Another "tipping" controversy

[CATCH17]

Wow, 35% tip on an average? You are robbing yourself blind. Something dramatic better have happened before I would tip on that level. At a restraunt my base tip is 20%, for great service and food I will go as high as 25%. I can only recall once maybe twice I tipped better than that, when it wasn't a special occasion. Like someones birthday and the staff went out of their way to make it special. If they go out of their way, I will make it worth it for them.

I'm in a fortunate situation right now so that's why I do it.

Those guys don't make enough money either.

Now if I have a 50 dollar bill they aren't getting that much but 25 dollars and under than I'll hook them up.

I give my pro cuts lady 5 bucks for a 12 dollar cut.

 

[Doomsday]

Actually im not sure exactly which companys but im pretty sure pizza hut and papa johns spilt their delivery fee between the driver and the company{2.00 delivery fee 1.00 to driver 1.00 to pizza hut}.
The fees were put in place to cover for the cheapskates who order 20 bucks worth of pizza and dont tip a dime.:laugh2:

I always assumed that was the case as well but my buddy delivers for Pizza Hut on weekends and he just told me the drivers dont get any of the $2.50 delivery fee. He was told it was to cover their insurance or something to that affect. Its just another way to rip off consumers, like $3.29 for a 2 liter or $4.99 for breadsticks isnt bad enough.

 

[Vtwin]

The standard for tipping has always been 15% as far as I know. I always start there and go up or down depending on the service.

I got into a debate with a bartender one time who tried to tell me the new standard was 20%.

When I asked why it went from 15% to 20% she looked at me like I was an idiot and said, "inflation!!!"

Huh????

 

[TwoCentPlain]

I can't recall if I ever ordered delivery for food. I doubt it. To me, it just seems like the epitome of laziness.

And the whole nonsense of tipping needs to go away. It is an arcane and stupid custom. Include the cost of service into the price. It is not that I am cheap. I usually tip very well at restaurants.

I recently moved and a moving company did everything for me. Of all the people who don't (usually) receive tips, they are the most deserving. I hope they get paid decent because it is a back-breaking job.

I just got back from Italy, Germany and Japan in the past year and there was no tipping in those countries except for a very small amount (1 euro) in Germany as a thank you.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I'm in a fortunate situation right now so that's why I do it.

Those guys don't make enough money either.

Now if I have a 50 dollar bill they aren't getting that much but 25 dollars and under than I'll hook them up.

I give my pro cuts lady 5 bucks for a 12 dollar cut.

Cheap ***! Ha! I get my hair cut in Larchmont sometimes from this little mom and pop haircut place. They charge $12 too, I just give them a $20.

Of course, I have to drive quite a bit to get there. If I get it cut by my house, they charge $25 and with the tip it's $30. So, everytime I go to that place in Larchmont, I have no problems tipping $8 on a $12 hair cut. Besides, they do a better job than the people at charge me $25. :bang2:

 

[YosemiteSam]

The standard for tipping has always been 15% as far as I know. I always start there and go up or down depending on the service.

I got into a debate with a bartender one time who tried to tell me the new standard was 20%.

When I asked why it went from 15% to 20% she looked at me like I was an idiot and said, "inflation!!!"

Huh????

lol, did you tell her that her tip inflation comes when the price of food rises from inflation? They are forever linked! The customer doesn't get slammed with double inflation jeopard just because she wants 5% more tip!

 

[RoyTheHammer]

Just wanted to throw my two cents in there, as someone who has worked as a delivery guy when i was younger and also as a waiter at a reasonably classy establishment.

As a delivery guy, i don't think you should make anywhere near the tip that a waiter/waitress earns. And when i say earns, that's exactly the reason why. As a delivery guy, not only do you make a "delivery fee" for every order you take out (which is put in place to cover your gas money and is usually MORE than enough for that purpose) but you also do far less work. Generally you are delivering in a fairly small area that you know very well, and the rest of the time that you arn't out for delivery you are either helping do very small tasks back at the business or yucking it up with the guys you work with. (This was my experience anyway.. but it was far less work than waiting tables.) I generally leave them between 3 and 5 dollars and i think that's more than fair.

As a waiter, i am on my feet every night running around like a madman with no breaks and no stopping trying to please every single individual at my tables, and usually i am waiting on about 15 people at a time on average. That would seem to be a tremendous chore in itself considering how impolite alot of people can be nowadays and how most don't understand that there are other people besides themselves in the resturaunt at any given time. In addition to doing that however, whenever we do get a second to take a breath, we also have work to be done all night "sidework" that must get done in order for the resturaunt to function effectively. Such as restocking plates and glassware, filling up tea pitchers, ice, bread, etc..

..and on top of all this, whenever i get an extra second (somewhere in there, its hard to find haha) im helping others who are a little behind or "in the weeds" we call it and need a hand to make sure they don't upset their guests. Its really a crazy business and you need to be able to multitask and have a good head on your shoulders to profit. You also need to be in reasonably good shape.

Through all that, i'd say if your waiter/waitress gives you standard to good service then 20 percent should be the tip. If things went a little rocky and you were unhappy with a few things then i would say 10-15 percent is more than fair. If you were very happy with the service and felt your waiter/waitress did better than most then i would say 25 percent or more would be generous.

As far as what i leave, when im out i almost always leave over 20 percent for adequate to great service, just because i know how hard it can be sometimes.

Its really all up to the individual though.. i try to give every customer i have the same quality of service and my goal is always to know that for at least one part of their busy day, i facilitated them being able to relax and have an enjoyable experience. I try not to worry about what percentage i make off of each person, since i know there are different factors that go into a tip for everyone, but try to keep in mind how hard some of us work for you when you go to leave that tip at the end of the night.

 

[Vtwin]

lol, did you tell her that her tip inflation comes when the price of food rises from inflation? They are forever linked! The customer doesn't get slammed with double inflation jeopard just because she wants 5% more tip!

Oh I tried to explain the concept to her. Even did the math on a napkin right in front of her. She wasn't about to let them pesky facts get in the way though.

 

[Faerluna]

I will be honest. How much I tip it has nothing to do with what the waitress looks like or if it's a waitress or waiter.

Bingo! If they are a friendly, attentive server, they will get a nice tip from us.

I tip the pizza person $5 because we live pretty far from the store, so it takes extra time for them to get to us when they could be taking other deliveries.

I also used to deliver pizza, so I'm a bit of an empathetic tipper.

 

[daschoo]

Bingo! If they are a friendly, attentive server, they will get a nice tip from us.

honestly having worked on several bars where the tips were pooled at the end of the shift i can say with 100% certainty that having an attractive girl working on the bar resulted in their being more tips at the end of the shift. i'm not saying that everyone tips based on that but that canadian was as a general rule accurate

 

[Faerluna]

honestly having worked on several bars where the tips were pooled at the end of the shift i can say with 100% certainty that having an attractive girl working on the bar resulted in their being more tips at the end of the shift. i'm not saying that everyone tips based on that but that canadian was as a general rule accurate

I used to bartend and there are certainly instances of that. However, I think it's probably equal to the number of people that value service over the view.

 

[ajk23az]

On another side things;

For those that are golfers, what do you think is an acceptable tip for the Outside Service workers?

Golf Digest has said $5 when you drop your bag off, $5 when you exit.

I have worked at a golf course here in Phoenix for the last 2.5 years as I am finishing up my CIS degree at ASU. I would say that what golf digest says is a bit much but $2 when you drop your bag off and $3-5 after you get done is pretty accurate.

When I go play other courses, keep in mind, i get to play free wherever i play around the valley, I tip about 25% of what it would have cost me to play there at the regular rate. So if the course was $90 to play, i'd tip about $20-$25. If I have to pay to play, I usually tip around $5-$10 based on service.

 

[couchscout]

I'd like to add a couple things to this conversation that haven't really been pointed out.

First and foremost, when deciding whether or not to tip someone, keep in mind how much their hourly pay rate is. Waiters and bartenders almost always in America get paid $2.13 an hour. And they must claim their tips, and be taxed on those tips which results in most checks being $0.00. So, the entirety of the money they make comes from being tipped. This doesn't apply to waiters and bartenders at really high end restaurants, those people are usually well paid in addition to the tips they receive. Waiters and bartenders should always be tipped unless the service was terrible.

Now, pizza delivery guys, baristas, sonic carhops (for those of you in the south), movers, etc. They all get paid at least minimum wage, and tips are supposed to be extra for someone who goes out of their way to make your experience more enjoyable.

 

[Muhast]

I just thought it was arrogant of him to compare himself to a waiter/waitress, who are on their feet all night, making multiple trips to the table, serving each party individually, etc. I don't doubt that he's had cheap customers on his route, but 15% sounds excessive.

I believe a lot of Pizza places hardly reimburse for delivery drivers gas. I could be wrong.

Eitherway I usually tip 5 bucks for pizza.

Im a convenience tipper as well. My wife is a bartender so I know how it is for them sometimes so I keep that in mind.

If I goto a place and have a 12 tab, i'll just leave a 20. Same with hair cuts.

When it starts getting over 40 bucks or so, I just leave a percentage instead.

Typically when I eat out, the less you bother me, the more I like you. If you get me a refill without me having to ask, I love it. If you just walk by and ask "how is everything? Okay great. Can I get you anything else?" and leave, thats even better. I hate servers that are lingering over you, or continually asking if you need stuff. Personally I dont want to ask you for a refill, that is your job. If you keep bringing me drinks and I keep drinking it, then I must want it. If you bring me a refill and it just sits there, Im probably good. You don't have to ask.

 

[CowboyDan]

I'd like to add a couple things to this conversation that haven't really been pointed out.

First and foremost, when deciding whether or not to tip someone, keep in mind how much their hourly pay rate is. Waiters and bartenders almost always in America get paid $2.13 an hour. And they must claim their tips, and be taxed on those tips which results in most checks being $0.00. So, the entirety of the money they make comes from being tipped. This doesn't apply to waiters and bartenders at really high end restaurants, those people are usually well paid in addition to the tips they receive. Waiters and bartenders should always be tipped unless the service was terrible.

Now, pizza delivery guys, baristas, sonic carhops (for those of you in the south), movers, etc. They all get paid at least minimum wage, and tips are supposed to be extra for someone who goes out of their way to make your experience more enjoyable.

I'm supposed to tip at Sonic? Really?

 

[couchscout]

I'm supposed to tip at Sonic? Really?

No, not at all, that's what I'm trying to say. Some people do tip at Sonic, but it's not even remotely necessary, those girls get paid $8-10 an hour.

 

[CowboyDan]

No, not at all, that's what I'm trying to say. Some people do tip at Sonic, but it's not even remotely necessary, those girls get paid $8-10 an hour.

Oh, ok, good, that's my theory on that too.

 

[Khartun]

no. they're getting paid the same money as a nursing auxiliary. i'm not going to give them anything extra for taking 30 seconds to pour me a pint which is what they're there to do. if i'm in the same bar all evening then i'll usually leave something when i'm getting the last round or if i'm getting a particularly big round then i'll leave a tip.
on the other side of it when i'm working behind a bar i don't expect a tip for pouring someone a drink but if i'm giving table service all night then i would expect the customer to leave a tip.

I bartended for years and they do not get paid like auxiliary nurses. Maybe they get paid better where you are but it is basically like a waiter here and they work for the tips. Not tipping a bartender will get you crappy drinks and deservedly so. If you want to have a decent drink, tip.

 

[daschoo]

I bartended for years and they do not get paid like auxiliary nurses. Maybe they get paid better where you are but it is basically like a waiter here and they work for the tips. Not tipping a bartender will get you crappy drinks and deservedly so. If you want to have a decent drink, tip.

i don't live in america. over here its the employers responsibility to pay his staffs wages.

 

[couchscout]

I bartended for years and they do not get paid like auxiliary nurses. Maybe they get paid better where you are but it is basically like a waiter here and they work for the tips. Not tipping a bartender will get you crappy drinks and deservedly so. If you want to have a decent drink, tip.

Heh, that's exactly how I feel. In fact, it irritates the crap out of me when someone is not tipping and only ordering bottle beer, I have no recourse. But that's the good thing about night club bartending, plenty of volume to make up for the 10-15 Summers Eve bags that come in on any given night.