How Much Do You Tip At Restaurants?

SEO_Alchemy said:
OK let me explain something to all you non-tippers. In the US there is an understanding that when you enter a restaurant you are going to tip your server. If you don't like the system, then don't go out. Simple as that. It's not up to you to look for mistakes a server might make. Who the f@ck do you think you are? Have you ever worked in a restaurant? Do you have any idea how stressful and hard those jobs are? You have no idea what's going on in the kitchen, with the rest of the staff, with the entire operation! You just get to sit at your table and order food. If you didn't like the food, if it took too long, it's not the server's fault! If they are rude to you, then don't leave so much, and don't go back to that restaurant. But understand that when you enter a restaurant in the US you are morally obligated to leave a decent tip for your server. It's not a game of "you decide based on how you feel", these are the wages these people rely on to pay the bills, provide for their families, etc. Don't screw them-over!

If you go to a nice expensive restaurant as one previous poster was curious about, this becomes even more critical. A server at a great restaurant makes really good money, and they should. They are trained professionals. They will tell you every single ingredient on every single dish. They will make course recommendations. They will suggest wine pairings. They will make sure all your needs are met and you have a great dining experience. That's why if your bill is $200 you should leave $240-260. Again, if you can't afford it, then don't go out. That's the system here in the U.S. I did this shit for over 10 years and worked from the worst to some of the best restaurants. I can still mix you up some of the finest cocktails you will ever taste. But if I'm standing behind a bar in a work uniform, you better leave me a 20% tip Bitch :) Or next time that cocktail will have half the booze.
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You are missing the point.

Most people are not bashing the people who are working in those jobs, they are bashing the system. It's totally flawed, at least in the US it is. Look at the replies of how low people think the wages are for that job. It should be higher, and many will agree on that.

As some people noted, they DO work in this industry, or have done so before, so there is a good understanding of what the servers/workers feel when they are doing that job. But as I mentioned as well, if that is how the system is setup, it's not people should not eat out, it's the server should not be in that job.

It's the chicken and the egg bit.
 
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I always tip 20% - 25% of the food bill and 0% to 10% of the alcohol portion of the bill. When I worked in the corporate world, my manager refused to allow us to tip on alcohol when taking clients out. Many of the placed we entertained were $500+ meal bills not including the $50 - $100 bottle of wine (drank several bottles during an average evening out with clients). So with that background and training from the corporate world I still don't tip on booze.
 
I don't like misinformation, so let me clear something up:
Waiters and Waitresses can not make less than minimum wage for every hour they worked. It doesn't matter if they did crappy service and nobody tipped them, or even if they told the customers not to tip them. The business is responsible for ensuring the server is paid AT LEAST minimum wage for every hour worked, and must top them up if they don't.

It is true, many waitresses and waiters ALLOW their bosses to take advantage of them and pay them less, but that is on them. The law protects their wage, and the law only has the low minimum wage for service staff, because society EXPECTS Americans to tip. So, don't think that American law is MAKING you tip. It isn't. The minimum wage is IN ADDITION to the tips.

So even if a waiter/waitress gets a $100 tip on 1 table and makes minimum wage right there from 1 person, they STILL get the "other" minimum wage on top of that. I understand people think "oh, your boss will fire you if you don't make enough tips." No. They won't. They will try to scare you, but they can't fire you for not bringing in tips. Earning tips is not part of your job description.
 
fatboy said:
Being from the UK, I may be playing devils advocate as they get paid at or above minimum wage anyway so thats different to the US. However, your point of "you better leave me a 20% tip Bitch :) Or next time that cocktail will have half the booze" (I know there was jest in the statement), let me turn that on its head and ask why did you work in an industry that goes out of its way to pay way less than minimum wage to the point where you have to depend on tips?

I still stand by my point of if the service isn't any good you don't get jack - I won't pay for your incompetence, your lack of interest or crap food :)
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Yes, there was jest in that statement. BTW I grew up in London and Glasgow, and started off in F & B (food and beverage) over there, so I know it's a different system. The service industry in the U.S. is all tip based. It's not just wait and bar staff. You tip your taxi drivers, your bell staff, your porters, your concierge, it's just the way it is. I personally liked my years as a waiter and bartender. I love to cook, I enjoy talking about food. I know a great deal about wine, and enjoy discussing it with people, and making pairing recommendations. In the U.S. you can make some really good money doing these jobs, that's why I did them.

If the wages were higher, and the establishment owners had to pay them, guess what, every single meal, and every single drink, and every single taxi ride you took would automatically be 20% more expensive for you. Plain and simple. The system is what it is. All I'm saying is that if you are going to take a part of the services provided in the US, you are literally depriving the person providing that service and their family of a living wage by not tipping properly.

This is regardless of whether or not you think the system is right or fair. I think I pay way too much in taxes, but I still pay them!
 
Hadouken said:
I don't like misinformation, so let me clear something up:
Waiters and Waitresses can not make less than minimum wage for every hour they worked. It doesn't matter if they did crappy service and nobody tipped them, or even if they told the customers not to tip them. The business is responsible for ensuring the server is paid AT LEAST minimum wage for every hour worked, and must top them up if they don't.

It is true, many waitresses and waiters ALLOW their bosses to take advantage of them and pay them less, but that is on them. The law protects their wage, and the law only has the low minimum wage for service staff, because society EXPECTS Americans to tip. So, don't think that American law is MAKING you tip. It isn't. The minimum wage is IN ADDITION to the tips.

So even if a waiter/waitress gets a $100 tip on 1 table and makes minimum wage right there from 1 person, they STILL get the "other" minimum wage on top of that. I understand people think "oh, your boss will fire you if you don't make enough tips." No. They won't. They will try to scare you, but they can't fire you for not bringing in tips. Earning tips is not part of your job description.
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That is complete and utter B.S. tipped positions in the U.S. legally can be and usually are around half the minimum wage of that State. If you're working as a banquet server in some hotels, your wage is usually around $2.25/hour. They can do this because the gratuity system is understood to be in place, and that the additional income will compensate your living. In resort areas where there are frequent "off seasons" there will often be very little in the way of gratuities coming in, so how's that $2.25/hour looking now. You are right in that you can appeal for your establishment to make it up to the minimum wage during those times, but do you really think that the $8-10/hour that is the minimum wage in most States is a Living Wage? That's poverty level living. You cannot afford healthcare, insurance, car payment, groceries, and rent on $8-10 an hour.

And to those that are asking well why do these types of jobs? Um the unemployment rate is close to 10% in this country. Some people are lucky to have any type of job at all.
 
ozzke said:
Actually I find this discussion quite interesting, but also a bit strange since I don't live in a "tipping" country.
So for the big tippers, lets say you go out with your girlfriend to a nice restaurant. Not very fancy, but nice. And the bill is around 100-120 euros (150 dollars), would you leave 30-40 dollars for the waiter then? That seems really high for me. Or maybe food is just cheaper where you live but I can't imagine spending another 30-40 dollars on top of the big bill which is just "extra" money. I can't wrap my head around it.
Now I understand that if you go to somewhere and spend like 10-20 dollars, yes then I can imagine leaving 10% but in other cases it seems very strange to spend so much money on someone who is already doing his/her job.
It's probably a cultural difference but it seems very odd to me
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Yeah if your bill was $150 I'm assuming your at a nicer restaurant and that usually means higher percentage tip. So say around 20% might be customary so the average tip would be $30. For exceptional service or if the person is a high tipper it would be even more.

Roparadise said:
Why do fast food servers get paid well,but not other food servers?
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Because it's not the same kind of system. At Mc Donalds for example your not being taken care of. You just order and stand there and get your food. At a real restaurant they come out multiple times and fulfill your requests.

-------------------------------

For all those people saying they should go get another job you have to keep in mind the US economy is in the toilet and a lot of people are out of work. Also, a ton of waitresses are in their 30-40's with children and may not be able to work a normal 9-5. Instead they waitress from say 9-3 hitting breakfast and lunch rush and can do fairly well there and clear $100+ a day.
 
SEO_Alchemy said:
Yes, there was jest in that statement. BTW I grew up in London and Glasgow, and started off in F & B (food and beverage) over there, so I know it's a different system. The service industry in the U.S. is all tip based. It's not just wait and bar staff. You tip your taxi drivers, your bell staff, your porters, your concierge, it's just the way it is. I personally liked my years as a waiter and bartender. I love to cook, I enjoy talking about food. I know a great deal about wine, and enjoy discussing it with people, and making pairing recommendations. In the U.S. you can make some really good money doing these jobs, that's why I did them.

If the wages were higher, and the establishment owners had to pay them, guess what, every single meal, and every single drink, and every single taxi ride you took would automatically be 20% more expensive for you. Plain and simple. The system is what it is. All I'm saying is that if you are going to take a part of the services provided in the US, you are literally depriving the person providing that service and their family of a living wage by not tipping properly.

This is regardless of whether or not you think the system is right or fair. I think I pay way too much in taxes, but I still pay them!
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You are comparing tipping to taxes? That is a whole different story to what we are talking about here. And to add, people value your knowledge about various things related to wine and so forth, but the question you should ask is, does your employer? If so, they will pay you as you are worth, the worth you bring to their establishment. Then they can tell customers, our servers are top notch, have tons of knowledge regarding wines, and so on.

Again, it all falls onto the employer. And about food prices possibly going up or whatever, that's the thing. I would rather than happen, because that is what you EXPECT to pay, on the management side of things, not the server side of things.

Come to think of it, maybe people are better off just having it that way, save people a TON of headaches by asking stuff like, "what's the right tip for so and so". It's just a total, complicated mess at the moment. Tell me you haven't heard this before from people, about asking what the "correct" tip amount is? It comes up all the time. Take the guesswork out of it for people, and I am sure they will be more content at the outcome.
 
SEO_Alchemy said:
If the wages were higher, and the establishment owners had to pay them, guess what, every single meal, and every single drink, and every single taxi ride you took would automatically be 20% more expensive for you. Plain and simple.
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And this is bad because...?

Let it be more expensive - at least it would be decent and the waiters would get the normal wage :)

But let 's be honest, you don't like waiters getting a set normal wage, do you? ;)

The system is what it is. All I'm saying is that if you are going to take a part of the services provided in the US, you are literally depriving the person providing that service and their family of a living wage by not tipping properly.
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There 's no such thing as "the system" in a democracy. There 's the law.

As I 'm not from the US, I 'm not sure, but judging from the thread 's responses, I don't see tipping being the law.

What you call "the system" seems to me as an excuse to present your opinion as valid.

"Oh it 's the system, shut up and die!" :D

This is regardless of whether or not you think the system is right or fair.
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See? :o

Ffs, do you think this line of argument works in ages > 12? :D

I think I pay way too much in taxes, but I still pay them!
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Taxes -> law. You don't mess with the law thus pay - unless you enjoy taking showers in the prison.
 
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rgeczi, you hit it on the head.

Sometimes I sit at a restaurant and watch all the tables our waiter handles during one period, then calculate an average tip between all the tables, and I think to myself, "Damn! These people are making bank!". Of course, I only see the busy times at restaurants, surely there's slow periods as well, but maybe it evens out? Maybe it doesn't? Who knows... But I do know that tips are an unfair tax that is passed on to all of us by greedy business owners. Smart, but greedy. A person's wages shouldn't be solely based on luck/chance, because great service doesn't always mean a great tip...

I'll be the first to say, I'm hard to please, especially in the service industry because I've worked those jobs and I know the expectations. 15% is a standard tip for fair-good service. 20% is a standard tip for good-great service. Anything above/below those 2 are at the discretion of the tipper, based on service.

I understand these people live on tips, which is unfortunate...if it doesn't pay the bills...but I'm not above tipping based on service and in one extreme case I wrote 0 for the tip with an arrow pointing to a message on the receipt regarding her waitressing skills. Just my 2 cents...
 
Where I live, you do not tip people. If you tipped people, they were be extremely confused.

I would be frustrated with having to tip people because it necessitates that you carry cash around.
 
But taxes are like tipping since you have alot of options when it comes to paying taxes, you can even legally pay 0% depending on type of income source and where you choose to live.
 
20% exceptional
15% for above average
10% for normal
5% for bad
1 cent for shit.
 
SEO_Alchemy said:
That is complete and utter B.S. tipped positions in the U.S. legally can be and usually are around half the minimum wage of that State. If you're working as a banquet server in some hotels, your wage is usually around $2.25/hour. They can do this because the gratuity system is understood to be in place, and that the additional income will compensate your living. In resort areas where there are frequent "off seasons" there will often be very little in the way of gratuities coming in, so how's that $2.25/hour looking now. You are right in that you can appeal for your establishment to make it up to the minimum wage during those times, but do you really think that the $8-10/hour that is the minimum wage in most States is a Living Wage? That's poverty level living. You cannot afford healthcare, insurance, car payment, groceries, and rent on $8-10 an hour.

And to those that are asking well why do these types of jobs? Um the unemployment rate is close to 10% in this country. Some people are lucky to have any type of job at all.
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There is no "appeal" to their establishment to get up to the minimum wage. It is not legal for any employee in the USA or Canada to make less than minimum wage for each hour worked. I will repeat, as an employee working for someone else, you can not under any circumstances legally make less than minimum wage for every hour worked.

What that means, is that the $2.25/hour figure is absolutely irrelevant. Whether it is $0.50 per hour or $5.00 per hour, you will still never go home with less than minimum wage. So what you are really arguing about, is that you don't believe waiters and waitresses should work for minimum wage. And further, you are arguing that NO person can survive on minimum wage. So I would have to then assume that you tip EVERYONE for EVERY job that makes minimum wage.

It is NOT difficult to live on minimum wage, if you live within your means. Car payments and car insurance are NOT a life necessity in 90% of North America, they are a luxury. If public transportation is not a reasonable option due to the time you work, or safety concerns, there is always ride shares/car pooling. If you live too far away from work, you need to relocate. These are all options available to nearly everyone, but they are usually inconvenient, and most people think that life should be easy.

Anyways, the bottom line is, I really dislike when people bring up the $2.25/hour figure, because it is absolutely irrelevant to the conversation. People who make that argument are actually arguing that minimum wage isn't enough to survive on, not that $2.25 is too low. The government agrees $2.25 isn't enough, that is why nobody gets paid that.
 
Every restaurant I've ever waited tables for screwed the servers on their paychecks. At each restaurant I eventually had to threaten legal action...and that doesn't get you in the good side of management which equals horrific schedule.

Also, min wage isn't enough for that job. in hindsight its almost a scam. unless you are working in a super nice restaurant its not worth it. its like fiverr but instead of selling scrapebox blasts you're dealing with the rudest people imaginable being yelled by managers and dealing with kitchen staff that can't speak english.

Tip well especially at low end places. No one is willingly a waiter at applebees/cracklebarrel etc.
 
I tip between 25% to 40% I worked in a restaurant for about 6 months it open my eyes allot. I didn't know how hard or depressing working in a restaurant could be. I have a new found respect for waiters. Although at times it could be fun most times where depressing. You learn allot about people ...
 
YugiMutou said:
I tip between 25% to 40% I worked in a restaurant for about 6 months it open my eyes allot. I didn't know how hard or depressing working in a restaurant could be. I have a new found respect for waiters. Although at times it could be fun most times where depressing. You learn allot about people ...
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Thank you :)
 
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