How much am I supposed to tip my waitress?

Question

I mean, if they are really good, I'll tip a lot, but for normal average service, having to flag down for refills, etc. how much do you tip?

Answer 1

15% is standard in the U.S., unless you're at a nicer restaurant, in which case 20% is standard. But having to flag down refills is not "average" service--if I have to stress about anything during the meal, the tip drops below 15...including going to nothing, if I'm really angered. A waiter/waitress should always make sure your drinks are full, remember everything you ask, ask occassionally to see if you are okay, promptly bring the bill when food is completed...anything less is not performing the required service, and thus does not deserve a standard tip.

Answer 2

We are in Oklahoma. We don't go by percentages (although most people we know do go by percentages). We frequent places where the total bill always comes out to $20 or $25 or less. If the service is average (we get our drinks refilled and the server is polite but impersonal), we tip $2 or $3. If the service is above-average (drinks refilled constantly and the server is polite and a little conversational), we tip $5. If the service goes above and beyond, we tip $10 (at times, we've even been known to tip $20 to $30 for exceptional service). One time, though, the service was so horrid at a locally owned cafe that we tipped nothing and determined we were never going there again.

Answer 3

I recently tipped a bartender $7.56 for a $7.44 bill. It was a very cold day and I had 2 hours to kill so I went to a restaurant near my appointment. It was dinnertime but I wasn't hungry so I just a salad and hot tea in the lounge. It wasn't busy; in fact there were never more than six others there at any time so I wasn't taking up valuable lounge seating while drinking only tea. The bartender made a point of not ignoring me yet still leaving me alone with my thoughts. He made me feel comfortable and welcome. The amount was excessive but I feel I actually paid a very small price for the time I was there.

Everyone believes tipping is based on the check alone. If this were the case, restaurants could mark up all the items on the menu by 15% and pay the wait staff directly.

Servers are paid an hourly wage that is about half the minimum wage. They rely on tips for the remainder. In fact they have to claim their tips weekly. Taxes are deducted based on 15% of their sales whether they made it or not.

Back to your question.
If you had to perform an action for every penny you made and maintain a positive attitude while doing it wouldn't you try to do as much as you possibly could? If each refill were another penny would you ever allow cups to go empty? If you even got paid for trying, would you offer more rather than less?

People have become lazy. Many servers are slow and uncaring and patrons have been trained. People can sit through a meal where the service was practically non-existent and add 15% to the total when paying the bill. And god help them if they don't. The server expects at least 15% regardless of whether they have done anything to deserve it.

So how much should you tip your server? How much did she earn? Her half wage from her employer pays for average service. Tips are for the extras. The friendly greeting, the extra attention, the appetizing food presentation, the properly cleared table and the ability to be invisible yet ever present. How much work was required of you to get the things you ordered? To find your server when you needed something additional? You are entitled to your share too.

Forget the 15%. Pay for what you got. If someone anticipated your every need and did everything but cut and chew your food for you they have earned far more than anyone would ever pay. But in this case, you can feel free to go crazy 20, 30, even 50% would not be out of line. More than the money make a point of reporting the quality of service to in house management and if you are able write to the corporate office. Good service should be rewarded. On the other hand if you feel you were lucky you even got your food you should still tip accordingly. If you got nothing, leave nothing, and in this case too stop to explain the quality of service to management. Bad servers should not continue to be rewarded for the disservice they do to their employer and its patrons.

Answer 4

15% is standard, but 20% is best. Remember, waitresses only make $2.33 per HOUR! however, if you have really bad service, or the waitress just seems to not be trying at all, tip 10%. if the food is bad, or takes too long to come out, tell the management, because that is a kitchen issue. And lastly, if you for some reason can not leave a tip, explain that to your server. That way they will realize that it is not a reflection of their service, it's a reflection of your wallet!

Answer 5

I'm sorry your faced with this. Try to starve the need to tip. There never is anything in writing that says its an option. It is hard to say if they will even appreciate it. Money is a little dirty and so is a face of not quite sure what to tip. I like to have a heated expression of I'm classy and the waitress can't wait for my tip. But ultimatley, I want you to utilize all services and orders and keep the table okay and just leave and save some money.

Answer 6

Just confirmation of what a lot of people have already said here:

15% for average service.

18% or more for good service.

ALWAYS tip something, even if you get bad service (unless the waitress spits in your food or insults you or something extreme like that). They rely heavily on these tips to survive, as most do not even make minimum wage. If you get bad service, it might not be the waitress' fault. She shouldn't have to starve because you didn't get your drink fast enough.

Answer 7

This is one of my pet peeves, as I've seen women whip out their calculators, so that they could tip to the exact penny. Guys however round the tip up to the nearest dollar. The correct tipping scale is ten percent for horrible service, fifteen percent for average service, and twenty percent for good service. Occasionally, if the service is super terrific, a guy will go as high as twenty-five percent.

Answer 8

You should tip about 16% of the bill, however, this number varies according to the service, and the personality of the waitress..

Answer 9

about 10-15% of the bill- or just judging on his/her service if they did a bad job that less or nothing and if they did an exceptional job than more.

Answer 10

confident, they're offering added entertainment and/or centers to the table. and that i'm sorry if flat-chested women human beings get disillusioned inspite of the undeniable fact that it is genuine! you do no longer hear mebitching approximately no longer having the flexibility to slam dunk a basketball, do you?!! be happy with what God gave you and flow on. merely understand, you're able to no longer be winning any moist t-shirt contests, every time quickly.