I usually go 20% of before tax charges. 30% of after tax charges if I really like the service AND the food was excellent. And if it is that good I will almost always refer people to the restaurant.
I’m usually always around 20%. I may round a little here or there sometimes. I have given a few waiters/waitresses $0.00 tips before for some awful service. You should check out the article on dealbreak about Bill Gross’ tipping habits.
do you have the link for the Bill Gross tipping habits? Tried searching it but it brought back an article about Lenny Dykstra being cheap.
Also, as a current server and recent college grad, I recommend tipping 20% on the after tax bill. This is the magic number servers look for. There is nothing a server hates more than people that sit at his/her table after paying out and don’t get up to open the table up. I can’t stand when people socialize and clog up tables on a busy night. They are taking money away from every server in that restaurant.
15% for good, 20% for great. On before tax. Why would you tip on the tax amount?
Does the 20% rule of thumb apply for lap dances as well?
BValGuy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Does the 20% rule of thumb apply for lap dances as > well? No, those prices are inclusive of tips in my opinion.
BValGuy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Does the 20% rule of thumb apply for lap dances as > well? I just offer “stock tips” in these situations… Since they are working their way through school and all
10% if ok 15% is great. I’m cheap. Valet’s always get 2 dollars.
15% regardless of great or crap service.
15% for crap service, 18 to 20% for good service. I feel bad for wait staff. They make a really low hourly wage so even if the person is not that friendly I would never not tip.
I look so good that I get free food/drinks most of the time - of course I’m going to tip well.
robber07 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Also, as a current server and recent college grad, > I recommend tipping 20% on the after tax bill. > This is the magic number servers look for. There > is nothing a server hates more than people that > sit at his/her table after paying out and don’t > get up to open the table up. I can’t stand when > people socialize and clog up tables on a busy > night. They are taking money away from every > server in that restaurant. Expecting 20% on after tax for every bill is unreasonable. First, tax is a mandatory add-on, you didn’t do anything to earn it, why am I tipping you for tax? And second, I know it sucks having customers stay, but people go out to have a good time. If that includes hanging out with friends after a meal and staying a bit longer to have a drink and socialize, then so be it. If restaurants don’t like it, then rent a small place and sell take-out only.
probably going to get flamed for this but i usually tip 0-10%, I am sorry that you get paid shit but YOU signed up for that job and you said ok, i will get paid shit and bring these people their food. Of course if im at the Chop House or Ruths Chris or something where they are making a career out of it ya ill give them 20% … but come on 20% for all. I think location is also going to drive this thread. You guys are mostly in major cities like NY where cost of living is crazy so ya i can see the 20% there but im in minneapolis and shit, im young and i work hard for my money and if im going to give it away it will be to the indians at the blackjack table. Side note: Never worked in food service cuz it looked crappy, and i went out and found a job at office max at school my freshmen year. Cant relate to those people who whine about their wage, Were you forced to take that job? i think not.
Waiters and bartenders are overpaid in the US. I know they don’t want to hear it, but our culture of tipping is absurd. In my mind it’s criminal when bartenders only pour drinks to people who tip them well and ignore everyone else. It’s bad for the business.
I generally do 15% and round up, unless service was really good or really bad. I’ll usually tip on the after tax amount, because if taxes are 9%, then the difference between before tax and after tax tip amounts is on the order of 1.5%, which is typically less than rounding error anyway. It also means I don’t have to do additional math in my head to remove the tax, which is handy. The before tax/after tax thing only starts to make a difference if the bill starts getting much above $100. I find it so petty when people start arguing about before tax or after tax for bills that are less than $100. In NY, a good rule of thumb is that you take the before tax price on the menu, add 25%, and that should cover your food, tax, and a 16% tip. I find this useful when trying to compute your portion of a meal if you decide to pay just what you ate, rather than divide it evenly.
Surely if crap service & unfriendly attitude, tip 0%. You are not expecting a new best friend, but some semblance of competency & a pleasant demeanour is is a basic requirement…
Do you still tip if it is included in the bill? Say for a large table.
^ not in addition to what is already included. The standard seems to be ~18% in these cases, which I think is reasonable. Compound that with the fact that often in large gatherings, the drinks are more likely to be flowing and the tip can often be inflated with the higher alcohol tab.