What % tip is standard nowadays?

Question

I was always told 15% is the standard tip for a waitress, and less in undertipping. I've held by that rule and usually over that, but I try to stay in my budget which is tight. But it seems I am wrong since I've had my credit card bill come back with an extra two dollars added on top of my tip. So before I get worked up, has a standard changed? And even if it has don't I have a right to decide how much tip I give? I mean what if it was horrible service? It ticks me of that someone just helps themselves to something that is supposed to be my decision. If I had left cash it wouldn't have mattered now would it? I don't expect my wallet to be raided everytime I hand over a credit card. I thought tipping was a polite thing to do, but apparently I get smacked in the face for doing it wrong. While I try not to be a lousy tipper I don't think it should matter when it comes to restaurants charging something they don't have permission for. What do you think?

Answer 1

id say 20-25% at a nice restaurant, with the % increasing as the quality of the food and restaurant does.. and only give 15% at something like a diner or if the service is incredibly poor

i think the only reason for this increase is that waitstaff's minimum wage has generally not increased in the last ten years, although everything else has..

and if you continue to get people adding on to your tips, i would start keeping receipts and showing them to the manager of the place.. even if youre a cheap bastard, that doesnt mean it gives them the right to take from you, even if it is only $2

Answer 2

Call your credit card co. as well as the restaurant to dispute the charges. In general, tipping is between 15% - 20%. 20% for finer dinning establishments. On the other hand, tipping is a reward for adequate to exceptional service.
But what happens when you get a lousey service, and lousey attitute? I feel that "tipping" is an unspoken agreement between the patrons, and the establishement. I will tip according to the standard, if I receive at least a decent service. I will give a low tip, if the service is bad, and the attitute is lousy. It's a reward or punishiment system to me. Nothing bothers me more than a restaurant with employees providing horrible service, and a bad attitute -this is when you leave a 10% tip, and a note of suggestion. Or,
inform the manager. On the other hand, I've left a 50% tip in a Shoney's in FL recently . The restaurant had a waiting line, and when you are seated, the waitress made us feel like that we are the only customer she has at that moment, and continued her exceptional service through out the meal. I told the manager about the exceptional service I received, and the reason for the large tip.
I've also had experiences that the restaurant added additional tip, or worse, additional charges, without informing me. This is when you call your credit card company, and dispute the charges - and call the restaurant. They don't have the right to charge more tip when you did not receive good service.

Answer 3

The quoted standard is 15%, but most people leave about 18%. However, I am totally confused by the two extra dollars that were adde to your bills. Was it added to your bill when you got the check and you signed it? If so, you should have questioned it at that point. You have a right to leave a tip or not leave a tip, the restaurant can't pre-determine what the tip should be. The only time a tip is pre-determined is when you go with a large party and it is written on the menu that the tip is added on to the bill. There you have no choice. If you got your credit card bill and saw that money was added then you can complain to the credit card company.
But if it was at the restaurant, always ask if there is something you don't understand, don't just sign a bill without checking it out.

Answer 4

Are you sure that extra $2.00 was for a tip, or could it be for tax or for a surcharge on your credit card? Perhaps the restaurant or wait person was not to blame after all.

I never pay for a meal with a credit card. I go cash only, and then the tip is at my discretion. I generally give 15% or 20% if the meal and service was exceptional.

Some restaurants, if serving a large group of patrons, will include the gratuity with the total bill, but if they do this, they generally warn patrons in advance. And since it's included, there is no need to give extra tips.

But find out for sure if that additional $2.00 was actually for a tip, or for some other hidden charge. Most restaurants do not help themselves to the tip without prior notice as stated in the above paragraph. If it was for a tip, then I think I would patronize a different restaurant. That doesn't seem ethical to me.

Answer 5

Auto Deduct from credit or a loan is not correct. A credit card is a loan card. Every event or action on it is a few pennies taken out, one gozillion pennies adds up, for someone.
Caveat Emptor applies here. Before using a service check to see if auto deductions will be applied, if so, voice your objection and do not use the card in or for that service.
10% is low but acceptable tippage, 25% is a gratuity.The service industry is a funny and very iffish way to secure a living. The staff delivers good service, takeing,removeing stuff items, okee doke, good job. But do not penalize the staff for the mistakes of the cook or the noisy table that the Head Person seated you by.
I worked in many restaurants as a chef and have witnessed and stopped orders leaving that I felt were not up to the standards that are expected by me.The wait staff might get PO'ed, and some did, but what they took out was correct, and the tip earned by them was commensurate with the quality that the customer expected.

Answer 6

The standard tip for today is 20%. It was 15% previously but that is out of date. I will tip less if the service is slow or not polite. Kitchen errors don't count unless they are not immediately corrected by the server. I will tip more for outstanding treatment.

Remember the server is working hard and they usually do not get full minimum wage. I judge people by how they treat others who are helpless to do anything back after bad treatment. How you treat a server, a homeless person, an old person walking slowly in the store isle, all tell a lot about the person who is in the superior position.

Answer 7

I think today standard is 20%, however I don't agree with this. I don't think a waitress at Denny's should get less than the waitress at a Steak House just because the food cost more. I normally tip $3 minimum, no matter what the cost of the food is. I have a rule I go by: $3 minimum, or $1 per person, or 20% of the bill whichever is greater.

Answer 8

As a server myself, if I did everything right I hope for 20% or more. Less than that I feel like its an insult, I don't let it ruin my day but less than 15% I consider that person cheap unless I know I screwed up. As far as the $2 extra on your credit card... Call the restaurant!!! right now, don't wait! That is your money, if you could only afford to tip what you did, that is fine, it is no one elses right to decide that you gave them too little money! In calling the restaurant, they will pull up your slip, by chance maybe the server made an honest mistake and your writing may have looked like a different number, that happens, but if they blatantly added $ to their tip, that is stealing and your probably not the first person they did that to!

Answer 9

in case you probably did no longer understand, servers and such make $2.13 an hour, this is the federal TIPPED worker minimum salary (they do no longer make that wonderful $7.25 an hour) and that $2.13 has no longer long gone up in 18 years. As you nicely understand, the fee of residing (no longer to show the gas expenditures) have larger DRAMATICALLY. Its no longer achievable to stay off 15% + $2.13, $5 a table particularly? think of roughly it. A server has a three table area we could say, Its a sluggish evening they only get 6 tables all evening (each and each sat two times) and make $5 off each and each, Then they TIP OUT (this is in keeping with share as much as the eating place they artwork for, and is manditory no rely how human beings tip that is going to the bussers/hosts and bartenders) So if this individual had 6 tables with $30 tabs each and each thats $4.50 on each and each table $27, then they tip out (in numerous eating places I worked at it grew to become into 3% some 3.5%) $5.forty, They made $21.60. could you reside off that? And that $2.13 an hour is ate up by technique of taxes so maximum servers under no circumstances even see a paycheck. One eating place I worked at genuinely ranked its servers in keeping with tip share. 20% grew to become into the time-honored, in case you made below sixteen% you have been fired after some months. Its that severe. sturdy provider merits sturdy techniques. 20% is the going fee for sturdy provider, and an added greenback on that makes our day!!

Answer 10

still 15% I hate to tip if the server is weird or not really helpful. but we usually give 15%. Waiters only get like$2.25, and depend on tips to make up for the rest of their money.