To Tip or Not To Tip?! Check out the FREE Interactive Tip Guide and Share Your Thoughts
Although I am an avid couponer and am always looking for ways to cut back on spending, I am NOT cheap when it comes to tipping. As a former waitress, I know how important tips are in the lives of those who work in service-based industries. Although I almost always tip at least 20% when dining out, I am sometimes a little more perplexed as to what to tip in the following situations: Purchasing food to-go, Hair Cut for yourself and/or your kiddos, Assistance with baggage when staying at a hotel, Purchasing espresso from Drive-Thru Coffee Shop, etc.
Needless to say, I was excited to recently discover the Interactive Tip Guide created by a design team over at Hospitality Management Schools. Just head on over here, scroll down to the orange Tip Guide button at the bottom of the page, and then select a category (choose from travel, cosmetics, restaurants and more). This guide tells you how much to tip, when to present the tip, and even has some basic tipping rules:
* Do tip pre-tax.
* Do tip at buffets.
* Do tip when using a discount or voucher like Groupon.
* Don’t tip the owner.
* Don’t tip extra when gratuity is already added on the bill.
* Don’t leave a bad tip if you plan on visiting the establishment again.
So take some time to check out the guide and then come back and share your thoughts. Think about the following questions: What services do you believe require a tip, how much do you tip, do you tip even if the service is horrible etc?
(Thanks to reader, Nichole, for sharing this guide with me!)
Hmm, sometimes people tip poorly for getting a poor attitude. Something you might want to improve upon.
And some people tip poorly because they have a bad attitude or a chip on their shoulder. Don’t expect exceptional service if your not willing to tip exceptionally.
Some people tip poorly because their waitress did a poor job. Some waitresses have a serious sense of entitlement and choose to work in an industy where they can make huge tips on good days and even descent tips on their bad days because of all the social pressure to tip them no matter what.
How much do you think the average waitress makes in a year exactly?
With that attitude I bet you are one of the lowest tipped waitstaff.
That makes no sense though, because you can’t possibly know how the person is going to tip until you are done serving them. I was a server for many years and managed a restaurant for awhile as well, and my motto is tip what is deserved. Sometimes it’s only 10%, often it is 20% and sometimes it is nothing because the service was that bad. No one should expect a tip without providing great service, it is something that is earned. There are however people that are just plain cheap and that is not cool.
P.S. I hate the thing about not tipping the owner. If they are willing to work the front lines and give you great service, it is not a get out of jail free card and you don’t have to tip. That is ridiculous. Most likely they are going to pass it on to their bussers, bartenders, etc anyways, but it does not mean you are not responsible for tipping.
Service comes first before payment, right? How would you know if a customer is going to tip poorly or not? How would you then know if you should be giving an exceptional service?
That’s the thing, you do not know. Which is why those of us that always give top-tier service – smiling even in the face of those being outright rude to us – feel it is a slap in the face at the end of a guest’s meal to receive a check with little to no tip attached. If I did something wrong, please tell me. Otherwise, if you cannot afford to tip or simply do not agree with idea of tipping, you should not be going out to eat in full-service establishments! I have worked in the industry for years, as a server, bartender, and manager. I do have a college degree, but I do choose to do this. The majority of guests are nice and respectful. However, I adamantly agree with what was said earlier – everyone should have to work in a restaurant for 6 months at some point in their life. It will teach you humility, patience, grace under pressure, and – above all – to treat others the way you hope to be treated.
I’m not rude to my customers at all. I’ve worked there for 20 years and I have a good relationship with alot of them. They just dont want to carry there change in there pockets or purse. I should be rude to those that do that period!!!
How about this. Take those nickels and dimes and pennies and put them in another jar. Once a year donate that jar to the charity of your choice. Win Win 🙂
Maybe you shouldn’t be rude to anyone. Maybe you should just be a nice person to everyone. Something to think about.
I completely agree. Its frustrating, having waited tables, to not receive a tip (i averaged 20%+ at an upper-end restaurant and was only walked out on once) and not receive feedback as to WHY i wasn’t tipped. If there is something I, as a server, could improve upon I am more then happy to treat it as a learning experience, I just ask that the customer leave a note saying why i wasn’t tipped.
And sometimes people tip poorly because they’re cheap. It’s hard to use the “something to improve upon” excuse when the issue is never raised with the waitstaff. Leaving a poor tip without an explanation only makes the patron look mannerless and leaves the waiter/tress to repeat their mistake.
I know that a lot of people say that sometimes the waiter/waitress might be having a bad day and may give bad service but you should tip them well anyway, etc. Well, I disagree with that. I think that if you’re having a bad day because you just broke up with your boyfriend or someone you love passed away, that is totally understandable. HOWEVER, just because you’re having a bad day doesn’t mean you have to ruin my dining experience. Because if that happens, then now I’M having a bad day too and I’m the customer. I find it more professional if despite what you’re going thru, just don’t let it affect your work and therefore gets you less tips. I know some things are harder to deal with than others, but I think a waiter having a bad day is no excuse for me to put up with a bad attitude.
I’d agree. If I went into work with a horrible attitude, I may not get paid less but it’d likely be mentioned during my review. If a loved one passes away, I hope you can take the day off. I wouldn’t go into work if a loved one passed away that day unless I absolutely needed the money. I’ve had to do that, and I did my best to put on a smile and cry in the bathroom during my breaks.
Jess: absolutely right. Yes, bad things can happen, but you need to put on your best face because people are going out to enjoy themselves, not be treated badly by their server, no matter what the reason. And if you are having that bad of a day as you said, then just take the day off. Better that than a complaint that could get you fired.
Exactly, and in this economy, going out is a special occasion for many people. While I would certainly be very sorry if someone experienced a death in the family or something else saddening, it shouldn’t ruin my birthday or anniversary. Other than getting lunch specials at a cheap Chinese place, my husband and I only go out 3 times a year to a restaurant with servers: our birthdays and anniversary. It’s really disappointing when we get a grumpy server.
It’s a no win situation – a lot of places will terminate you if you call in the day of scheduled work because it leaves them short-staffed….
Wow, that’s so sad that a server would be fired for calling out due to the death of a family member. I hope those places figure out quickly that making grieving people work is horribly unkind and downright inhumane.
I disagree with you. I have never worked in this industry but as a human you can empathize with people who are normal and feel sadness. Sometimes, no matter how upset or sad you are, you can not fake happiness even when at work. My suggestion is be super friendly, smile and make your waiter/waitress feel better and then leave a good tip which will make them happy. Nothing better than making someone happy when they are miserable and having a horrible day. The fact is their job sucks and they have to do with rude people and work their butts off for little money.
I find it easy to have empathy. I find it difficult to have to pay 20% more for my meal for a poor dining experience, especially when I only eat out a few times a year.
I agree with Jess. You don’t go to work if you know your gonna be in a bad mood, bottom line. I waited tables for 5 years and you will not be fired for staying home if you have a good reason and don’t make a habit of calling in.
“TIPS” can be an acronym for “to insure proper service.” If someone is depending on tips to live (which I once was) then they should be ensuring they are providing the service to receive said tips. And by the way, I made better money waitressing and bartending than I did at a lot of my desk jobs.
I tip my hairdresser, the kid who drys off the car at the car wash, wait staff and two or three times a year I get gift cards for my garbage men.
I agree that you have to have some empathy… I mean, I’m not going to not leave a tip just because someone is not super happy when they’re waiting on me. But if they’re rude, mess up my order, and don’t apologize at all, I’m going to leave a lower tip. I’ve had waitstaff at restaurants tell me they are having a busy/rough day and apologize for the service, food, whatever… and I’m not going to take it out on their tip if that’s the case. Heck, if I see that they are super busy and having a hard time and are apologetic about it, I’m probably going to tip them extra! 🙂 But not all people are nice or understanding…. what can you do?
On another note, does anyone know how much we should tip at a wishing or hibachi bar? Sometimes the buffets that I go to have a tip jar but the sushi or hibachi is included in the restaurant bill so I was wondering if anyone had an idea? Usually the cooks comes out from the kitchen to make the sushi or cook at the grill. How should we tip? Thanks!
Sushi** not wishing. Lol silly auto correct.
LOL. I was like, “Wow! What’s a wishing bar?!”
‘wishing to meet someone’ lol.
I’ve worked and have had friends worked in both places and I can tell you that your server actually tips out your chef(s) in both sushi and hibachi type places.
Some places have servers tip out to the hibachi chefs based on the food sales and some places have tip split 50/50. Either way, the server then has to use what’s left from their split of the tip to also tip out busboys, bartender, sushi chef, credit card processing charges, and etc. And then they get what’s left. Although, if the chef was exceptionally good, you can give a little extra to him directly. Just don’t deduct that from your server’s tip.
As for sushi, the server tips out sushi chef. Some places have the server tip out based on overall food sales (only because you sat on the sushi side of the restaurant) and a few places are based on the sushi sales. If you feel like your sushi/sushi chef was excellent, you can give a little extra in their tip jar, but just don’t forget the server that took care of you even if you sit at the sushi bar. Plus, they’ll probably also have to tip out busboys, bartender, and credit card processing charge.
In conclusion, tip enough so that your server will at least get a couple dollars after tip outs and if you stiff servers at Japanese restaurants remember that they will have to pay for you food to be made/cooked.
I kind of go by a sliding scale. I start at 20% and if someone is rude or inattentive, for example, it slowly goes down to 10% or so. As a former server myself, I know there is no excuse for that kind of stuff! If someone is awesome, we have been known to leave up to 50%. And always remember to tip on ALL food, even if it is free! 🙂
I normally go to the same places to eat out and I have “my” waitress at each place. they know me and they know I tip well for a good job so if there tables are full they will usual put me with someone who is good. I always tip in cash as the tax guys doesn’t need to know how much I am tipping them. with all that being said I HATE people who overtip for lousy service. they will never get better at there job if they get good tips for just showing up for work that day.
What I think people fail to realize is, servers have to pay taxes on tips as well as tip out the bus staff, food runner and bartender. If a server gets a bad tip or no tip at all, they still have to tip and pay the taxes on the total sales they rang in for that day. The server doesn’t get to say well I got stiffed so I can’t tip you, it doesn’t work that way. And if all servers took the advice some of you are giving , well then who would serve you when you want to go out to eat? Your SERVERS would all be working at wal-mart and the restaurants would be without SERVERS. If you are aware of anything going on around you then you would know if your sever is just very busy, because she got sat 5 tables at the same time, she is slammed, then maybe you could be a little nicer and let her know you see how hard she is working. If they just have a bad attitude then decrease the tip. Most servers don’t work in the service industry because the pay, so when you make comments like if you don’t like how your tipped then go do something else, most of us do it because we enjoy what we do, we enjoy being apart of the celebrations and events that the people that we wait on are going out for. Like a first date or a 50th anniversary or a graduation ,a wedding a communion or just a night out , we love to be apart of that and to try and make there occasion the best it can be. We do what we do, because we love what we do and when we get bad tips, not because we gave bad service it is a slap in the face and we don’t take it lightly. So next time you go out to eat try looking at your server as a person with a family and bills to pay just like you and if you can’t afford to tip on what you order or you just don’t want to ti, then please do us all a favor and stay home. Imagine if the job you do was based on tips……….. What would your pay look like?
I eat out all the time. I tip on how good the service was given. Where do u work so I know to never come in there?? So freaking rude.
No kidding. I tip on good service and definitely take into account of the waitress having a lot of tables and the restaurant being busy. Unfortunately there are people out there that don’t care how nice you are and how good of service you give, they will still give you a terrible tip. That is unfortunate because it gives waiters/waitresses your attitude. Don’t do a lousy job and then expect to have money handed to you.
She was not rude. She told you the truth.
I completely agree with you. $2.13 is not enough to live on. I never even see that pay since it all goes to my insurance. If I dont get tips then I would not be able to survive or support my family. I understand if service is bad to tip lower, but please do not go out knowing you will stiff them or tip them horrible without even knowing how good the service is. We actually are losing money when this happens, and it is because someone does not know how to tip or does not care. Also if gratuitty is added and you have 2 or more servers, remember they split that 18%. If they do a great job, they would really appreciate you leave extra.
Why would you have to pay taxes on tips you never received?
At the restaurant I worked at, you had to enter your tips at the end of your shift for tax purposes. There was a minimum that the system would allow you to enter (I don’t know the exact formula but it ended up being just under 10% of your SALES). Most of the time servers averaged above 10% even with a lousy table so it wasn’t an issue but if it was a slow night and you got just a table or two and they were bad tippers you could theoretically have to enter a number higher than what you earned.
As the previous commenter stated, tip-out was based on sales, not actual tips received. At the restaurant I served at you had to tip out 3% (1% for the hostesses, 1% for the bussers and 1% for the bartenders). if you had a table that stiffed you, you could actually end up paying for the ‘pleasure’ of serving that table.
Actually people who receive tips likely don’t report most of them. The government I believe allows them to estimate and that amount is extremely low. So many people receiving tip income don’t pay their fair share of taxes and push the tax burden on others.
Yes. Because tax fraud and unfair taxing practices are the fault of low income waitresses and not of the elite big businesses that buy their tax policies at the politician for hire store.
Your statement is so right on!!!! I work in the service industry and go out of my way to make people feel like they are in my own house. Servers remember people so when you do leave a crappy tip or just don’t care then why should we. I am so tired of people wanting everything for nothing. Yes, there are bad service people, but the majority are people who have been in the industry for a long time and dedicate their lives to making your experience a wonderful time. It just takes one person to screw up a servers time and attitude. Are we to move on, like it never happened? We/I depend on our tips to live not $2.13 hr. Maybe some people should rent the movie “Waiting” to give you a new perspective. Or McDonald’s is up the street!!!!
You pay taxes on what you receive. The restaurant pays taxes on the amount of food served. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Someone needs to revisit high school math.
i think you misunderstood what she was talking about.
no now they are making you report a percentage of your sales as tips received. if you make 10% of your sales and you also tipped out 3% of your sales you will be holding 7%.
I disagree. I waitressed and bartended FOR THE MONEY, not because it was awesome work and made me feel fulfilled or anything like that. People can make a lot of money in the service industry if they give good service.
However, you do make a good point that servers have to claim a certain percentage of their sales to the IRS re: tips, so if a person stiffs the server they are actually costing the server money. All the more reason for servers to provide good service so they earn their tips.
AT the restaurant I work for all of our credit card tips are automatically claimed. The owners at the end of the night when doing paper work automatically adds an additional 18% of our total sales for tax purposes. So in some cases we are claiming everything we mad twice because some night we simply dont have any cash sales to claim at the end of the day. After tipping out 3% of our total sales to the bar, busers, and hostess we are overtaxed. Sometimes we simply don’t make 18%. Every year I have to fill out a form to fix this. Its such a pain for me. Servers get the short end of the stick when It come tax season.
Ok… I think it’s a little ridiculous that some people are saying that you need to tip this much, etc etc. And to say if you can’t afford a food enough tip, you shouldn’t eat out. Are you kidding me???!!! I am putting myself through school, while working part time at a grocery store. I make a little above minimum wage, with no tips!! Im living of student loans, blah blah blah. My bf and I eat out at all the time. I give around 15% at a regular sit down restaurant… But their tip does go up or down based on the service. If they are horrible… I leave a dollar tip if any at all. I’m not tipping for a horrible experience. If I give a horrible experience to a customer at my job, I’m going to be written up! Them not getting a good tip bc of their actions is not my problem.
I think you should give your education a little more thought, maybe take a grammer course. You may even be able to get a better job making more than minimum wage. And yes, if you can’t afford to tip go to a fast food restaurant instead of a sit down restaurant. Someone is waiting on you and paying taxes on your bill. A dollar tip, REALLY, your embarassing yourself and should be ashamed!!!
But if you give someone a horrible experience… you’re still gonna get paid for that hour you worked… That’s what everyone fails to realize… servers get paid 2.13 an hour they NEVER receive a paycheck b/c it gets taken due to taxes.. so if someone doesn’t tip them or only leaves a dollar, that’s like they didn’t get paid for that hour they worked… so what they make that night is what they make that’s how they pay their bills, that’s how they put food in their children’s mouths… people need to think about that… I get it I’ve been a server since I was 16 it paid my bills and fed my children while I pushed myself through nursing school… I get it.. I’ve had really crappy servers, and servers with a bad attitude but I NEVER stiff them I always leave 20% and I know that sometimes that’s too much for the server who sucks… but I don’t know there story and who knows they could be just like I was…
Really? If you’re going to tell someone to take a grammar class, your grammar should be impeccable. In your last sentence, you used “your” when it should have been “you’re.”
Also, while spelling “grammer” incorrectly.
Yes her comment was just rude. Everyone is entitled to their opinion….shame on you for saying something so hurtful!
I cannot believe how CATTY all this converstion is. Did I spell that right, heaven forbid. Stick to the issue, Instead of pointing out everyones faults. unless you are so perfect. If I need to remind you the issue is on TIPPING!
@ Sandy…she opened the door with her first remark.
@ Denise…. its “you’re” and not “your” in the last sentence. 🙂
Speaking of a grammar course, you may want to take one as well. It’s “you’re” not “your.” Just saying…
When you’re critiquing someone’s grammar, you should check that you spell it correctly.
Jamie we do the same. I just had a horrible experience with a pedicure. I didn’t want to tip at all but ended up doing $2 and afterwards feeling like I shouldn’t of even done that much. That is how bad the experience was. If you want a good tip you need to earn it. That is what the service industry is all about.
In Oregon minimum wage is roughly $8 which is almost as much as I make an hour. I like to tip according to service received. But I have a real hard time tipping maids (some of whom I know make the same hourly wage as I) so generally I don’t. They are paid to clean the room (the money I paid the motel/hotel to sleep there) period. If I ask them for something extra (which I don’t) that would be different – then I would tip them. But I also endeavor to leave the room in a tidy manner so there is no extra amount of work when I check out. I do have hairdressers in my family who are self-employed. The cost of supplies, equipment, maintenance, etc. are figured into the price of the service provided. In all businesses if you don’t include these things in your prices you would soon be out of business.
I guess my point is when did it become a requirement to tip someone for doing their job. My jobs don’t tip except that I get to keep my job. I would like it to go back to tips being a true gift one received when one did an outstanding job and not something people felt entitled to for doing anything.
I totally agree with you. Too much entitlement.
Regular minimum wage and waiter/waitress minimum wage are entirely different.
They are different but Oregon is one of few states that pay wait staff actual minimum wage. Often more at nicer places. Therfefore a tip really is for a job well done and not for showing up to work.
I agree too. As a person who used to make tips as well as hourly pay, If I did a crappy job, I wouldn’t expect a tip. Many people nowadays expect one, whether or not they do a good job or not because they think they’re entitled to it. If I get good service fine, they get a nice tip, if not, the tip is reflective of the service.
Most people in the industry make a varying hourly wage, which is usually much below minimum wage. So most of them getting paid is tips. They get paid so low bc they are expected to MAKE tips…..thats part of their job. And if you go eat/drink somewhere like that you already know that part of their income is tips and so you are expected to pay a tip. If you dont like the way of it you should probably avoid those places so that you arent messing with someone elses income just bc you dont agree with the way its done. If you dont like it avoid it instead of screwing others over. It would be more appreciated from their end too
Absolutely agree with you. If I am”entitled” to the tip no matter what kind of service I provide to ther customer what would be the incentive to me to work hard?
If you get a $200 haircut for $20, should you tip from the original amount or the voucher amount paid?
Always tip the original amount. A lot of vouchers will tell you that. It’s a great question!
Geeezz! This is the subject me and another face painter were just talking about earlier today!!! Tipping! I am a professional face painter and I do all sorts of parties and events. Most people never even think about tipping the face painter and I don’t expect it because I am charging by the hour. Nonetheless….I do charge a lot less than some of my piers because I want to stay below their rates. I am just as good or better. I had one client tip me $100 cash on top of her $200 rate for two hours last weekend. Awesome! Some people give me $5 and others give me $20. I am greatful for whatever they wish to do. Now….what I have a grip about is when I am working for tips! Some do not tip at all and most only put in a dollar. The dollar is an insult when they would pay $10-$20 to get their child’s face painted if I were charging. They go to Disney World and pay $25 and it’s not better than what I do, but they will insult me by handing me $1. You have to know what you are getting and tip accordingly.
I was wondering in what cases you’re working for tips? I was just wondering because if I were to use your service at an event I would assume your service was already paid for and if I were to tip a few dollars I would do with a kind thought. If I had any idea you thought a dollar tip was “insulting” I wouldn’t even go near you in the first place. Now if you’re not getting paid wherever you are and truly are working for just tips you should simply charge a flat fee so you don’t get stiffed. I’m not trying to be rude…just wondering if there is some other scenario I am missing here. People won’t know what to pay you if you don’t flat out tell them. Know what I mean?
i agree. Often, the customer has NO way of knowing what someone is getting paid. At a flea market where I had a booth, the balloon artists worked for tips. But I know the market paid good money to get them in at an hourly rate. Yet other artists in different places claim to work only for tips with no hourly rate. How are we as the customer supposed to know? You ask for tips for that sort of thing, expect a buck or two. Otherwise, state your rate. Don’t call me rude or insulting because I dont know. It’s YOUR job to know your industry and set your rates. It’s my job to pay your rate if I want your service. If your rate isn’t set, then I have no clue. And if you aren’t happy with my dollar tip, then maybe you should make your rate known BEFORE you get my kid kid hyped up and painted.
Thats why the website Collin posted can hopefully be helpful for people who dont know when its appropriate to tip and how much. If you dont know then ask and someone might be able to give you an answer. I can see how the $1 insult comment may be shocking, but when youre providing a service or entertainment and its expected and someone devalues you like that it hurts, especially when you worked so hard. I think everyone should have to work in the service industry and a few other jobs for a bit, just so everyone can be a little more understanding and compassionate. Were all just trying to survive and a lot of people work their butts off and do their best all the time
Thank you, Tonya! Well said!
I think that when someone sees a sign that says “tips appreciated” or some such, most people think of a “tip” as only being a couple dollars. I’m just saying, the word tip implies something extra as it is not a service charge. I wouldn’t think to tip someone $10 for a single face painting. That also seems like a situation where most people have no idea what/if you are being paid by a venue or wherever it is you are doing it, so you really need to be up front if that is the expectation. It’s not a common, every day experience to get your face painted, so most people don;t know. In this case, if you’re going to just be working for tips, make sure you have a “suggested” amount listed. This really isn’t common knowledge!
I agree 100% If $1 insults you, then give me back my $1!!! The homeless man down the street WILL appreciate it. Seriously what is wrong with some of you people?!?! Such a huge sense of entitlement these days. I’ve worked in the service industry before and I appreciated every tip amount I received -$1, $2, $10… At the end of the day it was still more $$ in my pocket than I started off with.
You couldn’t of said it any better. Im unemployed and wished I was getting ANY wages regardless if its a dollar tip. People need to be gratefull for even the little they have because there is some one out there who is worse off than you.
Thanks, R! Let me try to clarify this…..Normally, I charge by the hour and the host or event pays me. There is no tip jar allowed. Some will still tip and I tell them no! I have had people slide money under my trays and I find it later and am surprised. I don’t expect tips, but love them when I get them. There are some events that I reduce my price greatly for and they allow me to put out a tip jar to try to make up the difference. Some people appreciate the work I do and my talents to do so. I truly love what I do and people tell me that it shows. Then….very rarely….I will do a freebie and volunteer my services with the agreement that I will work for tips. I put in a full day and the makeups are expensive. The kids will wait in line for hours to be painted up as a tiger or butterfly mask, etc… Most people know what it costs to get their face painted at Disney World or any other big event where they are charging. I thank everyone for whatever they decide to put in my tip jar. People don’t know what to tip for this type of service is all I am saying. If it wasn’t for the few people that do tip $10-20 for my services, I wouldn’t make enough even for the gas to get there. If I were being paid by the hour and you tipped me $1….that’s a bonus, not an insult.
If I didn’t live in Orlando and visit theme parks regularly, I would have no idea that face painting is worth $15+. The rates at the parks aren’t even obvious unless you are interested enough to walk over and view their display boards and most people view the parks as having inflated prices on everything. I’ve been to two fundraising festivals where face painting volunteers were charging just $2-5 for pretty nice semi-professional designs. I realize now that it takes a lot of skill/talent/training and that the supplies are expensive but only because I looked into purchasing them (my 3yo LOVES having her face painted). Before that, I never would have guessed that temporary paint that I’m going to wash off in a few hours was worth so much. Long story short, while your services are clearly worth more than you’re getting and you’re likely being undertipped and I can totally understand your frustration, I would try really hard to view it as ignorance more than insult. I’d imagine most of the $1-$5 tippers are trying to be nice and appreciative.
Thank you! Very well put and yes…it is more of ignorance than an insult.
“R”: Not trying to be rude??!!! Well your comment sounded as you you are an injust human being and very rude to me!! You sound like one of those “NON-TIPPERS” that people HATE! A dollar is a HUGE insult for any ndustry no matter what! PAY IT FORWARD WEIRDO!! Isn’t that what you would want?
hummmmm…..got to think about this one!
Justice….you are so right on! There are so many dim-wits that don’t have a clue as to the services they receive and how to reward for them. Just like this person that face paints, that’s got to hurt her feelings. Have you seen what the professional face and body artists are doing these days! Wow! She sounds like she knows what she’s doing and I would tip accordingly. $1 would definitely be an insult! By giving her a dollar when she is that talented and is giving of her time to do this for your child, it’s a slap in the face! Go check out how much the supplies cost for just the basic face painting kits! Whoa! Now I know why $1 would be so insulting! She even said her client gave her $100 tip on top of the $200 fee…….sounds good to me! I don’t think I would be tipping $100 bills if the person was no good! Have you seen some of the crap people paint on faces that don’t know what they are doing? You know what you usually pay for this type of service at large events and theme parks. It’s like with anything else! Food, baggage, groceries, haircuts, nails, etc….If you were provided service then you Pay it Forward and feel good about it! There is nothing that feels better than to have someone do something nice for you out of the blue including paying for someone else’s food order in line behind you at a drive thru or even at a sit down restaurant. I have had it happen to me and it was the most awesome feeling I have ever had to know that someone I didn’t know would do that for me! Even when I can’t afford it, I try to Pay it Forward! It’s a natural High!
Great topic, Colin! I think it’s ruffled some feathers though…….
Like I said, I really wasn’t trying to be rude. The name calling wasn’t necessary…but okay. I never said her talent wasn’t worth a big tip. I simply wanted to know what the in between of getting paid by the event host and relying solely on tips was. Until Kathy replied back saying she greatly discounts her fee for some events that hadn’t popped into my mind as an option. Her dilemma makes more sense to me now because I can see where she might donate her service for a cause or fundraiser and not get paid her usual amount.
Contrary to what you might believe I have worked many jobs where customer service is nothing less than crucial (although where I was tipped). I also have friends who are artists (of various creative types) and know that everyone tends to do things differently as far as pricing, donations, relying on tips, etc goes. If it was me providing that service for a low fee or donation though, I would either lower the quantity of what I offered (smaller/less elaborate/less time intensive designs) so it wouldn’t hurt me too much financially or do it out of the kindness of my heart knowing that it was either an important enough event to me and I might not come out ahead with it. But like I said, that is me.
I understand that customers don’t always know what is appropriate for these somewhat unusual services. Not once did I say I would only tip a single dollar. I did say “a few” which honestly could be anything from $3+ depending on the amount of work…and that is assuming her service was already paid for by the event if a set price wasn’t indicated. Unless there is a sign that says something to the effect of someones services being donated or working for tips how is the customer to know that that is the case? I did mention something to the effect of if I was the customer I would be insulted that she felt a single dollar tip (from me or anyone else) was insulting. I did see that Kathy found the word ignorant more fitting than insulting. That I get. Because it is ignorance. I don’t know anyone who gets their child’s face painted more than a couple of times a year. It isn’t like going out to eat and knowing what the norm for tipping is. So there is a reason people are ignorant when it comes to tipping on most services they don’t use on a regular service.
And Justice, I am in fact a tipper. A good tipper in my opinion. I go into a restaurant expecting to tip around 20-25% each and every time. So while you may feel the need to call me some silly things, a “non-tipper” shouldn’t be one of them 🙂
“R” Glad to know you are a good tipper. Keep it up! 🙂
Kathy, I wish I knew you because I would hire you for an upcoming party! Then again, you probably don’t live anywhere near me. Darn! You sound like you love your job and for someone to tip you $100 bill for a two hour party, I can see how the $1 would be an insult when you are working only for tips. You have to be one of those really good face artists that I have seen. They can turn you into a cat in a matter of minutes or anything else you want to be. I just want to say thank you for the time you give and I hope others enjoy watching you create and tip you well! You deserve it! It takes a lot of patience to work with children and you must have it!
From reading through the comments, it’s good to hear that some states (Washington and Oregon?)are finally making sure that servers are paid at least the minimum wage. It’s a totally ridiculous system to have some jobs tipped and other similar service jobs not. I lived in Australia and servers were paid minimum wage plus received tips. Also, in Japan, I received the best, most polite service and there is no tipping there…..and restaurants can still make a profit! Saying all that, I always tip well because that’s the system we have unfortunately and an extra couple of dollars makes a difference.
Really? Any idea how that worked so well or why the servers in Japan went abov and beyond when mediocre probably would have been enough to stay employed? One of the subjects in one of my management classes was the importance of aligning the interests of the employee with that of the company (hence why many managers/executives receive performance bonuses). Making tipping a major part of a server’s salary is a huge incentive for servers to do a great job since it would be nearly impossible for managers to keep track of every server and make sure each diner received his appetizers/soup/salad/entree/dessert and their drinks were all kept full, extra condiments provided etc. In theory the happier the guest the bigger the tip so everyone wants the same thing.
Well, I think that if you are paid a fair wage by your employer, it makes you feel valued. I personally think it’s a bit demeaning to have to rely on customers ‘generosity’ to pay your bills (and I worked as a server all through university). I think when you feel pride in your job and work in a good environment, you do a good job, generally. In Japan, ‘I’m having a bad day’ wouldn’t be an excuse for giving even mediocre service. They tend to keep their emotions hidden from the customers.
Also, from experience here, customers don’t always tip based on service alone. It depends on the type of person the customers are and what kind of day they are having ! So, that means the server could work really hard and get change left on the table! I think that is really demoralizing.
I’ve waitressed in CT and OH and while the base wage was better in CT, in both places it was still well under minimum wage. If waitstaff was paid minimum wage, I can only imagine how much my food prices would rise.
I have always tipped my hair dresser, at sonic, always leave a 20% tip when eating out. We believe in tipping no matter how nice or bad the experience.
My favorite: * Don’t leave a bad tip if you plan on visiting the establishment again.
Defensive tipping! Hilarious! Well, I guess if this is the person you’re trusting with your food or your haircut, that’s a good idea!
We tip 15% (unless they’re abysmal), and always tip the pre-coupon price. Outside of restaurants, tips are minimal. In general, the more you tip that barista, the less the establishment has to pay her to keep her. No need to give charity to Starbucks!
Servers generally know when they’ve done a good job and when they’ve done a poor job. They also talk to their fellow servers. If you tip an awesome server poorly, he/she will tell their coworkers and the service you receive at that particular restaurant will seriously decrease. I don’t mind running around, getting extra bread, or giving take-home sodas if it’s a new customer or a regular I know will tip well, but if I consistently receive a bad tip from someone — they’ll be getting bare minimum service.
Amen!
Alex I agree with you.. this is a touchy touchy subject… people do not understand… unless they’ve been a server how this works.. It’s very aggravating to see some people’s responses on here they dont get it.. we don’t get a paycheck what we make that day is our money, that’s how we pay our bills… I honestly feel like everyone should have to serve and pay their bills for at least 3 months and they would have a whole new respect for tipping.
“Like”
I did it for 10 months so I could be a SAHM by day. Makes the most stressful, deadline filled day at my office job look like a cakewalk 🙂
It’s funny to hear how people that don’t earn a salary expect additional compensation regardless of their performance. Tips are “gratuity” or a “gift.” Choosing a profession that relies on the gratuity of others is not wise if you’re planning on making a living off of it for very long. I delivered pizza while I put myself through school. I never expected people to tip but usually received a dollar or two…I can’t rely on others if I want to be able to pay my bills. I chose to go to school and learn skills that would guarantee me a successful future and a decent retirement.
Being a server is a choice, if you don’t like relying on others to make your bills, do something different. No one forced you to be a server, just like no one forced me to sit at a table and receive bad service. But if you opt to give me bad service, I will opt to tip accordingly.
“If an employee’s tips combined with the employer’s direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference.” U.S. Dept of Labor
If tipping is expected, then great service should be expected, regardless.
Absolutely. Tips stands for “to insure prompt service”. If you are a bad tipper, I will serve you, but you most certainly will not be a top priority. I will serve those who “insure prompt service” first. One other point I would like to make is this: I am paid an hourly wage to make and serve you the drink you have ordered. That’s all. If you want anything extra, such as to banter with me, have me listen to your jokes and pretend I think they are funny, or listen to you complain about all of your silly problems, well, that all costs extra. That extra is to be paid by you if you want the extra service. Period. If you don’t want to tip, that’s totally fine,but come in, sit down, and quietly drink your drink. Fair is fair. You get what you pay for. Nothing more.
Something often not thought of is discounts – tip percentage should be off the normal price of a service. If you have a half off coupon, your tip should be based upon the regular price. I am going to massage school. and do an unpaid externship – yet us students have to provide and wash our own sheets and buy our own lotions. because it’s a school, they sell massage packages and depending upon the promotion a 10 pack of massage certificates cost $10 – $18 each massage. That’s a cheap massage, but 10% of $10 doesn’t even cover the costs we have to absorb. The going rate for a 1 hour massage in my area is $69, the regular price purchases one at a time at the school is $29 – the tip at minimum should be based on the regular price. Most people tip $5, but I’ve had alot of people not tip at all.
I work at a Taqueria and we have a tip jar. What I find rude is that when i give people there change they will put like 5 or 10 cents in the jar just to get rid of it. I’ve seriously wanted to grab it out of the jar and give it back to them and tell them to shove it!!! Now that’s RUDE!!
Because that will help you keep your job, throwing change back at people. I’m sure those nickels and dimes add up, if people do it often enough to make you want to throw it back at them.
Is it weird that they have tip jars at dunkin doughnuts and carabu coffee? It’s like tipping at McDonald’s. Why r we expected to tip these places?
I agree that to me it’s ridiculous for people to be getting tips at those types of places.
There a quite a few Dunkin Donuts where in live (NH) which have small signs on the registers stating that they cannot take tips. I’m not sure why, but it’s been too busy when I have been in there to ask.
I personally don’t like it when there is a tip jar like at Coldstone Creamery, Chinese carryout, Ritter’s (another ice cream place) and I NEVER give them tips. You dipped /made my sundae-you didn’t serve me for more than 1 minute…Also the sno cone joint at our outside mall has a tip jar now-where will it end? If these type of establishments want tips how far off is Target, Walmart, McDonald’s or Kroger??
Have you ever had a truly delicious Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee w/ milk, sugar, and caramel swirl. Definitely worth the dollar tip. Also, I have one DDs that I go to pretty regularly, when things are jammed more often then not they tend to have my order waiting for me by the time i get to the head of the line. People forget, giving a cash tip is nice, but being respectful of those who are serving you should be mandatory.
The tip amount seems to have gone up since I was younger. When I was younger 10% was good. Now it seems 15% is good. In the past you tipped because they refilled your drinks, brought your meal and actually served you. I seriously can’t see tipping at a place like Old Country Buffet. They clear plates is all they do. Um that’s called a busboy.
I don’t know when tipping got so out of control but originally in this country (at least according to my parents who would be in their 90s if both were still alive) you did not tip for normal service. Tips were only given for exceptional service as an incentive to do more than just normal service. Now it’s expected for people to tip for even bad service and for instances that you never did before like maids (since you pay for the room to be at a certain level of cleanliness) or the postman (which is a quasi-federal job and to me is considered an ethics violation).
I always try to leave a cash tip instead of on my credit card because I was told waiters don’t have to report or pay taxes on those. Does anyone know if this is true?
By law, servers are SUPPOSED to claim 100% of their tips made, whether via cash or a cc tip. The only income that can be truly accounted for is a cc tip, and claiming cash tips goes by the honor system. Most servers do not claim their cash tips because it can’t really be regulated, and therefore, you are correct, they do not have to pay taxes on that income. This does show for a lower W2 and can cause other problems down the road if a server or bartender wants to prove they make a certain amount of money yet it’s all unclaimed, but hey, that’s their choice. 🙂
Side note, I think it’s considerate that you give servers that choice, and I know it is probably greatly appreciated by almost every server you tip in cash.
Not claiming cash tips is tax fraud, and the rest of us have to make up for it by paying more in taxes, even if we make less than the average waitress. Always put the tip on the credit card and keep everybody honest, please.
I agree! I always place my tips on a credit card so the waitress will have to claim it on their taxes. There are no free rides in this world I am personally tired of picking up the tab for dishonest people.
There are thousands of things that fall into tax fraud people do everyday. Ever helped a friend and they either gave you a gift or bought you dinner? You should have claimed it. Airline miles etc….Those lottery tickets that you won on you should have claimed it. I love people jumping on the soap box.
simply99 check the tax code before you get all high and mighty. You can gift a person $13,000 a year before that person has to pay gift tax on it. Maybe you should know the facts before you start telling people they are committing tax fraud. And, just becuase thousands of people do it everyday, that doesn’t make it right.
This is complete entitlement mentality. I worked as a waitress to pay my way through school. I know what you do, but I tip based on service, period. If you receive bad service from a waiter/waitress and still tip generously you are enabling. Just to be clear I said bad service, I do not mean bad food as that is not the servers fault. When I receive terrible service I let the manager know why I am not tipping generously. In any job if you do not do your job to the company’s standards you are not awarded. I made more money as a waitress than any of my friends working office jobs in school. I always serviced every customer the same, not based on what I THOUGHT you were going to tip me. I had a couple tip me $200.00 because I serviced them the great, I provided the same great service to the family of 12 setting next to them that left zero tip. Just because someone does not tip does not make them bad people. What if that family of 12 saved for months just to be able to eat out once? This whole “you don’t know what kind of day your server has had” is BS. Provide great service ALL the time and you will always get more in the end.
Jenna I totally agree with everything you said. You and a few on here are the only ones that make complete sense
I love what you have to say! Seriously! Why should a waiter deserve my hard earned money if they’re not willing to work hard for it too? My husband and I are young, usually just order entrees, and I always get water. We don’t rack up a huge bill, but we always go into a restaurant with the intention of tipping well (20-25%). We also clean up after ourselves as much as possible and don’t linger at the table for too long. It burns me when a waiter assumes from the beginning we’re terrible tippers and doesn’t even try. We’re honestly pretty easy to please, don’t let my hubby’s soda glass sit empty for too long and treat us kindly. That is it! Even when we just get so so service we leave 15%. To leave anything less it would have to be horrible.
I think your comment is the first one that I completely agree with!! Cheers!
Very well said. You clearly extend others grace and give the benefit of the doubt. I appreciated reading your perspective!
*high five*!
Thumbs up! Where’s the LIKE button?
I am an oddball here but I LOVE tipping. There is nothing like getting great service and rewarding it with a very generous tip. It makes ME feel good. 15% is what I tip for bad service.
It stems from growing up and working a job in an ice cream parlor. I LOVED that job and it showed. One day a patron told me that if i put out a tip jar, they would be mroe than happy to contribute just becasue of my smile and friendliness. I did it and I kid you not I would make $30-$80 a shift! Those tips that Summer helped me go to college in the Fall!
Man I miss that shop! Best Summer of my life!
Wow!! Wish there were more like you! But you deserved the tips because of your service and attitude. There has to be a “give” for a “take”!
Don’t eat out. Learn to cook the same things but even BETTER at home by googling recipes. Went to Outback Steakhouse last month and I will NEVER go there again. Why would I want to eat out in a crowded, noisy, messy restaurant that I can make the SAME food better, not to mention CHEAPER at home??? Our 20th anniversary is tomorrow, and I am making Olive Garden fettucine at home for myself and whatever my hubby says he wants. However, if I DO eat out, we tip decently, but will go lower for poor service. If I did a bad job at my work, I would get in serious trouble (teacher).
I tip at restaurants – when I eat out, which is rarely – 15% minimum, 20% or more normally, extra for extra service, 10% at buffets if they bring and refill drinks. I used wait tables, so I never stiff the wait staff. But I cannot see the point of those hopeful tip jars at coffee places. They aren’t bringing it to my table or clearing it away. They aren’t being paid the slave wage of waiters. They are preparing me a $5 paper cup of coffee directly from the menu and yelling my name. What part of that am I supposed to reward with a tip?
My husband used to work at coffee shops and a lot of them do pay the same as wait staff. His income was almost dependent just on tips. Seeing as it was just a second job that he enjoyed it wasn’t a big deal to us luckily. But I just wanted to point out that some coffee places do pay less than minimum wage since I’ve seen a lot of comments about people thinking that wait staff deserves tips but not baristas 🙂
I will tip maybe a dollar. There is a difference in a waitress or waiter who runs around like crazy & the baristas who dont.
I am surprised that so many people have bad experiences with restaurant servers. Granted I don’t go out to eat super often, but I always find the servers to be polite and friendly. Some may be more outgoing or “nice” than others, but I literally can’t think of a time when a server was downright rude, to the point that I would feel they didn’t deserve to make any money off my table. I’ve had servers who were forgetful/really busy, maybe, but to me that’s understandable and they are always apologetic if they make a mistake or forget to get something I asked for. Maybe my expectations are just lower than some 😉 But I find if I go in with a good attitude, rather than expecting someone to make a mistake or looking for problems, I generally get good service and have a good time!
Thanks for pointing this out – I thought I was the only one who thought that while reading all these posts. I actually eat out A LOT – I travel for work, and on average I say I eat out at least twice a week, every week (sometimes more). I think in my whole life I’ve had maybe two really bad servers, a handful of below average, but the vast majority have ranged from average to excellent, and I eat at all kids of restaurants, from super casual to very fancy. I have to wonder what people’s standards are – either they are expecting A LOT from their server or maybe they are just difficult people. If you have bad experiences often when you eat out should examine your own attitude and behavior.
I am truly disheartened reading comments from some of you. As a waitress for the last four and a half years and an independent woman putting herself through college, I know how terrible it is to get stiffed on a tip, especially if you give your job all you’ve got. I can agree on not tipping great to a waitress or waiter who gave bad service. There is no excuse for ruining a diners experience with a bad attitude, but through my own personal experience, I can say that even if I do give extra attention and impeccable service to a table, I sometimes still feel as though I don’t get a tip appropriate for the job I did. When you’re sometimes juggling upwards of eight or nine tables at a time and trying to absolutely please all of them, there is always going to be someone you just can’t please. If you see your server working hard and putting in the effort you expect, there is no reason not to tip well.
I was talking to a waiter at olive garden and he said he once got a paycheck for $1.00 after taxes. He only makes tips and he said some family with 6 kids came in and they stayed forever and let the kids play stand up on the table- and left no tip! I felt sorry for him! :/ I definitely will tip bigger from now on!
Tip your barista:)
For me, 10% is bad service, 15% is decent-good service, and 20% is for great friendly service. I always tip pre-coupon or pre-gift card and I always make my “total” round. Last week me and hubby went to buffalo wild wings. I think we had a $45 something bill. Used a $25 gift card an about $9 and some change tip to make it an even number coming out of my checking account. So in other words, good service is 15% and then round up to the next even $5 for my total.
Ive worked in the service industry for a while now and I def do understand both sides to an extent, but I feel like sometimes *some* people are just looking for any excuse to be cheap. If you cant afford to tip 15% no matter how good or bad your experience was, then go to Burger King. Many of those people make around $2 an hour. Factoring in gas to and from work, tip outs to other staff etc. if you arent getting tipped properly then you could end up paying to work! If someone is like the worse server ever based solely on their attitude or something then talk to a manager, otherwise its not that bad to justify not leaving a tip. Standard tipping is now at 18%. So 15% is as low as I would ever go. I normally leave 20% but will definitely leave more if they were great. You rarely ever hear people who have worked in the service industry saying that they dont tip well if someone didnt keep their water full or their food was messed up or whatever. They could be new to the job, be slammed in their section, have a bad cook, co-workers or managers or any other number of things. If you dont know then try to be understanding. If you cant do that then stick to places that dont require a tip. Unless someone just has a horrible attitude then there is no excuse not to tip 15% or more, and in that case its bad enough to tell a manager. Lets all try to be a little more understanding of others and the struggles people go through. If you cant have that decency then eat at home please.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if everyone was paid the regular minimum wage with raises etc and we just did away with mandatory tipping. Just a thought!
Yeah if every one made at least minimum wage it wouldnt be such a heated issue. People who work in the service industry and make like $2.50 an hour get really passionate about the tip debate bc without tips they are practically paying to work when all is said and done. Thats a good thought you have! =D
Can a waiter or waitress answer this question honestly for me? On an average week day, how much do you make per hour including tip? How much do you make on an average weekend? I have never worked as a server and i think if i truly understood how much you make, i can get a better understanding of how difficult it is to live on a server’s wages. I wish that servers would make a decent wage paid for by the restaurant so they don’t have to rely on others to tip properly. Everyone else makes a normal salary and behaves nicely to each other, why can’t servers receive the same pay and get treated fairly?
I have read all these comments, yet chose not to reply, but let me just say this; I worked as a server/bartender for many years. As a single Mom I had to take my daughter to the babysitter when I worked, and there were MANY occasions where I had to stop at the ATM after my shift, and withdrawl money because I did not make enough to pay said babysitter. I worked for nothing basically and it actually cost me money to go to work. On top of that, I could have been home spending time with my daughter which is invaluable.
It honestly depends on a lot of things. Ive bartended at a few places making $2.50 an hour during really long shifts and if its dead or have horrible tippers made $20 in tips at the end of that 10 hour shift. A lot of places require you to tip out others for their services but as a bartender i didnt have to luckily. Ive also worked at casinos where i had a slow shift and made really good money from high rollers tipping me. It all depends on how busy the place you work is and how the clientel/customers are. Plus, believe it or not there are good and bad “seasons” in the industry. There will be several months where people are indoors drinking and eating a lot and then theres dead seasons where its a ghost town. You learn to save from those good times and set it aside for those really bad ones. Its really not dependable income when your hourly is so low. If you have bad tippers or a slow season you could be in big trouble if you dont have savings. And another factor is the economy. Before 2009 people tended to tip a little better and afterwards not only was business slow but i got stiffed a lot and a lot of “im sorry but im broke and will have to get you next time”. And its sad, but ive even had people ask me if they could borrow money from MY tip jar. Times are tough. Maybe busy nightclubs in big cities are still making bank, but its not always as easy as one would think. Sometimes the customers and/or stress you deal with in the industry isnt worth the inconsistent pay. Nothing hurts more than working so hard for several double shifts and still coming up short on bills. Those are just my experiences and what ive seen. It can be amazing or it can be a nightmare! Hope this gave a little more insight =D
I would just like to chime in here. I worked as a waitress for many years at several different styles of restaurants in a very poor town and I still averaged around $10 an hour. Some days suck and you only walk out with $15 in tips but other days you walk out with well over $100. And what many people do not know is that it is required BY LAW for restaurants in certain states to pay the difference if the waitress doesn’t make the minimum wage in tips. I promise you that most waitresses make well over minimum wage. I understand the serving is hard work and having to serve ungrateful people sucks but no one is having to pay to go to work (on average). Otherwise it wouldn’t make any sense to work there.
Disclaimer: I wouldn’t say I was the greatest or a very experience waitress and I worked in a touristy area. During the busy season, when we had 5-6 tables in our sections and they were all constantly full, I could leave a 6-7 hour shift with $75-$100 (so $10-$14/hr). The busy season only lasted a couple of months per year. During the average months, I made $40-$60 ($5.50-$8.50/hr). During the slow months I made about $30 ($4/hr). The busier the restaurant, the more tables we had to clean after the restaurant closed, the more dressing we had to prep for the next shift, the more silverware had to be rolled into napkins so the later we had to work.
How do you tip on services like spray tans, body wraps or other spa services, and carry out food?
Just my own 2 cents… if it is a spray tan where a person is spraying you (not the ones where you walk into the machine) I think I would tip the same as any spa services (15-20%). For carry-out food, I don’t tip… if I’m picking up the food, there isn’t a service being provided, just the food, and I’ve already paid for that!
Just went out to locally owned place where you make your own pizzas and they give you cups for drinks. We used groupon. I wanted to tip but my hubby said that usually you don’t tip in places like that (he meant where you pretty much serve yourself). On the groupon they was a note about tips for the good service. Now I feel bad that we didn’t tip :(((
its tough to know with places like that! Im used to tipping at bars, restaurants, cabs, coffee shops, hair salon and hotels/casinos. When i moved to Las Vegas from Nebraska i had major tipping culture shock! I am a great tipper and that whole town lives off tips, but EVERYWHERE had a tip jar out. Im talking Subway, tanning salons, grocery stores…..I’m serious, it blew my mind. I had to save so much of my ones from tips to put in a million jars. Even places where you have no human interaction whatsoever! But everyone who works for tips believes in karma so you couldnt NOT tip if there was a jar out 😉 lol thats funny to say out loud.
How about we put the blame on restaurants instead of customers. If a business cannot afford to pay a server minimum wage then they should not be in business. Telling customers to discontinue eating out if they tip low is a backwards argument, because the less customers that frequent the restaurant, you can guarantee that the business will layoff waiting staff. No one is entitled to anything, everyone works hard for their money and should not feel guilted into giving more just because you make less than minimum wage. If you give great service you will be tipped accordingly. I honestly think all waiters should get minimum wage and then we should do away with tips altogether.
I travel a lot. I don’t normally use the check-in outside of the airport unless I’m running late. I flew recntly flying & used one of those services. I paid my baggage fee. The man did a slight cough & asked about a tip. I was completely flabbergasted. I put my luggage on the scale to be weighed. It wasnt like he opened my car door or got it out of the trunk. I did not tip for 2 reasons. If you ask me for a tip I will not give it to you. I do not care that is rude! The second reason is I did not know I had to tip someone who is doing their job! I am more than happy to tip my waitresses , cab drivers, hairstylist and so on. However, why do I have to pay people to do their job?
I have worked in the food industry most of my adult life, (primarily as a cook, but also as a server), and I do agree that a little bit over $2 is really difficult to live on. However, I believe that you should get paid for the work that you do. If you were working in ANY other area, you would try to do your best to get a raise, or a better pay rate, etc. So why should that be any different as a server? Wouldn’t you want to do your best to keep the people that pay you (not only your employers, but your customers as well) happy and satisfied? I know that bad days happen, but you shouldn’t take that into any job, customer service oriented or not.
That said, I always try to tip at least 20% (using my calculator on my phone because I am HORRIBLE at math lol) if the server does a decent job, and more if they are excellent. I have been there, and know how frustrating it is to get small or no tips from customers even if you feel like you have done your best.
When we go out we feel we tip “BIG” for great friendly service. We have tip as much as 40%. The reason we do usually tip over is that I had been a waitress and we know what it is to work hard for a dollar. On the other hand we had gone to a local restaurant (not a chain) that was advertised on TV . It was the worst experience we had ever had. The hostess was trying her best but it appears the waitress was too busy flirting with another employee to actually do her job. She only showed up to hand us our bill! We payed for the undercooked greasy sandwiches and drink but left no tip. We also sent a letter to the proprietor regarding our experience. So tipping should be based on service not on a calculated amount (20%).
My daughter was a server for years and every night there were people who did not tip at all (many of them were from foreign countries, so it might be a cultural thing). The hourly wage was around $2.50 an hour plus she had to tip out the bartender, bus boys, and hostess. It would be so nice if they just got rid of tipping completely and just added a 15% “service charge” for being served. If the customer feels like the service is poor, then they can complain to the manager. If they don’t like the service charge, then don’t go to a restaurant where you are served, go to a place where you go up to the counter.
I tip according to the treatment I get. My husband once gave a $10. tip to a waitress from another station that stepped in and took care of us when our waitress was no where to be seen. We did see her when he took the tip to the kitchen door and asked for our waitress #2. Boy was the other one upset, oh well, you want a good tip….take car of your customers.
We tip the barber shop our kids get hair cuts at. We tip a salon whenever I or my daughter go. We give a gift card to our trash collector mostly during the holidays but sometimes just randomly because it makes people feel better that they are appreciated for the job they do and hopefully it makes them continue to do better. At restaurants, we go in with a 20% base for the tip. Your service determines if that number moves up or down. I can only remember one occasion when we did not tip at all on a $65 bill. I tried to put myself in the waitress’s shoes but I couldn’t and I wrote an explanation of why she did not receive a tip. I know a lot of people won’t agree with my actions but I feel like if you are providing a service and cannot accomplish it with at least mediocre results, you shouldn’t be working. Now I understand we all have bad days, I do too but you should try not to let your personal life get in the way of your professional life. And if you cannot do that, you should make every effort (especially in the service industry) to be apologetic of your actions. This particular waitress, ordered raw oysters when I ordered them steamed (I was pregnant). I let that go because mistakes happen. My husband had to ask another waiter to get our drinks after waiting 15 minutes (and we could see her sitting at another table chatting). It looked to us like she new a couple at another table and spent a lot of her time there. When i did finally get a hold of her and asked why she wasnt being helpful, she said “that’s my friend from high school, I didnt know she was getting married and I’m catching up on old times”. Tome, she didn’t need her job and definitely didnt need my tip so I didn’t leave one. The service industry sets the tone for what is given back to them. Every job serves someone no matter how big or small and we all can’t go in with the notion of performing like slobs and receiving compensation like winners.
Well said!
Like you, I go in with the intention to give 20%. I can think of 1 or 2 times that we have stiffed a server and it’s for the reasons you mentioned – it’s not very busy, they’re missing or clearly standing somewhere chit-chatting and they seem like they’re truly making no effort whatsoever. I can probably count on one hand the number of times that we’ve tipped less than 15% and it’s far outweighed by the instances that we’ve gone over 20%. I would imagine that even the servers themselves aren’t advocating for a 20% tip in ALL circumstances.
I like to think outside the box and tip people who rarely get tipped, but who work their butts off! I definitely tipped my movers, who did an amazing job with HEAVY furniture. A friend of mine tipped the guy at Home Depot who helped him load his numerous purchases into his truck, all with a smile. Also if a grocery bagger helps you to your car with your groceries, they LOVE a tip! I tip for excellent service, regardless of where that service is recieved. On the flip side, if I recieve poor service I will not tip, not even a dollar.
The real issue here is restaurants not paying their employees sufficiently and passing on this responsibility to customers. I think its ridiculous that it’s legal to pay below minimum wage and expect customers to pick up the rest!
Customers would be “picking up the rest” one way or the other. If restaurants had to pay servers $8-10/hr then the menu prices would all go up and probably by more than 20% since they’d have to pay the employees during slow times and while they’re cleaning up after their shifts. When you go to the supermarket or a fast food place the cost of paying the employees at least minimum wage is factored into the prices you’re paying. Paying tips just puts you in charge of how much the server has earned based on the quality of their service. It’s really not “extra” just a different, more direct, way of a paying the same thing you’d be paying anyway with the added benefit of incentivising the servers to give 110%.
ummm…. they should be paying their employees during slow times and for cleaning. if you’re at work, you get paid regardless of how busy you are. in my office, if i have 0 clients 1 hour and 10 clients the next hour, i get paid the same for both hours.
id much rather pay more for a meal from a company who pays their employees fairly and tip if the service is exceptional.
i lived in New zealand for 6 months. tip is optional and employees were paid fairly by the restaurant. the service was much better than it is here!
I don’t think you grasp how much of an increase in prices you’d see if they had to pay staff minimum wage all the time.
And to your point about your pay being the same every day regardless of volume, well, that’s why you and I will be bringing home the same wage every week (with no chance to earn more) whereas as really good server can be making beaucoup dollars when the volume is high. I made a lot more waitressing or bartending than I do at some of my desk jobs, as much as $200/hr when I was bartending or working in fine dining. I definitely don’t earn that now. BUT, I worked for it then. I worked hard. I wouldn’t go back now even for the increased money. There’s a balance for everything.
I know what the prices are like – i lived in a country where this was factored in.
I get a year end bonus based on performance ( just like a tip). and i make much more than a waitress…
not having a decent wage and relying on tips leads to a very economically unstable environment, which is why I would never be a server. how do you set a budget when you dont know what you are going to be making? if you dont get enough tips, you cant pay your bills. if you make a lot of tips, you are more likely to blow that extra money because you didnt expect to get that much. you can consistently serve well, but your pay is always dependent on other’s attitudes and generosity – not a good way to live.
So if servers were paid minimum wage, we agree food prices would increase. It stands to reason if food prices increase, people would go out to eat less. Logically, if people are eating out less, restaurants don’t need as much staff to meet decreased customer demands. So how are we really helping people by putting them out of jobs?
I don’t know how much you make, but I would be willing to bet you good money there are a lot of waitresses that make more than you do. As I wrote above, unless you’re making $200/hr, then you aren’t making as much as I did when I was bartending. Let’s not assume the take home pay of others simply based on the position they’re in. Also, assuming people will “blow” their extra earnings doesn’t show a lot of faith in the individual. Competent individuals in the service industry should know their average weekly earnings, and plan for times when business is slower than usual, as should any person whose earnings can fluctuate. This works on a micro AND macro level. Businesses that are seasonal in nature need to plan for the lean times just like people do.
dining prices are increased in New Zealand and other countries to ensure decent wages to servers. The restaurant industry is doing just fine in these countries.
promoting a fair work environment is helping these employees in the long term. If we went by your rationale, we wouldn’t have freed slaves because they would be “out of work, and how would they get jobs?”
You can’t always plan for business to be slower. there are so many volatile variables, most having nothing to do with the service you provide. And, spending more money when there is an increase is just human nature.
That’s absolutely not what I’m saying, Brittany, and I don’t think any logical person would’ve taken the argument where you did, implying I would support slavery? Why don’t you reread what I wrote? Companies will only pay as much as a position is worth and as much as they need the position. I’m done with you now.
good. i win 🙂
Peope who don’t tip in a restaurant need to stay home…Yes they do there is no law in the USA to go out and spend money like a drunken sailor..Most places count your meals and you are taxed no matter if they get a tip at all, thus making them in the hole wage wise..the place we dine has all college and some high school students, they need the money for books, tuition and the high school students need the money period, to help the folks and other siblings out..they are not working for their beauty at all..I always bring a five spot for the tip no matter if we just order soup and salad and water, no matter, I worked in the industry in california in a neat italian place, the owner would go to the tables at the time to pick up the check, if no tip he would say, we love your company but the wait staff is working to get thru the university please be kind to them, they make our restaurant what it is, we never had any problem getting tips, it was a family run, authentic italian restaurant with great food, ambience and an owner who fully supported his waitstaff, dishwashers, cooks, etc…why can’t people be kind and considerate, one can stay in their own homes and make their own food, to me to go out it is a big big big treat, as I am an excellent cook after 40 years of marriage and my hubby even better, shame on people for stiffing the waiter or waitress!!!!!!Shame Shame Shame, stay at home and cook your own meals…
I did not state poor service, big attitude, one must call the manager over and let them know immediately the food is not good, attitude lacking in courtesy, politely and still leave a tip based on the pre-taxed meals..It is just decent to do the right thing, the manager will take care of the rude wait staff why penalize a person for a one time thing? when they are trying to make a living, working in the public requires a thick skin and another job just to get by..it is very hard to work as a waiter, waitress and in retail to make the bills, most people would just up and quit, but real character requires most people to suck it in and work like living you know what, why stiff them, that is to me just plain cheap and cruel, stay at home and fix your own food, and stop complaining about this and that..hard hard job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do not understand why restaurants can pay 2.13 an hour…thats the part that does not make sense. I really feel with the prices that most restaurants are charging for a plate of food why wouldn’t they be paying the employee to serve it? where will the line end up being drawn anyways?? Next there will be a tip jar with the grocery store cashiers!!!If we don’t get overcharged or something rang up twice they would deserve a tip…..God forbid i f she accepted our coupons….that would be a large tip.
Currently, we tip 15% at restaurants. I have always tipped but wasn’t sure how much to tip until I was told that the server pays taxes on an assumed tip. I don’t want to cause a hardship for anyone because they had to serve me. I want to be considerate of those serving. We place our orders and then we don’t ask for much. We are very nondemanding, easily satisfied customers. I am quite surprised to see how many servers or former servers have commented here saying that if you can’t tip well, then go eat at McDonalds. Wow! I don’t think that 15% is tipping “well” more of a basic or standard tip. I would like to ask those with that attitude to consider their “guests”. Going out to eat is a splurge for us. We save up and order very modestly. Usually buying a $10 sandwich or salad and getting water. We don’t order appetizers and hardly ever dessert. In recent years, we have sometimes only taken our family out to eat once a year. I get my haircut once a year or less, don’t get coffee, don’t go tanning, or have a cell phone or cable TV. I have no clue what is appropriate to tip at Disney World because I have never been there. My children have never had their faces painted or taken family vacations. We are very happy and are very blessed even without these luxuries. I just want to point out that maybe the being considerate could go both ways. Instead of assuming that we enjoy all sorts of luxuries but are “stiffing” you because we didn’t tip you 20% or more, maybe you could see that we are hardworking people just like you that have saved up to pay for our dinner AND a standard tip and just want to have a pleasant evening.
When I was serving I could recognize the people that were on a fixed income. I remember the retired couple I served that both ordered water, a cup of soup and split a salad. They were clearly trying to minimize their bill, they were good customers and I was grateful for their 15% tip. I would have gladly served customers like them all night long, table after table. It’s the ones that were ordering the expensive entrees, $10 glasses of wine, dessert and generally were having a meal that would be a rare and special treat for my family, who also ran me ragged with questions and special requests, who then left 10-15% regardless of the level of service that were frustrating.
Don’t know if I am the only one here, but I actually want to tip less to servers after reading all these comments. 1. Businesses should be held liable to pay minimum wage. 2. Customers should not have to feel obliged to make up the difference 3. Tips should not be considered wages, but rather a “bonus”, and 4. if you aren’t being paid enough to live, find another job… and #5. Poor service = poor tips, average service = average tips and great service = great tips! It’s as simple as that. Everyone usually comes in as average (doing their job), but its those that go above and beyond that deserve the extra ( 20%+). You shouldn’t FEEL ENTITLED to get a bigger bonus for performing average work.
agreed!
Do you know how much those goods and services would cost you if the businesses were required to pay minimum wage? Have fun eating your $30 hamburger at TGIFridays so they can pay their waitstaff minimum wage.
so you think the business should cut corners and ask customers to pick up the slack? if it costs $30 for a hamburger in order to pay your employees fairly, so be it!
No, people will not pay $30 for a hamburger, they’ll go without. Then the server is out of a job since without customers to serve, the business doesn’t need to employ him/her.
Can they just increase by 18 or 20%? A burger that used to cost 12 will now be 14.40 at 20%. If people depend on 20% on each meal to meet minimum wage, then it’s included. If people depend on everyone tipping more than 20% to make minimum wage, then there is something wrong with the system because there is no way anyone will have all customers tip more than 20%.
great point! $30 is a huge exaggeration. fair tippers will be paying the same. the only people paying more would be the cheapskates!
That’s nice in theory, but every $1 more an employee is paid costs the company $2 because of the “burden” of employing someone – having to pay things like FICA, FUTA, SUTA, Workers Comp insurance, etc…
Now if you’re talking about including a mandatory 18-20% tip in a check, I think that removes the incentive to perform, which is what a tip is supposed to create.
No, Brittany, it’s not a huge exaggeration. If a server in CT is paid $5/hr and then required to be brought to minimum wage, the company has to pay them $8.25/hr, which actually costs the company $6.50/hour more because of the burden of employment (FICA, FUTA, SUTA, Workers comp, etc…). Your $15 burger will double in price, since the wages have more than doubled in price for the employer. The employer won’t be eating that cost, consumers will.
I do have a question, what is the “Basic Combined Cash & Tip Minimum Wage Rate” (8.25 for CT)? I do find this conversation very interesting, and it seems like you are knowledgeable in this area Amanda. At the end of the day what I want is for the employee to get a fair wage, but I do understand that businesses have to survive in order to be able to employ employees.
So Karen, if everyone who waited tables found “other jobs,” who would wait on you? The system may not be fair, but the waitstaff aren’t the ones who created it and shouldn’t be punished for your opinion concerning minimum wage laws. If you were to petition for the law to be changed, you would likely find more support than by tipping less.
I was a server for 4 years through college and I now have a professional career and sit on the other side of the table now. I truly believe everyone should work in a restaurant(service industry) for 6 months of their life just to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Some of these comments have my head spinning – I think the golden rule of “treat others like you want to be treated” applies in every aspect of life and certainly should be applied to the service industry from both servers and customers alike. A server knows when they gave bad/good/great service, and will adjust their “expectations” (for lack of a better word) to what they will receive as a tip. There seems to be a sense of “entitlement” coming from a number of “customers” commenting on this topic falling in the catagory “the customer is always right” – NOT true. From personal experience I felt that, while most customers were normal nice folks, a % of customers checked the golden rule at the door. If you are dining at a place in the US where it is the social norm to tip, tip accordingly 10%/15%/20%+ based on your rating. Please treat your server with all the qualities you would want to be treated (patience, understanding, courtesy, please/thank you, etc)since servers approach every new customer with the goal to serve them well and give the customer a pleasant dining experience(why would they not start off with the best intentions…they are working for tips!). How the dining experience turns out is dependent on a NUMBER of different factors – customers, kitchen, management, hostess, servers, prep times, etc. and if your server is “working hard” kind, and forthcoming with you, but something dampens the dining experience, please give them the benefit of the doubt and tip them well.
Also, please do not stiff a server, unless you plan on never returning to that restaurant OR you bring the “such-horrible-service” to the manager’s attention. Just as people in every industry/profession have good clients, easygoing clients, hard to work with clients, never pay their bill clients (the list goes on) –their priority or importance to that company will adjust accordingly. This rings true in the restaurant industry, and servers never forget a face. I still recall (7 years later) the face and name of the customer that threw a wadded up napkin at my head to get my attention while I was servicing another table. She needed a beer – NOW. NASTY. I recall the “regular” who would always leave $1 no.matter.what, and every server got together in the back to draw straws to determine who’s section she would get sat in. Generic service was the least of her concerns when the servers saw her coming.
If you go into a restaurant prepared to tip less than 15% for normal service (after all – you are choosing to take a table in a servers section that you expect quality service, atmosphere, food, etc.) then do not go out to eat at a seated restaurant. Pinching pennies to go out for a “special – once-a-year” meal should include being prepared to tip on top of the cost of food/drink. Feel free to adjust your % of tip based on experience, but going into the dining experience knowing you will be “cheap” or “can’t afford the tip” is wrong.
Why should a person serving a $50 steak and lobster in the high end restaurant make more for serving their plates than the person serving the $6 lunch plate at the mom and pop restaurant? We tip on the cost of the meal, but they are having to do exactly the same amount of work. The restaurants should pay fairly, advertise that they do, and let tipping be about gratuity and being thankful for the service we are provided above and beyond what is expected.
I don’t understand why people are getting so hung up on this aspect. How many people do you know that get paid the same amount, no matter what job they are in? Do all hair dressers make the same amount? Doctors? Real estate agents? No – the ones who are more experienced and better qualified get paid better. It may not always be fair, but it is the way that almost every single industry works. Does a hair dresser at a high end salon deserve to charge $100 for a cut when someone at Great Cuts charges $6.99? To me the answer is sure – as long as there are people willing to pay.
Because the $6 lunch plate places turn tables quickly. If I’m paying $50 for a lobster, I’m going to sit at the table for at least an hour or more. It evens out in the end.
so this discussion focuses on restaurants, but what about other services like massages and haircuts? i dont think these employees rely on tips – they are paid over minimum wage and i assume fairly by their company. so why are there tipping guidelines? Shouldn’t we just tip based on what we think of the service?
The law states that if an employee’s wage plus that employee’s tips do not equal at least the standard minimum wage (currently $7.25 nationally, higher in some states), the employer must make up the difference.
I kind of tired of hearing waitstaff whine about how they don’t make minimum wage because people don’t tip. Well folks, this is a lie. Don’t feel bad for them, it’s all a ploy. Yes, their actual paycheck sucks (ESPECIALLY if they get tipped well because all the taxes, including on tips, are taken out of the $2.13/hr portion of their pay). Then later in the week, they go pick up their tip share – the majority of their pay. If the tip share doesn’t add up to a minimum of $7.25/hr, then their employer legally must make up the difference. If you don’t like the pay of waitstaff, then don’t be a waitstaff – find another job. Your job is to be nice and serve. If you don’t like being nice and serving, then you’re in the wrong industry!
My husband and I usually split a meal because I am such a small eater. So often, as soon as we order, the waiter or waitress all of the sudden takes no interest in us because we aren’t spending a lot. I’ve had some be even downright rude about it. We always plan to tip as if we had ordered two meals, BUT if the server has been trite, then they get a crap tip on the one meal. I love to tip generously when it is earned and I feel like the waiter/waitress cares more about me as a customer than about their own wallet. I’m out to eat to enjoy myself, not to worry about you. It’s a win-win situation if you’ll just do your job well.
Hmm, is this true in all states? I think it is good, if the restaurant has to make sure the person gets paid minimum wage, but every time there is a post on tipping here on this site a lot of people seem to say otherwise. That is interesting!