how much to tip?

[daugen]

Applebee’s waitress fired, church embarrassed after pastor’s receipt goes viral | World | News | National Post

reading this made me post this question in rural living, since urban areas seem to run by their own rules.
Wait staff, and I have plenty of experience early on doing that, cannot live on 10%.
I think that is as unreasonable as demanding/auto deducting 18% on parties of x or more.
How many big parties skip out without a tip? Are people that nasty? I'm hoping it's a real minority, so
"protecting" its employees by mandatory tipping has always seemed shaky to me.

Am I going to give that nice lady who refilled my coffee cup only 18% or whatever of $1.49? No way.
Too hard to do the math anyway...
They are going to get something rounded up, likely way more than 18%.

yes lady, you have brought embarrassment to yourself. Tipping wait staff and tithing to a church are not in the same universe.

I am not hesitant to leave a small tip, or no tip, if the meal was awful, caused by the wait staff. And I will always tell them why, as nicely
as I can. I'm not a patient guy, though doing better
in retirement, in less of a rush, but let my coffee cup get stone cold and I'm going to meet some resistance pulling that extra one out...

Tips are meant to be earned. If they are, does leaving two bucks total for a 1.29 cup of coffee seem too much? I know I tend to be generous, since I spent so many
hours bussing tables in high school. When you are on the other end of that very heavy tray, hour after hour, getting dis'd by patrons that you busted your hump for is
really discouraging. So I try in my way to make up for the cheapskates and losers who stiff the waitress. Not crazy tipping, just on the more generous side. I start with 20%, if only
because it's easier to figure out, and then work up or down from there.

So all of you who go in your local diner, and meet Sally at the counter. Do you do something a little extra?
I'm interested in the "country" orientation to this.

 

[polo1665]

I guess I would be considered a fairly generous tipper (extremely generous if you ask swmbo). Never less than 20% (unless service was bad of course) and never less than $1. Also not too shy about leaving little or nothing if I feel that is what the service was worth. If something is wrong with the service or my order, I always try and give the server a chance to fix the problem.
In local establishments (where I know the servers personally) I will sometimes go higher than 20%. I play cards at a local bar once a week, pretty common to tip the bartender his 20% and buy him a shot to boot. The shot is to be drank after working hours of course.
:drink:

 

[smstonypoint]

I guess I would be considered a fairly generous tipper (extremely generous if you ask swmbo). Never less than 20% (unless service was bad of course) and never less than $1.

Given a choice, I would be in the 20% baseline camp, but I don't have a choice. My wife is in the 25% baseline camp.

I have noticed that many of my fellow seniors appear to be in the 10% (or less) camp.

Just curious. What do you tip your barber? My wife doesn't go with me to the barbershop, so I am on my own. My barber charges $13/cut and $12/cut for those 65 and older. I have been giving him $15 -- a 15+% tip before I turned 65, 25% since then.

Steve

 

[Brad_Blazer]

I normally give 15%+, never less than $1/head. I think of it this way: the food was grown, harvested, processed, transported while fresh, distributed, stocked, order taken, expertly prepared, and carried to your table at a pleasantly maintained facility, then someone cleans up and does the dishes. I think 15% is plenty for the " take order and carry" portion of the effort.

The church is asking for 10% of everything you've got so that comparison was just stupid.

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

I guess I would be considered a fairly generous tipper (extremely generous if you ask swmbo). Never less than 20% (unless service was bad of course) and never less than $1. Also not too shy about leaving little or nothing if I feel that is what the service was worth. If something is wrong with the service or my order, I always try and give the server a chance to fix the problem.
In local establishments (where I know the servers personally) I will sometimes go higher than 20%. I play cards at a local bar once a week, pretty common to tip the bartender his 20% and buy him a shot to boot. The shot is to be drank after working hours of course.
:drink:

what irritates me is when you go to a bar and order a beer and the server expects a $1.00 tip per beer ! And someone needs to teach these young bartenders how to actually do their job to their own benefit , if I walk in and they can't even say hello and stand down the bar texting on their phone why would I be inclined to tip them at all ?

 

[SARG]

Always 25 percent ........ if satisfied with the service.

 

[daugen]

I had the same barber since I was 2... until several years ago when he retired.
He had gone into partnership with a young couple, both barbers, and the cost of a haircut
immediately went from 15 to 18 dollars. Ok, "Gus" was worth it. So I fussed with dollar bills making sure he
got paid 23 bucks. Was always easier "before", fifteen dollar haircut, give the man a twenty.

We are in a relatively high rent district where a lot of barbers want hairstylist money, but I found a new barber now
closer to home. 13 for a haircut, which is really cheap for our area. So I'm not going to give him two bucks, and I'm tired of fiddling
with ones, so I give him the same twenty I had been giving out for dozens of years before. Yes, a high percentage, and maybe too much.
I also give him an extra twenty at Christmas. Once I find a barber I like, and he remembers my name..., when he's whizzing around my ears with
something sharp, I want him to be very happy.

Btw, if I'm unhappy with the service, I rarely leave nothing. Usually a dollar. So they knew I thought about it.

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

This is just another reason to eat at home . surly bartenders , mediocre food and lousy service why bother ? if their not happy with their tips go find a new job !

 

[daugen]

what irritates me is when you go to a bar and order a beer and the server expects a $1.00 tip per beer ! And someone needs to teach these young bartenders how to actually do their job to their own benefit , if I walk in and they can't even say hello and stand down the bar texting on their phone why would I be inclined to tip them at all ?
:thumbsup:

If you do, you confirm their sense of entitlement.
Smiles are inexpensive, and sometimes phoney, but I'd like one anyway.

 

[kenmac]

In my business excellent customer service is tops.My business depends on it.If you'er waiting on me in a restaurant.I'm you'er customer. If I get bad service you don't get paid or, paid very little. If I get excellent service you will be well compensated for it

 

[brain55]

I usually start at the 20 percent range too at a restaurant. If I'm dissatisfied enough to not leave a tip I'm likely saying something to a manager.
The place I'm getting my haircut now is $9 I usually give the girl a $20 and take $5 back in change.
I have no problem with a $1 a drink tip either but I'd be pissed if I had to wait to be acknowledged because the bartender was texting. In fact for a mixed drink I'm probably giving $2.

 

[daugen]

In fact for a mixed drink I'm probably giving $2

she must have been awfully cute...:dance1:

 

[polo1665]

Given a choice, I would be in the 20% baseline camp, but I don't have a choice. My wife is in the 25% baseline camp.

I have noticed that many of my fellow seniors appear to be in the 10% (or less) camp.

Just curious. What do you tip your barber? My wife doesn't go with me to the barbershop, so I am on my own. My barber charges $13/cut and $12/cut for those 65 and older. I have been giving him $15 -- a 15+% tip before I turned 65, 25% since then.

Steve

No tip for the barber.........well actually no barber............follically challenged, cut what little I've got myself.

Growing up my parents sent me to a barber that us kids affectionatley referred to as "Jerry the Butcher". Don't ever remember Mom sending enough money along for a tip.

 

[polo1665]

what irritates me is when you go to a bar and order a beer and the server expects a $1.00 tip per beer ! And someone needs to teach these young bartenders how to actually do their job to their own benefit , if I walk in and they can't even say hello and stand down the bar texting on their phone why would I be inclined to tip them at all ?

Can't remember the last time I went to the bar and only had one beer, but if I did have just one, I would most likely leave a buck. The only place I leave a dollar per drink is at a casino (one where the drinks are free), and that is to get the girl to come back and check on me:laughing:

edit: I also generally give a dollar per drink at wedding receptions. Many times those bartenders are friends of the bride or groom, working for tips.

 

[MikeInEburg]

One important point is that the federal minimum wage for tipped employees is $2.13 per hour. Many restaurants have their wait staff doing tasks outside of waiting tables, but still only pay the $2.13/hour.

 

[Deere Dude]

I went on a 7 day cruise and ate in a dining room a lot. Maybe twice or 3 times a day sometimes and the waiters were knocking themselves out serving me and my group. If i wanted an extra lobster or steak, they never had a problem. At the end of the cruise we got our bill for the waiters tips. Customary at the time was $10 a day or something like that, and I thought, "What a rip off." After I sat down and did some calculating and considering their service I tipped generously for me, being generally a cheapskate. I thought they deserved a healthy tip.

I never see that type of service at any other restaurant I am in. Of course I hardly ever go to high end places because of the price and it is just not my character. Most of the places I go to, it seems the waiters don't seem to be very proactive. For a big tip I think they should go above and beyond, not just be there.

 

[TripleR]

I HATE eating out and don't drink, but when I do find myself in a restaurant I tip pretty generously, my grandmother and mother made their livings as waitresses and I have a soft spot for them.

I think the whole idea of tipping has gotten out of hand and the employer should pay their employees a decent wage and leave me out of it.

 

[joshuabardwell]

My base tip in restaurants is 20%. I go down to 15% for mediocre service. Having to wait for refills on drinks is a common thing that gets the tip knocked down for me. In "buffet-style" restaurants where there isn't full table service, but there are roving wait-staff filling drinks and bussing tables, I tip 10%. If there is no table service (e.g. a deli where you order and pickup at a counter), I don't tip at all. The other thing is, I always try to tip a few dollars even if it's more than 20%. I don't want to penalize the wait-staff because I only ordered a coffee or whatever. I still took up their table for however long, and they're counting on that money.

My sister was a waitress for many years before she moved up to managing the restaurant, and I have heard a lot of horror stories from her about how restaurant politics work. One thing I try to keep in mind is that the kitchen can really screw the wait-staff over. If the kitchen is under-staffed, or if the people in the kitchen don't like the waitress for some reason, the food will come up slow, or it will be messed up, and there is nothing the wait-staff can do about it. So I try to keep in mind when things go bad at a restaurant whether it is the wait-staff's fault or not. But there's no excuse for not checking to make sure my drink is full! I absolutely hate it when I finish the last half of the meal with an empty glass.

 

[podagrower]

We don't eat out often, but when we do, it's usually a treat for us. I like it to be a treat for the wait staff as well. Generally in the 30% range, it keeps you in their memory, and you well be acknowledged in the future. My wife worked as a waitress, and i delivered pizza when we were younger, so we know what tips mean.

When somebody hands you a 20 for a 15 dollar bill, you give back 5 ones. They can tip what they want. If you give them a 5, they have to choose between a 5 dollar tip or no tip-not a good idea.

 

[themichelob]

Forty years in the restaurant business. When I dine out, I always leave 20 per cent. (Plus, it's easy to calculate--two times the check amount, move the decimal point, there's your tip). Regards, Mike