How much do you tip?

[Alan]

Just heard a interesting report on the radio, sounds like I'm a cheap skate. I will tip 10 to 15% depending on the service and quality of the food when we eat out, not afraid to leave nothing if warranted. First we don't eat out a bunch unless we hit a fast food on the way out of town, then I never tip. But listened to a radio show that said 20% is the minimum and up to 50% if it's a high end restaurant. I'll die before I tip 50%. Poll, so no one can see how you voted and tip, how much do you tip?

 

[M-5]

I'll do 25 or 30% if it's exceptional service.

 

[Kingfisher]

Not like my buddy's but I'm getting better...

 

[True Grit Farms]

We tip heavy, both the wife and I have worked for tips. But we don't put up with poor service, the manager or owner will be notified. ASAP In the restaurant business courtesy and service is a must for success.

 

[JMJ Farms]

I tip according to service. Good service gets 20%. Excellent and friendly service may get a $100 tip on a $50 check. Depends on how I feel about the effort and sincerity. Poor unfriendly service I will walk out and not leave a penny. If I think someone is trying and they are nice then I try to be generous.

 

[skyhightree1]

Great service - Great Tip
What I don't like is when they add the gratuity on your bill. That give free reign to bad service cause they will get paid the same either way.

 

[Jogeephus]

I don't have a limit. It all depends on the person waiting on me. In a few rare cases I've even tipped the people in the kitchen who prepared the meal.

 

[Bigfoot]

I usually write uplifting or inspirational quotes on a napkin.

 

[ez14]

well i've always been told that you need to tip because they work for about nothing. but how many tables can they wait on in an hour? id say 10 isn't to crazy of a number so if every table tips $1 they get $10.00 a hour plus whatever the employer pays i don't really know what that would be but i've heard $3 or $4 so if every table tips $1 they could make maybe $13 or $14 a hour that's more then i make

i tip more then that but dont think you need to tip more then that

 

[Alan]

When my first wife and I were young she waitress for a time, she would bring home $60 to $70 a night or more. That was back in the 80's, man I loved that jar of $1, $5 and change!...... now that I think about it I miss it. She worked at a Denny's type of a spot, not high end.. she made good money for a young couple, though it was hard work.

 

[SoILcattle]

Depends on service but usually around 7-10$ for the 2 of us. I don't really tip based on % of meal cost, I figure it takes the same amount of work to wait on us for a 20$ meal vs a 50$.

We have left 20-50-100$ bills if we get the "they really need it" feeling and give good service.

 

[farmerjan]

I waitressed for years in the 80's & 90's and mostly in a "pancake type " place days. Made an average of $50-$75.00 for an 8 hour shift because you would have to go in 1/2 hr to 1 hr before opening to get stuff ready, then had rush times and slower times, then close your section to do the cleanup work & prep for next shift. We got approx $2.50 hr which usually paid the taxes etc that were taken out your pay. Today I try to tip 15-20% and maybe more if the service, AND FOOD, is good but don't eat out all that much. Can eat better beef at home out of my own freezer. Mostly eat seafood when I go out. It was good money, but hard work and my knees and ankles are paying the price for all those hours pounding on the hard floors. One thing, used to be that any tip on a cc had to be claimed as income because it could be verified. Cash tips did not have to be claimed per se, but you had to claim a percentage for tax purposes as it is known that there are tips. Knew several wait staff that were audited over the years. So it isn't all tax free money, but I try to leave cash. Also. the wait staff has to "tip" the "busboys" that clean the table out of their tip money, and if there is someone who helps to deliver the meal, etc., they also get a part of the tip. So even if a person has 10 tables and each leaves $1.00 per table and they all turn over every hour, that $10.00 tip money is only actually about $6.00 to $7.00 per hour plus the pay of $3.00, then taxes are taken out.
It was good money back then, but not all in the waitresses pocket.

 

[farmerjan]

I saved my change in a jar and it helped to buy anything "extra" that my son and I did. My average take home paycheck was like $50.00 or so after all taxes were taken out so I lived on my tip money.

 

[cfpinz]

Usually 15-20%, but more/less depending on service. Have left $100 tip on a bill that was under 10 bucks, it all comes back to you in the end.

 

[HDRider]

I'm like Jo & TGF.

 

[BobbyLummus1]

20% + for good service , I worked in restaurants in my early 20's in myrtle beach for 4 or 5 years. I've been around friends/family that don't tip well , i'll go behind them and tip more

 

[Rafter S]

well i've always been told that you need to tip because they work for about nothing. but how many tables can they wait on in an hour? id say 10 isn't to crazy of a number so if every table tips $1 they get $10.00 a hour plus whatever the employer pays i don't really know what that would be but i've heard $3 or $4 so if every table tips $1 they could make maybe $13 or $14 a hour that's more then i make

i tip more then that but dont think you need to tip more then that

Yes, I believe 10 tables in an hour is a crazy number. My daughter has worked as a waitress, and depending on the restaurant, they may only have 3 tables. And if one or two of them sit around talking after they finish eating it ties up the table.

 

[dun]

I don;t do any math. Just chuck down a couple of bucks or maybe a little more. For exceptional service I may double that. I guess it works out somewhere between 10 and 40%

 

[Rafter S]

Great service - Great Tip
What I don't like is when they add the gratuity on your bill. That give free reign to bad service cause they will get paid the same either way.

I didn't like that either until my daughter started waiting tables. As far as I know that's mostly done for large parties (8 or more) to prevent the waitress working her behind off taking care of a large group for $5.00 (if that).

I usually tip 20% for good service and 15% for average. If the service is bad I'll leave less, and try to call the waiter to the side and explain why it wasn't more. And if I'm disappointed in the food I don't reduce the tip. The waiter didn't cook it and shouldn't be punished for it.

A few years ago a group of us took my father-in-law out for lunch at a nice restaurant. My sister-in-law and I agreed to split the check, and I told her I'd take care of the tip. When the waitress brought my card with the receipt back it had the amounts listed for 15%, 18%, etc., which I find very helpful. Since my ticket was for half of the meal I assumed the same was true for the tip, and had had a few beers and didn't bother doing the math. I just took the given amount for a 20% tip, doubled it, and rounded it up to make the total a nice round number. We sat around talking for a while, and the waitress came back and profusely thanked me for the tip, and told me how much she appreciated it. I told her she was welcome, but thought it odd that she'd be that thankful for a tip that was only average or a little better. Later I got to thinking and realized that those suggested amounts were for the whole bill instead of half, so she'd gotten about a 45% tip. I was glad it happened seeing how happy and appreciative she was. I'm pretty sure that $20.00 meant more to her than it did to me.

 

[HDRider]

In some European countries you don't tip.

I was at a restaurant in a small French town, a refurbed barn. The meal was outstanding, and the service was even better.

The crude American in me came out. I insisted the waiter, and he was truly outstanding, take a tip. He really did not want to, and maybe the quality of the liqueur made me insist a little stronger than I might otherwise.

Have you tried Armagnac?