What are the real rules for tipping at restaurants?
Posted on November 10th, 2009 by admin
For many years I’ve heard about the simple rule of tipping 15%. But I’ve also heard it’s 20%. What about cheap restaurants? What about if you’re dining alone? Just think…At a cheap restaurant dining alone you could get out for $10. Surely $1.50 to 2.00 is not enough. So…thoughts on all the different rules you know of?
There ae several things to factor i when you decide the tip amount:
1. Were you greeted promptly and your order taken?
2. Was your waitress attentive and thorough?
3. Was your drink refilled and your table cleared promptly?
4. Was your order correct, and if not, remember the waitress does not cook the food, but did she offer to have the problem fixed for you?
5. Was the bill brought when you asked?
If yes, then a 15-20% tip is considered the normal, but remember, the server only makes $3 per hour, so any tip more than that is greatly appreciated. If your service was substandard, then reduce the tip or talk to the manager.
I am a server myself, adn I try to make sure each customer is treated as I expect to be treated when I go out. I am a very picky customer, because i expect more. But these are just some guidelines to help.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:27 am
It think it depends on the service. It they were really good, I tend to tip more.
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November 11th, 2009 at 4:45 am
always 20 % unless waiter sucks. if really good service 25% i hope youre not one of those people that makes the waiter run 20 times for you
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November 11th, 2009 at 5:08 am
mostly, you tip 15% well at least in Cali, but fancy restraunts take the tip and put it in your check, cheap restraunts tip them by their service.
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November 11th, 2009 at 5:47 am
14% of the bill, unless you get bad service, then much less or nothing.
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November 11th, 2009 at 6:03 am
You should tip at least 15% or 20% if the service is excellant. Some restaurants have a guide on the ticket so you don’t have to mentally calculate it. The easiest way to mentally calculate a 15% tip is to round to the nearest dollar (ie 21.85 would round to 22.00) x 10% would be $2.20 and 1/2 of that would be $1.10 so your 15%tip would be 3.30 for a 21.85 tab. If you live in a state where the tax rate is around 9% just double the tax amount(rounded to the nearest dollar) on the tab for the tip, for example if the tax is 3.25 double the $3.00 and leave a $6.00 tip.If the tax is 3.88 round to $ 4 and leave an $8.00 tip.
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November 11th, 2009 at 6:08 am
20% is becoming the new norm. And sure, $2. is enough for $10, but I am sure the server will be thankful for more. Most restaurants pay only enough ($2.15 or so an hour) to cover taxes, the server depends on tips. But if you get bad service, you should not be expected to tip 15 or 20%. It is up to you.
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November 11th, 2009 at 6:35 am
At lunch you typically tip less than at dinner time. But the general rule is 15% at your average restaurant. If it’s a really nice restaurant, tip 20 %, this is all subject to quality of service from your waiter or waitress. If the service is not up to par, reduce the amount accordingly. If your wait staff keeps the glass full and the table well cared for without interrupting your conversation, then tip well, but if they tend to try to join the conversation or don’t care for the table well, or you have to ask to have your glass filled, or the orders are a mess, then of course the tip is decreased. Use your best judgment.
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November 11th, 2009 at 6:44 am
Tipping is how you think the service is. You should never go below 10% regardless if the food was horrible (remember your waitress does not prepare the food.) Remember too if you are at a busy restaurant you waitress has more than one table so be patient, however if she messes up your order and forgets things maybe then cut from her tip but keep in mind they are trying to make a living as well. I always tip about 15%-20% regardless if it is buffet or served. You have to think as if you were the server they make less then minimum wage which can be $3.00/hr so how would you like to be tipped out…however general rule no less than 10%
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November 11th, 2009 at 7:12 am
There ae several things to factor i when you decide the tip amount:
1. Were you greeted promptly and your order taken?
2. Was your waitress attentive and thorough?
3. Was your drink refilled and your table cleared promptly?
4. Was your order correct, and if not, remember the waitress does not cook the food, but did she offer to have the problem fixed for you?
5. Was the bill brought when you asked?
If yes, then a 15-20% tip is considered the normal, but remember, the server only makes $3 per hour, so any tip more than that is greatly appreciated. If your service was substandard, then reduce the tip or talk to the manager.
I am a server myself, adn I try to make sure each customer is treated as I expect to be treated when I go out. I am a very picky customer, because i expect more. But these are just some guidelines to help.
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November 11th, 2009 at 7:50 am
You are correct. I heard it the same way 15% at some places and 20% at other places. Go to your nearest full store HallMark card store, as they have a tip card that helps to do the tip in % and $$ per persons, accordingly. But if the service was great, well show your appreciation, Hope this helps.
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November 11th, 2009 at 8:01 am
this is all u need to know dude…… its all in here….check out my article below!!! you will be informed like never before, its a day in the life of a server!
There are SO many people out there flooding the restaurants w/o any knowledge of how to tip. Here is a short guide for the general public to follow. Feel free to print out and store in your wallet and/or purse.
1. CHILDREN "THE LITTLE DEVILS":
If you have children, DO NOT let them, open and dump anything on the table (ie; salt, sugar, etc). IF YOU DO, you must leave an extra $5 for the server to clean up YOUR CHILD’S mess & to restock the now unusable wasted items. Don’t get mad if you ask for crackers and your server tells you they’re out when you just saw another table eating crackers with their soup — can you blame them for not wanting to clean up the mess afterward? We are neither their babysitter nor their parent. The least you can do is pay us for the extra work. Also make sure you control your kids and don’t let them scream or run around the restraunt. It’s very distracting not to mention dangerous if they get ran over by a server with hot food in their hands. Just because you’re out for dinner doesn’t give you an excuse to let your kids mess around on their own free will like wild monkeys!
2. "THE CAMPERS":
If you feel the necessity to stay for longer than 15 minutes after you pay, its an extra $3 every 30 minutes. We make our money from the tables. If you are in one and we can’t seat it, we don’t make money.
3. COMPLIMENTS (VERBAL TIPS):
Telling a server they are the best server they’ve ever had is not a tip. If we are good, let us know by leaving us more money. We cant pay our bills on compliments. Its not that we don’t appreciate the praise, its just that if you tell us how great we were and then leave 10% it’s an insult.
4. THE SALVATION PAMPHLETS:
Prayer cards or any other religious pamphlet is NOT a tip. It is insulting that you assume we are w/o religion and must save us. Again, like #3, we cant pay bills w/ prayer cards. We’d go to church on Sundays if it wasn’t mandatory to work on Sundays because EVERYONE who goes to church follows it by eating out. Also don’t try to preach to us while we are working. We don’t go to your work and put you down so don’t do it to us…..plus, we don’t have time to listen to you babble.
5. TIPPING:
It is not 1960. Cost of living has gone up dramatically since then. 18% is the MINIMUM amount of what you should be tipping your servers. Remember, that steak is $12.99 not $22.99 because restaurants aren’t required to pay minimum wage in most states! Here in AZ we get paid whooping $2.13 an hr meaning all of our money is made in tips. If you were not properly paid in your profession, you would be pretty pissed too! We are taxed on 10 percent of your meal automatically, not to mention we have to tip out a percentage of our sales – your bill – to the hosts, bartenders, and bussers. So if you dont leave a tip, WE END UP PAYING FOR YOUR MEAL!! So move that decimal one spot left and multiply by 2 and your server will never be disappointed. ($25 = $2.50 x 2 = $5)
6. THE COMPLAINERS:
If you get a discount because of your food was prepared wrong or something, do not take it out of our tip. We didn’t cook it. The cooks get paid hourly regardless if the food sucks. However, we only make what you give us. And don’t ever leave a percentage on the total after the discount or comp — always tip on what the total would have been.
7. THE LATE ONES:
If you come into the restaurant 10 mins before closing or any time near closing hurry up and order your food and get out. Closed means closed, not social hour. It is so rude to sit there and take your sweet *** time. We can’t leave until you leave because we have to do sidework and clean the table you are sitting at. We don’t want to stand there waiting for you for an extra hour just because you don’t want to go home. We recommend 24 hour establishments such as Dennys or Steak n Shake if you wish to sit into the wee hours of the night.
8. THE TABLE HOGGERS:
If you only come in for coffee or a dessert, to do paper work, or to have a meeting, don’t sit there taking up our booths for hours. We are not Starbucks or a hotel restaurant. If you want to sit for hours, go there or else you better leave a good tip for us and camping fee included.
9. THE GREET:
When we come up to the table to greet you and we ask how you are doing please let us know. We honestly want to know how you are doing. If you are in a bad mood we want to know that from the beginning. A confused stare or complete silence does not suffice as a reply to "How are you doing?". Also don’t interrupt our greeting and say "I want coffee", "can we get some bread, or "what are the soups?"…….thats just rude! Do you enjoy it when people blatently interupt what you are saying? Didn’t think so.
***In addition, if your server stops by the table and says they will be right with you, they are not lying, so sit and be patient and wait for them to come back to properly greet you. Sometimes we can get a liitle busy so we don’t give a **** how you feel about it….you will just have to wait a minute! So there’s not much point in throwing requests in our faces, you’ll have to wait for us either way. SO BE NICE!
10. THOSE DAMN CELL PHONES:
Don’t ever talk on your cell phone in a restraunt. This is probably the rudest thing to do. If you must be on your cell, at least keep your voice down in respect for other customers. If you are on your cell phone when we walk up to greet your table we will walk away until you get off your phone. Not to be rude, but simply because we don’t want to deal with you trying to manage 2 conversations. Just show some respect and give us your attention for a couple of minutes.
11. TAKE-AWAY OR TO-GOS:
Always remember to tip the take-out order servers! They work just as hard as a server, and hardly ever get tips for it! THEY DESERVE TO BE TIPPED TOO!
12. FOREIGNERS:
Welcome to America! Here, we tip our servers appropriately, not this 10% Bullshit! All of the above apply!
13. THE CARDINAL RULE:
Don’t **** with people who handle your food! Be nice to us….our job is a lot harder than it looks!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SERVERS READING THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please repost this so the word can get out, since so many people are uneducated about tips and our lives depend on this – at least for now….
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November 11th, 2009 at 8:37 am
I think kaiors23 gave you the answers you needed and more. Take his advice, it was very well put.
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