How much tips to you leave in a restaurant?

Question

I start to live in the UK and never really knows how to tip.

Some leaves 10% in general, and nothing in fast food.

Other always tips one or two pounds whatever the price.

If you pay by card, do you pay more with your card or do you leave some coins on the table?

thank you!

Answer 1

you don't have to leave any tips in the UK. it's cautious to leave a tip and any thing would be acceptable. no need to re mortgage ya house to say thank you after all your in the restaurant buying and eating/drinking so your spending their. if you can afford £2 then leave that if not then don't worrie.

Answer 2

%10 of the bill. i keep in mind the people in the kitchen doing the dirty work never get tipped and never get the woman privilege the female waiters and bartenders get to guilt the customers on.

Answer 3

MY GOD YOU ALL ARE CHEAP. DO YOU NOT REALIZE THAT PEOPLE WHO SERVE ONLY GET 2.35 TO 2.65 AN HOUR. PLEEEASE PEOPLE JUST STAY HOME THEN. I AM A SERVER AND MAKE 5000.00 A MONTH THANKS TO __MY__ SERVICE NOT YOURS. P.S. NEVER LEAVE COIN IT'S CONSIDERED AN INSULT AND THIS IS FROM THE STATES.

Answer 4

One leaves 15% for basic or average service; 20% for good service.  If they do something extraordinary, you can tip more, but overtipping can be a sign of insecurity or immaturity.  For bad service, you don't have to tip at all.  You do not pay more if you pay by a card.  In general, wait staff prefers to be paid in cash versus a credit card.  Many don't report tips for their taxes but if paid by card, there is a record of it so they have to report it.  So cash to many waiters/waitresses is more valuable than the same tip by credit card.

Answer 5

When I once worked in a bar, my boyfriend at the time worked in the adjoining restaurant. I was lucky to come home with £2 tips each night, whereas he would go home with at least £50!! I thought this was very unfair.

I'll never tip on my credit card, because you cannot guarantee that it will go to the staff that served you rather than the manager's pocket.

I only tip in resaurants where the staff have actually seated me and served me at the table (if it's a serve-yourself buffet I don't tip). I usually tip according to the service received. If it is very good, I'll leave around 10%. If it's anything less than good service, I'll leave nothing. I know that I'm very harsh, but I think it's something to do with the story I tell at the beginning of my answer.

I'm sure that tipping is an imported custom from the USA. I don't remember ever having to tip in a restaurant any time before I was about 16.

Answer 6

I leave about $10.00 -$20.00!

Answer 7

Check if service is included. If it is not, add 10-15% depending on how happy you are with the service, rounded up to the nearest pound.

If I have the right change, I leave tips in cash because then you know that the waiting staff will get it.

Answer 8

I normally leave a couple of quid!!

Answer 9

Your choice, but tipping is not a way of life here in the UK like it is in the rest of Europe, but I generally say 10% in a restaurant for good service, but nothing at all for fast food.

You can add tips on a credit card, but I think the waiting staff prefer cash to divide at the end of the night.

Answer 10

Why should we tip - after all I don't get a tip for doing my job. It p****s me off when people get a wage and then EXPECT to get a tip just for doing their job.

Answer 11

Usually, I leave a different amount depending on the total of the bill, but i leave about 20%. If the service wasn't that good then i would tip alittle less.

Answer 12

It's usually better to tip the correct percentage in cash/coins as the restaurant and the waiters have to have a certain percentage taken out for basically paying the credit card use fee. Also in some restaurants tips left on cards are distributed among the staff at the end of a night instead of given directly to your specific staff. If possible, tip in currency- if not, tip on the card.

This site has some great rules for international tipping. Check it out: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/...

PS FOR SOME OF YOU GETTING ANGRY and freaking out about people "not tipping" or "tipping badly" and talking about what wait staff in the US make.... can you read the question? Tipping etiquette is not the same in the UK. Grow up.

Answer 13

it generally goes by the place you are eating. like

fast foods---nil or some loose change in charity box

take aways---nil, its not expected

cafe----30p to £1 max

restaurants depend on quality of food and service generally 10% of bill but if your in a large group this can be a lot of money if only 1 is paying. I go by the total bill, so if t cost between £20 to £50 then £5 tip

between £50 to £100 then £10 tip,

if i pay by card i always leave a cash tip, waiters very rarley see money if its added onto the card.

finally ,in the UK a tip is optional, if its already added to your bill ask them to remove it firmly and leave a cash tip you feel apropiate

if you think you had bad service ...do not leave a tip, hopefully they will be more polite to the next customer.

hope this helps, these are only my views

Answer 14

If the service is really bad I will still leave 10%, 15% for average service and around 20% for good service.  I always add it to my card when I leave the tip if I don't have adequate cash.

Answer 15

at least 15 % unless the service is really poor.

Answer 16

It all depends on the service you received, but I think in general one Pound is about right, a bit more for really good service. If I pay by card I still leave a tip, as some places the tips go into a pool and are shared by the staff.

Answer 17

20% is the common tip rule

Answer 18

If we pay with a card me and my husband dnt tip less we have some cash. If we pay with cash we give about $5. We are not that rich and are young with 3 kids. So its hard for us to tip.

Answer 19

$0.00 is always good for me. lol

Answer 20

none

Answer 21

15% if your experience was good, 10% if bad and 20% if it was great. As a server I always preferred to be tipped with cash.

Answer 22

15%-16% for me

Answer 23

for me, if a waiter came to my table and served me, i tip 5% for really crappy, 10% for not good, 15% for ok, 20% for outstanding. and if the waiter was REALLY REALLY bad, nothing.

Answer 24

there are very few places I've been that have given me good service..

It's well funny.. I went out with a meal with a girlfriend and 8 other female friends of hers.. they were all in city jobs, me I turned up pretty casual, kept getting dirty looks all night...

so when I left. they got no tip.. told the waiter . be careful, if you smile once in a while ya face might crack.. haven't you ever seen a harem before?

that made his jaw drop.. made the women laugh also as they'd been getting dirty looks and they know I have a warped sense of humour

Answer 25

if theres more the one or two people say four or more it would be wise to leave $ 7.00

Answer 26

Rubbish service = No tip

Great service = probably more than 10% depending on how much cash I have

Answer 27

DEPENDS on restaurant and level of service

Answer 28

You don't have to pay tips in a fast food restaurant.  But you do have to pay tips for a none fast food restaurant.  Usually it's 10% in a non high class restaurant.  You dont' have to leave some coins on the table when you paid by credit card.   Becasue they already charge you 10% automatically when you go to those restaurant.   And you don't have to leave the coins on the table when you pay by card.  But if you paid by money then i guess it's good to leave maybe just 1 dollar or 2 dollar there if you feel like.  Otherwise you don't have to becasue they already charge you.

Answer 29

Totally depends on the service. I dont feel obliged to leave anything. Exceptional service gets very good tips, poor gets none! Remember there all getting a hourly rate, therefore will get a tip for going that liitle extra mile.

Answer 30

15% is a base. worse service gets less.

Answer 31

10-15% is the 'going rate' for a tip but if you are pleased with the service then you can tip more.

I always tip regardless of how the meal was because the witress/waiter didn't cook the meal.

If the service is poor then I only leave a small amount.

Fast food resturants you don't need to tip as you haven't received any service.

A tip is for the waiter/waitress. It is a reflection on how you were looked after in the resturant and served, if it was good tip well but if you felt neglected tip little.

And if you can tip with cash so it does actually go to the person who served you.