Today I had a baked potato and cup of soup ($4) and left a dollar tip. Okay? By the way, when I go in, its usually a non busy time, and theres only about 2 or 3 other tables in use.
We Canadians would have to leave huge tips in that case: we have one and two dollars in coin form only.
I always tip on the high end. Here the employer is not obliged to bring the revenue of the waitstaff up to minimum wage level, so tips are very important.
BTW, how much do people tip those who hand-wash their cars? I found out from a nearby hand carwash that the workers are paid like restaurant workers-- and that it is assumed that they get tips: in reality, they just hope for tips. It’s a dirty job, and it’s quite expensive for the consumer, so people always assume that they’re doing the workers a favour if they leave anything at all in the tip jar. The owner gets the big money, the workers freeze their asses and slosh around in water all day, and earn less than minimum wage.
Bad waitstaff hasn’t been my experience.
I like the system because the restaurants my wife and I are regulars at we get treated well. I fully expect regulars that don’t tip don’t get nearly the attention we do. This is an indicator to the waitstaff which people deserve minimal service and those to give more attention to 
At a regular bar that friends and I go to…the waitstaff fall over each other to serve us. They make sure we have everything we want in a heartbeat. That’s because we tip very well.
I look at it as the waitstaff as ‘our’ employees for a short time, not the bar/restaurant’s. If you want happy, productive employees you need to PAY them. If you don’t you have problems.
If you take this away and pay them a set wage…maybe it would be fine…but I lose my control…my edge so to speak. I like having that edge.
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As for waitstaff that don’t get many tips/get paid below minimum wage…
Well, I imagine waitstaff have a heirarchy like most other fields. There are great places to work, good places, mediocre places, poor places and downright bad places. Waitstaff should be trying to work their way up the heirarchy. The good ones should move up to better places and the bad ones find themselves at Denny’s stuffed with old and/or poor people who don’t tip much.
May I also ask, as a non-USAsian, for what services do you tip?
It seems like there’s more than just a tip to waiters. Someone just mentioned car washers?!
Is there a hard and fast rule as to what gets a tip and what doesn’t?
I will tip in a restaurant but i will very rarely tip in a bar, mainly because of my experience the bar people not only make good money, but will give change back on a tray with an attitude of “that’s our tip, take from it what you will!”.
Other than that i don’t tip.
My experience has been that tipping the bartender improves the next drink considerably.
As a general rule, you shouldn’t mess with the person who cuts your hair, brings you food, or mixes your drinks. The results are never pleasant!
Personally, I don’t like tipping, so I avoid doing it.
I have bad feet, and when I get even slightly off-balance, I tend to fall. A lot.
Would you care to tell me how these drinks would be different had i tipped more…
-bottle of beer
-Scotch on ice
-Double vodka w/lemondae
Generally here, the bartended will give you a bit of an extra serving of spirits if you’re polite and aren’t asking for it. Plus, there’s only one way to open a bottle of beer…
I tip waitstaff and haircutters most commonly. I also used to tip the paperboy at Christmas but don’t get the paper anymore.
I also leave a box of chocolates for the mailman at Christmas (it’s not much and totally unexpected I’m sure) plus get a little something for my daughters teachers (like a book store gift card - $25 per teacher) - totally unexpected I’m sure and what they do get I expect is cheap junk.
More infrequently I will tip valet parking - but I valet park rarely. In addition, Craps or blackjack dealers but again I rarely gamble.
There is a ‘mercenary’ element to my tipping. While I will tip 15-20%, for example, at restaurants that I will not return to (because that is the right thing to do)…the tipping goes up where I am a regular. I * want * something for my tip Being known as the guy that tips well only works when you are recognised as that guy as you come in…so you get good service…a little more time and attention when getting your hair cut etc.
Tipping your mailman unexpectedly can reap some rewards later. Tipping your teachers may make them think of your daughter more favorably and so maybe are more willing to give time/patience etc.
IME, the bottle of beer will be brought quicker to a tipper if the bar is busy. Scotch on ice? I drink Grey Goose on ice and if I am drinking slowly, the 'tender will drop a few extra cubes as she is passing if mine have all melted. The double vodka with lemonade (Mmmmm) will be closer to a triple.
Sure, there is only one way to open a beer bottle, but the bartender will make a show of cleaning the bottle’s rim for a tipper.
Again, these are IME observations.
Mostly I enjoy quicker service in a crowded bar.
Don’t forget that they will make you look good in front of your significant other/date. There are many ways they can do this and for a good tipper bartenders and waitstaff can be imaginative.
The above may sound silly but even your wife of x years you need to wine and dine and give warm fuzzies to and even if you are a withdrawn introvert on a first date they will make you look classy and suave
A courtesy bottle or a shot may come your way.
The next one may improve its scotch-to-ice ratio
The next one may improve its vodka-to-lemonade ratio
Generally, tipping bartenders well results in:
[ul][li]Faster/priority service on new drinks[/li][li]More alcohol in the drinks you order[/li][*]Extra free drinks[/ul]
Even worse, does he drive an SUV? And wear shoes inside the house?
Or, god forfend, put the toilet paper on the roll with the flap hanging down the back?!