, someone had to take the time out to put my food together and I'm usually just so thankful I don't have to make dinner that night so I tip. I also tip at hotels for the housekeepers, they work hard to keep the rooms clean and deserve a tip.

seltzermint555

At a place like Starbucks or Chipotle I usually stick any loose change in the jar.

I'd NEVER tip at Starbucks, I try to boycott it for their tax evasion in the UK. Giving tips allows them to underpay their employees. It's not up to you to subsidise their employees wages and this is how they make these ridiculous profits.
If people stopped tipping for everything, employers would start having to pay a proper wage.

eh I barely go to Starbucks because I prefer to frequent local coffeehouses (where I do the same, throw change in their jar) but for me it's hard to see the bigger picture when it is matter of just a few cents. I know that's a lazy POV but it is true for me. Starbucks employees get minimum wage but those few dollars in the tip jar could help 'em out, as I see it, and they tend to provide way better service than other fast food places.

ValerieMartini2Olives

I rarely tip on a to go order. I will tip around holiday times or if I regularly order food from the establishment. There is a fantastic Chinese place by me, and I will usually tip 50 cents or a dollar.

wolverine66

For those of you who say you never tip on a to-go order because it doesn't involve any work -- what do you think, that it miraculously appears all put together for your eating pleasure? I worked in the food service industry for 8 years and I freaking hated to-go orders. On top of my regular guests who were dining in, I had to make to-go drinks, steam bread, wrap it in foil, make a to-go butter, get plastic silverware and napkins, ensure the order was correct, make desserts to-go, stop what I'm doing to run your credit card, get you change, answer your questions, entertain your conversation, etc all while still trying to be attentive to my dining in guests. It doesn't just come pre-packaged out of a vending machine -- someone is still doing the work and it certainly wouldn't kill you to add an additional $2, $3, $4 on. I certainty don't expect 20%, but a little something. It is still a service that is being provided.

Take-out(away) too hard. Don't offer it as a service then.
Saying 'And at the end of the day, what is $4 versus $3 to you?' is assuming that everyone is rich, that is not the case. Are low waged people or even servers themselves not expected to eat out?

It's not the server's decision to offer or not offer take out. If the owner, who makes more money by not paying their workers a full wage, and makes more money by offering take out wants to offer take out, then you offer take out.

To answer your second question - not all restaurants are priced the same. If and extra couple of bucks doesn't fit into your budget, then maybe go somewhere more cost appropriate. It's not cool to go to an expensive place and fill up on complimentary bread sticks and water and then not tip just to say you went to Chez Ducketts