Tipping...

[sammyg2]

15% is customary for good service, so when I get good service I tip 15%.

I tipped big one time but I noticed that it didn't really impress anyone and it didn't make me feel more important so I saw no reason to do it again.

But just to be understanding, any of you who get pleasure throwing money away can just send it to and I'll take it.
But that's just me, I'm a taker.

[Dantilla]

Even if I use a credit card (very rare), I usually leave cash for the server. At a local pizza place (that had a whacked-out owner) I found out that any tips on credit cards were kept by the owner- She would not pass them on to her staff.

Not too suprising her business didn't last long.

[David]

I said $8 or 20% which is what I normally do. I usually round up though and have been known to be very generous. My thought is an extra dollar or two or so is pretty small in affecting my happiness but it can be the difference between someone else having a bad night or a happy night.

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by Dantilla

Even if I use a credit card (very rare), I usually leave cash for the server. At a local pizza place (that had a whacked-out owner) I found out that any tips on credit cards were kept by the owner- She would not pass them on to her staff.

Not too suprising her business didn't last long.

At wife's restaurant tips left on CC are paid out in cash each night....their computerized register prints out amounts and is taken out/added to waiter's bank. The payroll program picks up the actual amount of CC tip and it is reported on their W2. If no tip is left or its a cash sale, the program assumes a 10% tip and logs that for reporting on W2. Thus you can see why a cash tip of over 10% would be especially appreciated.

Each waiter does their own payout of 2.5% of tips each shift that is pooled for dishwasher/busboys based on the hours they work to be tipped out in cash each week. It can be a bookkeeping nightmare.

[tangerine911S]

I start at 20% and go up or down based on the service.

[cgarr]

20% for breakfast, 25 or 30% at hooters, do they serve bbbbreakfast?

[craigster59]

I'd pay the cost of the bill and leave a few "gift cards" from another restaurant as the tip


Seriously, breakfast tip would be $10, more if it was dinner and drinks.

[trekkor]

I hate tipping.

I'm sorry, but waiters are doing nothing special.
Carrying your food out of the kitchen??

I think the cooks should get the tips. They are what make the meal special, not the person that sets it on your table...

I don't enjoy going out to eat for many reasons.
Waiters/waitresses are high on that list.

I'm probably not balanced in this area.



KT

[wcc]

Ok, this is how I do it..... Breakfast gets about 10-15%, Lunch gets around 15-20%, dinner gets at least 20% but more like 25%. Don't ask why I do it this way.... Maybe alcohol?

[DGW]

First of all, in most eating establishments all the tips are split among all the help. secondly, most restaurant help gets something around minimum wage, and they probably need a few extra bucks worse than i do.

if the service and/or the food is just OK, 10-15%, if its good then 20%, if its really good, maybe more. If its not good, as little as nothing.

Also, if its a place I'm likely to eat at again, I don't want to piss off folks who cook and handle my food out of my sight.

[biosurfer1]

I'm with Trek...I despise tipping even though I usually tip on the high side.

Since when did it become the customer's job to make up a server's salary? I understand they make only make minimum wage or less, however if they want more money, shouldn't they talk to their boss? I'm an engineer and after I finish a project, I certainly wouldn't expect a tip, yet I did a service. If I feel like I don't get paid enough, I take it up with the owner of my company, not the customer.

I laugh at the reasoning of the food would be more expensive if a regular salary for the server was factored in. How is it different if I pay $10 for a burger and tip 20% or if the burger cost $12 and no tip was required??

I just wonder where along the line it became almost mandatory to tip and got away from simply adding a little extra to the bill for a job well done. I got into it with my dad a while back because we had terrible service so he "only" left 10% tip... I didn't understand why they should have received anything.

[trekkor]

Originally Posted by DGW

First of all, in most eating establishments all the tips are split among all the help.

Of the 4 restaurants in Santa Cruz that I worked in this was only true at the Shadowbrook.

I went on to work in several more in Solano and Napa counties, none of which split tips...

KT

[trekkor]

I would be much happier if tipping was eliminated altogether.
The places could raise their prices to compensate the staff.

If the service is bad, dine elsewhere...


KT

[syncroid]

I tend to be a good tipper. If the service is good I tip accordingly. If its bad, I let them know why and tip accordingly.
Last bad tip I gave (nothing!) was at Orginal Joe's in San Jose. Our waiter could have given a rats ass about our dining experience. I told him so when I paid the bill. I got a standing ovation from the other patrons that he was serving to. People that give bad service need to be told so, and why.
You should have seen the look on this jerks face when I explained to him "why" he was getting "no" tip with all the rest of the restaraunt tuned in.
I have never been back. I had been a customer for over twenty years. Long gone are the days when Ricky was the Maitre'de at OJ's. Those were the days of "good" service!

[trekkor]

Never complain during the meal...



KT

[aigel]

$8 is my vote -- the credit card makes it easier not to round up.

Have you eaten in countries where tips are not customary? I have and let me tell you, I'd much rather pay the waiting staff directly. It does wonders to their attitude and gives me direct control of their income.

Bar tenders? I can't gather why I should pay more tip than a buck on a $5 drink? I guess if you drink a lot of hard liquor, you may end up with more booze getting the bar keeper on your side early in the evening, but tipping over 20% to be served a couple of long necks?

George

[Geronimo '74]

Originally Posted by masraum

If everything was perfect, $10-$12, maybe $15. My standard is about 20%, so avg would be $8. Bad service would have gotten $4-$6.

We have a different tipping culture over here than in the States, they are often already included in the bill.
If not, it is at the customers discretion.
Dunno if there are pre determined percentages, if service was good, I just make sure they leave with a smile when I pay.

Bad service would not get 4-6$ from me, they would get about 00.00 (or less)

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by syncroid

...Our waiter could have given a rats ass about our dining experience. I told him so when I paid the bill. I got a standing ovation from the other patrons that he was serving to. People that give bad service need to be told so, and why...

So you think you taught the jerk a lesson? Yeah, right.

FK putting yourself on their level and dealing with help that are cretins; call in the manager. Hell, call in the manager at the first indication that your server is a problem. Does it make sense to let them ruin your dining experience rather than nipping the problem in the bud?

If the manager turns out to be an indifferent jerk, vent your spleen and don't come back. It just could be he/she has no idea the server is an ass hole (who sure as hell ain't gonna go tell their boss they got reprimanded by a customer,) would be very greatful for your input and either straighten out or fire the server.

[jyl]

I tip 15% usually. If it is one of my regular places, or was a particularly excellent meal, then 20%. Since I have a fairly small list of places that I repeatedly patronize, I guess I'm usually doing the 20%. But in the hypothetical it would probably be 15%. I have a hard time imagining being all that wowed by breakfast.

[Tishabet]

Originally Posted by tangerine911S

I start at 20% and go up or down based on the service.

Ditto. I almost always tip in cash (even when putting the bill on a CC) because the waiter keeps more that way.