Tipping Etiquite [Split from the Money & Friends Thread]

[Scrambler]

Most restaurants/bars make servers pay 3-5% of their sales to the kitchen/support staff, all the while making min wage. If people are cheap tippers, the server is basically paying to serve you.

I understand that service isn't always the greatest, but please always consider everything else: How clean is the establishment/washrooms; how busy is it, is the server running their ass off?; How good is the food itself;

Remeber that you are paying for these things through the tip too, not just the service.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Scrambler

Most restaurants/bars make servers pay 3-5% of their sales to the kitchen/support staff, all the while making min wage. If people are cheap tippers, the server is basically paying to serve you.

I understand that service isn't always the greatest, but please always consider everything else: How clean is the establishment/washrooms; how busy is it, is the server running their ass off?; How good is the food itself;

Remeber that you are paying for these things through the tip too, not just the service.

If the business can't survive on what it charges for the products then they should increase their prices. If the staff have to rely on tips for a liveable wage they should have their salaries increased, or just deal with it.

I had to go through a Starbucks drive-thru the other and day and saw the tip jar sitting on the counter....that is ludicrous.

[Scrambler]

Originally Posted by Slava

If the business can't survive on what it charges for the products then they should increase their prices. If the staff have to rely on tips for a liveable wage they should have their salaries increased, or just deal with it.

I had to go through a Starbucks drive-thru the other and day and saw the tip jar sitting on the counter....that is ludicrous.

Its funny, that's how they do it in the rest of the World. It's just Canada and the USA that follow tipping this much.

If you go to a restaurant in Europe, there is hardly any tipping, but the server is making twice the minimum wage.

This is exactly how restaurants keep costs down over here, by having the servers pay a lot of the wages of the staff. Keeps menu pricing 'competitive'.

[Scrambler]

What would always drive me up the wall is when I would have for example a table of 8. No split checks. At the end, 7 people pool their money together, last dude puts the balance of what's remaining on credit card/debit card with a $2 tip. Basically, $2 on a $200 bill, and the last dude is walking out with all the servers tips given from the rest of the group. This happens more often than not I'm afraid.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by Slava

If the business can't survive on what it charges for the products then they should increase their prices. If the staff have to rely on tips for a liveable wage they should have their salaries increased, or just deal with it.

I had to go through a Starbucks drive-thru the other and day and saw the tip jar sitting on the counter....that is ludicrous.

Agreed... the average chain restaurant charges $2.50 for soda, $6 a beer, $30 for cheap wine and $20-30 for a decent steak. Are they seriously trying to say that they can't afford to pay their staff better than minimum wage with that kind of gross markup without a 15-20% gratuity on top?

I hate tipping, but its something I do, since its a societal expectation. I typically tip 15-20% on food and maybe 5-10% on liquor depending on the type and cost. Pouring a $6 beer is not worth a $1 tip, nor is grabbing and opening a $50 bottle of wine that costs $13.99 at Superstore worth an additional $7.50.

[Kerplunk]

I try to keep my tipping system simple. For good service/food, usually 10% and round up to the nearest easy to calculate number. For ok service/food, the same thing but rounded down. For bad service/food, nothing.

Originally Posted by Slava

If the business can't survive on what it charges for the products then they should increase their prices. If the staff have to rely on tips for a liveable wage they should have their salaries increased, or just deal with it.

This is my thought as well.

[ken0042]

And the one place I do tip but I see others here don't is for pizza delivery.

That pizza driver is making the same minimum wage that a bartender is, plus has to factor in gas, maintenance, etc into his costs. The delivery charge isn't the "tip for the driver"; it's something the restaurant charges.

That being said, I will now often pick up my pizza as that saves me the delivery charge and tip. But if I get it delivered I will tip a minimum of 2 bucks; usually more as I go 15-20%.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by ken0042

And the one place I do tip but I see others here don't is for pizza delivery.

That pizza driver is making the same minimum wage that a bartender is, plus has to factor in gas, maintenance, etc into his costs. The delivery charge isn't the "tip for the driver"; it's something the restaurant charges.

I saw a Dominos sign looking to hire Pizza Delivery guys for $25/hour.

If I was a bad tipper before with my pizza, I am definitely not tipping now if that's the case.

[Nufy]

Originally Posted by fotze

Newfies being notoriously cheap and alcoholic. Gotta side with limericks on this one.

Waits anxiously for MJK to come in a be pissed off and offended.

Actually, a pretty girl who brings me beer all day usually does get a good tip.

I think me & my co-workers actually paid for the Flight training of one of the Waitresses at the Blackfoot a few years back.


But when beers that no-one has ordered start showing up on our bill(They were Grasshoppers...We were all drinking Keiths) I tend to get offended.

We did pay the tab. But left 0 tip to prove our point.

I haven't been back there since and won't if I can help it.

[Scrambler]

Originally Posted by ken0042

And the one place I do tip but I see others here don't is for pizza delivery.

That pizza driver is making the same minimum wage that a bartender is, plus has to factor in gas, maintenance, etc into his costs. The delivery charge isn't the "tip for the driver"; it's something the restaurant charges.

That being said, I will now often pick up my pizza as that saves me the delivery charge and tip. But if I get it delivered I will tip a minimum of 2 bucks; usually more as I go 15-20%.

Good for you! I have noticed that a lot for the drivers when I was serving/supervising back at the restaurant.

Sad, too, is when people call and complain about how late their food is at 6pm that was ordered 30-45mins ago. Well what do you know, your delivered food is being made at the same time as the in house guests meals, and that driver is having to sit in the same rush hour traffic as everyone else.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

nor is grabbing and opening a $50 bottle of wine that costs $13.99 at Superstore worth an additional $7.50.

Good lord. I've never ordered a bottle of wine in my life and I guess I won't be starting anytime soon. Can't you take your own bottle with you now? I haven't seen anyone actually doing it, but a few years ago I remember the rules changing. I believe it had to do with something called "corkage", which is a great word.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by habernac

hair cutters get nothing from me. I have next to no hair, I figure them charging me full price for 5 minutes work is tip enough. Restaurants it's 15-20% for good service and zero for poor.

Get the scalp massage, and you will want to tip 20%!

[Scrambler]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Good lord. I've never ordered a bottle of wine in my life and I guess I won't be starting anytime soon. Can't you take your own bottle with you now? I haven't seen anyone actually doing it, but a few years ago I remember the rules changing. I believe it had to do with something called "corkage", which is a great word.

You can bring your own champagne to Nellies to make mimosas

[Weiser Wonder]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I saw a Dominos sign looking to hire Pizza Delivery guys for $25/hour.

If I was a bad tipper before with my pizza, I am definitely not tipping now if that's the case.

But do they have to pay for their own gas? I tip pizza delivery guys probably better than anyone because they have so much control over the condition of your food.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Weiser Wonder

But do they have to pay for their own gas? I tip pizza delivery guys probably better than anyone because they have so much control over the condition of your food.

They're not going to ruin your food before they get the tip, that's just dumb. I've never ran into that problem, does it happen to you? Why would they sabotage your food beforehand?

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

They're not going to ruin your food before they get the tip, that's just dumb. I've never ran into that problem, does it happen to you? Why would they sabotage your food beforehand?

I think with delivery guys its the frequency that matters. If you dont tip, and you frequently call that place, the driver is going to put your address at the bottom of his list, where as if you tip well, you will be put to the top, even if it costs him some time.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I saw a Dominos sign looking to hire Pizza Delivery guys for $25/hour.

I haven't seen that exact sign, but my guess is that it says something more like "(You can) earn up to $25 per hour."

Some days the pizza driver makes that. Some days they don't. I would guess its closer to $15 after paying for gas; and you have to factor in the wear on your vehicle.

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

They're not going to ruin your food before they get the tip, that's just dumb. I've never ran into that problem, does it happen to you? Why would they sabotage your food beforehand?

A driver has your food in his possesion for 5-30 minutes. A waiter for about 1-2 minutes. If the driver doesn't insulate the food properly, handle it carefully (ie, hold the pizza bag by its side), or if he decided he wats to smoke in the car, your food can be ruined.

And yes, in my former life as a pizza shop manager I saw all of those things. The good drivers knew how to do their job well, the bad ones usually didn't last very long.

[FurnaceFace]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

Apparently tipping in Europe at restaurants is rare, and when I did it, the fellows from Germany laughed at me. I still got good service etc. This was in Switzerland.

It's rare because in most of Europe there is a gratuity included in your bill so you've already paid a service charge or it's not expected/part of their culture.

Tipping in Switzerland
Restaurants. A service charge is built into menu prices (unlike in some countries, where it's tacked onto the bill). However, it's customary to round up amounts when paying the waiter or waitress if you're happy with the service. This means that you might hand the server CHF 50 for a CHF 47 meal. If you're paying by credit card, hand the server a cash tip of up to 5%.

http://europeforvisitors.com/switzau...es/tipping.htm

In the first example of $12.88 or whatever I'd round up to $15 and not think good or bad of it. If I was using my card, I might actually pay attention to the tax amount as a guide (5% GST makes an easy 15% calculation) and then typically round up from there.

I tip pizza guys and barbers a couple of bucks.
Bartenders get the change tossed into their jar
Frequently take away places get the change from a dollar
Taxi drivers get a round up
Hotel drivers might get a buck or two (expection was the driver who went out of his way and took us to his sister hotel, he got 5)


I have not tipped a couple of times in my life and those were for exceptionally bad service.

[HotHotHeat]

I agree with everyone saying servers shouldn't expect a tip. Servers make good money these days, especially girls. If they think they can coast by and then go home with $150 bucks for a 4 hour shift they need to rethink the idea of tips.

Hair dressers for me really depend. Yesterday I paid $26 for a haircut and the dresser didn't even bother washing my hair. I was completely shocked...Didn't tip a cent.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Good lord. I've never ordered a bottle of wine in my life and I guess I won't be starting anytime soon. Can't you take your own bottle with you now? I haven't seen anyone actually doing it, but a few years ago I remember the rules changing. I believe it had to do with something called "corkage", which is a great word.

Some restaurants allow it, so long as its not homemade... and charge an exorbitant corkage fee in the $20-$50 range. Since its on the bill, they probably expect you to tip 15-20% on it too.

Wine with dinner is a pretty cultural thing for me, but I have a real hard time buying wine at restaurants at that rate of markup.