Tipping..........?

Question

I know that the customary amount to tip a server in a restaurant is 15%, but should that be 15% of the subtotal (before tax), or the total (after tax)? I never really though about it until now. Taxes go to the state and not to restaurant. Which....

Answer 1

Tip them as you would like to be tipped if it were you expecting a tip!

That Golden Rule is Universal.

Answer 2

I tip 20% after tax if the service was good, sometimes even a little more depending. I was a server for WAY too long. Although it is possible to have shifts where you make upwards of $20 per hour, it is by no means a steady thing for 90% of servers. For this group there is no sick time, almost no job security, probably no vacation, and not enough peak hours in a week to get a decent wage for 40 hours a week. For all my great shifts, I was never well off. And then there were times I went out of my way to serve someone well, and they were mad at me for something (like not serving them under-age) and stiffed me. Or the time a drunk regular left a $20 that she probably thought was a $50 and I wound up not only with no tip but paying $20 on the bill, and got criticized by my boss for not being quicker with the check and change on top of that.

So basically I think wait staff should make a higher hourly wage, and a commission, like salespeople. That way their compensation is tied to the food they sell and deliver (which is their job after all), but they should also be able to pay their babysitters at night.

Answer 3

Tipping is based on the amount BEFORE all taxes have been added. 15% for good service, and as much as you want for exceptional service.

No one should be rewarded for bad service. However, if the food was bad, the server should not be penalized if he or she was attentive and tried to make it right.

I have had experiences where everything went wrong and chose not to tip. However, I always brought the situation to the attention of the manager and tried to resolve it before the whole night was a write-off. If nothing worked, I would quietly call the manager over to explain what happened and that I didn't feel it appropriate to tip under those circumstances. They can't learn from simply leaving no tip and, unless something was brought to the server's attention, they will just think you are cheap.

Any good restaurant manager will thank you for this courtesy and I've even had my whole bill comped, not that I was trying to get out of my bill, just the tip.

Answer 4

I tip 15% of the amount before the taxes.That, I am told, is the custom. I tip less for really bad service, more for really good. I round off the dollar amount, to the nearest dollar, and take the 15% of that. I used to leave the exact amount of the bill, plus the 15%, but I hear servers do not want any change, so I do not leave it anymore. There is a blog for servers, I went there, and discovered a lot of things I did not know. Never send food back to the kitchen, ever, unless you want urine, or spit, or feces, or worse, in your food. It is wise to say you will not eat it, pay for anything that you did eat, and leave, quietly.
And yes, I have left nothing for one episode of really, really bad service, bad food, and a surly hateful service person. My elderly father very politely asked for a refill on his iced tea, we were in a local restaurant/diner, and asked again, and asked again, still very politely. The waitress came by to volunteer the information that he had not asked before. He had not opened his mouth to speak, and when he did , said, yes, we all know that I did, and he was grinning when he said that.. He had not complained, and had said quietly to me, this tea cost $1.50, and that he really wanted a refill. She got most of the tea in his glass. That was the only service we got, besides some poorly cooked food slammed down on the table, with a bill that was covered with food, and then got wet. We stood in line to pay, and when it was our turn, the cash register person got very busy, elsewhere. We did not go back, and told everyone we knew about how bad it was, including a relative of the owners. We had only been there once, when they first opened, and did not recognize the wait staff from that day, or from any other restaurant.. I hear they are about to close, they do not have the crowds they used to!
And one other time we went to a nicer restaurant, who was advertizing a full meal, with wine and dessert for a certain price. We never got the wine, and when we asked, were treated rudely, then we were told we had been there too long, and did not get dessert. There were tables available, and no one waiting for a table. We left a dollar each for the service we did recieve, and never went back, they lasted less than a year.
Sorry to elaborate on your question, I wanted to give examples of times a tip should not be expected by the service person.
And servers out there, if you want tips, say thank you for the ones you get, no matter what the amount. The folks at the tables around you see your behavior, and judge your tip by that! I do, and so do my friends! Nobody is asking you to bow and scrape, just say, thank you, have a nice evening. We customers remember you, too, and the next time I visit, I will remember how nice you were, or not.

Answer 5

First off, let's not forget what we're talking about. It's a tip - an addition to your bill that you're giving for service well provided. Sure, your local waiter/bartender/bellhop rely on tips to get a (frequently quite) decent wage, but your "obligation" is not to give them money; it's to ensure that people who do their jobs well continue to do their jobs well, and that those who don't either improve or quit. So be fair to them, but don't get taken advantage of either.
Secondly, it depends on the situation. A few points:
1. Some countries include gratuity in the bill, so there's no reason to add any more afterward. This is good to remember if you happen to be in a service industry where you deal with different cultures frequently. Sometimes people don't realize that in N.America it's not added on already and don't tip. Then, in their innocence, they get called cheap @$$h*!3$ when they walk out.
2. Another point: if you're out somewhere and order a coffee, it gets brought to your table with a bill of $1.20, are you really going to sit there and find a way to make 18 cents out of your change purse? Seriously folks, just toss down a couple of quarters and make it worth while. How would you feel in those shoes?
3. Even if you get bad service but think you might show up again, don't kid yourself that you'll be forgotten. Servers spend their days remembering details, and which details are for who. If you tip well on a night with good service, you're likely to get better service the next time (or at least not have someone drop your burger or spit in the soup - yes, trust me, it does happen. NEVER piss-off your server - they're not your servant).
4. Personally, I'll generally figure out what 15% is, and then round up to the nearest number. This saves my server from having to find change, and me from having to wait for it.
If I'm just ordering drinks in a busy bar/club and expecting to get more throughout the night, I'll make sure the tender sees me leaving a decent tip. They generally want to serve you sooner and you spend less time leaning across the countertop, impotently waving your arms around.
On the other hand, remember that it's a helluva lot easier to pull a pint and slap it on the counter than to get your food order straight and well-timed, so tip accordingly.
5. I was in a place in Saskatchewan, called Indian Head once where I recieved some appaling service. I actually tipped the waitress nearly 100% of the bill. She was so shaken and appologetic when I walked out, I think she wanted to give the money back but couldn't figure out how. It was one of the funniest things I think I've ever seen, and if that poor girl only knew how much I had a laugh at her expense I'm sure she'd never treat a customer that badly again... A little backwards, I know, but maybe try it sometime, just to see what happens ;)

hmm... I think I'm a little off topic for the question. Heheh! I guess my point is that if you're worried about the extra couple o' cents on the bill due to tax, then maybe you should be shopping the bulk oats section of the grocery store rather than dining out.

Answer 6

It is 20% of the total bill. Unless you have a very crappy waiter or waitress. And if the service sucks well then I would only leave 2 dollars bottom line. That is a very hard job, keeping a smile on your face and serving people all day. And they really don't make very much on the hour. So if the service is good, you should give a generous tip.

Answer 7

I usually do the after tax amount. I move the decimal one place to the left which gets you 10%, then double it. Ex 20.00 bill would be 2.00 and doubled would be a 4.00 tip. $4 is 20% of 20.00. Depending on your tax rate, you can triple the tax. The food tax in my state is 7%, so it works out for me.

Answer 8

It is customary to tip on the before tax amount. Taxes have nothing to do with the restaurant or the waitress. I tip 20%. In my opinion, waitresses deserve it. I don't know anybody who still tips at 15%.

Answer 9

Tips? We'll why now not smile at her and say hello.. begin with the fundamentals. Don't act like a jerk and be Macho, women hate that. Just be your self, If she does not like then you transfer on. Plenty of fish within the sea. Hope this is helping, Cheers,

Answer 10

15% of the subtotal since you are tipping on the service you received as represented by the product cost, not--as you suspected--a state surcharge (the tax).

That said, as a retired server/tender, most of us don't know that and even if we do, when a customer rounds up, it makes us happy.

Answer 11

I don't agree with the tip thing. I provide a service and many of us do and don't get a tip. Restaurants should be going wage not be exempt from the laws. A $10 steak dinner could be changed to $12 steak dinner and no one would know or notice and pay the waitresses a decent salary i just don't agree with giving tips. Oh yes i follow the rule of thumb for the most part but really don't agree with it.