Tipping etiquette

[Red@8]

I wanted to see what others would do in this situation.

I little while back I was out with a friend where the two of us had dinner and drinks and the tab came to roughly ~$550. Typically I would tip between 10-20% depending on the service. However when the bill came I felt that a ~$100 tip is a bit excessive for a party of 2. I will also mention that the service was average at best. If I had the same tab for a larger party I may have felt differently. So what is the correct course of action here, or rather what would you do in this situation? Leave a smaller tip, or stick to the percentage rule regardless of the amount pp. Thoughts?

[G-ZUS]

Baller

[CompletelyNumb]

Service determines tip. If it wasn't anything special, 10% is plenty.

at $275 per person, the server should have been giving you better service.

[A790]

Stick to the percentage rule you feel is fair. 14% is what I usually leave for average (but not bad) service.

[JRSC00LUDE]

Originally posted by G-ZUS
Baller

No, Ivy League.

Tip whatever you feel is fair based on the service you received, the amount of bill is totally immaterial and really shouldn't factor into your decision (imo).

[Sugarphreak]

...

[wintonyk]

But honestly tip what you feel is reasonable. I have given 5% on a big bill before because the service is terrible. Also been bitched at when I had terrible service and didn't tip. I also had my entire bill refunded because of her. Then again good service I have no problem tipping 30 or 40%. Then again my bills are not usually $500 for 2 people.

[rage2]

I work a little backwards. Small bills, say, $20, I feel bad giving a 25% tip, which is a whopping $5. I usually tip 50-100% in those cases if the service was good.

Regardless of the size of the bill, good service gets my 25%.

/baller

[Kloubek]

Baller indeed.

For me, tip is a percentage of the bill, and purely based on performance. If service was excellent, I tip up to 25-30% regardless of the bill amount. If it was so-so, I'll tip 10-15%. While exceptionally rare, if service was absolutely dismal I'll leave 0-5% to prove a point.

With that said - what I consider poor service isn't always what others would. I look at the situation. For example: If a server is the only one on shift and is running around like a chicken with her head cut off because she has no help then I will not tip her really low if the service is substandard because I understand her situation and that she's doing what she can.

Similarily, if there is massive amount of staff on shift and I see my server chatting up her coworkers and not providing me the service she could, then she's likely going to get a lesser tip.

Oh... and yes, I assumed she is a she. Sometimes it's a he. Deal with it.

[desi112]

Originally posted by rage2
I work a little backwards. Small bills, say, $20, I feel bad giving a 25% tip, which is a whopping $5. I usually tip 50-100% in those cases if the service was good.

Regardless of the size of the bill, good service gets my 25%.

/baller

Damn,

Baller posts everywhere.

[Kloubek]

....and he's asian. Figure that one out....

[georgemagana]

Originally posted by Kloubek
Baller indeed.

For me, tip is a percentage of the bill, and purely based on performance. If service was excellent, I tip up to 25-30% regardless of the bill amount. If it was so-so, I'll tip 10-15%. While exceptionally rare, if service was absolutely dismal I'll leave 0-5% to prove a point.

With that said - what I consider poor service isn't always what others would. I look at the situation. For example: If a server is the only one on shift and is running around like a chicken with her head cut off because she has no help then I will not tip her really low if the service is substandard because I understand her situation and that she's doing what she can.

Similarily, if there is massive amount of staff on shift and I see my server chatting up her coworkers and not providing me the service she could, then she's likely going to get a lesser tip.

Oh... and yes, I assumed she is a she. Sometimes it's a he. Deal with it.

This!!! Couldn't say it better myself.
Also to the OP, remember that servers have to tip out and just to pick an example, servers at earls tip out 7% of their total sales not the tips they geSo
if the OP spent $550 the server has to tip out almost $40 on it which sucks! Most servers work their asses off to survive university and considering I was once a part time server so I could afford living during post secondary I always tip 20% and on bills lower than $30 I tip around $8

Edit: and yea servers have to tip out whatever % the restaurants uses even if they don't get tipped. So if a server has a $100 bill, and doesn't get a tip he would lose $7 on that table + whatever another table would of tipped!

[max_boost]

Originally posted by Red@8
I wanted to see what others would do in this situation.

I little while back I was out with a friend where the two of us had dinner and drinks and the tab came to roughly ~$550. Typically I would tip between 10-20% depending on the service. However when the bill came I felt that a ~$100 tip is a bit excessive for a party of 2. I will also mention that the service was average at best. If I had the same tab for a larger party I may have felt differently. So what is the correct course of action here, or rather what would you do in this situation? Leave a smaller tip, or stick to the percentage rule regardless of the amount pp. Thoughts?

Haha wow.

Originally posted by Kloubek
Baller indeed.

For me, tip is a percentage of the bill, and purely based on performance. If service was excellent, I tip up to 25-30% regardless of the bill amount. If it was so-so, I'll tip 10-15%. While exceptionally rare, if service was absolutely dismal I'll leave 0-5% to prove a point.

With that said - what I consider poor service isn't always what others would. I look at the situation. For example: If a server is the only one on shift and is running around like a chicken with her head cut off because she has no help then I will not tip her really low if the service is substandard because I understand her situation and that she's doing what she can.

Similarily, if there is massive amount of staff on shift and I see my server chatting up her coworkers and not providing me the service she could, then she's likely going to get a lesser tip.

Oh... and yes, I assumed she is a she. Sometimes it's a he. Deal with it.

I usually go 10-15% for Asian restaurants where staff all work together, no sections, pooled tips etc.

Anywhere else (Joey's, Cactus, Bolero's, BP's Denny's etc.) it's 15-25% depending on service.

If I'm visiting a friend at their work place, I may leave up to 50% just cause lol

[roopi]

Originally posted by georgemagana

Edit: and yea servers have to tip out whatever % the restaurants uses even if they don't get tipped. So if a server has a $100 bill, and doesn't get a tip he would lose $7 on that table + whatever another table would of tipped!

So are you saying if a server goes to work and receives $0.00 in tips yet has $1000 in sales they would be required to pay $70.00 to come to work that day?

[colsankey]

Depending on the restraunt, absolutely, but they'd get their amazing minimum wage of $8??/hour.

So for an 8 hour shift they'd only be in the hole $6.

[colinxx235]

^

Yup...

Granted I never had that happen to me.

My worst night was back when I worked at the keg. Had a big reso for 7pm. So I got three small two tops before hand. ~200 between them, got about 40 in tips.

Tables bill came out to 540ish. They were a cheap group and I saw them all arguing about how much who owed and they quickly left. Had not even 550 on the table. Plus they transfered some drinks from the bar because a few of them showed up early. So after my tipout and all I lost about $20 on the table.

Basically ended up working 430-1030 once the table was done/cleaned up/duties. Left with like $12 in tips.

[Mar]

A $100 tip? You could hire 2 women to come to your house, cook your food and serve you topless for that. Why would you give it to someone you see maybe 3 times over the course of your meal?

Originally posted by georgemagana
Edit: and yea servers have to tip out whatever % the restaurants uses even if they don't get tipped. So if a server has a $100 bill, and doesn't get a tip he would lose $7 on that table + whatever another table would of tipped!

This doesn't sound legal in the Alberta Labour Laws. It might be encouraged but I doubt it's required. Nobody can force you to pay someone else at work.

[georgemagana]

Originally posted by Mar
A $100 tip? You could hire 2 women to come to your house, cook your food and serve you topless for that. Why would you give it to someone you see maybe 3 times over the course of your meal?


This doesn't sound legal in the Alberta Labour Laws. It might be encouraged but I doubt it's required. Nobody can force you to pay someone else at work.

Yea I'm not sure how legal it is but thats the way it is almost everywhere. My gf had table with a $240 bill that didn't tip and she ended up losing money after the whole night of work! Thnk God it only happened to her once!

[rage2]

Originally posted by roopi
So are you saying if a server goes to work and receives $0.00 in tips yet has $1000 in sales they would be required to pay $70.00 to come to work that day?

I've seen this happen before back when I was a busboy. Waitress had a huge party of 30, and restaurant didn't have a mandatory tip rule for large parties (this is what the rule addresses). It was her only table of the night, and on a $1500 bill, they left $20 for tip. Her tip out to the kitchen was $120, so she had to pay out $100 for her work that night.

She confronted the customer, asked if there was a problem with the service, why only $20 tip, explained the kitchen tipout. Customer gets offended that this was questioned in front of the party, and asians don't like to lose face. Bitches to the manager loudly and took her $20 tip back. Minus her salary, she paid $80 to work her ass off that night or something stupid.

Was brutal to watch, felt so bad for the waitress. Once you've worked in the food and beverage industry, your tipping habits are completely different.

Originally posted by Mar
A $100 tip? You could hire 2 women to come to your house, cook your food and serve you topless for that. Why would you give it to someone you see maybe 3 times over the course of your meal?

Some people eat out a lot, and are regulars at many restaurants, and see the staff very regularly. When you're a regular good tipper, you get amazing service consistently. Also, see the kitchen tipout in my post. You're not paying the waiter/waitress $100.

Good luck finding 2 chicks to serve you naked for $100. I dunno what kind of crack whores you hire.

[georgemagana]

Originally posted by colinxx235
^

Yup...

Granted I never had that happen to me.

My worst night was back when I worked at the keg. Had a big reso for 7pm. So I got three small two tops before hand. ~200 between them, got about 40 in tips.

Tables bill came out to 540ish. They were a cheap group and I saw them all arguing about how much who owed and they quickly left. Had not even 550 on the table. Plus they transfered some drinks from the bar because a few of them showed up early. So after my tipout and all I lost about $20 on the table.

Basically ended up working 430-1030 once the table was done/cleaned up/duties. Left with like $12 in tips.

Oh man that sucks! I got tipped $5 on $250 once for no reason! Worked like 7 hours and made like $40 that night not even enough for the gas!


^^^ well said rage.