I don't eat out often, but when I do, it's a standard 15%. If the service was very bad or was rude, I'd do 5%. Never had to drop below 15%. One time though, I went to an Indian food restaurant I really like (Not enough to be recognized there). Service was fantastic, food was phenomenal. Completely forgot to tip. Felt bad ever since. Hope to go back there when I have a wallet again and do a huge tip. If my future career permits, I'd like to do a 30% tip as a standard, and 40% for people who struck it off.
First of all, very important, keep in mind that although the server is US based you're addressing an international forum. For example; the stuff JesusPower talks about wouldn't go down well in the Netherlands. In fact; there'd be a riot. Quite frankly I'm not even sure I agree within the context of the US. Because if you, as waiter, deliver poor service because you don't like someone then depending on the person that can very easily reflect right back at you. Because while you may think "it's only one customer" that's where you're automatically wrong; you can't be sure of that. "Always tip, otherwise you risk getting bad service?". Well, maybe that's the way things work in the US but most definitely not over here. Heck; if personal does change that often... could it be because they were bad employees to begin with? But... as mentioned: there's a really big difference between countries and culture on this. Over here its simple: the paycheck comes from the employee. The restaurant. So tipping is not commonly done because there's no need. There are rules in place to guarantee that employee's have a minimal wage (usually more than that). I know it's different amongst countries. True or not, I dunno, but Keiko keeps telling me that if we ever make it to Japan (it's a shared dream of ours: a one or two week vacation over there) then there's one thing I am not allowed to do ever: give tips. It would be considered an insult (though, as a European they probably won't take it personal) but.. best not to Yes, I usually do.When I'm having a fun evening at local cafe (doesn't happen as often as I used to, but still) and especially when my gf and me go out together. Priceless. Then I'm definitely more inclined to tip, in both the cafe and the restaurant (we usually go to a local cafe here (the old fashioned & cool kind, where you can actually hear yourself talk), then head over to a local restaurant and then back to the cafe and then back to home). It helps that I live within walking distance of the citiy center In the cafe: does the bartender get into the conversation a bit (we always sit at the bar, I think that's the best place to be). Do they just chatter or actually try to get into the conversation? Also: sometimes we do keep to ourselves and then sit at a small private table. Is the bar tender going to respect our privacy or are they going to come over and chat? In other words: do they anticipate on the situation (= we'd rather be left alone)? In the restaurant: Are they around when you need 'm? But also: aren't they too pushy? I am slow with my wine, because I tend to enjoy. (warm red wine during a good dinner.. hmmmmm). I do not appreciate "need another one sir?" just when I finished my wine. No you nitwit, I just finished it, it took me 40min to one hour, and our meal is almost done. What are you thinking?! Of course when I have a beer... see? you need to anticipate. Sure I can use another beer. Of course then there's usually no waiter in sight And small things... Are they doing a good job or making a mess? Do they make me feel at home? Small things really.. Food is served and sometimes WHAM, they're gone. Just when I was going to order my wine to go with the food (I usually have one or two beers when we get in, then when the main meal is served I'd like a wine). So.. "would you like anything else?". Bonus points! We're enjoying meat,fries, veggies and one of the veggie bows is empty. We'd really like more. Will staff spot this? If you do: you're helpful, bonus points. And of course staff which keeps their eyes out for "trouble". That scores huge with me (seriously). This often happens in my favorite restaurant: we're having a good time, we want something, Keiko or me look around for staff and someone is busy at another table. Sees us, makes a gesture "I saw you, coming right over next!" and done. That scores huge with me. Most of the times staff doesn't bother to even look around. I had waiters running right past us while we were trying to get their attention. Meh... I don't decrease. It's an all or nothing. I tip or I don't, there is no in between. And the line is quite thin too. If you tick me off then no tip. Simple. However, keep my comment about country and customs in mind A $50 tip?! No way, ever. That's waay too much. I sometimes came close, but no. I do tip according to the bill. 150,25? If I'm in the right mood you'll get 155 from me. If I'm in a better mood you'll get 160 from me. And if I had too much too drink but had a great time (I maybe tipsy, but I do spot details) then I may even go up to 175. A 25 - 30 tip has only happened twice though. No, three times. I usually round the numbers Tipping over here means extra appreciation. If I don't get the impression that you're giving it that little bit extra but you're just on auto pilot then you can kiss your tip goodbye. If you ever have the nerve to be impolite to my gf then I want your money: I'll sue (lol! sorry, weekend and all) Nah, but... ok, example... So this one time I was on a date with my gf and the restaurant we frequent was having an "Asian event", they served Asian dishes as side-dishes. It was fun, and kinda cool. Now.. thing is, my gf has an Asian heritage. Please, please, please, do NOT try to tell her what's real Asian and what isn't. You'll lose. That's what happened to us once... We had sushi as appetizer and Keiko commented that it was decent but still "meh" because they mixed the soja and wasabi together. "extra service, that's how they do it in Japan". To which Keiko said: "In Japan this would be considered a major insult. Could you please get us something normal?". "Madam, this is how they do it in Japan" (just for context: Dutch looking dude is talking to an Asian looking lady). Yeah, you go Don't get me wrong: it's ok to disagree and if you think we're wrong.. I'm open to ideas. But seriously.. Keiko makes her own sushi, she knows what she's doing and if you hear her out you'll realize as much. But most of all... Sorry but it strikes to me as sheer arrogant to tell an Asian looking person that what you're serving is how they do it in Asia. Yah... uhm.. dude.. something tells me you're talking out of your behinds I suppose it can be different in the US but even so, I find it hard to buy into this. If the restaurant doesn't pay you for your services.. then why work there? It makes no sense. So if they don't get customers you don't get paid because .... stuff? I don't think so. Pardon me for laughing it out right now. No offense intended, but I am totally honest with you. It is a privilege that you serve me? Sorry to burst the bubble but I come there to eat, I pay to get served. If you don't serve me then your loss, I'll just go to another restaurant, tell all my friends (and followers on social media (note: just mentioned as example, I personally steer clear from "social" media best as possible)) to do the same because you guys are arrogant as heck and then we'll see how things work out for you. If you're so arrogant that you consider my payment to get food served to my table a privilege then I'd like to avoid your restaurant. You're almost making it sound as if I got the food for free and my tip was the real payment! Bzzzt. For the record: I do agree. But this is also what you got yourselves into. And let's be honest: if you get a plate and you feel it's cold when it should be hot... You could take the high route and tell your boss "this doesn't work". I see your point, but from the customers point of view it was you who could have noticed the problem in the making, totally ignored it, and served me a cold plate of soup. That doesn't work. Sure, it may be the chefs fault but you're between me and the chef. You could have noticed this too. And that is also where I agree with you. Some people overreact, they're a<bleep>holes in the sky. I totally agree. That is the other side of the medal as I like to call it. I'd try to find another job then. But this is culture and country speaking. In the Netherlands you could sue your boss because they're breaking the law. I don't know how this works in the US though. No, you became biased. Sorry, but that's the way it is. Because in a normal situation the restaurant hires you to give up your free time to work for them. And work means a contract, a contract means an agreement about paying for done services because your time has value too. If that didn't happen then something is terrible amiss here. Once again: I look at this from my own bias. Over here in the Netherlands this wouldn't be a thing. If restaurant staff got underpaid then there'd be hell to pay the moment it leaked out. If this is normal in the US then I think I'm happy to be over here instead of over there (NO offense intended). But honestly, I can't imagine this to be a thing. It's called minimum wage for a reason I'd say. And with that you're basically only supporting a flawed system which should have the waiters revolting because their boss doesn't pay them for their time, but with things like this they're getting away with it. Not tipping is the right thing to do because it might help get it into peoples head that this is not right. Just giving in means nothing will ever change.
It's crazy that we have people who loathe the idea of tips but are great with a "pretty good" welfare system that many are on. See here in the good ol' US we may pay taxes but unlike some seem to want to state, our percentages paid are not anywhere near that of those other places. A person only making 6 bucks will net pay hardly anything by the time the tax return is done. What insanity... Not to mention, a servers job would not have to be based on a lower wage and tip, but its one option. It's like a commissions salesperson or a flat salary salesperson. If you are good at your job you probably want a tips option or commissions not flat salary. Now to the point of tipping, obviously different places and cultures promote different responses. I live in the US and have worked as a server in the past. So it makes me appreciate it more when I have a good experience. The problem with tips are not always related to the server. Sometimes a server can do everything right but get docked if other things do not go right. Poor food, delays, staffing issues or many other things. If I have an issue with tips, it is mainly in basing a tip off of the bill price. Why? Well this is easy, so if you work your tail off at say a small local breakfast place your bill for a table of 4 may be 40 bucks. However, if the wife and I go down to a nice wine bar place we can end up with a bill over 150 bucks for 2 of us. Now likely the person at iHop had more people, more tables and may be more work to do but even if I tip them 20% they will get 8 bucks vs 10% at the other place is 15. I tend to believe tips should be a little more flat in nature and based on the experience. I don't mind tipping 20 bucks, I do it often but I am not always looking at the bill but did I like the place, did my family or friends with me also have a good experience and how do I feel about it. Oh and lunch vs dinner with my family or time with just the wife and I make tipping so much different. Now normally my lunch bills are 5-10 bucks so they would not be exceptional tips anyway but I'll leave 1-2 bucks depending on the service, time there and food. With my family I am likely more of a percentage person. If it is the wife and I out for a night out, forget about it, you could bring me 2 beers and make 10 bucks if we were having a good time. I tip more on emotion at that point. This does lead me to servers too. The type of place, time of day and the make of the party being served make a huge difference in what people want. At lunch, you don't want bothered a lot but want someone friendly and timely. With the family, you want someone who is good at keeping drinks full and the table with less clutter. If you see a couple, they want someone generally outgoing and engaging but that allows them space. In the end, this is a hard one as each person will have a completely different idea on how to handle this. Some people are even unaware of the way most server positions are paid. I tend to believe if you work hard you'll do ok but it will depend on where you work and the bill amounts as most people will tip on a percent. So if you are good at the job you need to look for higher dollar places to work so you can improve your income that way. Being good at this is being able to read people and make adjustments for different personalities, times of day and situation. Just my take.
Well, I can agree with most of what everyone else has said pertaining to this so far, as they are all good points. I did want to comment specifically on the math above though...that is some seriously generous rounding up. 20% of 150.25 is actually in the neighborhood of 30.05, and I did that in my head. I feel I would fall in the 15% category, as that is what I heard was the going rate for tips. So contrary to your suggested $25 tip for $75 bill...I think the $25 tip is more suited to the $150 bill. As others have suggested, service would impact +/- from this figure. I personally feel it is wrong for employers to do business in this manner, but greed tends to control the bottom line. I do remember some places taking the tips out for the waiters / waitresses with the actual bill. This could prove to not only be a convenience, but I feel the waiters / waitresses would probably get more tips if presented in this manner vs. depending on someone to leave money on the table, especially in today's society where carrying cash is becoming so yesterday. Many may comment that I should not be so preachy in my responses, but the mouth speaks from the heart. I can't help but draw from my own experience in the retail sector, and I know customer service is like a roller coaster with the ups and downs. Even in the job I have now, I often remind myself that I am not really working for the company, but rather am working towards a greater goal, and this happens to be the post I am currently occupying. I don't know what your faith may be, but for me, I believe God directs my paths, and if I am working for Him, it is easier to deal with the trials of the task at hand. I don't know whether this is directly applicable in your situation, but regardless of your faith, I believe if you can focus on working to serve those customers vs. working to earn a paycheck...which appears to be lackluster anyways, you will find that you are earning something far greater than wages. As time goes by, you will find that your paycheck is growing in addition to the joy you are finding in doing a good job, and offering great service. The one caveat that always seemed to be a hurdle for me though was whether or not I believed in what I was selling. I used to work at Office Depot years ago, and I could sell a laptop with the best of them. I really enjoyed helping people make the best well informed decision about their purchase, I did, however, have a hard time selling them a protection plan I could tell they could not afford, or even I was not convinced it was really beneficial to the customer. I mean who wants to buy a $6.99 protection plan for a $4.99 calculator...heh...really? Yea, they actually had that option. So with that example, I attempted to convey that if it is something you really enjoy, it will show, and will transcend into great service, but if you are doing something simply because you have to with no conviction, it will often taint your ability to be genuine, which can directly impact your overall performance / tips received. I can remember having rough days at work, and then there would be a customer that really needed help, which presented an opportunity for me to either keep working in my blah state, or I could dig deep and truly try to help that customer. I found that truly helping someone would trigger a resource of energy I didn't realize was there. A Joy deep within from which to draw that not only helped me, but could then be used to generate a momentum used in the next opportunity, and the opportunity thereafter. To just get the snowball rolling downhill is the hard part, but once it is rolling, it is a fun ride. I know these comments are not specifically on topic, but I feel they are all focused on that of service and pertain to those who choose to work in a job of servitude. I pray that you are richly Blessed in all that you endeavor to do, and hope you Remember This : "If moneys where you find happiness, then you will always be poor". KnightZer0ne Tempered Outpost Founder
And you get paid lower wages, have a lower standard of living, still have to pay for a trip to the doctors and any medical treatment, have a higher poverty rate than any country in the EU, have no worker's rights, blahblahblah. No thanks, I'll stick with my slightly higher taxes and welfare state (which helps so much more than someone's small tips) and far, far away from the 'good ol' US' which is about fifty years behind most Western nations. (And FYI, someone making $6 an hour here pays absolutely nothing in taxes)
