What amount is appropriate for a tip when dining out?

Answer 1

Restaurant Etiquette

if this offends you than you are probably one of these:


The next time you're out eating at a restaurant, look at your server. Do you think they are really happy to be doing that job? The answer is no, they are not, but its what we do, and we do it for the money so please help them out. Its a tougher job than you think and you should pay them accordingly!

There are SO many people out there flooding the restaurants w/o any knowledge of how to tip. Here is a short guide for the gene ral public to follow. Feel free to print out and store in your wallet and/or purse.

1. CHILDREN "THE LITTLE DEVILS":
If you have children, DO NOT let them, open and dump anything on the table (ie; salt, sugar, etc). IF YOU DO, you must leave an extra $5 for the server to clean up YOUR CHILD'S mess & to restock the now unusable wasted items. We are neither their babysitter nor their parent. The least you can do is pay us for the extra work. Also make sure you control your kids and don't let them scream or run around the restaurant. It's very distracting not to mention dangerous if they get ran over by a server with hot food in their hands.

2. "THE CAMPERS":
If you feel the necessity to stay for longer than 15 minutes after you pay, its an extra $3 every 30 minutes. We make our money from the tables. If you are in one and we can't seat it, we don't make money.

3. COMPLIMENTS:
Telling a server they are the best server they've ever had is not a tip. If we are good, let us know by leaving us more money. We cant pay our bills on compliments. Its not that we don't appreciate the praise, its just that if you say that and then leave 10% it's an insult.

4. THE SALVATION PAMPHLETS:
Prayer cards and any other religious pamphlet is NOT a tip. It is insulting that you assume we are w/o religion and must save us. Again, like ..3, we cant pay bills w/prayer cards. We'd go to church on Sundays if it wasn't mandatory to work on Sundays because EVERYONE who goes to church follows it by eating out. Also don't try to preach to us while we are working. We don't go to your work and put you down so don't do it to us.

5. TIPPING:
It is not 1960. Cost of living has gone up dramatically since then. 18% is the MINIMUM amount of what you should be tipping your servers. Remember, that steak is $12.99 not $22.99 because restaurants aren't required to pay minimum wage in most states! ($2.13 in Texas!) We are taxed on 10 percent of your meal automatically anyway, not to mention we have to tip out a percentage of our sales - your bill - to the hosts, bartenders, and bussers. So if you dont leave a tip, WE END UP PAYING FOR YOUR MEAL!! So move that decimal one spot left and multiply by 2 and your server will never be disappointed. ($25 = $2.50 x 2 = $5)

6. THE COMPLAINERS:
If you get a discount because of your food was prepared wrong or something, do not take it out of our tip. We didn't cook it. The cooks get paid hourly regardless if the food sucks. However, we only make what you give us. And don't ever leave a percentage on the total after the discount or comp -- always tip on what the total would have been.

7. THE LATE ONES:
If you come into the restaurant 10 mins before closing or any time near closing hurry up and order your food and get out. Closed means closed, not social hour. It is so rude to sit there and take your sweet *** time. We can't leave until you leave because we have to do sidework and clean the table you are sitting at. We don't want to stand there waiting for you for an extra hour just because you don't want to go home. We recommend 24 hour establishments such as Dennys if you wish to sit into the wee hours of the night.

8. THE TABLE HOGERS:
If you only come in for coffee or a dessert, to do paper work, or to have a meeting, don't sit there taking up our booths for hours. We are not Starbucks or a hotel restaurant. If you want to sit for hours, go there or else you better leave a good tip for us and camping fee included.


9. THE GREET:
When we come up to the table to greet you and we ask how you are doing please let us know. We honestly want to know how you are doing. If you are in a bad mood we want to know that from the beginning. A confused stare or complete silence does not suffice as a reply to "How are you doing?". Also don't interrupt our greeting and say "I want coffee", "can we get some bread, or "what are the soups?" its rude.

10. THOSE DAMN CELL PHONES:
Don't ever talk on your cell phone in a restaurant. This is probably the rudest thing to do. If you must be on your cell, at least keep your voice down in respect for other customers. If you are on your cell phone when we walk up to greet your table we will walk away until you get off your phone. Just show some respect and give us your attention for a couple of minutes.

11. TAKE-AWAY OR TOGOS:
Always remember to tip the take-out order servers! They work just as hard as a server, and hardly ever get tips for it! WE DESERVE TO BE TIPPED TOO!

12. YOUR OUR ONLY TABLE:
Your not! We have four to five table sections. Thats at least four other people that are making us run around as well. Remember if your server is taking awhile it is because we have other tables that need stuff also. Dont think that we dont care about you.

Answer 2

If you are ever going to show your face in the restaurant again and the service was good, please tip the waitstaff 20% or more if they were great. Think about this, your bill is $50, if you tip 10%, that's only $5. Your dinner was a total of $55 and if the waitstaff ever sees you again, they are likely to give you that kind of service. However, for only $5 more, so your dinner was $60 instead of $55, they'll practically bow at your feet whenever you come in.
Most restaurants have bus boys, bartenders, food runners, etc that the waitstaff have to tip out at the end of the night. So, think about that especially if you ordered a lot of alcoholic drinks, made a big old mess at the table, etc.
If you know of anyone that loves to go to the diner or whatever for a cup of coffee to chat with a friend, they order 2 cups, sit there for 3 hours, getting refill after refill. Get the bill that's a whole $4 if that and then tip a buck, please smack them on the back of their head! Leave the poor server at least $5 if you are taking up their table for that long.
These are all things that you have to take into consideration while going out to eat. Did you bring your kids and the crushed up every cracker packet under the table and empty the salt shaker on the table while smushing fries into the booth? Did you send the server back and forth for a million things because everyone at the table couldn't think of what they wanted at the same time, refills, etc? Servers bust their butts running around the restaurant getting refills, crackers, new forks because they fell, etc. Any server worth their weight won't complain about any of this but they definitely deserve a good tip for it.
Of course, if you get bad service, I'm not saying you should still tip well but try to think of why you got bad service. Was it really bad service or was the food bad? Did the server make that food? Don't fault them for that.
OH, and one more thing, if you use a coupon or get a free meal or anything like that, make sure you are tipping on the bill BEFORE the discount, NOT AFTER! They still served you that food.

Answer 3

One thing to consider about tipping is the way the restaurant game is played. For example, in fine dining restaurants, servers are judged by their managers on their performance, food and wine knowledge, how well they sell certain items ( like wine) and their tip percentages. So if I had a table that spent 200 bucks on food and 500 bucks on wine, and only got a $40 tip, management would assume I messed something up because I should have gotten a $140.00 tip. Also, the question of tipping on wine comes up a lot and I always wonder why no one asks about tipping on drinks at the bar- it's the same basic premise, you tip a percentage of what you purchase. I guess it's because wine is more expensive than a single drink so no one really cares that they're tipping someone for pouring them something? I hope to one day take off the apron and sit down at the table and be able to afford a $2000 bottle of wine, and when i do, I'd think I would be able to afford the $400 tip that goes with it. Otherwise, I just wouldn't order it.

Answer 4

Why are people saying 15% ? This was an appropriate tip in the 70's! Come on people!
18% if the service is good, i.e. the server knew the answers to your questions about the menu, gave proper wine service, removed dirty dishes and controlled the flow of your meal, so you can relax, and processes the check in a timely fashion.

If they can do all of that and be nice: 20-25%

If you can believe it, a lot of states have a law that makes it so any tipped employee is allowed to be paid less that minimum wage.

Virginia for example, $2.13 an hour, try living on that when people think 10% is an appropriate tip!

I tip because I appreciate the fact that someone is willing to gather all the information needed to serve me in a proper manner, I can wait on myself at home. It's nice to have someone else take care of everything. If restaurants had to actually PAY their staff, consider how much more dining out would cost.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What amount is appropriate for a tip when dining out?

Answer 6

For excellent service 16 -- 20 Percent of the total check, would be appropriate.
For average service 12 -- 15 Percent of the total check.
For poor service, it is up to you, whether to leave a gratuity at all.
A basic rule of thumb is, the better the service, the better the tip you leave.
If figuring percentages is not your thing, a good tip would be double the tax, of the entire check.

Answer 7

Since servers depend on tips as a large part of their income, figure 15% of total bill. (Or just double whatever the tax is, it's close enough.) If it's really outstanding service, you can absolutely leave more.

Answer 8

Charley has written the manual on servers. I laughed so hard reading that because it's true no matter where you live or where you wait tables at. Please keep in mind that you are forgetting the crowd who loves to be condescending and nasty. These are the ladies that come in with their verbally abused, emasculated husbands who stare through you and demand things such as "decaffienated herbal tea" and diet, low carb anything. Then have the audacity after hubby pays to open the check presenter back up and take money out of it. Please by all means tip well. We remember those who don't and if you tip 10%, next time you will receive 10% service, you tip worse than that, pray that you never get sat in my section again in your life, or that I don't see you in public, as I will comment on it. Please refer to the website bitterwaitress.com and watch the movie Waiting.

Answer 9

Just remember that tips are usually split at the end of the night between servers, cooks, bussers, and hosts. So if you were happy with the server, don't take it out on the tip. Talk to the manager about it. It's better to get a free meal, than not leave a tip.

Answer 10

If you visit the restaurant often you will want to tip 20% or more if the service is impeccable. If the service is not up to par don't tip at all. If you are visiting a restaurant for the first time tip on the 10%-20% scale depending on the service. Again, if the service is not up to par do not tip at all. Servers at restaurants only make $2-$3 an hour. They really only work for tips. If they don't work for them I don't give them to them.

I know you didn't ask for this but it needs to be said: when at a bar you have to tip the bartender! The bartender makes the same $2-$3 dollars an hour but have you by the balls. What I am about to type should in no way be thought of as derogatory or biased! I am a lesbian (white) and I was dating a beautiful black girl. We went to a bar we both frequented on "ladies night". She made a comment to me that the (white) bartenders were racist ******* (there were no black bartenders at the bar). I told her that I knew why she could think that and with in one hour I would change her mind. She said there was nothing I could do to change her mind.

We approached the bar and it took about 10 mins. for us to get a drink. To me: the bar was very crowded. To her: the bartender saw a beautiful white girl with a black girl and didn't want to serve us.

The bartender finally came to us and we ordered our drinks. They were free but I gave him $5. He slapped it on the bar and thanked me. She hit me up side the head and said, "What the F!" I explained to her that the bartenders work for tips and that if you don't tip, they don't care. She still thought I was full of $hit. As the night went on, I tipped him $1 per drink. After a few drinks she saw the difference. We would go up to the bar, four people deep and he would hand our drinks over other people's heads. To this day, she tips.

My current GF (another beautiful black woman...red bone {drool worthy}) had the same misconception of bartenders and restaurant servers. I have set her on the truth as well. Do unto others people! Know your surroundings and you will excel!

Answer 11

i am a bartender.. between 15 and 20 % is the norm.. however remember that servers and bartenders only make a few dollars a hour so we are really working for tips.