How much do you guys tip

[hollowtipsParticipant 681]

Not sure if this is in the right forum area but just curious how much do you tip at a typical restaurant.
Personally I tip 11-15% for the meal depending on the quality and service and for take out I tip 5-10% but I hear lots of people don’t tip at all for when they pick up take out is that normal? Am I cheap?

[FrankOneParticipant 1417]

I unzip my fly and show ’em the tip! Seriously, usually 15%, if service is good, 10% if it’s mediocre — none if it’s awful — but I’m a skinflint — I don’t eat out at white tablecloth/full service restaurants that much. I don’t tip at all for take-out, unless it’s, say, pizza delivery. Those guys are really underpaid. But I don’t tip at Chipolte, Panera or fast casual restaurants. In fact, there were no tip jars at most of these establishments a few years ago.

[KeymasterKeymaster]

Interesting question! Have never seen it here before.

I round up. If the check is …. say…… $55….. I will leave $70 tops. Probably $65. Not $60. That’s “rude”.

If a drink is $7.50. I would leave $10 and forget about it. I am more generous with bartenders as a rule, because I have been there. Waiters can be c~~~s, but even if the meal is cold, I will still tip. Never been an asshole in a restaurant. I also tip for the right to complain and be heard.

In a fine restaurant in Los Angeles, I was once out with a woman, and when we arrived, we were greeted with “hi guys” by the hostess. I took $20 out of my pocket when she walked us to our table, and pressed it into the palm of her hand.. Her eyes lit up. I held her hand and leaned in to tell her privately that it’s not “hi guys” when the bill is $200. It’s “good evening” and ONLY “good evening”. And then I let go of her hand.

She heard me. Quite sure it made a lasting impression.
I don’t want anyone spitting in my food, so even if it’s s~~~, I practice diplomacy.

If you keep doing what you've always done... you're gonna keep getting what you always got.

[Crazy CanuckMember 4215]

Keymaster wrote:

I don’t want anyone spitting in my food, so even if it’s s~~~, I practice diplomacy.

I know a lady that worked in a coffee shop, if a customer got rude she told me she would spit in their coffee. I typically don’t go to restaurants, I pretty paranoid. I remember when i went a strip bar way back I was a regular there, the waitress forgot to bring a beer I ordered, I waited over 1 bloody hour. When I refused to give her a tip she complained so i gave her a dime. She was mouthing off to me. I told her well you did a s~~~ty job considering I’m a regular and considering I gave her usually at least 2 dollar tip for a bottle of beer is generous. Eventually i stopped going there and went to another, not only did she lose a great customer she lost a great tipper.

"If pussy was a stock it would be plummeting right now because you've flooded the market with it. You're giving it away too easy." - Dave Chapelle

[No CountryParticipant 759]

The experiences I have has is that places have s~~~ty ass service. Maybe it’s because of my age but what ever. So if the waiter isn’t refilling or coming to the table then I don’t tip worth a s~~~. But if you they are truly busting their ass then I am going to be grateful and tip. At the bar it is a dollar a beer for popping the cap off or 2 for mixing a drink.

[RockmaninoffParticipant 1641]

I usually don’t tip. If I’m feeling good, and I like my waitress, then 15% most. But I usually don’t tip, solely because it’s “expected” of me, because I “have to.” F~~~ that.

Keymaster wrote:

I round up. If the check is …. say…… $55….. I will leave $70 tops. Probably $65. Not $60. That’s “rude”

That’s exactly my point: it’s now “rude” to NOT give more money. Can you imagine if you didn’t give a money to a beggar, and instead of saying “God Bless” he said “you’re rude”? Would that make you want to give more money, or less money to homeless people in the future?

". . . elle, suivant l’usage des femmes et des chats qui ne viennent pas quand on les appelle et qui viennent quand on ne les appelle pas, s’arrêta devant moi et m’adressa la parole"—Prosper Mérimée

[XSDBSParticipant 3598]

I don’t agree with the concept of “tips”.
It is flawed in theory and abused in practice.

If a steak dinner costs $50, should that not include good service?
Or should good service cost another $10, like ordering a side of shrimp?

In practice, I always tip 20% because I know waitstaff salaries rely heavily on tips.
If service is poor, I’ll voice my concern to a manager, same if the steak is poor.
That $50+$10 steak dinner is also paying the manager to ensure good service/food.

[BeerParticipant 11832]

Keymaster wrote:

I round up. If the check is …. say…… $55….. I will leave $70 tops. Probably $65. Not $60. That’s “rude”.

That’s what I usually do as well. As long as the service was good I make sure to leave at least 15% but I don’t want to deal with change, and I don’t really go to expensive places so If I had a meal that cost 11.24 I’d probably just drop 15 and go…yeah its a 33% tip but its still not exactly a ton of money considering the wait staff is probably making 3 bucks an hour, I’m not gonna be so cheap I pull out my calculator and figure 15% down to the penny.

I do however only tip if I sat down and ate a meal. I never throw anything in tip jars if all I did was walk up to a window, order, pay, and leave.

[KeymasterKeymaster]

@rockmaninoff

You don’t tip? I get it. I hate obligatory anything. But I want to walk into a restaurant I have visited before and be able to sit at a table of 4 by myself so I work with my laptop if I want.

Yesterday was another great example.

I actually thought about this post when I had a glass of wine and an appetizer at a sushi restaurant during happy hour …… and took a dinner home to go. The bill was $36. I left her $43. Then I got to my car and realized I left an envelope with 3 blank checks in it on the bar.

I freaked.

When I went back just a few minutes later, it turns out they tossed them into the trash thinking it was just an envelope, but because I tipped generously (on a to go order)…… the bartender stuck his hands it the trash to recover them. This is also a place where I have gone in and said I want a booth for 4 all to myself so I can do some work comfortably – without spilling spicy tuna on my keyboard.

I don’t want anyone seeing me coming and thinking “OH GOD, THERE COMES THAT ASSHOLE WHO WANTS A BOOTH FOR 4.”
I want them to say “Hey Keymaster!! The usual table for you? Right this way…..”

True story….. When I was 20 I worked as a waiter in a s~~~ty place like a TGI Fridays. I was serving an old couple and she actually got sick and puked. When I cleaned that s~~~ up, about 15 minutes later ……. the old man tapped me on the shoulder and said his wife seems to have lost her dentures.

He tipped like a Rockefeller, so me and two other guys went into the f~~~ing DISGUSTING garbage to recover her teeth. It was absolutely REVOLTING going through other peoples gravy and mashed potatoes to get these f~~~ing teeth. I will never forget it as long as I live,

Those are 2 good reasons why I tip.

….. so one day — when my teeth fall out onto my dinner plate — I’m covered in good karma.

Beer wrote:

I do however only tip if I sat down and ate a meal. I never throw anything in tip jars if all I did was walk up to a window, order, pay, and leave.

Same.

If you keep doing what you've always done... you're gonna keep getting what you always got.

[RockmaninoffParticipant 1641]

While we’re on the subject, what about tipping in other contexts (e.g. taxi cab drivers)?

Keymaster wrote:

You don’t tip?

I don’t not tip as a rule. I’ll tip if it’s a place I really like, where I go all the time, where the staff recognizes me. But tipping as a standard thing that you do when you go to a new place and they brought you a sandwich and a water? No.

". . . elle, suivant l’usage des femmes et des chats qui ne viennent pas quand on les appelle et qui viennent quand on ne les appelle pas, s’arrêta devant moi et m’adressa la parole"—Prosper Mérimée

[Big BossParticipant 4496]

FrankOne wrote:

I unzip my fly and show ’em the tip!

Ha

[MattNYCParticipant 2329]

Rockmaninoff wrote:

I usually don’t tip. If I’m feeling good, and I like my waitress, then 15% most. But I usually don’t tip, solely because it’s “expected” of me, because I “have to.” F~~~ that.

Motherf~~~ing Rockmaninoff sounds like Mr Pink from Reservoir Dogs. Goddamn that’s a great movie!!

[RusskyParticipant 13503]

I try to base the tip on the effort, not on the total.
Something effortless does not deserve a tip
Extra-mile, above-and-beyond service deserves an extraordinary tip, S~~~ty attitude deserves nothing

proud carrier of the 'why?' chromosome

[hollowtipsParticipant 681]

XSDBS wrote:

I don’t agree with the concept of “tips”.
It is flawed in theory and abused in practice.

If a steak dinner costs $50, should that not include good service?
Or should good service cost another $10, like ordering a side of shrimp?

I feel the same way, I understand the money I’m paying to eat out is going to someone making the meal for me but theirs a limit. How can a 50 dollar steak constitute you having to pay an additional 10 dollars when 50$ is almost enough to feed you in a week.

[economistParticipant 225]

People like to make all sort of arguments about how restaurants should pay fair wages, etc. But honestly i think it’s just a courtesy thing. I usually tip 20-25% because of my experience in the service industry.

Up until a year ago I was working for tips and I definitely know how s~~~ty it is to honestly try to perform your job admirably and get s~~~ on by ungreatful douchebags. Yeah, it would be nice if we abolished tipping and everybody made more per hour, but we live in a country where congress has to debate about what brand of toilet paper they are going to use in the congressional bathroom for six hours.

Until we make major changes in our restaurants, car washes, hotels, etc. no matter what justification you have other than poor service, if you don’t tip you’re pretty much an asshole.

[CatsPawParticipant 423]

In Poland tipping is not something you are supposed to do so I tend to switch it up a little.
Sometimes I tip, sometimes I dont.
I tip when I see a person making an effort, thats for certain.

Example: Taxi cab on new years eve…. That dude deserves a TIP!
Restaurant that knows me and brings the food fast since I have to go back to work soon, a TIP for that girl!
I never tip a standard amount because I dont like people to get used to it and actually expect it.

[Anonymous 2]

0, zero

[Ash NrahkParticipant 199]

The service in the UK is mostly so s~~~ you wouldn’t dream of tipping Sometimes you get surprised however and 15-20% seems like a reasonable thank you.

Its not like it is in the US and it all cost a hell of a lot more to start with anyway.

I try to always tip when I’m in the US.

[BlueKnight1843Participant 17]

As a general rule; around 18%. Really good service gets 20-25%. As for lousy service? I’ve got no problem leaving 5%; I’ll even do it in change to further the contempt message.

An Armed American Is A Citizen........An Unarmed One Is A Subject.

[kizellParticipant 368]

I always tip 20% at minimum. If the service is s~~~ I still tip 20% but don’t return

If the waiter/waitress is having a bad day but trying hard and putting up with a lot of rude customers, I tip 30%.

No matter what I never get rude or call for a manager. Personally, I just think it’s a lame move. I just choose to go somewhere else next time.

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