When going out to eat, should we tip what is being asked of us (15% or more) or what is deserved?

Answer 1

Depends on the service provided by the waiter/waitress. If he/she was on top of things, like refills, checking on you, etc, tip a little bit more. If not, then don't tip at all or a low amount. I know waiters/waitresses depend on their tips. TOUGH chit. If I need a refill, I don't want to ask more than once. Same for extra napkins. Having a bad day? TOUGH chit. DO NOT take it out on your customers. GO HOME.

Just my $.02 comments.

Answer 2

I'll just tell you what I usually do when going out to eat.

For average service I tip the usual, around 15%. I don't see any need to get cheap.

Once in a while I get a waiter that doesn't do such a great job. I tip them less or not at all depending on how much their service sucked. Once, I got a very VERY rude waiter and of course he didn't get any tip at all but we also complained to the manager.

When I believe the service is excellent, I tip them more. They deserve it. It's one thing to do everything you are supposed to for your job but when a person goes above and beyond and makes my dinner extra enjoyable then I have no problem tipping them extra.

Some people say I make a big deal out of this but working as a waiter/host/whatever is a job where the main part is dealing with customers (me). If they make me happy then I'm not going to be stingy for their service. It's really your choice how much you decide to tip even though 15% is standard.

Answer 3

My personal opinion is that they should get what they deserve. I know someone else mentioned that they are taxed on 15%, but if they do a lousy job of serving you then I believe that they deserve to be stiffed a little.

What would encourage people to be good waiters if they knew that a 15% tip was guaranteed?

By giving them what they deserve, in a sense you're rewarding the good waiters and "punishing" the bad ones. After all, TIP stands for "To Insure Promptness" and if they're not prompt... they shouldn't get a very good tip!

Answer 4

I always tip at least 15%. Excellent service gets 20% or more (usually more). If the service is bad, I only leave a couple dollars. I don't like rude wait people, or being ignored. So I guess I probably tip what is deserved.

Answer 5

At least 15%, even for mediocre service. 20% is considered standard in the Northeast. You really can't be sure whats behind poor service. Sometimes, the hostess quadruple seats you with large parties or the bartender is slow or theres a line in the back to get stuff. Unless you've served before, you can't understand how difficult it can get. How many of you cry at work? On any given Saturday night, one server or our 65 will cry. Sometimes it just gets really demanding and it doesn't help if one stupid table runs your **** off-everytime you come back, they need something else from the KITCHEN.

By the way, doubling the tax is not enough. Tax rates vary by state (NJ is 6%) and I'm sorry, 12% is just not enough. Neither is leaving 1 dollar for each person. If your check is 500, you better leave at least 100.

Answer 6

I'd say tip what is deserved. If you feel a waiter/waitress deserves more than 15% go right ahead. Same thing with poor service. If the waitress messed it all up, then it's OK to leave less.

Answer 7

What is deserved. My husband is a Manager for a Fancy Mexican Restaurant and he tells me that some servers base their service on the way the customer looks or acts. Servers claim that if the customer looks ghetto they wont tip as much as opposed to someone who looks high class. To me this is racist and I dont agree with it. Servers should do their job and not base it on the type of people they serve. I believe 15% tip is too much if the service sucks!

Answer 8

You should only tip what is deserved. TIP - To Insure Promptitude. Horrible wait staff do not deserve decent tips just because. It is their job to make you happy. If they don't fulfill that obligation, don't feel obligated to plop your hard-earned money down on the table. If it happened consistently to the bad wait staff, they'd get the picture and shape up, or find another job, and nobody would have to deal with bad service.

Answer 9

You should tip based on the service you receive. However, don't blame your server if the kitchen is slow or messed up your order. Keep in mind that servers make only a couple of bucks per hour and they depend on these tips.

Act of kindness: overtip a server at breakfast. The food is cheaper then so they get less tips. It will make you feel good just to be kind to someone else.

Answer 10

Always tip what is deserved, the word T.I.P.S comes from ...To Inssure Prompt Service. i work in a tipping store and my waitstaff knows if they do a good job or bad job by the money thats left, so always leave only what is deserved. It will help that server out in the long run, and have them work for the tip not just expect it.

Answer 11

I tip what is deserved.....Keep in mind that most wait persons in the US earn about $2/hour and tips are the real salary. This is one of the few careers in which the worker can "set his/her own salary". By performing better, he/she can earn more money.

So if a waiter is very good, I tip more than the expected 15%. If a waiter is very poor (and it has happened once or twice), I tip exactly two pennies.