Tipping is now at about 20% for good service

[jofillips]

yup i'm adding weight to the cheapskates; to me a server in walmart or wendys does a far harder more depressing job and nobody tips them, plus they're older and probably have far more money issues - why then should we tip waitresses so much for it to go indirectly straight to the nearest cocaine dealer???

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

I know servers get paid well so I stick with the customary 15-20%.

What about cab drivers? Hair dressers? Do they get paid relatively the same as servers?

I heard cab drivers can make ~$100k/year. I don't think hair dressers make as much so how much tip do they deserve?

Depends if / how long their jugs sit on your shoulders while she cuts your hair. I like the ones that have big fakies - I'll sit stone still for a good hour and not get ancy in my chair, even if she does a terrible job

[valo403]

Originally Posted by jofillips

yup i'm adding weight to the cheapskates; to me a server in walmart or wendys does a far harder more depressing job and nobody tips them, plus they're older and probably have far more money issues - why then should we tip waitresses so much for it to go indirectly straight to the nearest cocaine dealer???

Well that's a new angle on this issue

[Ace]

Agree fully with the illusion that customers have, that their "Tipping" gives them some sort of power. It's downright embarrassing going out to eat with friends that can't stop talking about how this and that is going to affect the tip. Ummm, can we just eat and hang out, get a hold of yourself the server isn't going to care if you leave $2 less.

If you spend $100 a week eating out, the difference over an entire year between 15 & 20%, is about $260 or $22 a month. Seriously if you can afford to eat out at $100 a week, why not just be generous. I'd hate being a server, so if those that do it can make decent money, good on them.

[GreenLantern]

I definitely find that shocking.. I usually tip right around 15%, sometimes 20%.. but in rare occurrences when the server did an outstanding job. I am never scared to under tip if the service was bad. I once gave a 35 cent tip to a girl who did nothing but take our order and give us our bill for a 25 minute meal.. had to go to the bar to get a beer and the bus boy brought us our food/cleared our plates. I find (as a former bartender) that there is no excuse for bad service, slow service maybe, but bad service nuh uh.

Worst service in Canada: Banff. Australians suck at serving.
Best service in Canada: Stampede, boobies!!!!

[KelVarnsen]

Came into this thread hoping to see Springs1 had returned leaving rather disappointed.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

Worst service in Canada: Banff. Australians suck at serving.
Best service in Canada: Stampede, boobies!!!!

What's up with all the Australians that work in Banff? Even during the summer time? I thought they would be working here over the winter to go skiing etc.?

[GreenLantern]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

What's up with all the Australians that work in Banff? Even during the summer time? I thought they would be working here over the winter to go skiing etc.?

I am not sure but I remember tipping a girl 2 bucks once on a beer and the way she reacted reminded me of the hotel bus boy in Eurotrip when he gets the Amerian nickle.


"Now I will start my own hotel!!"

[Hockey_Ninja]

I never tip 15%. Come at me bro!

[YYC in LAX]

I usually tip 20% but don't necessarily feel I should be. I'm certianly not anti-tipping but I do think it's kind of bull#### that restaurant owners expect the customer to pay their staff and not them. Just a weird and different industry that I don't fully understand. Seems kind of a slap in the face that an owner can pay their staff peanuts and push the cost to customers.

Also uhhhh yeah as someone mentioned the cost of food increases so why does the tip percentage also increase?

[PsYcNeT]

Moral of the thread: If you're a cheap ass, you'll do everything you can to justify it.

[Ark2]

What gets me is the tip jar/option at places like Subway and Pita Pit. I haven't even eaten yet and in some cases, they haven't even made the food and they are expecting a tip. Then you start to see tip jars at convenience and corner stores. If you work a job befitting minimum wage because it requires little to no education, a minimal skillset, and there are literally millions of people that are capable of doing it, then you don't deserve some extra cash just because your job sucks.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by YYC in LAX

I usually tip 20% but don't necessarily feel I should be. I'm certianly not anti-tipping but I do think it's kind of bull#### that restaurant owners expect the customer to pay their staff and not them. Just a weird and different industry that I don't fully understand. Seems kind of a slap in the face that an owner can pay their staff peanuts and push the cost to customers.

Also uhhhh yeah as someone mentioned the cost of food increases so why does the tip percentage also increase?

So the other option is that the owner pays their staff more and the costs are covered by.......aliens??

If restaurant wages went up and tipping was removed across the board prices would likely remain fairly similar to where they are now when you factor the tip in.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by valo403

So the other option is that the owner pays their staff more and the costs are covered by.......aliens??

If restaurant wages went up and tipping was removed across the board prices would likely remain fairly similar to where they are now when you factor the tip in.

Except knowing restaurant owners, who already have a very small margin of profit, most of that would be going back to the owners.

[GreenLantern]

General questions to well traveled people:

What part(s) of the world have you been to where tipping was not common? Was the service still good/bad? Were the servers paid a proper salary?

Curious.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

General questions to well traveled people:

What part(s) of the world have you been to where tipping was not common? Was the service still good/bad? Were the servers paid a proper salary?

Curious.

Germany has no tipping, gratuity is included in the bill. The service overall was more poor than here, and according to Google, a waitress there takes home about $400 a week USD.

[TurnedTheCorner]

I tip my cocaine dealer 20%, but only because he tells me he turns around and gives it straight to the nearest waitress. And he seems like a stand-up guy.

[albertGQ]

Pita backwards is "a tip".

Ok..........…

[kipperfan]

Interesting debate and one I have strong feelings about. Personally, I have no issue leaving a good tip for good service, heck, I am not even against leaving 25% (even on a large bill) if I get the great service I expect to get. But when I don’t get that great service then my tip % starts to slide dramatically. If I am having to sit with an empty glass for 10-15 minutes before I can get your attention to come back and get me a new beer….you aren’t getting a good tip (10-15% max). If it happens more then once while I’m there, you’ll barely even get a tip (5% max). If it happens the dreaded third time I simply won’t leave a tip and couldn’t care less how large the bill is, you get squat.

The “15% minimum tip” referenced in the article is pretty funny; why in hell would I give someone a “tip” for causing me to have an unpleasant experience? I think the real problem here is that the meaning of the “tip” has been lost over the years, specifically in North America. A tip is a gratuity, a gratuity is, and I quote “A favour or gift, usually in the form of money, given in return for service”. So, why would I be giving a “favour or gift” to someone who performed their job poorly, failed to provide me with appropriate service and probably caused me to have an unpleasant time?

As an aside, when discussing going out to a bar, I think it’s absurd to think one needs to be tipping the bartender every time he/she hands the drinker a bottle of beer out of the fridge behind him/her. Sorry, but I think your hourly wage (no matter how paltry) covers you handing people things without moving your legs, feet or eyes. Now if I order shots, or have a female with me getting a mixed drink then fair enough, a tip is in line. But these bartenders who expect a tip each time after they hand me a beer, my god that is great comedy, I simply cannot get enough of it. Though, if I do have any pennies or nickels in my pockets I might let them have those, not the dimes though.

I prefer how gratuities are handled in Europe (for the most part). Tips are not expected and are usually only given for great service – going above and beyond some might say. To me that makes sense, I will give you a bonus for personally making my day better with your good service. If you fail to do that then, like the rest of us, you will collect your agreed upon salary and nothing more. I would love to see some of our vaunted service industry members head over and work abroad as waiters/waitresses/bartenders for a while – unless they’re working in Australia (or a few other one off places) I can assure them that their appreciation level for Canadian tipping standards would immediately go through the roof.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by fotze

When I was in Germany the service seemed pretty good. You just would round up to the nearest dollar. Also with a large table they don't even ask, just go to each individual and tell them their portion of the bill and you pay them. It was soo smooth without the whining about splitting the bill. Helped that those servers had a good concept of math. Would go to each person, you owwe 20, you owe 14. Simple and easy, I thought it worked awesome.

My german industry who was a server for a long time said 100% of tips are pooled and the staff would have a huge party every X months.

Which part of Germany was this in?

I was in Stuttgart and Munich for the 2 weeks I was there.