When tipping a waitress?

Question

Do you tip her/him based on the quality of service? When we dine out my husband drinks his drinks really fast (he always does) when the waitress take our order I usaully warn her and even tell her she can bring a small picture... alot of them are really great and we tip them great but every once in awhille we get a waitress that ingnores us...and we give her less of a tip.. I have work at truck stops and other resturants so I know what it intitles and I have had bad and good tippers so what are your thoughts?

Answer 1

I do the same - if a waitress goes above & beyond the norm to ensure we enjoy our dinner, he/she gets a 'bonus' tip from us:) For the ones who obviously could 'care less' if we enjoyed our meal then they get the minimum if that, very seldom have I ever walked out & left nothing!

Answer 2

Absolutely. That's the whole point of tipping. Good service is rewarded with a good tip.

Now, if I stop by a restaurant and order nothing but a drink or a dessert or something, the percentage rules go out the window. I typically will leave at least a couple bucks (which in most cases will amount to at least 30% if not more).

However, if I order a full meal, my typical tip for average service is around 15%. Good service will get me to bump it up to 20 or even 25%.

If I receive horrible service (usually displayed by an apathetic or a bad attitude), I leave them a nickel or less (depends on what I have in my pocket). The reason I leave them a few cents rather than just stiffing them is because it's a message to them that they are very bad servers. If you leave them nothing, they will either assume you are cheap or simply forgot. Mind you, this probably seems rather severe, but there are some servers out there (not a lot...fewer than 5% of the ones I've experienced) who should NOT be serving people in any way, shape, or form.

Answer 3

Our family tips are decided by the quality of service.For good service we usually tip 20% of our total.For excellent service 25%.Poor service a mere 10%.You also have to consider how busy the resturant is at the time as well.For example:If the resturant is extremely overloaded then the waitress can't be as attentive as they would be during a normal visit.Oh it is better to give your tip to your waitress instead of leaving it on the table because I have seen other waitresses go by and pick up tips from someone else's table.

Answer 4

I wait tables now- and have off and on for 16 years- and there really are 2 things you should tip based upon.
First, the basic tip. This is generally 15% depending on where you're from. That's just a base which helps them pay their taxes and tipshare.
Second- on how good the service was.

As far as the drink situation goes-- a lot of restaurants don't allow their servers to leave a pitcher on the table. So, even if you tell them to, they can't b/c they could get in trouble. The one I work in will allow us to leave a tea carafe for only tea and only if 2 or more people order tea, but nothing else.
If your server is really trying to keep up w/ you, then, you should tip them on the effort, even if he did have to go w/o something in his glass for a few minutes. But, if they are just blatantly ignoring you, yeah, that's rediculous. In that situation, I leave a 15% tip and a note telling them that the only reason they got the 15% is b/c that's the minimum that I have to give them. I also note that I'm a server and had I not been, it would have been less....for whatever reason it is.
You can generally tell when someone is running their butts off or when they're just standing around. These note days are for those I can tell are just wasting time.

You also have to keep in mind that you aren't the only table they are waiting on. They are running food for other servers, doing sidework in the back, taking care of someone else's table who keeps asking them for everything from an extra set of silverware to extra drinks, etc., trying to get the cooks to recook things for other tables, and the cooks are arguing back and forth about it. whatever the case may be...

So, b/c you've worked in the industry, IMHO, you should feel obligated to tip at least 15% b/c you know how it was to have an off day, have something going on outside of work that you shouldnt have brought w/ you but couldnt help it, or have that one A hole that made you cry. Sometimes overtipping can just make someone's day.

Yeah, some of them suck, and there's nothing you can do about it. BUT, just b/c you feel like you're being ignored, you may not be...they may just be going through the list of things in their head and you threw them off b/c you interrupted the thought. That happens a lot to me. I'll be going through my 20 people and what they need, and that one guy w/ half a glass of DP left will tell me to bring him more, when he was already on my list. Then, HEs the one I forget. Not intentionally, but, it happens every time.

Answer 5

The standard is 15% for decent service and %20 for great service. You can lower or raise these percentages, but if you tip less than 15% make sure it's for a a good reason. Tipping less than that is often seen as an insult

Answer 6

I always start as 15% as a given. If it really, really bad I will leave at least 10% because the server gets charged by the IRS anyway. If they are above average they will get no less than 25% from me.
Don't forget that some places do not allow the server to put a pitcher on the table.
Also, I feel that if I don't have to shop for, prep, cook serve or clean-up after a meal that I enjoyed, why not tip properly?

Answer 7

I usually tip the standard 15% even if the service is not great because I waitress-ed for a short time and know what goes into it, and besides that the wages are not great. But for the waiter or waitress that goes above and beyond I don't mind going above and beyond when it comes to tipping them. They get 15% plus what I feel that their efforts have been worth. I'm usually pretty generous because it's not easy waiting on people. Great service is something that should be appreciated & rewarded!!!

Answer 8

In Australia tipping is not the norm however if I have had excellent food & service I will leave a tip - usually the amount remaining after the bill is paid. So, for example, if the food cost us $89.00 then I would pay with $100.00 & leave the change.

If however the service was just average then I leave no tip (don't forget that we don't tip here in Australia as the norm).

If the service was awful then I will ask to speak with the manager on duty & make a complaint about the staff who has made our experience unpleasant.

Answer 9

When we go out, if the service was good, we double the sales tax. In CA that comes out to about 15%. If the service was bad, or awful we leave less or none if the experience was just bad. I know it's not the easiest job, but do it right and a person can make good money.

Answer 10

even if the waitress is terrible i always leave at least 10 percent. so many things come into account on your service at a resturaunt. if the waitress got double or triple sat she will be in the weeds and that is not her fault, it is the fault of the host who makes an hourly wage of well over 3 dollars an hour.

a good waitress is one who watches your drinks for sure. if i have a new drink without even having to ask for one you bet she is going to get 20 percent.

Answer 11

I also have worked as a waitress before, so I know the procedure. My opinion is that tips are just that: To Insure Prompt Service. A certain percentage shouldn't be expected by the waitress if they don't do their part.