Sushi chef tipping protocol

Factual Questions
1

Please help me with how I should tip in the following situations:

  1. I sit at the sushi bar and only order sushi items, but the waitress brings me tea and the check.

  2. I sit at the sushi bar and order sushi items as well as a menu item which the waitress brings me. She also brings me tea and the check.

I notice the sushi chef has his own tipping jar. In each of the 2 cases, say I tip 15%, how much should I tip the sushi man and how much should I tip the waitress? And if I pay by credit card, how do I give the sushi man his tip? TIA.

2

Tell the waitress to give the tip to give a tip to your chef because you feel he did a fine job.

Then say “Ah-ree-gah-toh.” and if she says the same thing, you say “Do-tah-she-mosh-tay”. I always grumble “Don’t toucha me moustache.” and they usually get the point.

3

Everyone thinks they’re a comic!

4

I always just tip the Sushi chef. (Of course, I usually order nothing but sushi…)

5

wishbone: The waitresses are Korean and Chinese!

lawoot: So you put 0 tip on the credit card and just give cash to the sushi man?

6

nope. I pay cash straight through, including into the tip ‘jar’. (I can’t afford to go very often. One of life’s litle pleasures that I save up for)

7

FYI, it’s “dou itashimashite” and phonetically, it would be “dough ee tah she mah she tay.” You forgot a couple of syllables in there.
In Japan, you never tip, so AFAIK there is no protocol for tipping at Japanese restaurants in the US, other than the US standards. I tip on the bill. Buying the chef a drink works sometimes, even in Japan.

8

When I sit at the sushi bar, and the waitress only brings me tea and the check, I put a few dollars or round up the bill 3 to 4 dollars plus the change (I like even credit card reciepts)as the waitress’ tip. Then depending on the size of the bill or the care and effort the sushi chef took with my orders, I put the other 5 or 10 dollar bill into the sushi chef’s tip jar. My minimum tipping is usually 15% but can go as high as almost 40%. I also order things that most people don’t like a double order of uni with uzara on top and an unagi hand roll. I’ve had a sushi chef’s make the uni look like flowers in presentation of them and I was delighted. My tip refelcted that. I also thank the sushi chef, which they seem to appreciate as well. (Please note, I have only eaten at shushi bars in the states, so my experiences are reflective of that.)