Do You Tip At Restaurants?

[Midnight12]

I am a waitress, so you know where I stand on this. I try very hard to hustle for my customers. Most people are nice and will tip good but hate when I have a table of 6 leave a dollar on a large bill. we have a policy to add it on partys of 5 or more. We do not add to people that we already know tip good andI hate to add it on ever and mostly don't. In my state we only make 4 something an hour so we depend on tips and we must claim 10% of our sales for taxes. Again, most people are nice but there are some that my dog has better manners than.

[Midnight12]

Originally Posted by harmony

I always tip, but if the service stinks I leave a penny, thank goodness that has only happen once. I could not even imagine if someone did not tip, that might stink..

This is a big insult to wait staff, seen a penny on another girls table once and I got rid of it. We have feelings too and she was a very nice girl,sometimes things just go wrong.

[Packen]

Depends on what part of the world I am in. For example in US and most of the western world I tip, in Japan I do not as they do not typically accept tips and consider it an insult!

[marshies]

13% for quick meals involving little server effort (same as tax).
15% as a starting for regular meals
20%+ for great service

I do NOT tip if the service is REALLY terrible. I have worked in the restaurant industry, and do feel that tips should be a reflection of the server's effort.

[Smith3]

If you can't tip, don't go out to eat.

Now, if the service is SO BAD that they don't deserve a tip, you talk to the manager.

Not tipping is inexcusable.

[Syaoransbear]

I tip if it's good service that actually deserves a tip. I don't like the idea of waiters and waitresses being forced to depend on a customer's generosity for their living because their bosses are too cheap to pay them fairly. I think a tip should be for service that is exceptional, not just a server doing the minimum that their job requires, and I'm annoyed that a tip is so expected everywhere you go. I'd rather they charge higher prices on the menu.

Tipping based on percent doesn't make much sense to me either. It's not like the $250 bottle of wine was more difficult to uncork and pour versus the $25 bottle. There isn't a $45 difference in the amount of effort it requires to serve the more expensive wine.

Our servers are paid at least minimum wage($10.00) so it's not like in some places in other countries where they make $2 an hour or nothing and depend completely on tips.

If I get terrible service I don't tip. One time this waitress was very rude and dismissive to us at this restaurant my BIL works at as a chef. We had to ask other waitresses for anything because she was never around, and at the end our bill was completely wrong and she had charged us double what our order was supposed to be. She acted like such a drama queen, like correcting our bill was the most painful and degrading thing she had ever done and that we should just pay what it says because it would make it easier for her. It took her 20 minutes to actually do it because she was apparently too busy chatting with the other waitresses by the entrance to the kitchen. We had to keep asking her if she fixed it yet. The place was empty, she obviously wasn't busy with other tables. She didn't get a tip. Unfortunately she's in a union so they can't even fire her, and as far as I know she's still there and is pretty famous for her terrible waitressing. My BIL is the head chef there, so he knows how awful she is.

[Jax08]

I used to waitress so, of course, I tip. At least 20%. I've only ever stiffed one waiter.

I did get a penny once. Never did have any idea what I did to them. However, they did come back and they never got very good service after that. Note to customers: Wait staff will have each others backs so if you leave a penny, don't go back.

[harmony]

I know what a penny means. I have never left a place without giving 20 to 50 percent, ever.. I know what it is like to work hard!!!

[TommyB681]

i worked in a rest. for 5 years so im not to overly critical. If they are a good server or high bill obviously ill tip pretty generously. If they just arent a good server ie: new, flustered etc ill tip a decent amount. If they are an a-hole 15% no more

[Liesje]

I tip about 15-20%. We don't eat at nice places and neither of us ever ask for anything special (we order off the menu as it is on the menu), really all the server is doing is refilling soda. However if it's a cheap meal I don't tip based on the cost, I feel weird leaving anything less than $5 even if I got a $6 sandwich. I don't feel obligated to leave super high tips if we were in and out and didn't really need any service, though I will leave a larger tip if we're sitting there chatting holding up the table. I work in a service industry and I'm not allowed to accept tips but that does not effect how I work or how I perceive my job and compensation.