How much do you tip?

Question

At a restaurant... I tip 20% for good service; 10% for poor service.

Answer 1

If you have average service 15% bad service(didn't get drink refills etc )10%, Excellent service 20 - 30%. Keep in mind how long you sat there and how much you made them run. If you asked for lots of extras or had special instructions (or are rude) you should tip more. Many restaurants have set amounts of table the servers are allowed at a time. So if you sit having a business meeting or visiting with friends or family for a long time that server is missing out on tips from tables they could be serving, so tip accordingly. Everyone should have to be in the service industry at least once! Keep in mind the IRS thinks the server made at least 10% on your bill and they will be taxed for it! Most restaurants do this automatically now to abide by IRS regulations. So if you aren't, you are stealing from someone who already only makes usually about $2.50 and hour(there is no minimum wage for servers/waiters)

Answer 2

I am a big fan of over tipping when the service is good or better. Servers that are great deserve a good tip. However, a tip is a gratuity to show how good the server was to you. In most other countries tipping is NOT a standard practice and sometimes even looked down upon. In America, servers expect a tip, which is fine, but if service is bad, then no one in the restaurant deserves extra $. It may not be the servers fault that it was bad, there may have been a back up in the kitchen or what have you, but again, a tip is something you give to show you enjoyed your time spent there. 20% standard for service that is average or better, if it is less than stellar, make sure they know it. I have left no money before for slow, rude, etc service. Also if you server is really bad or really good, make sure the manager knows. Management should know about employee performance.

Answer 3

I think it depends on the service and how long you are there...

I was a waitress for years, so I always over tip if the service is good cause i know about the stress levels and I usually leave 10 or 15% for bad service again b/c i know how difficult it is sometimes to keep a smile on with the chaos that goes on behind the scenes...
But yeah for a person never in the service industry 20% is usually good, but if you are there for longer than an hour you should tip more...
b/c the average table stays from 30-45 mins, and the server is depending on that turnover to make money... =)

Answer 4

I know plenty of waitresses and I tried to waitress once but I couldn't stand it!! What we do is tip around $5-$6 if you have good service and it is at a restaurant that has reasonably priced food (like Eat N Park or a diner). If you are eating somewhere where the prices are a little more heftier, I would tip 20% for good service. 25% for great service. If it's a holiday (Christmas/Christmas Eve/New Years/etc...) Tip big because the waitress is missing out on some kind of family event to be there plus not many people eat out and they wont make that much money that night.

Now if its bad service only tip 5-10% and REALLY BAD service I would either leave no tip or something ridiculous like 13 cents or something.

Answer 5

I tip 15% during the day for good service; 20% at night. If the service is exceptionally good, I may even leave 25%. If the service is really bad, I just leave a few pennies. This way, the waitor/waitress won't think I forgot to leave a tip and will know I was not pleased with the service.

Answer 6

First I need to say that the employer should pay the person a livable wage, I believe the US is the only counrty which allows a resturant owner to not pay the waitstaff a real wage.

However I normally tip 20% if the service is good or better especially if I go there often.

Just ok service 15%

Bad service 0-10% depending on why

BTW Tip on the amount prior to tax as you are not tipping on Uncle Sam's portion of the bill. This I learned while working at Microsoft, it seems Bill Gates no longer wanted his people to tip on the after Tax total.

Answer 7

I tip about 20% for decent service, 25% for stellar service. And that's on the whole bill including tax. I can only think of a few instances that warranted a $2 tip for lousy service. But that's the lowest I'd go regardless of the price of the meal.

Answer 8

I usually tip a third of my bill (or more depending on what I bought.) Mainly to compensate for the evil people out there who tip badly or don't tip. I work in the restaurant industry and I know what they have to go through. I'll tell the server to take their time and get caught up with any tables that are being difficult and keep my order simple for the kitchen. I'll usually pay by credit card and tip in cash so their tip won't get taxed.

I hate when people blame the server when their food is cold or if their order is taking too long. THEY DON'T COOK IT, THEY JUST SERVE IT!!!

Answer 9

A decent tip is 20%. But, if you ask for the waitress to do anything special (make sure food doesnt contain an item you are allergic too, order an entree and then change ingrediants, toppings, etc.) its usually appropriate to throw in a couple of extra dollars seeing as they went out of their way to get you exactly what you wanted. Especially if you frequent the restaurant. That way the servers will be more willing to help you and go above and beyond what they normally have to.

Answer 10

20% is standard. 15% for poor service and 25%-30% for excellent service. 10% or less is never an option.