Personal Finance Advice

I believe a tip of 10-20% is in order IF you have recieved good service. Bad service should NEVER recieve a tip in my opinion. Tipping is benificial for both parties. The service person recieves a much needed boost in income for a job well done. The tipper is remembered by the service person, thereby recieving better, more prompt service in the future.

I was a pizza delivery boy in high school. There was one customer that lived WAY out in the middle of nowhere. The first time I went there I was a little irritated, due to the drive. However, he gave me a $20 for an $11 pizza and told me to keep the change. This man ordered a pizza every Thusday night. Needless to say, his pizza was ALWAYS there in thirty minutes or less!

[...] How Much Should You Tip? Tipping, yes or no? How much? (tags: Money Tips) [...]

In the most states server (waiter)gets paid between 2 and 5 dollars/hr. This minimal hourly pay gets taxed to literally nothing when the server reports his take home pay, therefore, 99% of a servers income is based on tips.

Don’t be cheap, and if you stiff a server (10% is considered a horrible tip by servers) and you revisit that restaurant in the future, have a good look at your food before you eat it. 15% is the minimum.

Is it really going to break the bank to pay a couple of extra dollars? If you don’t want to tip, cook at home eat fast food.

Or move to Japan!!!

While I like the idea of no tipping in the US, I don’t think it would ever work. You were in Japan for 10 years, so I’m sure you would understand when I say this. Imagine if there was absolutely no tipping in the US. Do you think the service would be better or worse? I feel that Japanese culture is inherently more hospitable than the US (except maybe in the good ole’ South!), and that’s why no tipping works – for now at least. Americans like to pay and get paid for actual results. If that financial incentive isn’t there, neither will the result. Of course I may be biased

I wonder where they get these figures from. I used to be a casino dealer in Las Vegas and I didn’t make anywhere near the money they’re stating. Also, I think the tip ratio of income was more like 60-70%. I’m guessing this information must have been collected only at the most upscale casinos.

Personally, I think tips are good, but just like so many other things here in the US, it has gotten way out of hand. Some people will get downright angry if you don’t tip, even if their service sucked. I think wages should be higher for waiters/waitresses, and a tip should only be given if the service was excellent. I also really hate when they add gratuity automatically. What if I didn’t want to tip? What if I wanted to tip more? too bad. Why not just make the meal more expensive in this case and skip the whole tipping charade?

$5 for valet? Damn!

I like the idea of tipping for good service. In our culture people are rewarded when they do good (or look good). So some incentive to do a good job helps.

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This article would’ve been a lot more readable if you just had a table instead of all of those bullet points. I’m sure there’s some interesting data there, but after wading through the first few I just skipped it.

Okay here’s the deal. i’ve been a server for about 4 years now. Pretty much SteveS is correct about our hourly wage. It’s pretty much nil once tax is deducted and so tip pretty much becomes our “wage”. And the sad thing is alot of people don’t understand/know it fully so they end up tipping bad or the worse sin possible: nothing at all. If anything i blame the government for coming up with such a stupid system.
We should just have a set hourly wage but then the issue with service comes up yada yada… long story short:

You should tip 15% even if they give you bad service! why? I guarantee you that majority of servers out there only end up giving bad service because it was either VERY BUSY(if you have to wait 30 min to be seated don’t think they are gonna be able to bring out the special sauce you want in record speed. he prolly has 6 other tables asking him different things!) or they probably had BAD LUCK (for instance they forgot to put in one of your orders. c’mon. it happens to everyone as no one is perfect). I’m sure they weren’t trying to purposely give you bad service for the simple fact that every server WANTS good tip.
And if they give you GREAT service tip them 18-20%. Don’t be cheap now. Your the one who CHOSE to eat out remember? What goes around comes around. That’s the golden rule.

And one last thing: if something bad happens, say your food tasted not that great or got cooked wrong. DON’T PUNISH THE SERVER FOR IT! A server is like a mediator between the customer and the chef/restaurant. A chef makes a mistake and still gets to count every cent of his hourly wage while the server get’s zero tip cuz the customer feels unhappy even though he/she gave excellent service (ie refills, fulfilling requests, in other words: his duties). I can understand the anger but don’t take it out on the server for christ’s sake. if anything you SHOULD always leave HAPPY because if something did go wrong it’s the management’s duty to make up for it (say either re-cooking your mis-cooked steak or offering a free desert) if not it’s the management’s fault and not the server!

Yay go Taylor and SteveS.
I have been a waitress for 6 years and I have worked at places where we only got $2.35per hour then tips. But after we report our tips I usually got about $1 per hour on my checks. Yes, there are days were I can make $10-15 an hour because we are busy, but on a slow night, or ESPECIALLY if I am working a buffet then I only get about $6. Also, if there is a bad night and I walk out of the restaurant with $2 for working 3 hours…it doesn’t matter, because they say that I will make up for it another night. If I get a few bad nights in a row, the same reply! It’s ridiculous! But I just have to think of the good nights. So tip your servers! It’s what we live on, it’s how we pay the bills. I don’t like that the government makes it that way…but it’s the sad truth.

Tips account for about 81% of a casino dealer’s income and on average will boost it from $7.55 an hour to $40.20 an hour.

WHAT?! LOL, I must be working in the wrong casino. Knowing just how off these numbers are makes me wonder about the validity of the rest of the article.

I know this is not going to be a very popular opinion here but I am trying to be very honest with the folks here. I am sick and tried of tipping. If you have TAKEN a job where your hourly wages are low, and then please, find a job that doesn’t depend on the customer paying addition money for you to do the job you have been hired to do. Yes, I do think waitress and waiters are unpaid, no doubt about it. But to depend on the customer to provide you with addition dollars added to the bill is really a crazy idea. Depending on where I chose to eat, the price of the meal dictates the service. The higher the cost of the meal, the better service is what I should be getting. I do leave a tip, if I happy with the meal and the service, but I will never go back if the service or the meal is below par.

Just where does the tipping end? Should you tip the clerk at the store for carrying your bags out to your car? Do you tip the tow truck driver for coming out to towing your car? Do you tip your child’s school teacher who deals with your son or daughter all day? They don’t get paid as much as they should….Their a lot of folks who provide services to you and the idea of tipping never enters into the picture.

I am open for any ideas, please be kind, I am only sharing the thoughts of a person who doesn’t work in the food industry.

I have to agree with Ted. Really, if you don’t like the wage, find a job that pays better. The reality of the situation is, we don’t live in a Socialist country. Period.

I worked as a bartender. I had good nights and bad nights. Generous customers and cheapies. But I never felt that any customer was obligated to pay me. And I don’t feel obligated to tip when I’m out on the town. I’m not going to let a server walk all over me and then reward them for it. (The only reason I have for not tipping is the server’s attitude.) But I’m definitely overly generous if I’m treated well. And 90% of the time I’m treated well.

I used to bartend with a girl who was so surly. She bitched about her job all night long. She bitched about the customers all night long. Sadly, she was one of those “I deserve 15%-ers”. Man, she sucked. I don’t think she ever got that it was her personality–not the customer’s–that cost her a nice tip.

I would rather just have the tip added to my bill then have to worry about calculating and deciding what the tip should be. Makes things simple.

I find sometimes I am in a situation where I I have to give a tip unexpectedly. Well, I’m sorry but I don’t carry cash. Like ever! So sorry to the valet at a restaurant that I didn’t ever anticipate having valet parking. And sorry to the check out girl too. (Yes I am from the country. Valet and coat checker is rare)

I don’t agree with tipping a massage therapist. They are professionals. So they should act like them. Charge the bill you want to be paid for. I don’t tip my lawyer or doctor or accountant.

Tipping I dont mind overall. In a restaurant it is expected. But my goodness going out to eat these days is already pricey. Getting te bill and ten adding 20% tip is sometimes painful. Sometimes I order pick-up just to avoid the tipping so I can afford to eat out.

The tipping I do mind is when I travel in the USA (live in canada). When people know you are on vacation they act like leaches trying to get tips. Its just painfully annoying. I am a young strong woman I don’t need help with every little thing.

Again, overall I understand the need to tip. A lot of people really need that money. And I will do so as expected. But my goodness it seems too many people have there hand in my pocket.

I HATE tipping for service that I already paid for. Hey, I’m a private ambulance Paramedic…been one for 25 years and, after all those years in the business and with over 3 years of schooling, I make $14.50 an hour. Accepting tips is my industry isn’t acceptable unless it’s one of those pre-arranged privately paid transports from, say, a hospital to a home. But, to be clear, I haven’t gotten a tip and I don’t expect a tip, either. WHY should someone pay me a tip for service they expect to get for what they paid? My responsibilities, risks, long hours (sleepless 24 hour shifts), dangers, standards to uphold FAR FAR FAR outweigh those of the workers listed in this blog who DO get tips. Yeah I only make a tiny fraction of what my counterparts in the fire departments make (I’m hearing impaired so I don’t qualify for civil service) for doing the same thing they do in the field. Do I expect a tip? NO. A lot of these people in other service industries shouldn’t have to expect a tip. Why? MOST of them can come right off the street to work after a few days’ worth of orientation, etc. WE have to attend school for up to 2-3 years, THEN pass a slew of tests to simply get a license and THEN pay for, go through a SECOND internship process and then take tests to satisfy the local county governments for licensure in their areas JUST TO FREAKIN’ GO TO WORK! And the very second we do something wrong, we face the possibility of having our license suspended or revoked…which would effectively end our livelihood.

I believe people should tip if only they feel they should because they got exceptional service. GOOD WORKERS SHOULD NEVER EXPECT A TIP. I go out of my way to make people comfortable and ensure their safety at their worst time of need and often it’s above and beyond what most people would want to do. But I don’t expect a tip, even if it would boost my wages to near what I SHOULD be making.

I agree with the blogger…the U.S. should adopt the Japanese standard: if it’s expected we tip practically everyone, then let’s include a standard-industry specific-amount into the cost of those services so that the workers get a little more wages. It’s a simple as that. If you’re going to obligate people, do it in the cost, not by browbeating them.

I stopped going to supercuts for haircuts because they’d always put me on the spot about adding a tip. If I’m wearing my uniform (going off duty for example), I have no choice but to smile and give them a good tip otherwise it makes our company look bad.

While I agree that waitresses, bellboys, car washers, pizza delivery persons, massueses, etc. all work hard, they DO get a wage from their employer, although pretty crappy at times. Hey, my wages are pretty crappy but that’s the way it all crumbles down. Do you hear ME whining about not getting tips???

Well said mtnmedic. I’ve always felt that a person working in the service industry should NOT in any situation expect to be tipped. The idea behind tipping is that it is a bonus, not something that should be given because someone is not getting paid enough to do their job. People argue that if you tip the server, your next service will be better, but why should I tip for something that isn’t on par in the first place? Surely you need to have ‘earned’ the tip? Even then, should you drop your service level just because you didn’t get tipped?

I understand that the minimum wage in the US is ridiculously low, It would be nice to see some restaurant owners take a step in the right direction and pay their staff more, instead of trying to force the customer to pay extra for something they may not even get, good service.

whoever is aginst tiping,maybe you should take a lill trip over to europe and see hows the servise look out there where tip is not a MUST!!!

Or they could take a trip to Japan where tipping isn’t required and the service is outstanding.

OK, first of all, I’m not a bartender, server, dealer, or anything else. But consider the reasoning behind it. Many of these people aren’t making serving their career, it isnt a life choice they decided to make. Many are working their way through college, and wont be serving for ever, who couldn’t have used a couple extra bucks in college. Secondly, if you want to establish a relatioship with someone, this is an excellent way. You tip and you are the next served, ,food is always out quickly, always well done. My hair stylist loves me because i throw her a couple extra bucks. Listen, I am no millionaire, but I certainly can afford 3 dollars on a 17 dollar tab. if you are bent out of shape for those three dollars, maybe YOU should get a new job where you have a little more flexibility to help someone else out. Tipping is important, it shows respect, and appreciation.

Does anyone know why people don’t tipp mechanics? Most don’t. Is it because they think we make a lot of money?
Most of us don’t…

I have to disagree with Ted and KM because I used to work as a waitress for 8 yrs when I was in college, and I know how hard the waitresses and waiters have to work to make a living. A lot of people do not have many choices to select a certain kind of jobs they want to work, but they have to work around their schedules and take whatever jobs are available to them. In most of the restaurants, waiter and waitress have to tips the busboy, bartender, food runners, and even dishwashers and kitchen helpers. One of the worst place to work for is working in Japanese restaurants, the management makes us have to pool tips, and they make us tip the bartender base on 10% of the total food and alcohol sale, 15% to the bus boy, 5% to dishwashers and kitchen helpers, and whatever left divide between the rest of the waitresses. But when the customers sit at the sushi bar, the sushi chefs allows keeping 80% of the tips and the waitresses only have 20% of the tips from sushi bar. Waitresses do not have much left to take home, and on top of that we have to pay taxes so my pay check for every week is zero or if I am lucky to have $10.00 on the paycheck. That’s how bad it is. Most of the time, the bartender doesn’t even care to make my customer’s drinks even though I was waiting for him, he does not care my customers get mad or not, he always makes his customers’ drinks first because they sit at the bar and he will get more tips from them and let me and other waitresses waiting in line to get drinks from the bar. No matter what he still gets his cut at the end of the night. Chefs in Hibachi restaurants get half of the tips belong to waitresses, and yet the waitresses have to pay the busboy and kitchen helpers again. I am not sure is that legal or not giving half of the tips to chefs and they don’t even claim tax on that tips that they get. Now, I have a professional job, but I would never forget these old days. As a result, I always leave the waitress at least 18% to 25% tip in a buffet restaurant. The other day, I had such a rude and classless waitress in a Ryan restaurant, I was really upset due to her attitude and extremely crappy services, she though that I wouldn’t give her a tip due to my outfit and my nationality, but I still left her 20% tip. I know how she feel if I didn’t leave her any tips. I tried to tell myself that she had a bad day and she does not have an easy job. I think if you had worked in the restaurant industry, you will understand and sympathy for people who have the same job. However, I probably will never come back to that restaurant again.

In addition, I don’t think people should tip the massage therapist at all because they charge $60.00 for an hour, and yet they still want tips tips tips. The government should make a law that the employees do not allow receiving tip if they are making minimum wage per hour. It’s annoying me that tip jars are all over the place these days, you go to star buck buy a cup of coffee, and pay $4.00, and you still have to tip? It’s ridiculous and I hate to see that people are trying to take advantage to each other. In addition, my boyfriend and I went on a trolley in Savanna and it cost us $46.00 for both, and yet the drivers are expecting tip as well whenever we get off a stop in a historic town. What the heck is really going on? The tipping things are getting ridiculous.

Waitress. That was very classy of you to leave a tip to the nasty waitress. I did the same when I went to a cafeteria the other day here in Miami. I was dirty from working, all the other patrons were nice and clean men. The young waitreses were nice to them and nasty to my friend and me. I still left a 20% tip.

I feel that tipping is one’s choice. People say ‘A few dollars won’t kill you” because the other person doesn’t make much, but what about the customer?? what if they don’t have that much money either? i mean, we’re already buying overpriced food to begin with, i don’t feel i HAVE to give a tip, or if i do give a small tip it should be appreciated because i didn’t HAVE to leave anything. I”M NOT RICH EITHER!!

Yes food is expensive. But the reason is restaurants and many other busineses are paying very high rent. So the ones really taking all the money are the landlords.
If you don’t really have much money, stay home and buy some groceries and cook at home. You should not expend money eating out then.

okay, now i think this guy is a cheap, cheap person! Im a hair stylist and let me tell you, we would be making hardley anything if it weren’t for tips. Especially in beauty school, if you EVER visit a beauty school you should always tip. The students dont get paid at all and are actually paying 10′s of thousands of dollars to do free hair for a year. A tip can really make somone’s day. It is such a good feeling to have someone tip you, it makes your day. So if a couple of extra dollars will make someone’s day, then why not tip?

This an article I wrote.

I have been working in automobiles for about 30 years. In that time I have seen the good the bad and the ugly when it comes to automotive things and tipping. Tipping seems to be something that creates stress and insecurity on humans. But it is mostly because people prefer to ignore the facts than to humble them selves and research the subject.

Money represents many things to different people. Some service providers rely on tips to survive, others can do with out them finely. But I stress the point that a tip is not only the value as money but a gesture. A smile or a hand shake followed by a tip has much more meaning to a person.
Doing research about this subject I found that the internet has little or close to nothing about it (tipping mechanics). The reasons why people don’t tip auto mechanics in my opinion are varied.
People argue that mechanics make very high amounts of money. Not so. Only a very few mechanics get paid properly. The tools and training mechanics need to be able to be professionals are paid usually by themselves. So why should you be responsible for that? You aren’t, a tip is a gesture. It is not expected but welcomed. If you are wealthy I say to you, be generous. The money you save is not going to do any good sitting in the bank.

Will a service provider be offended if you offer them a tip?

I am a mobile mechanic and shop owner, I have never gotten offended because someone wanted to show me their appreciation.
I read that in Europe in some countries tipping is not really practiced. If so, the tip is included on the bill.
To me a tip besides the monetary value has a deeper meaning. When it is given along a smile or a hand shake does wonders for your soul.

Mechanics don’t actually rely on tips to support their families, but some will probably be very happy when you tip them. They are indeed welcomed.

So what is considered adequate when tipping your mechanic?

I suggest this. If you are tipping a mechanic on a shop, 5% of the total bill before taxes, if it is a mobile mechanic around 8 to 10% of the bill (consider the convenience of someone coming to you), If the mechanic is also the shop owner then it is a little bit more tricky. Yes he/she makes “all� the money but he/she also has all the expenses of the business (overhead), So maybe 5% will be fair.
Remember be considerate. As you service providers are human, they get sad, distracted etc. Instead of withholding a tip, make a commentary to the manager for less than adequate service.
I agree that for intended very bad service with no explanation or apology you tip 0. Sorry.

Bottom line, you tip when you can and what your heart tells you. If you are a cheap skate, so be it, nobody wants to change you.

I read some service providers saying that they won’t accept a tip; well you must be making very good dough. But will you also reject a smile and or a handshake? No? I didn’t think so. The money that the customer wants to give you comes from their heart most of the time, so actually you could be hurting their feelings by not accepting their present.

Remember, the mechanic only gets a small percentage of what the shop charges, and none from the parts he/she usually sells.
With out the mechanic the shop wouldn’t be selling all those parts, still they get zero commission from that.

I think if you can’t tip because you are actually broke, then indeed smile and give us a handshake, we will understand.

What about giving presents as tips?

I think that is up to you. If you are the kind of person that likes giving baked goods or a 6 pack of beer, by all means. Give to your heart contents.
The point here is this, what you are doing is showing your appreciation, not buying better service. That’s why I recommend giving tips after the service is provided. That way no one has any expectations or duties.

Also do you have to tip every time you get service? Again, it is up to you. Some times you may not have enough to make a tip. It is ok. I don’t think a mechanic that received a tip from you before is going to be offended because you didn’t tip him/her again. Do not worry, as I said before we don’t really count on your tip, but we don’t hate the gesture.

I suggest you do some research on the net about this subject. There you can find much info that will enlighten you. Many people don’t know when or how much to tip. If you go out or travel a lot you need to educate your self if you want to avoid embarrassment. You need to be able to acknowledge other people’s efforts in to be able to socialize. Cheap skates are not liked anywhere, don’t be one of them.

9/07

[...] Tipping is tricky because a lot us don’t always know when to tip, who to tip or how much to tip. We’ll help you make sense out of this topsy turvy world and today we’re going to tackle tipping.For more information, check out The Simple Dollar and Personal Finance Advice. [...]

Speaking as a special educator – NO MORE CANDLES. Give me a spa gift certificate anyday – I promise I will not see it as a bribe. A gift card for the classroom? Are you crazy?

How much do you tip household movers?

I must say, I have never understood why people flatly refuse to tip based on the fact that they feel pressured by Society (not the government, people! The government only cares about tips when it comes to tax season!). Anyone ever watch Resevoir Dogs? That first scene is Classic! “I expect the waitress to fill my coffee cup 6 times” = Perfect. I was a bartender for 7 years, worked at 3 very high end restaurants, had to take multiple tests based on the massive amounts of information necessary to truly do your job WELL (!), and was rewarded by regular guests that appreciated everything that I was able to provide them! Bartenders are therapists, confidants, and friends as well as drink experts and joke tellers (or at least the good ones are). Sadly, we have become accustomed to terrible service, and now accept it as being normal; bottom line, I expected tips because I knew that my guests were very happy when they left the restaurant, that my service was up to MY expectations, and that if I didnt get a tip from a guest that was just cheap, well… I still did my job to my exacting specifications. If you don’t tip as a rule, try a little experiment: Go to a restaurant/diner/bar where you normally go, and find your regular server; tip them BEFORE the meal, and see if you get better service. If you don’t, well, they suck at their job and are just praying for something better to come along. If the service is better, maybe, just maybe, the tip makes a difference! Make someones day, tip them well, see how the karma works for you =) I am not in the bar business anymore, as the work hours aren’t exactly family oriented, but I tip heavily and often (maybe try an “over-tipping” policy??), and I will often tip the individual directly, telling them to put it in their pocket.
Do some good for your fellow humans! =)

Well mtn medic, I do hear you complaining about not getting tips, in fact thats what your entire rant was about! I am in school to be a massage therapist, and I will never expect to get tipped, but as for the lower paid people than what you are getting, why not? Giving a couple extra bucks never hurt anyone, and you never know, you might have helped your waitress feed her children that night, or make that couple extra dollars she needed for her tuition payment for college. I think that peoples driving force in life needs to stop being money and start being people.

servers/waitress get paid about 4.28 an hour by the place they work. They depend on their tips to make enough to live. If a server/waitress gives good service then tip them well. 15% would be okay for good service but more if you are really demanding. My daughter is a waitress she received 56 cents on a $7.00 drink. At least give a dollar. At the end of the night she has to tip-out the bartender and the person who cleans the tables. So your waitress needs the tip. Also certain groups of people tend not to tip hardly at all and that is why some people don’t like to wait on them. From her experience many black people don’t tip or tip very little, not all of them but alot don’t even leave 10% yet run the waitress ragged. People should tip for good service. Thankyou

Well, I think the TIP thing is out of hand. First off I tip 20% and probably less or no tip for bad service. I do it to be nice but hope to get quick and good service. Usually a regular place I goto.Otherwise I am low tip person. I hit up a lot of high end places too in Dallas. Now my parents stick to the 10%-15%. After working in a real job I realize those people living on tips make too much money for what they do. I know hard working people making only $10 hr for the rest of there life. Where there is bartenders in Applebee’s making $20-30. I say good for them but it makes it hard for the average person to go out. BTW I am working toward a accounting degree. With gas price unless tip demand goes down you will see the industry hurt more and more. Wages are not going up for real 9-5 workers.

While I am neither for or against tipping, I can state that I too lived in Japan for six years. While tipping doesn’t exist, there is a service charge that is built into the tab at most restaurants. This means that you are paying a tip if the service is good or not. That was something that I was VERY much against (and still am).

I’m not originally from the US and while I usually tip I hate doing it. I don’t understand why I can’t just pay the true cost of the meal/service/etc including the true cost of the server’s labor. Part of me suspects that a lot less people would take jobs as servers if there was a standard wage. High risk = high reward. Sure no one is getting rich off being a waiter or a waitress but overall I think it balances out well enough that people want to do it. Otherwise they’d take other jobs.

Giving tips should depend only on your satisfaction and delight which you get in many ways i.e
- service of the waiter
-behavior of the waiter
-tone in which the waiter is dealing with you etc.
It should not depend upon the whims of the waiters.If you feel delighted by their service then you can pay as much you want but giving tips should not depend upon the discretion of waitors

Even as a server, I do think some of the tipping hype is out of hand. However, I do think those that are generally paid minimum wage should be tipped for their services.

In a restaurant, servers are typically required to pay tax on 8% of their sales and tip out anywhere from 2 to 5% of their sales to other employees. So if you don’t tip AT LEAST 10%, your server is actually LOSING money by having you as a customer.

Some of you say you don’t tip if the service was bad. My question is: what constitutes “bad” service? It’s a pretty vague term. Are you sure it was the server who sucked? Or did their grandma die last week and they’re having a rough day? Or were they managing twelve tables at once because they were busy and shorthanded? Should they let you know ahead of time if they are short-staffed? Most customers don’t like it when we do this because they think we’re trying to make excuses.

Restaurant work is some of the most demanding work you can do without a degree. Waiting on 4, 8, or 12 tables at once may not sound difficult, but I assure you, it is. And when you don’t tip or tip very poorly, your server WILL remember you and the next time, they won’t go out of their way to pay extra attention to you because they know they’re basically paying to have you sit there.

So what do we think you should tip? Well, it really does depend. I would say if the service royally sucked, tip 10%. Remember, any less actually loses money for the server. And while you may like that idea, no one arbitrarily removes money from your paycheck just because you had a rough day.

If the service was average, tip 15%. By average, I mean you got what you expected, but nothing more.

If the service was good, tip 20%. By good, I mean your server was at your beck and call with anything you needed at any time.

Now, if you have a server that blows your mind with how excellent and friendly they are, 20% is the minimum.

As an average, I make about 21% of my sales in tips, so I must be doing something right!

There are a couple of other rules, too…

Don’t ever leave less than one dollar, even if you only had a $2.45 glass of pop. Less than $1 is rude–especially if you’ve taken up a table for 45 minutes drinking that pop.

If you want to signal excellent service but don’t want to tip more than 20%, leave your 20% (rounded) and two pennies. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know. I just know that’s what it means.

Last but not least, like some others have said, if you cannot afford to tip your server, you cannot afford to eat out. Period. Like it or not, they do depend on tips for income. Why knowingly punish them?

I am a server and I make sure and do my best everytime I wait on a table. I am in charge of the whole restaurant which equals 11 tables. It really bothers me when I extend my hospitality and friendliness and then I don’t get a tip. I only make $4.00 an hour and people don’t seem to realize that. Generally 15% for lunch and 20% for dinner is the customary percent for tipping. And yes I do remember you if you tip me well, and I will go out of my way to make your experience the best. I’ll charge you for water instead of a soda, I’ll give you free chips and salsa. We both win in this situation. So please be generous and tip your server well. They will greatly appreciate it.

I think the worst thing I’ve read on here is how some of you guys said that you do to-go just so you can afford to eat out. Got news for you, even the to-go gets paid based on the idea that you’ll tip. And the worst part is for me, I can’t pay my bills because no one is tipping me.

I hate it when people say, go get a better job if you don’t like your wage…. um hey we take what’s available. If I didn’t have to work at a resturant, I wouldn’t. The hours suck, you have no life, its draining, and ect. At least I’m in school so I don’t have to do that the rest of my life. But I feel bad for those who make it their living. And so should everyone else. So help everyone out. Help stimulate our economy and spend your money and TIP!

I’m one of those people who resent giving tips, just because I’m supposed to tip!
Give me smiles and very good service, then I’m pleased to tip.
Why is it my responsibility that the waiter and mail carrier and clergy have taken a job that depends on tips?
I’m employed for a salary that has been set in stone for 4 yrs and the owner says he will never raise salaries. We received a bonus 2 yrs in a row. Not this year, not even a holiday gift.
And I’m supposed to tip someone or be considered cheap? Give me a break!

I agree with what Charlie said. I work as a server, it’s not because I’m stupid,I has to do with my schedule. I have children and I go to school full time. Tipping should be thought of as part of your bill. I work at a dinerm my section has 22 tables. Guess what? If I fill up unexpectedly, I am attending to the needs of over 80 people at once. If any of you non-tippers think you can handle that- get your sneakers and fill in for me on a Friday when the bars let out. My job is hard- tips, having cash everyday is the reward. I have nights I walk out with 20 bucks, and nights where I make over 25 an hour. That depends on you guys, wheather you think that sucks or not- it’s the truth.

When someone treats me nicely and tries to make me happy whether it’s a Hairstylist, Makeup Artist, Waitress, Waiter, Pizza Delivery or Drive Thru Coffee Server, I show my appreciation with a 20% Tip.

I work in the restaurant industry..and worked fast food for 6 1/2 years for McDonalds…one of the best things that ever happened was McTeacher night.. you have all of these teachers who come in and work in the store with you who have usually never worked this type of job before and I would get so many comments of, “I will never get angry at a fast food place again” they don’t realize how hard the work is…so my thought is everyone should try working in this industry just once so they can see what really goes on behind the scenes and the type of money you bring in maybe then they will appreciate us more and tip better!

No ever tipped me when I had a job… needless to say what I do….

Although I do not believe that bad service deserves to be rewarded, please realize that .08 of every $1.00 you spend on a meal, is considered income by the federal government

i am a server andi will tell you all of my income is based off my tips I DO NOT GET PAID it is very wrong not to tip you dont know what the job is like until you have worked it, and p.s gratuity is added because even though you may tip us well, other may not and it is ensuring our income based on that table. We add gratuity to larger parties and we deserve it, you put a lot of time into a big party and you lose out on taking other tables and making more money, all it all dont be cheap and tip well, we work hard!!

If you go out to eat, you should leave a tip for your server. No, you don’t tip everyone you come across in every industry (those comments are pretty sarcastic.) However tipping your waiter/waitress is common knowledge in my opinion. How much, well that’s up to you/the service. For the person up top who commented on gratuity being added to the check and said “what if I wanted to tip more?” Duh, add the cash on top of the check. Really people. Also, for those of you who think that people took the job for minimum wage so if they don’t like it they should get another job/wage. If that happens you’ll be ordering at the counter and taking a number to wait for your filet mignon. Haha!

There are times when I don’t feel like a tip is in order, but I will usually leave something, anyway. I always think that maybe someone is just having a bad day, Or that if they get a tip even though their service wasn’t up to par, it might just make him/her rethink the lousy attitude. But, most of the time, I tip a waitress/waiter 20%. I’ve worked in the food industry and know how difficult it can be. And, I rarely get what I would consider to be bad service.
Two things I hate when it comes to tipping: 1) When someone in my party tries to tell me I”m leaving too much. It’s my choice, and I hate it when someone argues with me.
2) When a generous tip isn’t acknowledged. I recently left a $7 tip on a $13 bill (a 54% tip) and the waitress never said a word. Up until then, I was impressed with how well she did her job, and how great her attitude was.

Here’s the deal:

The reality is most servers do not make enough hourly wages to pay for anything. period. I am a server who makes $2.13/hour. All of my paychecks really do say “$0.00″ because every red cent goes to taxes.

Several of you have said, “If you don’t like working in an industry where you rely on tips rather than hourly wages for your income, then don’t work that job.” Believe me, I don’t want to. I work in this industry not by choice but because it is all I have available to me. Other full time jobs will not work around a full-time school schedule (that’s right, just because I’m a server doesn’t mean I’m an incompetent monkey but rather a struggling student majoring in Biology to further a career in medicine) and without a college degree I am very limited.

Many of you have said, “I will not tip over on what I have already paid for. I have already paid for their services in the bill by paying for my food”. No you haven’t. The profit on your food is marginal and that’s what keeps the lights on, the property lease paid, the air running, etc. Again the profit–as in what’s left after the food itself is paid for—pays all these expenses in addition to management and maintenance. Simply put, don’t take something you won’t pay for. The restaurant does not pay us, they expect you to. I don’t like it, you don’t like it, but that’s the cold hard truth. If you don’t want to pay for service don’t take service. That’s stealing. If you don’t want to tip, go to Golden Corral and make use of their all-you-can-eat help-yourself buffet. Servers aren’t there because the job is fun, because they are bored, or because they love groveling to pompous strangers, they’re there because their survival depends on it.

I love the comment that said, “…the ultimate sin, no tip at all…”. This is very true. Sadly, if you leave nothing, not only did you steal your server’s time and effort but you stole directly from their pocket very literally. Most restaurants require servers to pay at least a 3% “tipshare” to the restaurant regardless of your tip. If you leave no tip on a $100 check, your server just PAID the restaurant $3 for you to waste their time. This “tipshare” pays the hostesses and bussers (the individuals who clean the tables, help the line cooks, keep the restaurant clean) whose services you also took advantage of.

Ted, to compare tipping a server to tipping a towtruck driver (who is typically self-employed and keeps every dollar of the over-priced fee w/ exception of gas) or to your child’s school teacher (who not only has an appropriate salary but benefits as well) is just silly and frankly grasping at straws. The difference is, your tax dollars (and mine, remember my $0.00 paycheck?) pay your child’s teacher for the grade school education your child is legally entitled to, and the tow-truck driver demands his fee outright. A server approaches you with no set fee and trusts you to pay them what they earn. In honor of your rationale Ted, perhaps servers should set a fee for their services rather than pray for your graciousness. This means you too Pelu.

Just a thought, in the spirit of honesty, why not wear a badge that says, “I tip no one” and see what caliber of service you receive. This would at least be fair for both parties rather than misleading a hard-working human being just before duping them.

Simply put, if you cannot afford to tip, you cannot afford to dine out.
For those of you that comprehend this, here are some helpful tips:

? 15% really is a minimum. It is a percentage rather than a flat fee so if prices are high, so is the cost of living and a person’s earnings should be proportional.
? Only hold a server responsible for their position. They did not cook your food, they don’t set the thermostat, and they don’t control the wait time at the hostess stand. These are things that do matter however, and if you have an issue with something of this nature, ask to speak with a manager. As a server I cannot reiterate this enough. Most of us want to be hospitable and facilitate an enjoyable experience. We won’t hesitate to retrieve a manager when you need them.
? Do hold a server responsible for their attitude and effort. Tip accordingly.

You failed to mention servers in any of the information given and the state that I reside only pays their servers and average of 2.50 an hour so they really depend on tips to make a living. I propose at least 20% for good and raise it from there dependent upon the enviroment but more so the quality of your service. Food service is one of the most difficult aspects of the service industry.

I work as a card dealer in a casino and personally I dont agree with their tipping strategy. Customers placing bets for you, while being a nice gesture, is mostly pointless. Most dealers prefer to just get the money than have a chance to win double the ammount. There is a reason we stand on the house side of the table, its usually the winning side so tips that are made as bets don’t generally make it to my paycheck. I recomend giving the dealer between 10 and 20% of a single bet per hour, but if you really want to gamble with it bet a lower ammount but more frequently.

I don’t mind tipping when I get good service. it does piss me off to some degree that restaurant owners expect their patrons to pay their payroll. I think everyone needs to understand that of course the figures stated in the article are far from exact…how many people who regularly receive tips actually report ALL of them?? Secondly, even if a server’s hourly wage is only $3.00, IF her tips do not equal at least minimum wage, her employer is required by law to make sure she earns at least minimum wage. If you consider she most likely is not reporting ALL her tips, one must assume she is earning an adequate pay or she wouldn’t be working there. I refuse to pay automatic gratuities. If an establishment practices that policy, I choose not to go there. My biggest pet peeve with tipping though is pooled tips! Why should my exceptional, friendly server have to split her tips with the witch on the other side of the restaurant with a chip on her shoulder?

In six years of employment as a waitress in a fine dining establishment I have never received a pay raise (except for when they changed the law) and neither have any other waitresses there. We make $3.43 an hour. The rest of our wages rely totally on tips. There are several servers there who are single mothers relying soley on tips to raise their families . We are pretty lucky having a higher class clientele that on average tips 20%. But my heart goes out to those working at restaurants where it is acceptable to tip 10% or less. Also, if you receive crappy service it is better to leave a poor tip and comment card. Often times when a customer leaves no tip at all the waitress assumes it was an honest mistake. Please, Please consider the situation of those receiving the tips before tipping – remember that may be their main source of income.

While visiting in the Napa Valley recently my husband and I used our debit cards to pay for meals. We always leave our tips on the table, but several of the restraunts decided to take the tip out of our debit card even though we had crossed it out. We called them on it and explained we always leave the tip on the table, if we hadn’t looked at our bill we would have double tipped. I’m sure the waitress/waiter would never have said anything different. Watch your bill when paying by debit/credit card.

I worked at a bar/eatery where the owner took a cut of the tips as well. Technically “working”, yet doing the bare minimum to contribute to our pooled tips. Even admitting that customers don’t tip him because they know he is the owner. And he gets a paycheck for $16/hr while he pays his workers $4-$7 an hour.

It is unbelievable how people neglect the overwhelming point here…I was a server for thirteen years before I became a successful business owner…the job not only provided me with the OPPORTUNITY to EARN tips, but also connect with people who could help me in certain aspects of life…lets say a mechanic comes in and I give him great service, he provides me with a tip, guess where I ended up getting my brake realignment? At his shop…If you dont have the money to spend when you go out, please, stay home..and if you refuse to leave a tip, let your server know so they can give you the minimum service necessary in order to focus on guests who truly care about their well being….can you believe in my thirteen years I treated every guest the same…never expected tips but funny how a lil humilaty goes a long way…and by the way..black people tip for the jerk who insinuates that they dont….

I personally believe the income figures listed here are HIGHLY generalized across the U.S. and not be considered as what every industry actually pays their employees. As a customer/tipper one should keep in mind that what IS true is that employers don’t pay their employees what they really deserve for providing a service to others. I always leave a tip of AT LEAST 12% (delivery drivers)-20% (excellent personalized service). Keep in mind that the idea of wanting to prove a point to a service provider by leaving no tip or a bad tip MAY not actually be their fault and if you really want to make a point, you should confront them directly with the issue or the management in order to correct the problem. In case you don’t know how to calculate a tip or don’t want to figure it out, you can at least figure on doubling the tax from you bill and depending the level of service provided to you, add or subtract $1 or $2.

On a more personal note, I am a Massage Therapist who does not receive the listed $33/hr here (a lot less) and more so most of us only get paid when we have an appt and not at all when we are waiting for one. When I receive a massage (even before I became a therapist) I would AT LEAST leave 15-20% (as long as I actually received a massage and whether it was to MY personal liking). In my opinion, a massage is a VERY personal service where somebody is helping you through the power of touch on a physical and emotional level which goes way further than somebody parking your car or serving/delivering your food (though I have had some great servers)…again, my personal opinion.

So i was a valet for many years and I only made 5 and hour and i was lucky too get tips people dont understand that people in the service industries live off tips.

Tipping puts you in a bad predicament. No tip for bad service still gets bad service next time. Ok tip, service doesn’t get any better, good tip, you’re out the money for the great service. Either way you lose. If you’re on a date you have to tip good or the date will think less of you. If people in these jobs aren’t happy then they should find a new career and be miserable with a consistent paycheck that deducts to nothin’ after taxes like the rest of us.

I think its stupid that our culture has forced us to give tips. Sure, Ill tip you if you do a good job, if i feel like it, thats why it is a tip. Its not mandatory and should not be like the US has made it. If i dont feel like giving you a tip, then i wont, end of story.

#35 trash comes in all colors ;o)

Kansas minimum wage is $.65 Alabama and others HAVE no set minimum wage. Go see what the rest of your country pays its people at the below link-

http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm

Kansas minimum wage is $2.65 Alabama and others HAVE no set minimum wage. Go see what the rest of your country pays its people at the below link-

http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm

$2.65 is right. Top post was a mistake.

Id like to know what is proper tipping for going to an asian buffet? They serve you the drinks and you get all of your own food. I’ve heard from them that it should be a dollar a glass even refills. What do you think?

It is true that the government automatically assumes that 8% of restaurant sales are tip income. So they tax that. So, whatever the case is, you should at least leave 8% no matter what. Also, it is true that servers remember people who tips alot and those who tips next to nothing. It is also true that black people are the suckiest people when it comes to tipping. White people are the best. And that came as no surprise. Even though I’m asian, I have to admit asians aren’t usually really good tippers either. Usually hispanic people sucks too.

The prices in restyrants are very high and I think the workers need to get a better pay rate from the employers,and leave the tipping to be the customer as in most cases the sevice is terrible but you are expected to tip.
I never eat in a place that has the tip automatically put on the bill like Fridays.

I get a fair pay for doing my job,so should everyone. It is time to give good service because you have a job to do.

I served tables for years – throughout college and years after until I found a decent job in my field. When I was a server, the pay was $2.13/hr. And this was not a poor, “Mom and Pop” type establishment. This was one of the largest corporate restaurants in the nation. Employers expect that your tip money will more than make up for this meager salary. This pay was sometimes not even enough to cover the taxes that we had to pay on the money that we were tipped. I would receive “pay checks” that told me that I still owed the government money for the tips that I received. Take it from me, most kids in the service industry live and die by the change that you leave on the table. And the appropriate amount to tip in a restaurant is 15-20%. 15% for poor service to 20% for excellent service. People that refuse to tip infuriate me. You are taking rent and food money away from the individual that is bending over backwards to make sure that you have enough iced tea in your glass. Have a heart. Leave a couple bucks for these people. If you can’t afford to tip properly, then you shouldn’t be out to eat.

with this stimulus package coming, we should be able to eliminate all tips.

I disagree on the nanny’s tip 1 week pay I judge is great especialy when they are payed $450.00 and more a week.Plus yes I agree extras here and there on weeks that were harder or just thoughtful gestures ounce in a while

I agree with your friend, one gets paid a salary to do ones job, the thing is, ; we have gotten used to tipping of be tipped, that in general we get angy if we do not get a tip. Therefore, what we have been doing, is educating bad service, because people simply will not do their job at its best if they do not get a tip, and one should do the best at what one is doing because we are getting a salary for it, simply.

Tipping has been taken advantage of by the restaurant and government, although the original intent of this custom was an attitude of reward and friendship. The reality of it now is one of necessity for those in the food service industry. Conditions are such that make tips the absolute difference between making a living wage or LOSING money. This is the sad but true reality today. I tip my waitstaff generously and I`m provided the BEST and friendliest service. At my regular restaurants, my drink is WAITING for me at my table or bar I usually frequent. Yes, my server sees me get out of my vehicle in the parking lot, and goes out of his/her way to please me. When I tip I put cash in the server`s hand, plus I add enough in the credit card “tip” line to cover taxes. This always works out well for the server and myself. Many times I`ll notice that if I have a second drink with my meal, it won`t be shown on the ticket. Now wouldn`t you prefer that to crappy service and a poor attitude?

C’mon people…you might not get tips, but saying that people in the Service Industry should quit whining and find jobs with higher pay? That’s pretty ignorant. It’s the Service Industry! If you drive someone to the hospital in an ambulance, your demeanor and personality do not effect the quality of their experience, thereby dictating whether or not they will return or boost business by word-of-mouth advertising. Tips are an incentive for employees in the service industry to go the extra mile to ensure that your experience is a good one and that you will return as well as speak well to others about your experience. If the service is bad and it is due to the SERVER…then tip/don’t tip accordingly. If it was due to conditions beyond the servers control, then don’t punish the server…just don’t return. When you just look for things to complain about so you don’t have to tip, you’re just a miserable person and you shouldn’t be eating out. You should expect to pay at least 15% gratuity when you go out, so stop complaining about it. You have the option to cook at home. This is America, and as much as I love many things about America, let’s face it…we’re pretty crappy to each other unless we have an incentive to be nice. Not all of us, but a lot of us. I tip between 20 and 30%, depending on the service, and get treated very well. If you don’t tip in this range, then you don’t know what EXCELLENT service means. Return to a place that you consistently tip well at, and you receive excellent service, larger pours on drinks, seating when there is a waiting list, and even comped/no charge items. The servers speak well of you to other servers, and you end up always getting excellent service. When you are cheap, rude and whiney, for whatever sad reason is justification to you, your service will always suffer, word will spread in the establishment that you are a douche, and everyone will treat you like one. They don’t care if you don’t come back…they don’t want you to return. Besides, pissing off the people that handle your food…stupid. All the horror stories that you hear about spitting in food and MUCH worse…they’re true. Tipping well ensures your food will not be “mishandled”. If you think for one second that they don’t remember you if you’re rude or cheap, think again. Tipping helps you get better service and ensures the establishment better performance from employees. If there wasn’t tipping, think of how bad service would be for us. Do you tip at McDonald’s? Service there sucks…they don’t care. They don’t get tipped. I’ve tipped well when I had a bad experience (not the servers fault) in a restaurant so as not to punish the server, and the next time I came in, I received excellent service, as I did from that point on. If you don’t like the system, stay at home and cook.

I AM A WAITRESS AND IT UPSET ME WHEN I AM NOT TIP PROPER I GO OUT OF MY WAY TO GIVE THE BEST SERVICES THAT I CAN MY PAY SCALE IS SO LOW IF A PERSON DOSEN’T TIP ME I AM WORKING 4 FREE BECAUSE IRS GET MY HOURLY SALARY AND SOME SO PLEASE WHEN YOU GO OUT THINK ABOUT THE PERSON THAT IS DOING THE JOB HAVE A FAMILY ALSO

I think most tipping is unneeded. I have been both a waitress and a hair dresser,& barber. Never expected a tip. Doing good work was my job, and if good enough they returned.I enjoyed pleasing my customers,and my job.

When we go out, we tip 20% for good service after deducting the taxes and price of bottled alcohol. How hard is it to open a bottle of beer or bottle of overpriced wine?
It annoys me when the server asks “do you need change?” Do not assume that I don’t need change- I will tell the server “no change needed”, if necessary. And if the server takes a tip out of the change, I will ask for the change and leave half of what I would have left.
I am not cheap- I feel good about tipping well for good service.
Once our party was treated to a birthday dinner by the restaurant owner and everyone left a generous tip for the server except for my sister-in-law, who is a known cheap skate and left nothing. It was extremely embarrasing to be sitting next to her.

I would always tip at least 20% or do not visit the restaurant again. My repeat customers that do not tip well receive a little something extra in their meals. Let’s just say I rub out a gooey one into their gravy. A little man butter on their rolls, etc. I think you get my point.

Tips should be for good service only.

I am a waitress and yes, I get paid less than $3.00 an hour. My hourly wage is set BECAUSE my employer knows that I get tipped.
When I approach a table I always assume that the people there are out to have a nice, enjoyable meal that they do not have to cook or clean up.
I do everything I can to make sure that your order is exactly the way you like it (even when your requests are ridiculously demanding),
your food comes out of the kitchen at the proper time (I don’t always know that you were going to inhale your appetizer or that the kitchen was backed up with other orders and it is going to take longer than usual),
your drinks are never empty,
you have enough napkins without having to ask,
you have gotten all the last minute items you requested (like mustard or extra dressing),
you have had enough free bread,
your free water has enough lemons in it and has been refilled for the third time!,
I have brought your burger back to the kitchen because it wasn’t cooked properly (And I didn’t cook it!),
I have notified the manager and they have given you the burger for free,
I have checked on you three separate times and gotten all the other items you realized that you needed,
I have smiled and engaged in conversation with you,
I have fought with the cooks to get everything you wanted the way you wanted it in a timely manner,
I remember you when you come back and I know what you order,
AND I have 4 other parties that I am doing the same thing for—

ALL OF THIS is why you should tip.
20% should be the minimum.

Any server that does not do all of these things does not last very long as a server and usually leaves the restaurant industry.

And YES I must tip the busser and the bartenders!

I do not get ANY sick time, vacation time or health benefits–if I cannot work I do not get paid.

If you come in 5 minutes before we close and stay for 2 hours I must stay with you. I do not have an ending time to my shift.

If you sit at my table for an hour or two (preventing anyone else from sitting there), order lots of free stuff (like bread and water) and give me 10% of your $20.00 check I have just made a total of $4.89 for the time you have been here–AND most of the time I only have one or two tables at a time.

Servers are not making mega-bucks and yes we must pay taxes on everything we make. An extra dollar for your server means A LOT to the server.

SteveS, with that kind of mentality, intimidating people on the internet about inadequate tip, you are the reason why servers remain a lowly occupation. Don’t intimidate to beg for tips; earn it.

I’m reading all these comments about how I should take pity on the server, they barely get paid anything, maybe they’re having a bad day, they’re a single mom, etc…
Bottom line: if you want a tip, provide me decent service. I don’t mind if you forgot to put in my order or you’re really busy and rushed, but just have a decent attitude and check up on me once in a while. A little goes a long way. I start at 20% for mediocre service and go up from there. But if you really disappoint me, you’re not going to get much. As one writer stated “I don’t think she ever got that it was her personality–not the customer’s–that cost her a nice tip.”

I have worked 52 years and never recieved one tip and don’t see why I should tip.

I don’t know, I traveled in Europe and “tip” is already included in your bill. Maybe Japan is the same????? As a server we can add the gratuity here in the states, but most servers gamble that you will be respectful enough to tip. 10% is the minimum even with bad service. Bad service or not you had someone waiting on you and providing a service. Good service should be rewarded with 20%. It really isn’t too much to ask considering we make $2.13 an hour. While your salary stays the same or increases with a raise, ours is based on tips. If you can’t be courteous to your server and leave a little extra appreciation (20%) then stay home or hit up fast food where you don’t have to tip.

what a horrible article – where is the answer to the question? HOW MUCH SHOULD I TIP?

I don’t usually tip for pizza delivery – they are now adding $1-2 as a delivery charge. They can use that to pay the drivers, besides it’s always 45+ minutes to get something delivered!

I think they should implement a standard tip – $2 per person. Tipping based on the cost of the bill is stupid. Why should I pay more because I want to go to a place with more expensive food? It doesn’t require any extra skill to bring me a soda or steak at Ruth Chris than it does at Outback.

I always Tip but how much?

Wait staff are poorly paid. Some are trying to raise a family. Some really need the extra cash. I get that. But understand this, those are your problems not mine. I tip because I choose to. I do not consider the amount of the bill in my cosideration of a tip. I look at it thru a different set of eyes. I am no better or worse than the person waiting on me. So I generally keep track of how much time they spend with the table and pay them the same that I make. (Close to $20 hr) Sometimes its 70% of the bill sometimes 10%. Just because I order a skeak instead of a hamburger shouldnt affect the tip. Since I consider tip something I am doing to make me feel we are even, the better we got along the more obligated i feel to tip more. Also the little things like I bigger piec of pie or “Missing” a charge for something ordered like a diferent drink. I will generally add straight to the tip since it should be paid for. If it sounds like I am rewarding theft consider this. I dont feel sorry for someone paying $2.35 per hour.

I agree with Courtney and Charlie. Tipping can impact more than just the server. I involuntarily waited tables briefly after an unfortunate accident that forced me to take on serving to keep food on the table, but also because I liked it. But it is very stressful when you go above and beyond for a table and they claim everything was perfect and then stiff you or leave you a dollar. #69 Maybe you should ask the white server at the restaurant I dined at just last night that turned down us in his section (don’t want to say because I’m black, maybe he was tired) but he turned down a 17.00 tip. I bet he’s kicking himself right now. I believe in tipping well because of what I went through. and I have had the pleasant experience of the same treatment. I took on what was basically “rejected” and they were usually my best clients.

reading this makes me happy waiters in Holland think 10% is a good tip.

A tip is for service not paying someone a wage. Why would I tip a casino cashier for doing their job? Would they help me with my loses?

TIP 50% everywhere you go, expecialy quiznos

I’ve been working in the casino industry for 6 years and I find it very hard to believe the average dealer makes $40.20 per hour after tips of a base rate of $7.55. I’ve worked as a dealer in 4 states and the base rate was the highest I’ve ever seen at the world series at $6.50 per hour averaging close to $26.00 with tips. I personally make $4.25 an hour at my local casino and averaged $22.47 per hour with tips in 2008. Factor in that we have to pay license and uniform fees along with regular deductions and we generally make $14 $15 per hour.

Also on the issue of tipping a dealer. It is polite to ask the dealer if they want you to bet their tip. Me personally, I don’t want to gamble my wages while I work. I can do that in my off time.

When the service is really really good I have been known to leave a 50% tip. But one time when it was horrendous, I left a penny but also complained to the manager.

I hate that I should be expected to tip everybody who provides any type of service when I am already paying for the service. I do tip my waiter/waitress 15-20%. I am not going to tip at the sonic drive thru so give me back my change and I am not tipping at Starbucks whem I am getting a cup of coffee to go. If I stand in line to get my food and throw my trash away as I leave I am not leaving a tip. I tip the pizza deliverer a few bucks and my hairdresser cause she tries very hard to work around my schedule. Tips are necessary in some situations but the whole tipping thing is getting ridiculous.

I have to agree with the bloggers that said “You shouldnt rely upon tips to boost your income.”
I also believe that for those that said “Stay home, dont eat out”, if we all stopped eating out waiters & waiters every where would be stuck without any tips (PERIOD)& most likely w/o a job- U should think before you post things like that & be grateful you customers tipping or not.

I do NOT beleive in blanket tipping.
Firstly. If no one tipped, owners would have to pay there employees just like any other bussiness or go out of bussiness.
Secondly. From experience, most waiters/waitresses KEEP/STEAL quite a lot of the tips they make. That is they DO NOT report them.
I do not get to STEAL money from my employer. It ALL gets taxed.
So quit crying about how poorly you get paid and provide the service if you want a gratuity. I do NOT get that when I perform exeptional service for my company. Many times we are lucky to receive a raise that does not cover cost of living.

I completely disagree with whoever said to-go orders deserve the same tip as sit down service. What a crock!!! I usually give only $1-2 tip for a to-go order.
As for those who say, if you cannot afford to tip then you cannot afford to dine out…..not true either. I need to eat, not pay other people’s bills. And for the record….I usually figure my tip by starting with 18% on the pre-tax amount, then round up to the next dollar. More or less depending on the quality of service!

First off let me say that I have worked in the food industry and understand the tipping aspect of it. How can you state that if you could you wouldn’t tip. These people only make less than half of minimum wage. Only recently has the minimum wage been increased. Tipping is the American Way. Whatever they do in other countries is their business. Many of the comments stated that “if you do not like the job then change it” this comment is easier said than done. Many wait staff are working their way through school and depend on tips to pay for paper to write or print on, books, pencils, pens and other items needed for school. The schedule they work and the schedule for school leaves them very little time to enjoy life.

I have a proposal for those of you who do not agree with tipping. First off if all these people who serve you were to find other jobs, as you state, then there would be noone to wait on you when you went to a restaurant. On the other hand if you want to continue to eat out, then how about we do away with tipping and raise the prices of everything by the percentage that the wait staff is not getting in pay. In other words, if the wait staff is getting 50 percent less than minimum wage, then raise the price of the items by 75 percent and pay the wait staff minimum wage.

Either way, tipping or raising prices, these people depend on tips to meet the minimum requirements for living. Something that many of you take for advantage. If you made 2.00 to 3.00 dollars per hour would you be able to make you house payments, or drive you nice cars, or even afford to buy clothes? These are questions you must ask yourself before you decide that tips are a waste of time.

I start off with a 20 percent tip before the wait staff even arrives at my table, the attitude and amount of attention will determine if it goes up or down.

One thing that everyone failed to mention was children. The wait staff that waits on a table with children deserve a better tip than tables without children. Children are messy and demanding and an extra 5 percent is acceptable because of the clean up afterwards.

I say to all who abhor tipping, get off you high horses and ride the ponies for a while and see how you like it.

i say we need to tip because I worked in
Food service for 40 Years and if It Hadn’t been for tips I couldn’t have made a living. I think you should tip more when you get good service to show the person that they are doing a good Job.
es it would be nice if we lived where the Employing would have a better pay scale.

Tips for waiters or waitresses should be 0 for bad service, 10% for OK service 15% for good service and 20% for great service and if you get a waiter that takes care of your 6 to 12 party table full time maybe 25% to 30% would be appropriate.

Tipping doesn’t stop at a restaurant folks…There are others out there that live on tips. Such as tour/drivers or guides. With a server they bring you your food/drink. For about an hour or so they fuss over you and, you leave your tip..of say 15%..Knowing that you have left a decent tip..
Now, comes the tour guide..He has you for say 4 to 6 hours..your tour cost say $40 to $100. After all this time, he has inlighten you, shown you the sights..taken care of you, and watch out to make sure you were not in harms way..Some tours can get dangerous; depending on the type. Then comes the time when your back safe and sound. You’ve been with him/her all this time..and how much should you tip.?? Some folks, you would think had track shoe’s on. For when the door is open..they run out hoping not to give the guide nothing. I say this, cause it has happen to me many times…Others are thoughtful in tipping…But, these same people wouldn’t think twice about not leaving a tip at a restaurate, where they have just spent a hour…I hope some of the people who did this; read this comment. For all those who are in the business of touring. How cheap can people possible get..Some will even clap, or shank your hand and, tell you how great you were..Sorry folks; you can’t live on a hand shake..Please show your appriecation
for a tour well done…Thanks for reading this.

I’m a piano player. Sometimes I have to stifle a laugh when someone puts a dollar in my tip jar. I’m so tempted to say “If you can’t afford at least a $2 tip, you need the money more than me.” Of course I never do. One old guy gave me two dollars, he was with a friend, and said “This is from both of us.” Think about what you can do with a dollar before you, intentionally or unintentionally, insult the person you’re tipping.

I also dislike tipping, and the fact that the list of people you “have” to tip keeps getting longer and longer.

I have never tipped a mail clerk or a hotel maid, and certainly wouldn’t tip a TEACHER. I work in education, and I’ve never heard of this before, although some parents do give a token gift at Christmas, like an ornament.

I advise against giving anyone at a school baked goods. It’s up to the teacher, but our district advises against it due to “pranks” by some students in the past.

Heads up to non-tippers: when you go out and eat, the bill reflects the price of THE MEAL (and kitchen labor, cost etc), not the service. The government expects that those working in the service industry will be tipped at a certain percentage, in fact, those workers MUST report the percentage that the IRS demands, or be audited.
Another thing: Automatic gratuities are to ensure the income of the service employee when a party is larger and can be potentially very difficult, and whomever thinks it can’t be adjusted up or down is a complete moron. Besides, people that have never had the pleasure of working within the service industry may not know that the server often pays for serving you. Yes, it’s true. If you go out to eat and the bill is say $100, the server must pay: 1)taxes on what the IRS says they should make, 2)a percentage to other employees (bussers, hosts). regardless of actual tip. This can amount to 6 to 10 dollars just to serve you, out of their pocket.
If service is bad, speak to management. Remember at the same time that your ranch dressing is not a life or death condiment, and that a server has many obligations. If they are great at handling it given the circumstances, tip accordingly.
So if you don’t want to tip, don’t expect service. Eat at home, make your own latte, and cut your own hair. Better yet, try their job for just one day…

some of you people are crazy. tips are EXPECTED. when u interview for a job that pays a low wage they tell you to depend mainly on your tips. if nobody tipped, then there wouldnt be resturants because they would all close cuz they wouldnt be able to pay their servers such low wages. Think here people. Mainly your supposed to tip a base of 15%. if its bad service id say tip lower, and that is coming from a server himself. most of the time if you double the tax, that is about 15%. for the people who complain that they are so sick of tipping… move to japan… or cook food in your own kitchen… trust me servers dont want customers who have to debate on whether or not to tip. for every 1 person that tips bad, or not at all, there are 10 that tip better and make up for it.

Tipping is an arbitrary social convention and should be abolished.

Some of you have said that you don’t feel for us because you don’t get extra money at your job regardless of how hard you work. But the knife cuts both ways. You could also have a really bad day at the office, where maybe you aren’t as productive as you should be, or a meeting doesn’t go as planned, and your pay doesn’t go DOWN. Essentially, this is what you are doing to your server. “Sorry, Susie, you accidentally slipped into being a HUMAN for one day, so I’m withholding some of your income.” Give me a break. Sure, if service was terrible and it clearly was through the server’s own fault, then leave only a small tip. (Remember, you still didn’t have to cook it or dish it up or clean it up.) But generally, unless the service was memorably horrible, leave your 15-20%.

Since some have decided to get into the “who tips better than whom” discussion…

Men almost always tip better than women…and it has nothing to do with the gender of the server (I’m a male). I think (no offense intended here) it might be because women seem to nit-pick the service more. Refilling your water with lemon at precisely the correct moment seems to weigh more heavily on them.

I don’t believe in tipping! I used to work in a factory and did field work and didn’t make more than waitresses…worked harder…longer hours….no A/C…and didn’t get tipped….I worked in a very busy store and wasn’t making much…wasn’t making any tips either…have some dignity people! Don’t accept charity if you can help yourself! If you want to make more money, get the qualifications to get a better paying job without accepting money that isn’t due you!!

I visited a local bar and grill today with my family and received horrible service with an attitude. I think the problem here in the US is that the people in the restaurant industry feel it is the customers obligation to tip them 15% or more even it they provide horrible service. I usually tip above 20% but have noticed that the service has declined over the last 10 years. I must say that this is the first time that I can remember stiffing a waitress and didn’t feel good about it but I definitely feel that it was necessary.

I just felt the need to leave a quick note for those who are reading this ignorant article. To say you hate tipping and cringe at the thought is really sad. People who work in the service industry don’t work for minimum wage. In japan they are paid a higher salary for their services, therefore tipping is eliminated. In the US we make at the MOST, minimum wage. Some states don’t even pay that much, because they assume the tip will make up the income. Also, tips are reported as income, just as much as an hourly wage, and we are taxed on them whether we get tipped or not because we’re taxed on our sales.
People work long and hard for their money in the service industry. I dare anyone who says they ‘hate tipping’ to work and support yourself for just a couple of months behind a bar or serving tables. You’ll encounter rude, ignorant, demeaning people who run you ragged and expect you to go above and beyond, just to short you on your EARNED wages that our system is set up for. The hours are long and the stress is high. I would love for the author of this article to leave their desk and step into the world of the service industry and then revise this article. I was shocked and appalled when reading the first paragraph, as anyone who works in the service industry should and would be.

The problem with not tipping is that it effects the economy more than you think.

Waiters and Waitresses that rely solely on tips NEVER deserved to be stiffed. Bad service or not, they still have to clean up the mess you leave and have to tip other members of the staff on some occasions (bartenders, busboys, etc). Plus, if you’re a regular at a place and you never tip your service will steadily worsen with every trip. Whether intentional or not, what’s the point of going out of your way for a table you know won’t tip, and instead helping the tables that might leave a tip? There is no point.

T.I.P.S.=Tips insure proper service!

I am a server as well and i only make 2.13 per hour and i would like to tell you how to tip. Look at the tax of your bill (most places it is 9%) just double the tax and that would be a good tip for your server. A GREAT tip would be doubled your tax and add an extra $5.00

This is mindnumbing. You tip Rabbi’s?!! I’m not having a problem with giving a waitress a little extra. However if I have to pay more than I owe-especially on really expensive things-I’m just gonna stay at home, and tend to my own yard. This is ridiculous. Keep pushing these ever raising tip percentages on things that already cost too much, and all of you are gonna find yourself out of business and unemployed.

And pizza? Already overpriced, rounded up on the bill, and charging for delivery-tip ain’t gonna happen.

Moreover shouldn’t percentages stay the same, esp. with inflation? Isn’t that the utility of a percentage system. I swear when I was a child, an acceptable restaunt tip in the early 80s was 5%, and 10% was generous. I accepted 15% w/out complaining but now 20% or they don’t like me. Uh wait staff their just aren’t enough stupid rich people to go around for these rates, ok.

The great generation who survived a depression did so by being cheap. No wonder gen x and gen y is swimming in debt.

“some of you people are crazy. tips are EXPECTED. when u interview for a job that pays a low wage they tell you to depend mainly on your tips. if nobody tipped, then there wouldnt be resturants because they would all close cuz they wouldnt be able to pay their servers such low wages. ”

Did you read the article? Japan has restaurants as far as I know. So does Great Brittain. Waiters have settled for the tip system, because they know that if they settle for the minimum wage sys., like the hosts and dishwashers, they’d make less. You’ve settled for a low paying system, the customers are generous to give you anything, expecting 20% regardless-who know what it’ll be in another decade, esp. considering inflation, is the attitude of entitlement.

BTW expectations don’t equal reality. Show some appreciation for the customer. But then I’m just “crazy.”

Whoah! I just read the rest of the comments. I am shocked! I used to have such sympathy for customer service people, now I almost want to never ever tip them again. And I usually double the tax. What a bunch of ingrates! OK I’ll stay home, and when you run out of rich people who are made out of money who you give the privilige of serving them and are unemployed, maybe you’ll start to appreciate the customer.

You are worse than homeless beggers. And piano man, I’ll take your advice then, and give you nothing. Since I actually work pretty hard for just that one dollar that’s not enough for you. Shocking.

“Yes food is expensive. But the reason is restaurants and many other busineses are paying very high rent. So the ones really taking
If you don’t really have much money, stay home and buy some groceries and cook at home. You should not expend money eating out then.”

So eating out should just be for rich people so you can get an inflated wage? Do you really think there are enough rich people to go around? Do you think restaurants exist without the average customer? Unbelievable! And since you’re so struggling I suppose you never allow yourself the privilige of going out hmm?

I left a long comment in here about tipping. I’ve been a bartender for years. All I want to say to those who balk at the idea of tipping an appropriate amount… do everyone a favor and work and support yourself in the service industry and then leave a comment about not wanting to tip or complain about percentages. And the inflation comment in regards to percentage. Why would the tip percent stay the same while inflation makes meals more expensive? This is how we support ourselves and pay our bills, groceries, etc… which also suffers inflation.

Piano Man, I’m so sorry to have insulted you by giving you money. I’ll be sure not to make that mistake twice.
And Mr. Shaw, the entire point of percentages is that the amount you get rises with inflation as well as the price of the bill. For example, 20% of a $50 bill is $10, whereas 20% of a $100 bill is $20. So no matter what inflation does to prices, if people continue to tip the same amount in percentages, your wages will actually rise with inflation.

I work in a fine dining restaurant in a casino as a server and I make 7.50 an hour. on slow nights I take home 200 in tips and on good nights I can take as much as 500 waiting on 6-10 tables so I can easily say I love working as a server. Even bussers can walk out with 90 bucks in their pockets just from tips that we pay them.

I always tip between 15-20% for adequate and above average service. (Except in Europe where tips are figured into the meal price) I have absolutely no problem, however, with leaving change or nothing for terrible service. In one experience dining out, after having been seated with orders taken, we did not see the server again until the food was ready. After the plates were set down, we never saw the server again. Never checked to see if everything was in order. (We didn’t receive an order of soup) Never saw a refill for drinks. Had to call over a server from another section to get the bill. Of course that server received no tip because she did nothing to warrant a tip.

That being said, I also left a 500% tip on a $2 tab in the 1980′s for an exceptionally attentive server who kept my friend and I topped off with coffee for nearly 2 hours during a late night stop at a cafe.

I don’t like it when the gratuity is added automatically as one reader pointed out. I have always thought that the purpose of tipping was to reward either good food or service, or both. By adding it automatically, where is the incentive to provide diners with good service? My father, who has eaten at many, many four and five star restaurants, which by the way doesn’t mean that you will automatically get good service just because of the rating, almost always based his tip on the service provided just by the waiter/waitress, not based on the quality of the food which is an issue for the chef and or manager. If the service was good he left 20%, but if the service was poor he has been known to only leave a penny. When I asked him why he said that if you didn’t leave anything then the waitress might have thought that it just slipped your mind, whereas leaving just a penny told her that the quality of her service was poor.

When it comes to tipping I take the “People first” approach. If you take the “I am going to be a cheap a** money first” approach and you don’t pay people for their service you will not be treated near as good as you could be. Remember people can refuse to serve you in many places so don’t be cheap!!! TIP!! What goes around comes around. If you are not satisfied with your service leave a note or explain, but still tip at least 10%. This way a person can still pay their bills and will understand that they need to improve.

The tipping system in the US is very different from Belgium. I read this because I’m planning to go to the US. Both the article and the comments gave me some sound advice.

I’m amazed at how little waiters get paid, $2 an hour sounds really insane. I will glady tip them when I’m staying in the US.

It’s stupid that the owners pay their waiters minimum wage and take all the profit and enforce me (a customer) to pay for a drink and pay the waiter when all should be included in the price, and he should pay the waiter.
(I am interested how can you get a loan when you have that small income) I personally don’t mind paying the beer 10 dollars, but I would mind paying 7 and giving 3 more to the waiter, it’s extortion. But I don’t live in the usa and can’t understain that,as where I am from the waiters get paid for their work by their employees and they get tipped only if they offer a great service with a smile and a couple of kind gestures, but the tip isn’t even close to 15-20 %

I own a bar and as an owner I would be glad to have this kind of system because I would pay a lot less taxes and give a smaller salary to my employees, but as an customer I only tip people that deserve to be tipped, I hate seeing people serve me who don’t like their jobs, but in general I don’t tip because the waiters aren’t the only people who do hard work but they are the only ones getting tipped for it.

But if I visit the states I wont forget to tip as from what you said that’s their only source of income.

LOL, Those first 10-15 posts are funny. I don’t know what state you live in, but here in California the minimum wage is $8 per hour and Federal is $7.25 This rule only does not apply to Minnesota at $6.15 and Wyoming at $5.15 per hour. What’s that you say….you got $2.13 per hour working in Wyoming? That’s because you were stupid enough to take a job where if you collect tips, the minimum wage is $2.13 per hour. I don’t go into a restaruant looking to help you out by feeling bad about your low paying job and giving you a fat tip. I don’t get paid that much either. I go there to get food and service. IT IS YOUR JOB TO BE PERFECT. I don’t want excuses for things that you could control. No you are not responsible for the preperation of my food but you know when something doesn’t look right. Quit your crying and whinning. You will get a tip cause I am nice, usually no more then $5. If your doing 5-8 tables over an 8 hour period, you should make $25-$40 in tips at $5 a tip. So someone doesn’t tip you, I’ll bet the next guy gives you $10. That tip increase brings your earings for the night from $7.25 per hour up to between $10.37 – $12.25 per hour, or $5.25 – $7.13 per hour in Wyoming…..I guess you guys in Wyoming are S.O.L., but the rest of you are making out like bandits, and that doesn’t even include the drunk guys table that slap $20 on the table or the party that forgets if someone tipped allready so all 10 people leave $3 or even that person that has been checking you out and leaves you $25 and thier phone number. My wife was a waitress for a while and it payed the bills easy. A lot of times she would earn $150+ a night. Point is you will get cheap tips and if you don’t like taking our money that we give you, then f*** off. If you do a good job and my night is perfect, I might give you $10-$15

I am a server and have been 20 plus years. What most people fail to realize is that when you DO NOT tip your server, that server is actually paying to serve you. We are taxed according to our sales NOT what you decide to leave us. In the state I live in our wage is $2.13 an hour, so when I get a party of 8 that thinks they did me favor by leaving me 5 bucks, they actually cost me money.
Another thing I would like for people to consider is, it isn’t always the servers fault. If the food takes too long, it’s the kitchen and the server shouldn’t be penalized for that. If your steak is cooked incorrect, well we don’t cut it open and check. Again we shouldn’t be penalized for that. A bad server and an overly busy server are two different things and should be looked at as such. Have you ever had a bad day at work? Should you get paid less on those days? Well then why should we?

I worked at several hotels in the 80s (good ones in LA too)-and if I added up all the tips I got (mostly morning shifts 7AM to 3PM, or Nights 3-11PM)-it barely would have been more than $300 in 8 years! (plus a yearly bottle of Booze from Bob Hope)-this article really wrong! Maybe they used a different planet, where desk clerks are tipped?

I usually tip close to 20% for good service.

I was a waitress for many years, up until 2007. I always received 15-20 percent. Our base pay was $2.10 per hour. We really didn’t take a check home, so most of our earnings came from tips. Now when I go out to eat, I start at 20 percent and go up or down in my tip depending solely on the service. I never leave less than 15 percent. Unless the server swore or something very inappropriate like that. Which never happens. Most servers really do take pride in delivering good if not great service. It is a fun job.

I was a waitress for several years and am appalled that people have no clue just how much we rely on tips. I was paid $2.63 an hour, which by the time taxes were taken out, I literally was lucky if I got more than $10 each week in my paycheck; I, and many of my co-workers, literally lived on the tips we got. That being said, I was a good server an usually managed to do well. However, a 10% tip to me means I must have done something horribly wrong. Anything under $10 on a $50 check made me assume I had given the customer horrible service and easily affected my mood for the rest of my shift. People have to understand that it is IMPOSSIBLE for a waitress to give perfect service 24/7 – we have other tables, crabby kitchen staff who don’t care how long it takes to get the food out since they are paid hourly regardless, and the marathon of running to get to each part of the restaurant to get silverware, re-fill drinks, clean up spills, etc. Add on customers treating us as if we are lesser beings simply because we are servers does not make us want to go the extra mile to make you happy, though we generally put on a smiling face and do our best. One really good tip can honestly make your server’s evening, being polite on top of that…well, you can bet that server will do everything possible to make your meal great simply because we aren’t used to being treated decently, as sad as that is. Yes, it is our job to serve you but it is not our job to be your personal slave for an hour to then be left with a 10% tip and a mess to clean before yet another party comes in to start the cycle all over again.

And to anyone who gives me grief about, “well that’s your own fault for getting a job with such a low wage” or “find something else to do and stop complaining,” I’m not moving to a new state so I can get a higher minimum wage waitressing, that’s just dumb to suggest. Secondly, during my time waitressing, I was going to school for my MBA and am now doing PR in Boston. Whenever I eat out now, 20% tip is my MINIMUM!

Everyone who works a legitimate job in this country should be entitled to minimum wage; this includes waitstaff who are typically paid 2-3 dollars below minimum wage by their employers. I grew up in the food service industry and my children work in restaurants.

When I eat at a restaurant I expect to tip 15%. However this may go up or down depending on service. Fair service will get 10%–Great service 20% or more. As far as not tipping this is rarely acceptable. The service at my local Walmart is extremely poor, and I don’t get a discount there. Why should a restaurant be any different? I can only recall not tipping twice, both times the service was poor and the wait staff rude. Not only did I not tip I spoke to management about why I would not be tipping.

I have been a teacher for 35 years. Cookies candles, ornaments, gift cards for teaching supplies are good for a beginning teacher. But after a few years, these things pile up. A better idea, is gift cards for restaurants etc.

I too hate the idea behind tipping. Also why do you have to tip a percentage? If I can afford an expensive bottle of wine 15% is a lot to open and pour. Wouldn’t the waiter be doing the same if someone ordered a $5.00 bottle…open and pour.

The same goes for the price of the dishes. What is on my plate should not be the deciding factor for how much the waiter should get.

I think tipping should have a fixed dollar amount per person and not the price of what my order is.

The way I see it, If you don’t like what your getting paid to to school and don’t complain. Not every one is able to give a tip. So, If it’s better for people to come and eat, even If they can’t tip. what if all the people stopped coming to eat at the resturant, then waiters or waitress would even have a job. Besides, I think the chef’s should get the tip.

we always double the tax and round up

Sounds like a bunch of selfish waiters are answering this comment. Notice how everyone keeps saying you better tip well if you want good service…it’s a bunch of BS!! There should not have to be a damn money incentive for you to do your job!! Everyone else doesn’t get tipped to do their job efficiently. -and don’t complain that your salary is too low- YOU PICKED THE JOB!!!!!

Where in the United States do Hotel desk clerks make $14.78 an hour and get tips!

At a Chicago pizza restaurant in the 70′s a group of my friends use to go to almost every week the waitress refused to serve us till we gave her a tip in advance, because someone else in the group left her a bad tip when they were there, I refused and left and never returned telling all my friends who never visted again either.

“Everyone else doesn’t get tipped to do their job efficiently” – very true, am I not also correct in guessing that you get paid an hourly or yearly amount that does not change regardless of your daily performance? It doesn’t matter who walks in your office that day, you make the same amount without others having any affect on you, even if your work was sub-par because, god forbid, you are human and had a bad day. Yes, I “picked” the job but do you NEVER complain about your job? If so, congrats, you are the 1 in a billion person who is perfectly happy with there work; you are right, we can’t complain, we should be serenely happy to be allowed to wait on such high class individuals such as yourself. Please, spend one week in food service and see what you think then.

Im a dealer down on the Gulf Coast for 9 years now and i have no clue where you got your tipping information from..But i make $5.30 an hour and our weekly average in tips is about $18 an hour..So i just wonder what casino in Vegas did you get your info from because we sure dont make that down here..