Inspired about the poll about tipping a tow driver, I’ve been wondering about this for a while. How much do you tip and why, and under what circumstances.
For food servers, if the service was good, but not great, I’ll tip between 15 to 20%. If they were really attentive and friendly, I’ll go up to 25%+, especially if the meal is cheap (<$20 per person). One of my friends would always complain (he was a waiter for a short time in college) that no more than 15% should ever be given. My comeback is that the few extra dollars won’t mean much to me (maybe a small snack or large drink), but it will brighten the server’s day.
On the other hand, if the service was really bad or non-existent, I’ve put a penny below the plate to express my feelings. If the food was bad, but the service was good (e.g. the server sincerely apologies and/or goes the extra mile to offer a free appetizer or dessert), I’ll give enough extra to cover the cost of the dish in case they need to pay for it themselves.
I also tip other service people (I gave the tow driver $10 for short trip to my car dealership) if they are friendly, attentive and helpful as a way of showing my gratitude.
It works two ways. Years ago, I worked for a short time at our local City & County department giving out disabled persons permits. As County workers we weren’t allowed to take monetary tips, but my co-worker and I (by our friendly ribbing of each other) made a woman laugh and brighten her day so much, she bought us a box of steamed Chinese buns filled with sweet roasted pork. I still remember the look on our manager’s face when he saw my co-worker and I eating them, asking “Where’d you get that?”. We told her the story about how the woman wanted to give us money and when we refused, we jokingly said she could buy us the buns. He just shook his head, said “You guys!”, smiled and took one of the buns.
Call me pessimistic, but I suspect that a few extra dollars won’t do anything. People tend to remember negatives, and not positives. If you want to be remembered, you need to leave something like 100% tip. Of course, if you’re a regular and are known, then this doesn’t go.
The penny below the plate thing is actually really clever. I’ve never heard of that before.
To answer the question; it all depends. I typically find myself tipping about 20% as well. If I am asked more than twice how my meal is, it will get substantially lower. I tip in different ways for different services outside of being served food. Typically I tip substantially when it is a heavier more labor intensive job or service.
20-25+% dining in. Generally I calculate 20% and then round up to the nearest whole number for the total bill. I’ve only had service bad enough to stiff someone once and really it is because my pissed-off fellow diner insisted ;). Usually I cut some slack for mediocre service.
Take-out 0-15%, depending on how large the order is. If it is a place I know and like and the order is large( I occasionally get food for several people )or elaborate I know it can be a minor pain in the ass to assemble, so I figure it is like a lesser version of table service. If it is an inexpensive place with a tip jar like a taqueria, I’ll usually toss in a buck or something.
Restaurants: 30% if we have the toddler with us, 20% if we don’t. Never less than $5.
Bars: $1/drink if I’m paying cash; 20% if I’m running a tab.
Food delivery: 20-30%, depending on the weather.
Large appliance delivery and installation: $10-20 per person.
Misc bellhops, car wash guys, valets: $1-5 depending.
The only real time I questioned my system was when I was India for business last year. I had an assigned driver at my beck and call for the week. The bill from the company was something like 20,000 INR. I gave him 3,500 INR, plus 500 here and there for side trips, and a couple of people told me that was bonkers. Whatever. It was like 50 bucks. Well worth not having to deal with the 4-mile, 2-hour round trip to the office on my own every day.
As far back as I can remembers it’s been a way of expressing your displeasure. If I really want to express my displeasure, I’ll take whatever loose change I have in my pocket (of course, usually less than a dollar) and put it instead of the penny.
I hate it when my meal companion(s) take it away and add their own money or even worse, when someone removes the excess tip I’ve left and give it back to me, saying it’s too much.
As for the server remembering me, I believe the knowledge of an act of good intent is reward enough. When I worked in a different area, I used to visit a Sizzler at least one a week or so for lunch. My meal was usually around $20 and I’d always leave at least $5 because the server (I think his name was Jeff) was really friendly and attentive. If I saw it was really slow (there were usually no more than 10-15 there at lunch), I’d sometimes add an additional $5 to help him out. The last time I went there was just before the New Year and as I exited, I handed Jeff $20 on my way out and wished him a Happy New Year. Later that same day I was informed that it was my last day (I was on temporary assignment) at my job. I never went back to the restaurant because it was out of my way and a year or two later, Sizzler closed all their restaurants in Hawaii. I’m sure Jeff went on to bigger and better work because he was so personable.
As a general rule, nothing here in Australia, mainly because I don’t eat at establishments where I am served and our hospitality staff are paid a living wage anyway. I might tip the pizza delivery bloke a few $$ if I have some cash onhand, but that’s about it really.
YES, Thank you for acknowledging that having a toddler at the table requires attention from the server and bus person if their is one. I’ve seen people not count the children’s meal(s) as part of their tip calculation since they’re only kids.
Here in the UK and most other countries where I holiday or work…nothing.
If there is a service charge clearly incorporated into the bill then unless there is a massive problem I’ll pay that (though I have had it removed before).
In the USA I make an exception because I’ve been hassled before when my “voluntary” tip was not deemed big enough. so I go to 15% but I try to steer clear of any situations or business where tipping is expected.
This is so NOT true. Servers work very hard for every penny they make. And it will absolutely be appreciated AND make a diffference for their day. If you tip over 20% they will feel great, even on a $10 tab. It may look like nickels and dimes to you, but tips make the difference between a good night and a great night. If you think the server won’t remember a ‘few extra dollars’, you’re flat out wrong.
Food service: Roughly 20%. I might round it down a bit if something’s amiss, but I’m really hard to upset when it comes to food, so I always tip something.
House repair/upgrade: usually a couple of twenties to each worker. I regularly use the same plumber, but since he owns the entire business I don’t tip him.
Marina fuel service: I start with $20 for each attendant, and decrement it 5 bucks at a time for each mistake. Fail to come out and help me with docking/lines? minus $5. Spill fuel on my hull? Another $5 gone. Make a mess when emptying the waste tanks? Minus 5 again. Sometimes they get the whole 20, sometimes they get nothing. Just depends.
Bartenders: A buck a drink, or 5 bucks if more than one. Zero if I’m subjected to hip-hop or rap.
In restaurants, I shoot for 20% as standard, 10-15% for marginal but not horrible service, less than 10% for awful service, and occasionally 25% for the amazingly great server. I won’t hold the server responsible for the food, tho. If it’s not good, that’s when one speaks to the manager.
Pizza delivery folks get $3-4 for the 2-3 items in our order. I’m pretty sure it’s no more difficult for them to carry a large pizza with everything compared to a large cheese pizza, despite the difference in price.
I also tip whoever cuts my hair - since I go to the cheap cuttery places, I don’t have a regular stylist so it’s usually around 10% for my very uncomplicated cut.
I don’t count the “gratuity” when we take a cruise - it’s automatically charged, regardless.
And when I pay for a service, I don’t tip. Like the guys who clean our gutters or pump out our septic tank or clear our driveway of snow. I hire them at a given cost. Just because the job is one I can’t or don’t want to do, I don’t feel obligated to give them any more. If they want more, they should charge more, and I decided if it’s worth that much to me.
I’m sort of a regular at a breakfast place. About 1-2 a month. Always get the same server. She’s a very nice mom with 2 kids.
She remarked, and was very, very excited that she is going to Jamaica this October. She has been talking about it for nearly a year. Fist time out of the country. Heck, I think this may be her first exciting vacation ever.
So yeah, I give her a nice tip.
For 'worker’s, crews I will also often tip. Had a group of 8 come in and put in a fence. it was brutal work. All post holes had to be hand dug in rocky steep ground. When I had everyone’s attention (I wanted the crew to know that they where getting a tip, and make sure the boss would not just pocket it), I gave the crew chief about $200 to be split up. That’s really not much, but I doubt they ever get anything. At least it’s a few lunches.
Or, in the past in such situations I’ll ask if I can buy them lunch.
I think this does help them and me. Being appreciated does produce better work IMHO.
20%. But can increase or decrease depending on the situation:
The smaller the bill, the bigger the percentage. As an example, If I go to a diner and only get a cup of coffee, I might leave a 100% tip. I will often leave a 50% tip if the bill is under $20.
If service is really, really bad, I will leave a smaller tip.
Tipping is very weak in these parts, a lot of times anything at all is well appreciated but I still use these guidelines:
Restaurants 15-20%, depends on a lot of things. If I have to tip less than 15% might as well tip nothing.
Bar, $1 per drink, maybe more.
Barber, $5 or 20%.
Everything else, circumstances just vary. A couple of bucks for food delivery. $5-$10 for delivery of heavy or bulky items. Sometimes a 6-pack if I have one around.
I usually start between 15-20% and go from there. I’m godawful at math so I generally do 10% then double it (or thereabouts) to get a round dollar amount to tip. So yeah, it varies.
One thing that affects my tip a lot is if the server remembers my lemon on the refill. Whenever I go into a Coke establishment I almost always order a Coke with a lemon. 99% of the time, the waiter remembers the lemon the first time, but their capacity to remember it on the refill affects what tip I give. Remembering that I ordered a lemon is a small thing that a good waiter should know how to do. When they remember I tip well, when they don’t I take it down.
