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Tipping Etiquette (1 Viewer)

The service was below par (messed up order, no refills, empty water, things along these lines)


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fantasycurse42

Footballguy Jr.
Been a while since one of these have been done. I couldn't imagine what could be done that would make me leave not tip since it has never happened, but I'm sure some have experienced it.

 
But how does everyone calculate the %, from pre-tax or after tax total? I used to use the bottom line total until they raised the sales tax rate in my state. Why make waitstaff advocates for further raising the tax rates?

 
I always pay cash.

A lot of restaurant/tip professions put the credit card tips on their weekly/bi-weekly checks. I think that's stupid, so I always pay cash.

Also, I round up with whatever denomination I have on me because I don't want to wait for the change.

Like today, I went to lunch with business partners and the bill was $78. Service was okay but I'm not waiting around for $6.40 change for an exact 20% tip.

Here's a $100, have a good day.

 
Depends on the price of the meal as well.

If I'm Looking at an $10 tab, there's no way in hell I'm just leaving $2 for great service. Case in point there is a mexican place I frequent by my office. Stellar food with attractive waitress who is very quick/attentive (remembers my order, keeps water glass full, brings me off menu salsa verde gratis, etc).

My tab is usually about $7.50 and I always leave her $5 cash on the table. I've shown up with a wait of 7-8 folks in front of me, and she's run up front, grabbed me out of line, and walked me back to a table while everyone else waited.

Small price to pay IMO.

That said... on bigger/normal tabs:

~25% for exceptional serivce
~20% for good/normal service

~5-15% for poor service (depending on what the issue was and how much was directly the server's fault)

 
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If you're not tipping or tipping under 10% you better speak to a manager to tell them why.

 
Also I know I know I'm not allowed to say it, but most servers will tell you there's a segment of society who are notoriously bad tippers.

 
20, 20, 16-19 if it's poor service that I know is the server's fault, but that's extremely rare in my experience. Or rare that I notice it enough to really care. I would only tip less than 15% if there was actual rudeness involved, and then it's likely a zero tip.

 
Can't ever remember not leaving a tip, but I guess some people don't realize what $2 an hour is really like unless they have done it.

 
If an average server goes an entire shift without receiving a single tip, who should they be more angry at (if at all)?

a) customers

b) employer

c) themself

 
Can't ever remember not leaving a tip, but I guess some people don't realize what $2 an hour is really like unless they have done it.
I never thought of it that way... pity money. But I guess you're right. Sometimes it's guilt money or peer pressure money then too.

 
Tipping is part of the cost of eating out. If your service is so bad that you don't want to tip, you should be demanding to see the manager.

 
Can't ever remember not leaving a tip, but I guess some people don't realize what $2 an hour is really like unless they have done it.
About 10 years ago, 8 of us were out at a new restaurant and we agreed as a group to leave a $0 tip.

Restaurant was not crowded at all, we waited maybe an hour for food, the waiter completely disappeared other than to deliver the food. It was a total joke. If I remember correctly we weren't even sure the place would be open yet the night we were going. Pretty sure the restaurant was just a chef who was trying to start his own place and hired a couple of slacker friends of his to try and get by as waiters. They were probably smoking out in the back the whole time. I don't think the place lasted a month.

BTW I answered 25% for fantastic, 16%-19% for OK, 11%-15% for bad

There can be special cases like the story above though.

 
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Can't ever remember not leaving a tip, but I guess some people don't realize what $2 an hour is really like unless they have done it.
About 10 years ago, 8 of us were out at a new restaurant and we agreed as a group to leave a $0 tip.

Restaurant was not crowded at all, we waited maybe an hour for food, the waiter completely disappeared other than to deliver the food. It was a total joke. If I remember correctly we weren't even sure the place would be open yet the night we were going. Pretty sure the restaurant was just a chef who was trying to start his own place and hired a couple of slacker friends of his to try and get by as waiters. They were probably smoking out in the back the whole time. I don't think the place lasted a month.
There were 8 adults and not one of you thought of talking to another waiter or the manager? Also that seems like a very specific situation that would not occur often.

 
Can't ever remember not leaving a tip, but I guess some people don't realize what $2 an hour is really like unless they have done it.
About 10 years ago, 8 of us were out at a new restaurant and we agreed as a group to leave a $0 tip.

Restaurant was not crowded at all, we waited maybe an hour for food, the waiter completely disappeared other than to deliver the food. It was a total joke. If I remember correctly we weren't even sure the place would be open yet the night we were going. Pretty sure the restaurant was just a chef who was trying to start his own place and hired a couple of slacker friends of his to try and get by as waiters. They were probably smoking out in the back the whole time. I don't think the place lasted a month.
There were 8 adults and not one of you thought of talking to another waiter or the manager? Also that seems like a very specific situation that would not occur often.
There was no manager. I don't remember seeing another waiter, there may have been one. Yes it was an unusual situation.

I'm pointing out there's always a possibility someone could leave a $0 tip if it is a total disaster. Some in here say it should never be done.

 
Can't ever remember not leaving a tip, but I guess some people don't realize what $2 an hour is really like unless they have done it.
About 10 years ago, 8 of us were out at a new restaurant and we agreed as a group to leave a $0 tip.

Restaurant was not crowded at all, we waited maybe an hour for food, the waiter completely disappeared other than to deliver the food. It was a total joke. If I remember correctly we weren't even sure the place would be open yet the night we were going. Pretty sure the restaurant was just a chef who was trying to start his own place and hired a couple of slacker friends of his to try and get by as waiters. They were probably smoking out in the back the whole time. I don't think the place lasted a month.
There were 8 adults and not one of you thought of talking to another waiter or the manager? Also that seems like a very specific situation that would not occur often.
There was no manager. I don't remember seeing another waiter, there may have been one. Yes it was an unusual situation.

I'm pointing out there's always a possibility someone could leave a $0 tip if it is a total disaster. Some in here say it should never be done.
Total disaster to me means you never got your food or it was not edible in some way or something. In that case I wouldn't even pay at all so it doesn't even really count.
 
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20, 20, 16-19 if it's poor service that I know is the server's fault, but that's extremely rare in my experience. Or rare that I notice it enough to really care. I would only tip less than 15% if there was actual rudeness involved, and then it's likely a zero tip.
Pretty much where I'm at, though in actual practice 15% is my floor. Have never gone below it. I'm pretty much always around 20-25%.

If it's a special or romantic occasion at a nice place and the staff was great I'll bump it up to 33-50%. That's maybe 1-2 a year at the most.

 
I have only left less than a dollar tip once.

Joe's Crab Shack--it was an early lunch. The place was basically empty. It took forever for everything from the initial drinks at the table--to getting the food, no refills, forever to get the tab. The problem was we could see our waitress the entire time. She was too busy flirting with another waiter and would look over at us and then go back to talking to the other guy. She would literally walk right by our table and wouldn't stop unless we stopped her.

Joe's is pricey for what you get. So I don't remember the exact cost, but it was easily $60--she got whatever rounded up to a dollar on the tab and I called the manager. I will give you this--they sent my complaint to the corporate office and one of the co-owners called me directly from Atlanta. The problem was he kept asking me what I wanted to make this better and I didn't have an answer. I guess he is used to people wanting comps or something, but I really had no reason to want to go back. I just told him I was giving an FYI and didn't want a gift certificate or anything.

I think 25% is good for a person who goes above and beyond.

18-20% for average

and 10% or less for poor or incompetent service.

 
Can't ever remember not leaving a tip, but I guess some people don't realize what $2 an hour is really like unless they have done it.
About 10 years ago, 8 of us were out at a new restaurant and we agreed as a group to leave a $0 tip.

Restaurant was not crowded at all, we waited maybe an hour for food, the waiter completely disappeared other than to deliver the food. It was a total joke. If I remember correctly we weren't even sure the place would be open yet the night we were going. Pretty sure the restaurant was just a chef who was trying to start his own place and hired a couple of slacker friends of his to try and get by as waiters. They were probably smoking out in the back the whole time. I don't think the place lasted a month.
There were 8 adults and not one of you thought of talking to another waiter or the manager? Also that seems like a very specific situation that would not occur often.
There was no manager. I don't remember seeing another waiter, there may have been one. Yes it was an unusual situation.

I'm pointing out there's always a possibility someone could leave a $0 tip if it is a total disaster. Some in here say it should never be done.
Are you sure they didn't build in the gratuity which most places do with groups of 8 or more.

 
Can't ever remember not leaving a tip, but I guess some people don't realize what $2 an hour is really like unless they have done it.
waiters and waitresses don't know what it is like to make $2/hr either.
Yes because every bar and restaurant is always packed to the gills. :rolleyes:

That $300 Saturday night is awesome, but a lot of the time it is making up for the $14 Monday day shift and the $20 Tuesday night.

I made less than minimum wage tonight, btw. :bye:

 
If you're not tipping or tipping under 10% you better speak to a manager to tell them why.
Yeah, I've never had a situation that I felt warranted not tipping or a super low #### you tip, but I could imagine it. Being so aggressively horrible that the manager really needs to be aware seems like a good rule of thumb though.

Actually, maybe we need the "rule of thumb" here. You always have to leave 15+% no matter how bad the service, but if the guy is really an #######, you can beat him with a switch as long as it's no thicker than your thumb.

 
Josie Maran said:
parasaurolophus said:
Can't ever remember not leaving a tip, but I guess some people don't realize what $2 an hour is really like unless they have done it.
waiters and waitresses don't know what it is like to make $2/hr either.
Yes because every bar and restaurant is always packed to the gills. :rolleyes:

That $300 Saturday night is awesome, but a lot of the time it is making up for the $14 Monday day shift and the $20 Tuesday night.

I made less than minimum wage tonight, btw. :bye:
That's not really a good argument. I put in plenty of time at my job that I don't receive any pay for. What's your average week like on an hourly basis?

 
When I first started dating my wife, I was a 15% guy. She insisted 20% is correct and always harassed me about it until I adopted that policy myself. After reading these two tipping threads, I feel like I should start tipping 30%. Being a server is a much crappier job than I realized.

 
You'd have to 'eff up pretty bad to get less than 20% from me, but it has happened. The worst was a few months ago when my wife and I went out to a pretty nice restaurant. The waitress seemed hell bent on doing everything to pump up our bill and was pretty annoying. My wife doesn't drink, and I'm not a wine drinker. Despite telling her this, multiple times, she constantly tried to sell us booze (before someone chimes in, no, this is not the norm for this place to 'hard sell' as we've been there plenty of times).

We ordered an appetizer (calamari, I think) and we were told they were out. OK, no problem, it happens. She recommends her 'favorite appetizer' which happens to be $15 more. We say no thanks, we'll just go with the crab soup. As we're waiting we notice a lot of calamari apps coming out. I chalk it up to they ordered first so we were out of luck.

We order dinner ten minutes later and she says our appetizer should be out soon. The one we told her we didn't want. I told her she must have mistaken us for another table, we ordered crab soup. I kid you not, she said "Oh, I added it for you anyway since it's better than the soup". I'm on the verge of killing her at this point. We tell her we don't want it and want our soups.. She grumbles ok.

15 minutes go by, no soup.We flag her down and ask and are assured it's coming. 25 minutes go by, we get our dinner (not brought out by her). My wfe's dinner comes out incorrectly as she's lactose intolerant and made it clear that she couldn't have the creme based sauce that came with the fish she ordered. My food was fine. As this is happening, I notice people that were seated after us were getting calamari apps. I flagged down another waitress and told her what was going on and she offered to take back my wife's dish and get it corrected. I mention something about the calamari and got a puzzled look and she said they had 'plenty'. I'm fuming now.

The other waitress brought my wife's corrected order and we enjoy the dinner. Our waitress finally shows back up and I tell her all the problems and I want to see the manager. She rolls her eyes and walks away.

We wait twenty more minutes: no manager, no bill, nothing. I flag down a bus boy asking for the manager and he gets him. I tell him the quick and dirty about what happened and he said she never said anything to him. When all is said and done, he offered to comp dessert or whatever and we decline and just want to leave. We got the bill and the appetizer we didn't order was still on the bill along with the soups we never got. There was also the bottle of wine she tried to sell us as well.

This time i get up and track down the manager myself as he certainly should have looked at it after our discussion. Long story short, the only time I haven't left a tip.

 
I once took the pennies back. Dinner was going along fine. Not good service, but not horrible. Time comes to pay the bill and we don't see anyone in the front for 45 minutes. Even after I paid it took 15 minutes to get the change. Normally I tip 20% regardless, you really need to be remarkable to move the needle either way.

 
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You'd have to 'eff up pretty bad to get less than 20% from me, but it has happened. The worst was a few months ago when my wife and I went out to a pretty nice restaurant. The waitress seemed hell bent on doing everything to pump up our bill and was pretty annoying. My wife doesn't drink, and I'm not a wine drinker. Despite telling her this, multiple times, she constantly tried to sell us booze (before someone chimes in, no, this is not the norm for this place to 'hard sell' as we've been there plenty of times).

We ordered an appetizer (calamari, I think) and we were told they were out. OK, no problem, it happens. She recommends her 'favorite appetizer' which happens to be $15 more. We say no thanks, we'll just go with the crab soup. As we're waiting we notice a lot of calamari apps coming out. I chalk it up to they ordered first so we were out of luck.

We order dinner ten minutes later and she says our appetizer should be out soon. The one we told her we didn't want. I told her she must have mistaken us for another table, we ordered crab soup. I kid you not, she said "Oh, I added it for you anyway since it's better than the soup". I'm on the verge of killing her at this point. We tell her we don't want it and want our soups.. She grumbles ok.

15 minutes go by, no soup.We flag her down and ask and are assured it's coming. 25 minutes go by, we get our dinner (not brought out by her). My wfe's dinner comes out incorrectly as she's lactose intolerant and made it clear that she couldn't have the creme based sauce that came with the fish she ordered. My food was fine. As this is happening, I notice people that were seated after us were getting calamari apps. I flagged down another waitress and told her what was going on and she offered to take back my wife's dish and get it corrected. I mention something about the calamari and got a puzzled look and she said they had 'plenty'. I'm fuming now.

The other waitress brought my wife's corrected order and we enjoy the dinner. Our waitress finally shows back up and I tell her all the problems and I want to see the manager. She rolls her eyes and walks away.

We wait twenty more minutes: no manager, no bill, nothing. I flag down a bus boy asking for the manager and he gets him. I tell him the quick and dirty about what happened and he said she never said anything to him. When all is said and done, he offered to comp dessert or whatever and we decline and just want to leave. We got the bill and the appetizer we didn't order was still on the bill along with the soups we never got. There was also the bottle of wine she tried to sell us as well.

This time i get up and track down the manager myself as he certainly should have looked at it after our discussion. Long story short, the only time I haven't left a tip.
Hell, at that point I'd probably just walk out the door without paying.

 
You'd have to 'eff up pretty bad to get less than 20% from me, but it has happened. The worst was a few months ago when my wife and I went out to a pretty nice restaurant. The waitress seemed hell bent on doing everything to pump up our bill and was pretty annoying. My wife doesn't drink, and I'm not a wine drinker. Despite telling her this, multiple times, she constantly tried to sell us booze (before someone chimes in, no, this is not the norm for this place to 'hard sell' as we've been there plenty of times).

We ordered an appetizer (calamari, I think) and we were told they were out. OK, no problem, it happens. She recommends her 'favorite appetizer' which happens to be $15 more. We say no thanks, we'll just go with the crab soup. As we're waiting we notice a lot of calamari apps coming out. I chalk it up to they ordered first so we were out of luck.

We order dinner ten minutes later and she says our appetizer should be out soon. The one we told her we didn't want. I told her she must have mistaken us for another table, we ordered crab soup. I kid you not, she said "Oh, I added it for you anyway since it's better than the soup". I'm on the verge of killing her at this point. We tell her we don't want it and want our soups.. She grumbles ok.

15 minutes go by, no soup.We flag her down and ask and are assured it's coming. 25 minutes go by, we get our dinner (not brought out by her). My wfe's dinner comes out incorrectly as she's lactose intolerant and made it clear that she couldn't have the creme based sauce that came with the fish she ordered. My food was fine. As this is happening, I notice people that were seated after us were getting calamari apps. I flagged down another waitress and told her what was going on and she offered to take back my wife's dish and get it corrected. I mention something about the calamari and got a puzzled look and she said they had 'plenty'. I'm fuming now.

The other waitress brought my wife's corrected order and we enjoy the dinner. Our waitress finally shows back up and I tell her all the problems and I want to see the manager. She rolls her eyes and walks away.

We wait twenty more minutes: no manager, no bill, nothing. I flag down a bus boy asking for the manager and he gets him. I tell him the quick and dirty about what happened and he said she never said anything to him. When all is said and done, he offered to comp dessert or whatever and we decline and just want to leave. We got the bill and the appetizer we didn't order was still on the bill along with the soups we never got. There was also the bottle of wine she tried to sell us as well.

This time i get up and track down the manager myself as he certainly should have looked at it after our discussion. Long story short, the only time I haven't left a tip.
Whole meal should have been comped.

 
You'd have to 'eff up pretty bad to get less than 20% from me, but it has happened. The worst was a few months ago when my wife and I went out to a pretty nice restaurant. The waitress seemed hell bent on doing everything to pump up our bill and was pretty annoying. My wife doesn't drink, and I'm not a wine drinker. Despite telling her this, multiple times, she constantly tried to sell us booze (before someone chimes in, no, this is not the norm for this place to 'hard sell' as we've been there plenty of times).

We ordered an appetizer (calamari, I think) and we were told they were out. OK, no problem, it happens. She recommends her 'favorite appetizer' which happens to be $15 more. We say no thanks, we'll just go with the crab soup. As we're waiting we notice a lot of calamari apps coming out. I chalk it up to they ordered first so we were out of luck.

We order dinner ten minutes later and she says our appetizer should be out soon. The one we told her we didn't want. I told her she must have mistaken us for another table, we ordered crab soup. I kid you not, she said "Oh, I added it for you anyway since it's better than the soup". I'm on the verge of killing her at this point. We tell her we don't want it and want our soups.. She grumbles ok.

15 minutes go by, no soup.We flag her down and ask and are assured it's coming. 25 minutes go by, we get our dinner (not brought out by her). My wfe's dinner comes out incorrectly as she's lactose intolerant and made it clear that she couldn't have the creme based sauce that came with the fish she ordered. My food was fine. As this is happening, I notice people that were seated after us were getting calamari apps. I flagged down another waitress and told her what was going on and she offered to take back my wife's dish and get it corrected. I mention something about the calamari and got a puzzled look and she said they had 'plenty'. I'm fuming now.

The other waitress brought my wife's corrected order and we enjoy the dinner. Our waitress finally shows back up and I tell her all the problems and I want to see the manager. She rolls her eyes and walks away.

We wait twenty more minutes: no manager, no bill, nothing. I flag down a bus boy asking for the manager and he gets him. I tell him the quick and dirty about what happened and he said she never said anything to him. When all is said and done, he offered to comp dessert or whatever and we decline and just want to leave. We got the bill and the appetizer we didn't order was still on the bill along with the soups we never got. There was also the bottle of wine she tried to sell us as well.

This time i get up and track down the manager myself as he certainly should have looked at it after our discussion. Long story short, the only time I haven't left a tip.
Whole meal should have been comped.
:goodposting:

 
i just tipped the pizza delivery guy $10 on an $85 bill. Was it sufficient? The delivery guy was Mexican if it matters.

 

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