Tipping

CD · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:27 pm

So is it true that you have to tip in the US every time you go out to eat or get a beer etc.. We don't have to tip over here, but if you were to go out to a resturant you can tip if you feel that it was a really good meal.

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:32 pm

CD wrote:

So is it true that you have to tip in the US every time you go out to eat or get a beer etc.. We don't have to tip over here, but if you were to go out to a resturant you can tip if you feel that it was a really good meal.

sit down resturant........you usually tip about 15% - or double the sales tax. If it was bad service no tip or low tip.

Get a beer.......not really if you just go up to the bar, but if you have a waitress or waiter then usually you would.

fast food place....no tips.

local quick food place - kinda - Today I went and got pizza, it was 2.92 for 2 slices, the 8 cents went into the tip jar.

Its not everywhere, but you almost always tip at places where you have someone serve your table.

CD · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:45 pm

Thanks Sam, that explains it. They were talking about it on the radio (on the way to work today) and I thought it would be interesting to get it from the horse’s mouth so to speak.

501 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:46 pm

I've been to resturants that add the tip to your bill, but you don't have to pay the tip, they can't force you to tip.

offroadohio · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 5:59 pm

Like AppleBee's

I wont eat there becuase of it.

bugnout · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 6:13 pm

Restaurant workers usually get paid minimum wage and count on tips to supplement their earnings. Wait staff try to work their way up to the nicest restaurant they can get into because tips get better because patrons tend to pay more for the meal. 15% of a steak dinner with a couple of drinks is better than 15% of a burger and coke.

Its one of the things that I love about America, If the waiter/waitress ignore me or forget to top off my coffee or bring me the wrong food they don't get rewarded. I wish we could apply this to auto service, teachers salaries, store clerks and government employees.

Too many pigs at the trough, not enough incentive to do a good job. I'd welcome it in my line of work, I think it would set my services apart from the other guy.

CD · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 6:24 pm

bugnout wrote:

I wish we could apply this to government employees.

not enough incentive to do a good job.

Now that I'd like to see, the crap they get away with is just crazy and they get paid so much. Not to mention the retirement package :roll:

dgeist · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 6:25 pm

CD wrote:

Thanks Sam, that explains it. They were talking about it on the radio (on the way to work today) and I thought it would be interesting to get it from the horse’s mouth so to speak.

Are you calling us yanks horses?

It's important to remember that part of the tradition is based in the ability of someone to actually live on what they make in the service industry. In a nation with socialized medicine, for example, people can do what they enjoy since their basic needs will be met even if they are a pauper otherwise. Not so here.

In the US, we have a minimum wage for that reason (basically requiring that you be paid enough to scrape by, but not much more). Jobs that get tips can be paid LESS than minimum (oxymoron, I know). SO, if you're in the US, service staff at restaurants will generally be taxed by the government on an expected 15% tip rate, or thereabouts, so if you are tipping higher than that, use cash (as opposed to card) and they will be greateful since they (albeit dishonestly) only have to claim the base percentage for tax purposes.

If I indeed get all my food and the server makes an attempt at being prompt and pleasant, my scale starts at 15%. It moves up from there if they're especially attentive, bring food out at just the right time, etc. I don't mind paying more if the service is really good. At the same time, if you're unpleasant to me for no reason or don't seem to care if my meal is correct, then you're sliding the other way. I've never gone below 10% for anyone that wasn't outright rude and in those few cases, the management has more than once informed me that the server is already on the way out... and burning bridges.

Dan

CD · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 6:50 pm

dgeist wrote:

CD wrote:

Thanks Sam, that explains it. They were talking about it on the radio (on the way to work today) and I thought it would be interesting to get it from the horse’s mouth so to speak.

Are you calling us yanks horses?

hmmm let me think about that..................... :arrow:

.......................... :lol:

No just calling horses yanks :lol:

You know what's funny is when I went with my wife to Europe back in 2001 we had to pay to use the public toilets :lol:

VTNomad · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 7:33 pm

Most waiters and waitresses make HALF of minimum wage. i've got a lot of friends that still wait table and the make in the $2.25 - $2.50 an hour (California requires they make minimum wage, other states might as well).

Tips aren't mandatory (unless the party is over a certain size), but 15% is kind of the unwritten rule. I usually tip between 10-20% based on the quality of service, and the quality of the food to a lesser extent. But I have been known to tip more or less. One time I waited 15 minutes, informed the hostess multiple times, and no one ever waited on me. So, I wrote 'Waited 15 min, no service', on the table with the ketchup bottle and walked out (one of my finer moments).

At my favorite watering hole, the waitresses there know that every beer they leave off my tab goes straight to their tip. So I've left $50 tips on $10 tickets before.

Inc · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 7:52 pm

It all depends on how the waiter or waitress does their job. If they bring my food late, don't keep my drinks filled, are rude and snotty then I don't tip. Period. Why pay them if they aren't doing their job? Otherwise I leave at least 15% and if they do an amazing above and beyond job I'll leave 25%

501 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 7:54 pm

incubusmike wrote:

It all depends on how the waiter or waitress does their job. If they bring my food late, don't keep my drinks filled, are rude and snotty then I don't tip. Period. Why pay them if they aren't doing their job? Otherwise I leave at least 15% and if they do an amazing above and beyond job I'll leave 25%

X2

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:06 pm

HHHMMMMMM.................

I've never have eatin at a place that was worth giving a tip,that does not mean I have not left a tip but I hate doing it with a passion.When my meal is under $10 there is no need for a tip.I don't like the whole idea of tipping,kinda undermines the whole deal in my opinion.I actually hate when the waiter/waitress keeps stopping by every 5 seconds and asking how is everything,gets rather annoying.

I don't get tips for my line of work,I don't want any either so that leaves the customer out of my line of sight and then that makes me treat every vehicle I work on the same.Doing the tipping thing in the automotive world would be a very bad idea,can you imagine leaving a 15% tip for a $5000 repair bill?

CrossBones · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:39 pm

Sir Sam wrote:

Get a beer.......not really if you just go up to the bar, but if you have a waitress or waiter then usually you would.

Back in the day when I was sooo money, if you tipped a bartender they would remember this and serve you quicker, especially when the bar was busy. Generally after the second or third trip to the bar (leaving a dollar or two each time), people would be in front of me and the bartender would pour and serve me whatever I was drinking before I could ask for another.

Today, if the wife and I are out to dinner and waiting at the bar to be seated, I will usually leave a tip for the bartender when we leave to go into the dining room. Whether they offered a tab, or not. As for tipping in general, the wife (then girlfriend) never commented about my tipping until after we were in a more serious relationship - It was then when she suggested I over tip. I am still guilty as charged, however she no longer comments especially if the service is excellent while enjoying a great experience.

VTNomad wrote:

At my favorite watering hole, the waitresses there know that every beer they leave off my tab goes straight to their tip. So I've left $50 tips on $10 tickets before.

Not only waitresses, but female bartenders too. There was a time when waitresses would come up to me while sitting at the bar to talk to me and eventually ask how come I'm not sitting in their section. Oddly enough, the owner (who is a close friend) always compted me a beer or two as well.

CD · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:55 pm

Not being funny or anything but why don't the resturant / bar owners simply pay there staff more, then they (wait staff) don't have to stress about not getting tips and the owners can charge a little more to cover wages. Either way the customer still pays but it's not so messy.

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 9:29 pm

501 wrote:

incubusmike wrote:

It all depends on how the waiter or waitress does their job. If they bring my food late, don't keep my drinks filled, are rude and snotty then I don't tip. Period. Why pay them if they aren't doing their job? Otherwise I leave at least 15% and if they do an amazing above and beyond job I'll leave 25%

X2

Ditto.

Went in to our recently opened Buffalo wild wings the other day and we got screwed on our order when a huge order of 500 wings came in from the local radio station and the One cook on staff at the time couldn't hang. He freaked out and only worked the huge order which caused our order to take an hour. OUr waitress was real cool about it and brought us some free chips and salsa to tide us over but a few minutes later we hit up the floor mgr about it and she freaked when she realized that it really had been an hour so she comped us everything on our order including two more orders of chips and cheese dip, 8 drinks, 40-some wings and order of ribs all for free.

Our waitress was darn cool during the whole deal so she got $25 anyway. Made her day.

Khaki-KJ · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 9:31 pm

I have been to some places where the service was so bad I never went back even after the staff was changed. My pet peeve is a being in a group of adults and the hostess sits us in a section that is filled with people in their early 20s when there are lots of empty tables elswhere in the restaurant. We are obviousy older than the surrounding people, so why does the hostess have to be upset when we request to be moved to an area where we can have an adult conversation without screaming at each other to be heard. Then the staff get upset when we do not tip well. The funny things is that I would have tipped very well because the staff went out of their way to take care of us.

Restaurants where I am a regular I usually tip 20% or better.

Joke; What is the difference between a Canadian and a canoe?

Canoes tip.

MNKK · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 10:40 pm

CD wrote:

Thanks Sam, that explains it. They were talking about it on the radio (on the way to work today) and I thought it would be interesting to get it from the horse’s mouth so to speak.

You mean. Chicken, not horse. :lol:

This whole post reminds me of the beginning to "Resvoir Dogs"
...Great movie, if there is anyone in the world that hasn't seen it.

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:02 pm

bugnout wrote:

Restaurant workers usually get paid minimum wage and count on tips to supplement their earnings. Wait staff try to work their way up to the nicest restaurant they can get into because tips get better because patrons tend to pay more for the meal. 15% of a steak dinner with a couple of drinks is better than 15% of a burger and coke.

Its one of the things that I love about America, If the waiter/waitress ignore me or forget to top off my coffee or bring me the wrong food they don't get rewarded. I wish we could apply this to auto service, teachers salaries, store clerks and government employees.

Too many pigs at the trough, not enough incentive to do a good job. I'd welcome it in my line of work, I think it would set my services apart from the other guy.

Civilian employees working for the military are being paid for performance now. Not all. They are working on getting everyone to that level. They started with non-bargaining employees like myself. We are paid for performance. If you don't perform, you don't get a raise. If you do a terrible job, you could get fired. As for non-military civil service, I don't think they have started doing that with them yet.

dropped_71chevy · **Posted:** Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:54 pm

CD wrote:

Not being funny or anything but why don't the resturant / bar owners simply pay there staff more, then they (wait staff) don't have to stress about not getting tips and the owners can charge a little more to cover wages. Either way the customer still pays but it's not so messy.

My girlfriend will make $100 - $250 in a 6 -10 hour shift bartending. Restaurants/bars can't afford to pay their employees anywhere from $10 to $40 an hour to bartend or work as wait staff. During a UFC Fight Night, my girlfriend will make close to $400 in a 5 hour period. It's simply not possible to justify paying them more when they have the ability to make this type of money.

Of course the amount of money you make is based on the shifts you work which should be based on tenure and ability as well.

Tipping

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