Tipping your waiter/waitress?

Question

Is this customary in every restaurant where your table is being waited? Should you not tip if the waiter was unfriendly and/or useless or should you tip anyway but the minimum amount? I'm just wondering because some of my friends are cheapskates when it comes to tipping and don't think it's customary. So I need some info for them, any other tips on tipping would be appreciated. I always tip my waiter and sometimes more than customary if I can afford to.

Answer 1

If the service was good, you leave a tip; if the server was rude you leave nothing. A tip is a gratuity, something you leave as a token of good service, it is not a right.

Answer 2

I would not tip at all if the waiter/waitress was unfriendly/rude and useless. They are paid to cater to you and to make sure you enjoy the meals at thier restaurant, not so you can put up with thier bratty attitude.

People are gonna argue that perhaps they had a bad day and such but I say that isn't anyone's problem really. I'm sorry if it's harsh, but why would anyone be sympathetic to a host/hostess who makes you all riled up?

I tip very well to almost all hosts except if they're rude or useless. They have to EARN thier keep, just like everyone else in the world has to earn thier money.

Answer 3

I tip what I feel the person earned. No one is going to tell me how much money I HAVE to give to a stranger. If all waiters/waitresses got tips no matter what their performance, what would give them any incentive to do a better than average job? Going out to dinner is too expensive and most people feel it's a rare treat to do so. They hope for good service. If the waitress gives it, then they should expect good tips.

Waitresses and waiters know going in that their salary is a large percentage in tips,so they should earn the money like everyone else, and that is by being the best they can be at their job. It's not up to me to pay their salary, but I will tip them if they deserve it.

Just  for the record, I was a waitress for 2 years.

Answer 4

If the service is good, then I give a good tip (15 - 20percent)

If the service is excellent, I leave an excellent tip  (20+percent)

If the service is fair to bad,  then I leave a fair to bad tip.  (10-12 percent)

If the service is RUDE, I would leave a penny or two (that way they would realize that I didn't just forget)  That only happened to me once and I did leave a pretty good tip..  I've smartened up since then.

Tell you friends that waiter and waitresses earn minimum wage and count on their tips and deserve a tip..  they should give them something anyway...  and NO I am not or never was a waitress.

Answer 5

You NEED to tip 15% even with less then satisfactory service. (More if it was better)

Waiters make about 2.50 an hour from the restaurant. Your TIPS are what give them a real wage.

Answer 6

I tip if the service was good,if it was awful I leave nothing.In Florida at the beach bar they add it right into your bill.I was shocked to see on my receipt "18% gratuity" that is crazy to me!!I only order a few drinks and walked up to get them...

Answer 7

15 percent unless the service is bad. Bad is differentiated sometimes from slow if the waitperson simply is assigned too many tables and is doing the best he/she can. But if they bring wrong orders or seemingly are just slow themselves for no reason I tip about 5 percent

Answer 8

I always tip.  If the service is really bad, I will tip 10 percent, maybe 15.  I don't consider an unfriendly waitress bad service.  Sometimes they are just really stressed out.  If I get my food, my drinks are refilled, and she comes back and asks if I need anything else, that is good service.  For good service, I tip 20 to 25 percent.

Answer 9

10% if the waiter or waitress was bad (unfriendly or useless)

15% if they are good but not overly frienly or useful

20% normally if they give good service, are friendly, etc

25% -30% if they are exceptional (even if Im at a dive!)

Answer 10

I agree with most posters on here, 15-20% for good service, and I will tip up to 30% for outstanding service, BUT if the service was horrible, (and I am not talking about the food, that is the chef's doing) I will either stiff the waitress/er, or give a dollar.

Example, I took my husband out for his birthday. My adult son went, too. The waitress addressed my husband and son, and completely ignored me. I was only drinking water, while they had soda. They got several refills, whereas I sat through the whole meal with an empty glass. And it wasn't like I didn't ask. So, for a $60 bill, she got $1.00 and a note on the bill telling her EXACTLY why.

Tips are optional. If they don't treat EVERY customer at the table equally, they just screwed themselves out of a tip, because they never know who is paying the bill.

Answer 11

Someone said waiters make $2.50 an hour??? Yikes1 What state is that. At least in California not quite. You do make minimum wage + tips. Since minimum wage is that minimum as  waiter you depend on tips for your livelihood.

It' supposed to be optional but it would be poor etiquette not to tip at all. It would really be an insult. I can understand being tipped less than the 15% standard if your service was less than adequate or if your waiter(tress) was rude but otherwise there really is no reason.

It's a lot harder than it looks. I waited tables and bar tended for a few years. 15% is standard, 18%-20% if you liked your service, 25% or more if you either really liked your service or you had a large group. In the case of large groups some restaurants add the tip already. From the money you get tipped you tip the host(ess), bar, busboy and runner if it applies so you go home with about 10%

Wow! Some of the answers are kind of ruthless... calling a waiter useless? Personally I think everyone should wait tables as a right of passage. It teaches you a few lessons.

Answer 12

If your waitperson is rude or can't do the job properly, ask for the manager and complain right then.  We haven't had this happen much, but when it has, we tip the minimum we feel comfortable doing 5%?  We have tipped nothing.

You should always tip.  They work for less than minimum wage and depend on the tips to make up the difference.  If you buy an inexpensive item, you might tip $1 or the price of the item.  If you keep the table to have long conversations with friends, tip much more because the server is missing a chance for more tips.

I think you should tip a minimum of 10%.  We tip from 15 to 20%.  Tip on the bill before taxes.  To figure the tip, if the bill is $15.67 without tax, move the decimal point one digit to the left.  The tip would be $1.56.  For 15%, divide 1.56 in half and add that much.  Double for 20%.  

If you are in a very large group, check to see if the tip has been figured into the bill already.

You can either leave the tip on the table, include it on your charge, or give it to the cashier if you don't have the right cash in your pocket.  Or run back and place it on the table if it hasn't been cleared yet.

Answer 13

Waiters and the like depend much more on tips than their basic salary. Always tip otherwise never return to that place again especially if the same waiter will have to serve you

Answer 14

I generally tip and tip well if the service is good, but tipping is optional and should reflect the service given.  There are certain places that have a no tipping policy, but it is usually spelled out pretty clearly if that is the case.

It has been a rare occasion that I have not tipped at all; my daughter was horrified when that happened once, but the service was truly abysmal and there wasn't even an excuse I could live with, such as the place was busy or they were short-staffed.  Neither was true-it was just crappy service.

Good luck in your search for info....this is just my .02!