Waiters; how do people tip in california?

Question

calling all waiters; how do people tip in california?

so i am a waiter living in nj, and generally, people tip 18-20 on their bills. i want to move out to california, somewhere in around san fran, and get a job waiting table. how do people generally tip there? how much can i expect to make a week in a nice (not apple-bee's type) restaurant? thanks!

Answer 1

People are pretty generious here and the better the restuarant, the better the tips of course. My niece was able to pay her way through college and get her masters on just being a waitress in LA. She even did it for a while after college because the pay was so good.

Answer 2

i work in cali at a restaurant in a beach front hotel. i mostly cocktail and bartend, but i know the servers make about 200 a night on a good night. ive pulled 170 before just cocktailing, and i make pretty good money bar tending. for the most part, people tip 20%. you will still get the cheap tips, but mostly the people in there are already paying 200-300$ a night to stay at the hotel, so they more than likely have money and the decency to tip good. i worked in las vegas before this for a couple years and had to deal with a lot more cheap people.

also, min. wage just went up to 8.00/hr so thats always a plus.

Answer 3

You've got some pretty good information above.

I'll add to just stay out of the tourist trap areas - like Fisherman's Wharf in SF, or around Disneyland in LA - because the tourists are cheapskates.  They figure they will never see the server again, so they don't care - or many are from other countries where tipping is not customary.  

Find an upscale restaurant that draws a regular local crowd.

Answer 4

i only tip when my friends bug me in to doing it.

Answer 5

it depends on you  if your good  better tip  rotten service and you get a penny