Do you leave tip?

Question

My friends and I are always arguing about tip. I say that we should always leave tip even when the bill comes with a 10% service charge. They say that the service charge is the tip. Eventually they all walk out and i end up leaving a tip from my own pocket alone. Should I continue doing this or are they right? Also how much as in appropriate tip?

Answer 1

I'm going to have to agree with your friends on this one. I resent restaurants that have a service charge. The servers are there to serve and it's not right to charge customers extra, with no regard to the level of service provided. Furthermore, I find the concept of service charges insulting to my personal integrity because they force me to tip. I don't need to be forced to do something I'm already generous with and neither do other people.

As for the appropriate tip, I tip based on the level of service I recieve.

Horrible -- server takes upwards of five minutes to greet me, server doesn't talk to me at all because too busy chatting on cell phone, brings wrong order and then gets snippy about it, etc. -- no tip and a complaint card. (If service charge is applicable, I'd complain directly to the manager and demand the money back.)

Substandard -- the server doesn't speak to me, mumbles when taking my order, doesn't smile, is late with the drinks and food, etc. -- 5-10% (Again, if service charge is applicable, I'd complain directly to the manager and demand the money back.)

Standard -- the server greets me, smiles, brings the drinks and food in a timely manner, is generally pleasant -- 15% (If service charge is applicable, no tip. It's the restaurant's fault for the lost 5%.)

Excellent -- standard service with the addition of the server chatting with me, asking about my day, etc. -- 25-50% and a written compliment. (If service charge is applicable, I'd tip 15% to make it 25%)

Answer 2

People also argue the same with me. A service charge I think gets divided by all the staff. So always would leave something for my waiter too if the service was reasonable. If you payed service charge on say £400 bill you cant leave waiter 10% again. But if the bill was under say £40 pound I would leave 10% again.
Any thing after the 10% service charge is a bonus and the waiter woulnt pull his nose up over spare change in your pocket.

Answer 3

In Australia people are paid decent wages so there is no obligation to tip anyone ever. Some restaurants will add a service charge at weekends if the staff are being paid penalty rates for working weekends. Generally, if you get exceptional service, above what can be expected, you can leave a tip otherwise I will leave the change from the nearest $10 above the price.

Tip for exceptional service but not for people doing the job they are paid to do. If they are not being paid enough that is for them to sort out with their employer. If the employer needs to make more money to pay the staff, add the cost to the bill but don't expect me to pay their wages separately.

By the way, "tip" does not come from "To insure prompt service". The word has been around from at least the 18th century and comes from rogues' slang meaning "to give". There are no acronyms in English from the 18th century and very few from before World War II.

Answer 4

Most restaurants state on their menu that a service charge will be made on a table of x+. That will almost certainly go to the management and you may still choose to give a 'tip' to the staff. Otherwise, when the bill arrives, you are within your rights not to pay/sign for the service charge and to give a 10 to 15% cash 'tip' to the waiting staff. In most bars/restaurants that will be put into a 'kitty' to be shared between staff at the end of the shift.

Answer 5

As stated, the service charge is a tip. I only see this in most restaurants when you're in a group of 5-6 or more. Then it is applied automatically (and normally posted somewhere that they do that). I normally leave between a 20-25% tip so 10% would be low to me and I would leave more.

Answer 6

The appropriate tip is now between 15-20 percent. That 10% rule went archaic about 10 years ago. Ten percent is too cheap.

You are right. Your friends have their cheap, penny pinching heads up their a**.

God bless you for caring about this issue.
Tell your friends that eventually their reputation for being bad tippers will spread throughout the restaurant community and no one will ever want to wait on them.

When I was a waitress back in the 70's, people who didn't tip, didn't get waited on very quickly. They had to sit there for a long time while I served everyone else first. I took my time deliberately because how dare someone not pay me for services rendered. That is like ripping me off. If people can't afford to tip properly, they have no right being in a restaurant, being waited on, in the first place. They should buy their own food, cook it themselves, and clean up after themselves.

People who won't pay properly for services rendered are ignorant, arrogant, and have an attitude of entitlement.

Answer 7

15% is the standard tip for a sit down dinner in the US. In some cities (New York, San Franscisco for example) 20% is the norm. If the service is good or better you should ante up some more money for the server (s). Now keep in mind if you frequent the same places, tip stands for TO INSURE PROPER SERVICE.

Answer 8

It is not TIP. It is TIPS and means TO INSURE PROMPT SERVICE.

If there is a "service charge" then that takes the place of a TIPS contribution from you. However, if the server is your daughter you may want to give the money anyway just because.

Answer 9

For my family we tip over the service charge according to how good the service was. We usually agree on how good the server was, and that's one time when we dont argue.

Answer 10

If a service charge is included, you are not obligated to leave a tip. You can if you felt the service was good, but it isn't expected.