Do you tip the owner of a small fine dining restaurant when the owner seats and serves you?

Answer 1

You tip whoever serves you, even if it's the owner.

Answer 2

Simple.....if the owner is greeting and seating you....No do not tip.

Regardless of whether or not you are a guest there, if the owner is greeting, seating and actually SERVING you then yes a tip is more than acceptable (there are exceptions such as knowing the owner personally, etc). They are still performing the same service as would a server. In some smaller restaurants the owner may have servers in their employ, but, still be servers as well themselves. Just because that particular person is the owner doesn't mean they too don't count on the tips as a part of their income, every restaurant has a down season and tips can help greatly with keeping the small business owner operational. As, well some of the owners will take those tips and turn it into extra funds for their staff, such as a dish breaking or a dine n' dash fund. It is little known that the majority of restaurants have a rule in place that enables them to take wages from a server's paycheque for things broken by them during their shift, or for walk-outs/dine N' dashes. Remember, if anything, their whole life is in this establishment, generally morning, noon and night.

They will always turn you down if it is not a common practice for them.

As for the comment, you can even tip the busperson, yeah, um NO. Don't ever do that, it is purely the server's responsibility to tip out a busperson based on their performance per shift and is always a percentage of what the server made, In some places such as major chain restaurants, servers are required with no exceptions to tip out the bussers and hostesses based on how much in food they sold that night, this is then worked out to reflect how much the server should have made, whether they did or did not make the percentage that they "should" have does not matter. By tipping a busperson you snub the server.

Answer 3

You may offer to tip the owner of a small fine dining establishment, and he or she may refuse the tip. A tip is traditionally "drinking money," and the owner of a fine dining establishment usually has access to plenty of stuff to drink...
When you are unsure whether to give/leave a tip, it makes sense to offer it, with your gratitude. That way, you leave an individual the option to refuse or accept it.
I once worked as a bagger at a grocery store with a "no tipping" policy. I helped a lady taking her bags to her car and she offered a tip. I refused it. She insisted, and I accepted it. If a situation is questionable (in the USA) it's always okay to offer the gratuity. The receiving party can always refuse, and you can always insist.

I have also worked as the manager of a restaurant where I wanted my servers to make the best possible tips, so I would do everything I could to make sure their customers had everything they wanted. Should I have been tipped by the customers? Maybe. But in that case, I should really only be tipped by the servers to whom I had given extra service, and then only if they wanted to.

Baseline: when in doubt, offer. If you are refused, you may insist or not. If someone insists, you may not refuse. It's about people being comfortable with each other and feeling like whatever has transpired between them that the efforts made in consideration to either side are equitable.

If it were me, I don't think I should tip the owner of an establishment any more than I should tip the manager.

Answer 4

If he/she is your server, then yes. You leave a tip at the end of the meal when you pay your bill. However, if you had another waiter during the meal, then you only leave on tip; the same you would in any restaurant. In most restaurants, the wait staff "tips out" at the end of the evening, giving some of their earnings to the hostesses and busboys. Chances are that if the owner serves you but there are other servers on the floor, he or she will give his earnings to them (if he isn't a total jerk).

Answer 5

No, you never tip the owner. The owner is more like a host/hostess, and to tip the owner can be taken as an insult, as though you are treating them like a server. The best way to show an owner appreciation is to complement the restaurant and the food, ask for business cards if they are available, and promise to recommend your friends to the restaurant. If the food is particularly good, you can give some money to the owner for the kitchen staff.

Answer 6

You never NEVER tip the owner of a restaurant. You tip the waiter or waitress, the wine stewart, you can even tip the bus boy, but never NEVER tip the owner. The owner is seating you as his "guest" and as such, he is offering to you the services of his "home." To offer a tip to him is an insult. You can tip his staff for good service, which is expected...but NEVER offer the owner a tip...

Answer 7

You should ALWAYS tip your server a minimum of 20% in a fine dining restaurant, even if your server is the owner.

Answer 8

I would say no, not the owner,,it is his pleasure to seat you. he wants your buisness,,it's his job to great and make sure that you are comfortable...Tip the server,,he/she is the one doing all the work in makeing sure your meal comes in a timely fashion and that you have everything that you ask for..The owner will smile and greet you,,but the server is the one who deserves the tip...Was a waitress and a bar maid for many years trust me, the owner does not deserve the tip,,it's the server doing everything else after the owner has seated you...In Quebec they tip everyone for anything, never saw such money being thrown away,,and they all expect it cuz thats the culture,,,,,Never the owner,,always the server,,,if there prompt.

Answer 9

Do I tip the owner? No. It's the owner's choice to seat me, and the owner doesn't make server's wages, so there'd be no point.

But I do tip the servers well if they do well. I always tip regardless, but at the local fine dining establishment I frequent, they know me well enough to know how I tip. And they like me. ;)

Answer 10

As long as he's the waiter then yes. If he's just the host/hostess then no, unless there's a tip jar out which there usually isn't in fine dining restaurants. Let them know they're doing a great job!

Answer 11

No - you only tip employees that serve you.
The owner has an interest in his establishment already and it would be considered rude to tip him. He's not primarily a "server."