Tipping is now at about 20% for good service

[Cuz]

For me, the idea that you should tip a set percentage takes away the point of tipping. I believe a tip should reflect the service that you recieve. Personally, when I receive bad service, I will tip below 10% while exceptional service will get upwards of 20% with my average hovering around 15%. This all depends on the type of restaurant too with servers at a place like Denny's usually receiving a lower tip than at a fine dining place. Of course I always base my tip on the pre-tax amount.
As for tipping in other industries (such as for hairdressers and taxi drivers), I do not believe in tipping for these industries as you are already paying them for their service not a good as you are when dining at a restaurant. I understand why some do tip (I have in the past when I have been exceptionally pleased with the outcome), but I do not like when one in those industries feels entitled to a tip. Furthermore, I do not like the tactic that I have seen where they fumble around for an exceptionally long amount of time for your change in the hopes that you'll get impatient and not worry about getting your change, thus leaving them a larger tip.

[Slava]

If you did a survey of servers would you find that something like 85% of them would put themselves in the top 50% of servers? I have a feeling that when a server gets a lower tip they would often think 'that guy is cheap' as opposed to 'I dropped the ball there', except in the rarest of circumstances.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

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.

In Japan you do not tip. Instead there are buzzers at every table to summon the nearest waiter / waitress to assist you.

Amazing system and it works great.

[CaramonLS]

Speaking of which... how much are you supposed to tip at a buffet? All the server did was bring us drinks.

[WilsonFourTwo]

Originally Posted by East Coast Flame

After just returning from Europe where they don't tip; I must say I don't mind tipping at all. We definitely take for granted how generally service is pretty great in our culture. The service was pretty awful everywhere we went (England, Netherlands, Germany, Croatia and Italy).

I've only been to England (on your list) but was shocked to see your comment. I thought the service was definitely on par with the typical Canadian or American place.

Truth be told, I think the average service in Calgary is poor. Even comparing something simple like a Tim Hortons in Calgary against a Tim Hortons in Nova Scotia.....shoot, night and day son.

[Flamesoholic]

Originally Posted by Super-Rye

If i get really good service I'll tip 20%, bad service 10%.

20% is definitely high and it's completely ridiculous for anyone to expect someone to tip that amount, but now a days with kitchen usually getting 2% of food sales, and the waitress having to tip out the bartender and the manager that 20% gets split 4 ways.

Wait....what!? Is this really a thing? I can understand kitchen, hostess, bar and possibly door staff getting tipped out, but why would a manager ever expect to get tipped out?

[Cuz]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Speaking of which... how much are you supposed to tip at a buffet? All the server did was bring us drinks.

During my brief foray into the food industry, I was a server at a buffet restaurant (basically I was a glorified bus boy who served drinks), and IIRC, I received on average 10%. I only lasted two weeks after the restaurant opened (I liked the job, but couldn't stand the owners, neither could the 4 others who quit before me) and I made about $300 over that time, not bad considering miniumum wage at the time was $5.90. I don't believe the restaurant lasted too long either.

Anyways, I personally wouldn't tip more than 10% at a buffet, unless the server did something amazing. What constitutes as amazing is up to you

[AltaGuy]

Originally Posted by Flamesoholic

Wait....what!? Is this really a thing? I can understand kitchen, hostess, bar and possibly door staff getting tipped out, but why would a manager ever expect to get tipped out?

At almost all restaurants and bars, managers and supervisors are in on the tipouts.

The majority of supervisors/assistant managers are making around fifteen bucks an hour, and will make at least another couple bucks an hour in tips.

It is an incentive-based method of payment ultimately - the more gross sales a bar/restaurant makes, the higher the tip pool.

As I said before, this has been taken to extremes unfortunately, but in other cases it would be pretty hard to get anyone to step into more responsibility at 15 an hour when they could remain servers/bartenders at a better overall wage.

[flylock shox]

I don't know if there really is a standard tip.

For example, I tip 15% for standard restaurant service, but on the total bill, not before tax, unlike many others.

I also tip less at restaurants with less than full service, for example where I have to go to the counter to order, but they bring me my meal. That gets maybe 10%. No idea what others do in those circumstances.

At bars, I leave tips irregularly. So if I go to the bar and order an $8 beer, I might leave the toonie, but on my next trip leave nothing to balance it out.

And I have no qualms with leaving nothing for bad service. Giving good service is pretty easy. If you can't do something that simple, too bad for you.

[calgarywinning]

My father always says that imagine having the waiter/waitress sit down with you and drink 20% of your wine and eat 20% of your food. It's powerful imagery but I strongly disagree.

The fact is when you enter an establishment in Canada/USA, tipping is the norm and the low minimum is 15% with 18% being the standard for good service. You know this going in. That's my opinion. Service can take on many meaning's and it can vary greatly, but it's still not included. Just like valet service, parking fee's or taking a taxi ride. That simple. You are paying for the product the service is separate. I enjoy good service it can make the meal.

I do sometimes have a dilemma when I pick up food for take out and the tip button appears. I usually go 10% on these transactions.

Awkward tip % is at barista shops on the machine, hair salons when you are just buying a product.

[Flamesoholic]

Originally Posted by AltaGuy

At almost all restaurants and bars, managers and supervisors are in on the tipouts.

The majority of supervisors/assistant managers are making around fifteen bucks an hour, and will make at least another couple bucks an hour in tips.

It is an incentive-based method of payment ultimately - the more gross sales a bar/restaurant makes, the higher the tip pool.

As I said before, this has been taken to extremes unfortunately, but in other cases it would be pretty hard to get anyone to step into more responsibility at 15 an hour when they could remain servers/bartenders at a better overall wage.

wow okay then. I used to work in a bar many years ago and we never had to tip out the managers so I was shocked to read this. Mine were all kind of jerks anyway so it would have pissed me off to have to tip them out.

[troutman]

I worked in many kitchens in the 80s as a dishwasher and cook. I never saw a place where the waiters shared tips. Not one cent. Is this common now?

This was very frustrating for chefs, many of whom studied for a few years at schools like SAIT. They would quickly abandon their trade because waiters were making far more money.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by troutman

I worked in many kitchens in the 80s as a dishwasher and cook. I never saw a place where the waiters shared tips. Not one cent. Is this common now?

This was very frustrating for chefs, many of whom studied for a few years at schools like SAIT. They would quickly abandon their trade because waiters were making far more money.

It depends on the place. I've seen it both ways. Though usually if the kitchen staff does not, they have a higher min wage. Often the waiters still make more, but it evens it out a little.

When they do spilt tips, they iften don't get an even share anyway, so kitchen staff still makes less. The thing is, if you are serious about being a chef, you have room to grow and earn more. Waiters and waitresses can only become managers who often end up making less than they did when they waited.

As far as tipping goes, I usually tip 20 percent or more. Last night I tipped 33. But it's fot two reasons. One, I used to work in the industry. Often people who did are more generous, especially if they were treated well. Two, I often know the person. It's always easy to tip a friend.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by fotze

So we can look forward to another nice blowout eh?

I don't think you need to tip at Taco Tuesday...

[driveway]

http://jayporter.com/dispatches/obse...ex-power-tips/

Blog post from a guy who ran a tipless restaurant from 2006-2013 regarding tipping as a sex and power thing.

[JohnnyB]

^^^
Great link. His next part in the series is even better.

[Alberta_Beef]

I never tip an actual percentage, it's always even dollars, not sure why since it's all electronic now. But I know I do tend to tip fairly well.

However if I receive poor service, I will make a point to tip nothing or very little. If it's bad enough I have been known to leave a handful of pennies.

I remember one time I was out with my now ex and we went into this restaurant and the hostess took us to our table, grabbed our drinks and gave us menus, the waitress took our order and someone from the kitchen brought us our food. Not once did the waitress check on us, in fact we never saw her again until she was dropping off the bill after we were done. So I threw a handful of pennies on the table and took my bill to pay. We weren't even 10 paces away and the waitress already there to collect her tip and made a point to try and call me out on the pennies, to which I called her out on her ####ty service saying if she wanted a tip she should actually work for it and made a point to tip the hostess well and ask the hostess to give another top to the girl who brought our meals.

[AltaGuy]

Originally Posted by driveway

http://jayporter.com/dispatches/obse...ex-power-tips/

Blog post from a guy who ran a tipless restaurant from 2006-2013 regarding tipping as a sex and power thing.

There was an article, maybe by the same guy, on Salon about this. I do know that most places have a ton of complaints about autograts when applied.

It's also really weird when the same people who complain about tipping complain about not having the ability to tip.

[oilyfan]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

I never tip an actual percentage, it's always even dollars, not sure why since it's all electronic now. But I know I do tend to tip fairly well.

However if I receive poor service, I will make a point to tip nothing or very little. If it's bad enough I have been known to leave a handful of pennies.

I remember one time I was out with my now ex and we went into this restaurant and the hostess took us to our table, grabbed our drinks and gave us menus, the waitress took our order and someone from the kitchen brought us our food. Not once did the waitress check on us, in fact we never saw her again until she was dropping off the bill after we were done. So I threw a handful of pennies on the table and took my bill to pay. We weren't even 10 paces away and the waitress already there to collect her tip and made a point to try and call me out on the pennies, to which I called her out on her ####ty service saying if she wanted a tip she should actually work for it and made a point to tip the hostess well and ask the hostess to give another top to the girl who brought our meals.

I think the pennies tip is pretty rude, if you are not happy with the service why not just leave no tip?

[ken0042]

I do agree that in a case like Alberta_Beef's leaving pennies may not have been called for; a 0 tip maybe.

However leaving pennies does send a powerful message. The reason for no tip wasn't due to being cheap, forgetting, or any other thing that could be dismissed. It tells the server you had a real problem with the service.