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Ok, my husband and I cannot stop debating this, and the other tipping thread inspired me to make the poll. It has actually been an issue since we started dating. My mother was a waitress for 20 years, and I waitressed all through college. My base tip is 20%. I do more like 30% for breakfast/lunch (because the waiters with those shifts make nothing), and it doesn't take much in the way of exemplary service for me to tip 30-40% at dinner. Service has to be pretty bad for me to go down to 15%.
My husband, on the other hand, thinks 15% should be for great service. So-so, 10%, and even less for bad. He hates when I tip 20%. We used to get around this before we were married by saying whoever was paying got to decide the tip, but now that our money is joint it's more of an issue. He claims I only tip so much because of my experience, and most of America only does 15%.
So my question is, what is your "base" tip? This is for good, not amazing and not bad service.
I usually tip at least 20% when I'm paying the bill. Most of the time, however, I'm going out to eat with FI and he pays. He tips pretty similarly to your husband, 15% for great service, and less if the service is bad. I try not to give him a hard time, since, you know, he's paying for the meal and all.
When I pick up the tab for our dinner or go out with my girlfriends, I usually tip at least 20% but more if I can, to try to make up for the people who don't tip enough.
I agree with your husband. I must just be a stingy tipper but I wont pay 20% unless the service is exceptional
I'm a very generous tipper, especially if you keep the drinks flowing ;-) I never "calculate" it but it's always over 25%, granted that you've taken care of us. The lowest I've tipped for poor service was probably 5-10%. Since your husband is a *lousy* tipper (no offense) you should take care of this when you two dine out together :-D
18% is my base tip. 20 for great service, 15 for below standard service. and if the service is terrible and something really unnacceptable happens, i have no problem leaving 10.
Well, for me it really depends on the service. I've worked as a waitress as well, and I do understand how nice a tip is, but I've also come across waitresses who act as if they 'expect' a tip no matter how badly they treat the customer. (or like in some restaurants where it's a required 20% gratuity)
My basic tip is $1 per head for poor service, or $5-$10 for great service. I mainly do it this way because if we did 30-40% for a $30 meal, then that's almost $15 which is tomorrow's lunch for us. While if the waitress waits 3 tables she already has enough for lunch, and possibly dinner tomorrow. (mind you, it depends on where you live, apparently I live in a really cheap state)
Does that make sense?
I follow the 2 for every 10 rule and round up to the next dollar amount. ie with tip it takes it to $35.27 I make it $36. If the service is exceptional then I will add a few more dollars on.
I recently went out with someone and they only put 10% on the cc tip. I added in a few more dollars cash to make up the difference. I was embarrased to leave somewhere with only a 10% tip especially when FI worked there.
20%+ for decent to good service. The way US wait staff wages are set, the service basically is not included in your meal. 10-15% for bad service (that's clearly the waiter's fault). But generally I feel really uncomfortable leaving less than 18 - it may only be a few dollars' difference on my bill, but this is how people make their living. If I want to save a few bucks, I'd rather get takeout than stiff someone.
Luckily DH and I feel the same way about tipping, we always tip at least 20% at a restaurant. I think anything above 25% is somewhat unnecessary, but then again I live in NYC so that's usually a lot of money. We have only left a 15% tip I think on two occasions and they were both for TERRIBLE service. Like not only were our orders completely wrong and took too long to come out, but the waiter in both cases was beyond indifferent about us to the point of being downright rude. And IMO a waiter should at least be pleasant because the whole point of going out is for the experience. I don't dock the waiter for our food coming out late or incorrect. And to us leaving 15% is the equivalent of leaving 0%. And one more point, I think it's actually better to leave a tip below 20% instead of talking to a manager b/c that way the waiter can learn he's doing a bad job without being told on or getting in trouble with his boss.
I've noticed though that people who come and visit us from different cities or more suburban areas with mostly chain restaurants usually leave between 10-15%. I think the disconnect is that where they come from, waitstaff are usually teenagers or college kids doing it for a part time or summer job, not mature adults waiting as their career. So what DH and I do if we go out to dinner with these people is secretly slip some cash under the bill when the OOT'ers aren't looking, because we know what the local waiters around here expect and what is 'fair'.
I tip 15% for basic service, they do what they are required to do and make sure our glasses are filled, check on us twice, don't have to wait too long for the bill.
I tip 20% if they do everything they are required to do and do it with a smile and a pleasant attitude.
I tip 25% if they are super busy (have a bunch of other tables) and are spread really thin, yet always make sure to come by. This is an experienced, good server in my opinion.
I have been known to tip up to 35% if I get AMAZING service, I mean friendly, happy, upbeat, makes suggestions, makes polite, unawkward conversation, treats me and FI both equally, balances service between other tables, etc. I very rarely get this kind of service but I love to reward the few who give their all to their job. I consider people like these "career servers".
I have only not tipped one time and that is because I was called a "bitch" because my chicken breast was raw in the center. I guess that makes me a bitch that doesn't want salmonella.
I tip at least 18-20%.
Amazing service is 20-25%.
Awful service is 15% or below.
We always tip 20% unless the service is bad, especially since we a regulars at certain places and being known as good tippers helps your service. In my area 15 -20 is standard, but when I waitressed I felt that a 15% meant the customers were unimpressed and 10% meant they were unhappy with me. However, you do get those elderly ones that leave a dollar for a tip no matter what they ordered, that was the worst. My philosophy is, I am grateful not to be a waitress anymore and out of fellow feeling for them I tip well.
i always tip 20%. always. I was a waitress for 5 years and totally get it. Even if the service is bad I tip 20%. I understand how hard waitressing can be!
As someone who lives in a country where tipping just doesn't happen (waiting staff get paid pretty well, I got $25 p/h back in the day) I'm curious. At a middle of the range restaurant in the US, what would you pay? Here it'd probably be $20 or so. I can understand tipping if food is really cheap. Just curious :)
My base is probably around 18% (I never exactly calculate, just estimate). I give 20-22% for great service and 10-15% for poor service.
Both DH and I have a base tip of 20%.
I would prefer it if we just paid servers a decent wage, and their income didn't depend on the whim of the diner. But, c'est la vie.
@photogestelle: Servers usually get paid $2.13/hr (I think) but legally, they have to be paid $7.25/hr with their tips included.
20% is my norm. On smaller checks I tend to do a little more because I always feel odd tipping a small amount, even if my bill comes to like $11. I did waitress for a bit so I definitely think this factors into how I tip.
DH used to tip about 15% but I'm slowly getting him up to what I consider a respectable tip.
i follow my mom's tipping advice. she's a waitress and uses 15% as her base [or roughly double the tax, which in some cities here can be about 18%] and goes from there depending on the service. she'll always tip on the higher side if we had a large group or a lot of requests.
My husband and I always tip between 18-20% for good or great service. For exceptional service, we'll tip up to 25%. Bad service we usually only give 10%.
20% standard for everything from good to awesome service for me. I only ever tip less if the service has been absolutely horrible. 20% is pretty standard in most circles. My SO has worked in the restaurant business (as a chef or manager) his entire career and always talks about how you should really be able to justify less than 20%, especially in fine dining establishments. A lot of waiters/waitresses base pay barely covers taxes, they make their money in tips. If someone went to an Applebees and undertipped, well, shame on them. But if they went to any upscale joint and under-tipped without a poor service justification, well, they're just cheap jerks. If they couldn't afford the tip they shouldn't have gone to a fine dining restaurant. It's part of the deal. Like paying for the parts AND labor at a garage. It's a package thing and there's no reason to screw over a waiter if they didn't deserve it.
If they couldn't afford the tip they shouldn't have gone to a fine dining restaurant. It's part of the deal.
Agreed.
It seems to be a very different deal in the States from the UK. Here it's normal to tip 10% generally (more for great service, less for terrible) and, from what I can gather, pay better basic wages.
We usually tip about 20%. If we had a phenomenal server, we'll tip more. It really depends on the situation, but unless the server is outrightly rude and doesn't treat us well, we don't go less than 20%.
Usually 20%-18% for great service & 15%-10% for mediocre service. I have had some times where the server has been exceptionally great and will tip up to 25%.
Now I have had VERY POOR service before, and I do not in any way feel guilty leaving a poor tip. In my book poor service = poor tip. Now, I will add this does not include things going wrong that are out of the servers hand, I get it. But, as consumers you can tell when the server is lazy, has a poor attitude or just doesn't care.
20% is my base the lowest I will go unless it was the worste service in the history of the world.Why because if they take care of me I want to take care of them. That is their sorce of income. If you are rude to customers or dont do your job great one day you still get paid the same... they dont! I used to waitress so I guess Im a little bias here but I know I would always get a little pissed when I spent over two hourse waiting on a table that ordered drink after drink apps dinner, dessert etc, but were old and stuck in their time and tipped me ten percent or less... not to mention thats the standard amount. Even when I booked my hair and makeup for my girls and I there was a 20% gratuity. Its the norm. If you cant afford to give the tip then dont go out to dinner get take out... enough said.
Poor service - 10% (most wait staff pay taxes on sales, not fair to cost them money)
Good service - 20 - 40%, we go to a lot of places where we know the person waiting on us personally so I will tip way more for them.
Even if I am going to a restaurant for just a cup of coffee or a quick cocktail, then I will leave a minimum of $2 per person. I don't like to take up a space at the bar or take up a table and cheat the server out of a tip.
Always at least 15% for regular service. It's usually 15-20% depending on how the math rounds out on the bill. 10% for poor service.
I start at 20% and go up from there. If service was deplorable I talk to a manager.
I was a server and I can't stand diners that think 15% for good service is a good tip. After awhile we would draw straws to see who got stuck with them. I'm your server, not your servant. I'm not going to tap dance and whistle a tune for you or otherwise try to entertain. If your food came out on time, your drinks were refilled and I brought you the 50,000 napkins you asked for, you can pony up 20%. If not, may I suggest the drive-thru?
@KatyElle: LOL I don't expect dinner AND a show, but we have encountered so many servers with attitude!! We are not picky people and don't ask for much but we have experienced servers that slam drinks down and roll their eyes when we ask for something on the side... rude. I will not tip anymore than 15% if they are rude, even if they do everything that is required of them. My job sucks, yet I still have to have a smile on my face and I don't even get tips. It makes me wonder if it is that hard to be a nice person. I hate my job but I am still nice to everyone.
I worked as a server and as a bartender, and so I completely understand what they are dealing with. I almost always tip 20-30%. I typically tip 25-30 on breakfast or lunch, because the restaurants aren't as busy and the checks are usually smaller. I usually tip somewhere in that range for dinner. The service has to be pretty bad for me to tip less than 20%. (i.e., once the server brought FI the wrong drink and then brought me the wrong drink THREE times --for drinks that were on the menu: a mango margarita and a bud light-- and then I finally just gave up and drank it anyways and then she ignored us the rest of the time even though the restaurant was hardly busy). If the restaurant or bar is busy, I tend to let things slide more time and attention wise, because I know they are hustling and things aren't always in their control.
I think in the past...15-20% has been acceptable, with 20% being the standard amount. But I heard on the radio the other day that the trend is going more towards 20% and up and if you tip less than 20%, its considered rude.
Now, before I offend anyone with that last part, obviously, you don't HAVE to tip. But these people are getting paid typically $2-4/hr and your tips are what they actually take home because the paychecks generally just pay the taxes, and yes, they are getting taxed on your tip also. Its a societal norm and its expected. I always factor in the tip when we are looking for a restaurant in a certain price range. If we can't afford the meal + tip, we don't eat there.
My standard is 20% rounded up to the next whole dollar. if service was so-so I'll round down instead of up. Bad service is 15%, great service is 25%.
@Mrs.ChubbyBunny: Yes, you DON'T rely on tips :) So you're not going into a full day of work with your pay in the control of others depending on their mood towards you. At the end of the day, that extra 5% is not a big deal to me, but it makes a HUGE difference to that server. Did your server do their job? Did you have everything you needed? Did you wait a reasonable amount of time? If the answer is yes, you should be tipping accordingly. That's my humble opinion of course.
Depends on the service, but never less than 10%, and you would have to be a bad server to get that. On lower priced checks, I am more willing to generously tip. We went to a BBQ joint a few weeks ago, and the server was *amazing* so we tipped 50%. If the server just does their job with a smile, they will automatically get 20%. No less. Ever. I know that waiters and waitresses make nothing, so as long as they are decent thye will get a tip.
That being said, I still think they should get normal pay *plus* tips. Tips are expected from the people who make labor and wage laws, which IMO isn't right.
20% (because it's easier math) is my standard but if service is terrible I'll figure out 15% exactly and not leave a penny more. In rare occasions I'll leave 10% but those have been the times when all the orders are wrong and we can't find the server to get our check.
Personally I don't think the tip should be assumed - it's a reflection of services rendered - if I have awesome service then I tip accordingly (30+%).
@KatyElle: I completely agree with you and I don't think we have ever low-balled a server. We live paycheck to paycheck and understand what it's like. The only thing I feel differently on is customer service. I don't expect you to be like unnaturally cheerful or anything but if you're working in a customer service position, it is best for both you and your customer if you are at least a pleasant person. Rude servers can ruin an otherwise nice meal. I think what people forget is that yes, tips are nice to get, but perhaps their tip would be higher if they were more polite. They don't like rude customers, we don't like rude servers, it's a two-way street
It depends. If the bill only came to $15 (which is totally possible when it's just me and the girl) I still leave at least $7. Just cuz the food is cheap doesn't mean the server doesn't deserve a good tip.
We always start at 20% and go up. If they take the time to listen/interact with my little girl who can be kinda difficult, I always reward them with a better tip.
Case in point-the other day she wouldn't eat her clam chowder cuz it was too hot. Then she let it cool too much so I had to ask them to reheat it. The waitress did so with a smile and even brought little A extra crackers. A little bit of kindess goes a long way.
@KatyElle: If you tap danced for me I'd give you a ginormous tip!!! When I was little, my goal in life was to be one of those waitresses on roller skates who brings the food to your car.
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