Since when did 20% become the norm for leaving a tip when going out to eat?

Question

I have seen on here that a lot of people say they leave 20%. When I go to a restaurant and the service is standard that is deserving of 15% of my hard earned money. When I go to a good place and the service is flawless then I leave 20%. 20% shouldnt be the norm. A few days ago we went to the capital grill and the wait between our appetizers and entrees was about 30 minutes, we left 15% tip. Why should it be the norm now to leave 20% for so so service?

Mr danger you are a moron. My bill was more close to $350. so we are talking about a 20 dollar difference, not $2.50, do the math. Also you have no idea what you are talking about as far as how servers are paid by their employers (which had nothing to do so with my question by the wa). I know much more about this subject than you seeing I have been in the business for more than 15 years.

hey trublueyes, I dont care if its her fault or not, thats not the customers problem. When you go to a restaurant the service is a combination of many people working together, if one of those areas fail its not the clients responsibility to figure out who is to blame. Sounds like you are a bitter diner waitress.

Answer 1

I always base my tip on the service we received and I have never known 20% to be the norm. I have a tip card I keep in my wallet and its for 15%. If the service is great I leave more, sometimes more than 20%. Nobody I know here tips 20%, though I have heard that some restaurants are adding a mandatory tip to the bill, especially with groups that are larger than 4 people. I think it should be up to me and depend on the service given and not up to the restaurant or anyone else. I did waitressing when I was in college and I was a good waitress, sometimes I got a great tip and sometimes a cruddy one, thats life.

Answer 2

Tip whatever you like. I am so sick of tipping questions!!!!! If you want to tip 15%, tip 15%! It's not a great tip, but it's not a bad one either. I think MOST people now are tipping 20%, atleast where I work, my tips are in the 18%-20% range, but when I receive a 15% tip, I don't freak out or dwell on it. I ring it in and go on my way. There are all sorts of tippers out there, non-tippers, average tippers, and big tippers. It's up to you what you want to tip ultimately. No one said leave 20% for so-so service, 20% is usually received for outstanding service, 15% is so-so service. Also, some people are just cheap, and no matter what you do for them or how fantastic everything was, they're leaving 10%. It just comes with the territory. Bottom line, tip what you feel your server earned.

Answer 3

I read your additional comments, about being in the business for "15 years", and found it interesting that your question was "Since when did 20% become the norm..." If you truly have been in the business for "15 years" then you should know that the 20% trend started about 10-12 years ago. By the way...I've been in the restaurant business, as a server, for 20 years. I'm not trying to one-up-you with that information, just letting you know I'm in the biz.

Also, Mr. Danger does have some good points. He's accurate on a lot of points.

I know you probably won't like my answer but...I just had to point out that you don't seem to make a lot of sense. Sorry.

Answer 4

You're quibbling over a couple of pennies . On a fifty dollar check you're talking about a difference two dollars and fifty cents.
Do you know that by law a server does not not have to get minimum wage -and none of them do -but rather the combination of base wage plus tip must equal the minimum wage or the restaurant must make up the difference? You didn't know that did you
Edit
Of course it's about wages .
If you eliminated the tip system and paid servers a borderline living wage of say $15.00 hr that would mean an increase of about 705% over the Federal mandated wage of $ 2.13 /hr
That 705% increase in the CPMH will of course have a negative effect on a restaurant owners profit margin because it will increase the percentage that payroll represents. As a restaurant owner you of course know all of this .
You also know that to cover that 705 %increase in CPMH you will either have to raise your prices, cut your payroll ,
or knock the hell out your food cost percentage to the point where you may have to use ingredients of a lesser quality than your customers are used to.
The bottom line is that in a world w/o tips you would have wound up paying more for your meal than you would have even if you tipped 20% and as a restaurant owner you would make less money because of higher fixed costs
What I don't get is why punish a server for what may be caused by things going on in the kitchen that they have no control over ?

Answer 5

As inflation in this country increases, so does minimum wage and the average salary for the average working person...except servers. Their pay stays the same. I think I remember earning $2.68 an hour at the last place I waited tables at about 3 years ago. It is only appropriate for the tip to increase since your wallet has fattened up but your server's hasn't.

Also, the next to you go out to eat please pay attetnion as to whether the service is bad due to the server or the jkitchen,. Kitchen staff make hourly, no matter how fast or slow they put the food out. Most couldn't care less about the servers needs.

Answer 6

Ok... where do you see the wait from the kitchen was the servers fault? And since the server is probably making 2.13 an hour-- while the min wage has gone up, the waitress wages never have and I've been doing this for 21 years. Stay home with your hard earned money and cook for yourself.

Answer 7

You are more than welcome to leave what you see fit when tipping. If your bill was $350 then your "hard earned money" must not be to important. thats a rather large bill. most servers make somewhere around $2.13 an hour. plus in most restraunts the 15% tip is really only 11-12% when you factor in tip-share. besides that many servers are young students just trying to get through school, so why not help them out?

Answer 8

You have to take into consideratiuon the cost of living for
an employee (Waiter,Waitress) that mostly gets a decent
chunk of his or her income from being tipped.Some service
employees don't make Minimum Wage (Thank God for the
latest increase) and Tips are a very good compensation.

Answer 9

Laughing all by myself!!! I'm so glad someone else feels like I do about Eggnog.... I think this should be posted on every Fridge everywhere too... & may be on the Bathroom mirror as a reminder!!! Wonderful Job!!! Cheers to you!! & Merry Christmas Too!!!

Answer 10

Sorry, I just do it .( unless the service is crap) I tend to over-tip because I was a former waiter. If you don't want to leave 20% don't do it, but don't disparage those of us who do.