How well do you tip when you eat out?

Question

I normally try to leave a good tip, about 15% of the bill, when the waiter/waitress doesn't spill anything, doesn't ignore us, and keeps our drinks full. They have a thankless job, and have to put up lots of jerks, so I try to brighten up their day.

What 's one thing that the waiter/waitress does that makes you leave a very small tip, or none?

Some people say that the restaurant already pays them, so why tip them? I feel it's their job to serve us, and get us what we need, but it's the extra things that they do that earn a tip for themselves.

Answer 1

Here's another waitress that just came on the computer, and of course, is behind on the answer. First off, I should say that they should make a catorgory on just waitresses/waiters.!!!

I live in PA and we get $2.83 an hour plus our tips. But that is before taxes, etc. If they paid us minimum wage, they would have to raise their prices on their food in a sharp high note.And then nobody would be eathing out!!

When we go out to eat, we tip usually good. If the waitress doesn't make time for us, or is just a "basic" waitress, then we leave 15%. The only reasoned I changed was that I give exceptional service, and I still get the basic 15%. I'm tired of overtipping when it doesn't always happen with me. But some people leave the "standard" tip, no matter what.

It's a shame when people don't realize that they are waiting on a waitress. Of course, we are more apt to pay attention to a waitress than "normal" people. But it's their loss, not mine. That is why I treat everyone like they do waitressing for a living. I have a much better chance!!

Answer 2

I don't believe in tipping.

Answer 3

I usually tip 15% but if she is nice I give her 20% !

Answer 4

We eat out a lot. Sometimes my husband will leave a $10 bill even if the bill is only $35. Once the bill was $54 and he left $15 so I guess that is good. If I am with friends, we leave 15 to 25%. Waitresses don't make much in wages. But!! I have already left $1 to let a waitress know we got lousy service. I mean horrible! Wrong appetizers, then mixed up the drink order. We couldn't get her back at the table and the list goes on. The bill was over $85 and we let them know her service was bad. She kept chatting with other workers and did not seem interested in working. SO! on average, 15 to 25%

Answer 5

i dont count any of the percent thing that you have given i will give sincerely from my heart how many it doesn't matter so i will give 50bucks

Answer 6

I normally tip between 15 and 20 percent.  In theory, a tip was an extra "to insure promptness" but the culture has changed, and a tip is normal now.  I did not realize waitstaff were being paid only $2-$3 dollars by their establishments.  I think that is callous because while in a fair world, a great server would get great tips, in actuality, great servers are sometimes undertipped by patrons who are inconsiderate, cheap, or unable to cover the tip due to insufficient preparation.  That being the case, I would much rather have "service compris" dining.

Answer 7

I leave at least 20% if the normal care is given and we had plenty of attention. What makes me leave less? If we get forgotten and ignored or they said they would get something we asked for and never got it. neglected refill on drinks...I try and be as pleasant to them as possible, and give the benefit of the doubt. I used to be in the business myself. Only made $2.10 an hour then...I never leave nothing. Never.

Answer 8

People who do not believe in tipping should not believe in eating out. If you want the luxury of being waited on, you have to pay for your service and your meal. The restaurants do not pay servers, the customers do. I make $2.13 an hour and all of that goes to taxes. I have not received a paycheck in 4 years! So basically, if you don't tip, I am working for no wage. And if I ever wait on you again, I can promise your service Will not be that great the second time. Minimum wage for servers has been 2.13 in my state for at least the past 5 years, and it is increased a few times in that period for every other job. I have bills and gas to pay as well as mouths to feed just like everyone else. Would you go work for free and provide "excellent" service?

Answer 9

PLEASE EXCUSE THE LARGE PRINT.  I HAVE HAD EYE SURGERY.  MY HUSBAND IS A CHEF AND I SELL FOOD TO RESTAURANTS.  AND TIPPING IS A SUBJECTIVE TOPIC.  WAITS PERSONS DO GET PAID BY RESTAURANTS, BUT HERE IN TEXAS IT IS LESS THAN $3.00 PER HOUR!  THEY FIGURE THAT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT AND MINIMUM WAGE IS WHAT THEY MAKE IN TIPS!

I AM VERY SENSITIVE TO SERVICE.  I AM IN A SERVICE BUSINESS.  JUST KEEPING MY GLASS FULL AND NOT SPILLING THINGS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT I JUDGE A PERSON ON HOW SOON THEY GREET ME OR ACKNOWLEDGE ME.  THEN, ARE THEY GLAD THAT I AM THERE?  DO THEY SHARE THE SPECIALS WITH ME?  TO THEY SHARE KNOWLEDGE WITH ME AS TO WHAT IS "SPECIAL" ABOUT THEIR RESTAURANT?

TRADITIONALLY, I SAY TO THEM,"I KNOW THAT YOU CAN EAT HERE FOR FREE.  WHAT DO YOU ORDER WHEN YOU EAT HERE?"  IF THEY ARE UPBEAT AND POSITIVE AND ATTENTIVE I WILL LEAVE A 20% TIP (OR MORE).  IF I GET LUKEWARM SERVICE, I LEAVE A LUKEWARM TIP OR NONE AT ALL.

BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THESE FOLKS  ARE WORKING FOR TIPS TO MAKE A DECENT LIVING.  DID THEY DO THEIR JOB AND EARN A TIP FROM YOU?

HOPE THIS HELPS!

Answer 10

I always tip about 30% on the bill.  I am a server and bartender and I know how crappy the job can be at times. To those that say we get a wage have no idea what they are talking about.  The federal minimum wage law for tipped employess is only 2.13.  The restauraunt expects the servers to make at least 17% of tips on their sales for the shift.  They get taxed on that amount and in many cases end up with a $0 pay check.  So their tips are their livelyhood. It's kind of hard to pay the bills or for school when you get people that think we  get a paycheck and think they don't have to tip or tip very little.  Plus when you are tipping you paying for a service.  Yes, it's our job to be friendly and take of our tables to the best of our ability.  We are not slaves we are people like everyone else.

Answer 11

the restraunt pays them $2.25 per hour of course we have to tip! i tip on the service between 20 and 30%

Answer 12

I usually tip between 15% and 20% if the service is good.  I'm always very nice, even if they mess up my order or forget something.  I know a lot of waiters and waitresses take a lot of c**p, so I try to think the best of them, even if they don't do so well.  

On occasion, I'll tip more than 20%, but that's usually only if the menu prices are really cheap (total bill of $10 for two people), and the waitstaff did more than would be expected of a cheap meal on top of being their normal friendly selves.  

On the same note, I'll also leave a very small tip if the waitstaff is just downright rude or ignores the table.  Even someone having a really bad day can muster up a decent attitude for 20 seconds.  I'm not going to give someone a good tip if they roll their eyes or act like we're an inconvenience for them.

Answer 13

minimum of 20%, more if great service.

Answer 14

yes, they get paid but barely minimum wage, they make their money off of tips.

If a waitress if a fricken brat or acts like she doesnt have time or my biggest pet peeve- doesn't pay attention to what I order i.e no onions or extra pickles... then I tend to tip smaller

but I usually always tip 20%

Answer 15

I manage a nice restaurant now, but previously had positions as a server and a bartender. It's an insult to tip less than 20% if you got good service. If you got average service, 15% is fine. If the server was horrible with no excuse (like a crazy-busy night, on which you have to forgive them a little) forgot things, didn't refill your drinks, acted like they hated being there...I will purposely leave 10% so they get the message. I only do this in an extreme situation to make my point!

Never stiff them, though. They won't know if you just forgot, or if you were punishing their bad service.

And the person who says she doesn't believe in tipping is ridiculous!! Servers usually don't even SEE a paycheck as their $3/hr goes to pay taxes on their tips.

Answer 16

A server would have to do something truly heinous for me to leave a bad tip.  

As a waitress with over 30 years in the restaurant business, I am very generous when it comes to tipping because I know firsthand how hard the job is. Here in Florida, the minimum wage for tipped emplyees is $3.65 an hour, which is higher than a lot of other states, but I still hardly ever see a paycheck that would do more than put a half a tank of gas in my car. WE WORK FOR TIPS. Our employers do NOT make up the difference when we are not tipped appropriately - which everyone I know in this business considers to be at least 20% for decent service. We have customers from other countries who are not familiar with this standard, and customers who assume the tip is "built in" to the check, and when we don't get tipped decently by folks like these, it really hurts our pocket. In addition to paying taxes on our tips, we are also expected to tip OTHER employees - bartenders, bussers, hostesses. There have been times when the tip-outs to other employees, combined with the taxes, caused us to leave with less in our pockets than we had to claim!

For all those who don't believe in tipping, or don't tip appropriately, please - go to the McDonald's drive-thru down the block!

Answer 17

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Answer 18

I always tip 15-20 % and then if service is exceptionally well then I will tip even more.  A few times I have even tipped more than I paid for the dinner.

Answer 19

In my  mind, 15% is not a "good tip" given to someone as a result of exceptional service. 15% is the suggested tip for standard service. For exceptional service, I think you should be tipping someone over 20%. I've been a waitress since forever and I treat my regular high-tippers with special attention. Those who repeatedly tip at 10%-15% or less will probably receive a little less attention. If I think a server did a good job, I tip at least 20%. For exceptional service, I tip 25%-30%.

All these numbers! But honestly, if a server is being outright rude, I'd tip them a lot less, but I don't know of many servers who have been outright rude. These people wait on you. When someone waits on you, it's important to show your appreciation. At the very least 15%, people. At the very least.