What is your tipping policy?

[wmarat]

I tip 15% if service is OK and 5% if service sucks.

[Anonymous]

generaly 15 across the board (maybe less if lots of alcohol is on the bill), 20 if they impress me, around 10 if they are bad, less if they tick me off in the process.

[Anonymous]

Why would you tip somebody at all if they were bad?

[Anonymous]

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Cheapskate wrote:
Why would you tip somebody at all if they were bad?

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because servers are not paid a minimum wage on par with the true minimum, and the fact that they served me (even if poorly) merits some compensation. if i tip them less i'm communicating the fact that i appreciate thier effort, but they need to raise thier level of service to get better compensated.

my wife and i fight over this very subject when it come up.

[Anonymous]

I was a server for a little while. It was in the NoVa area with lots of business folk. I always thought 15% was for good-great service and 10% was for bad-lousy service. When I served I usually expected at least 18% for good service. 10%-15% if it was bad. 0%-5% if something went horribly wrong or if I was a jerk to someone.

Realize that in many places, servers have to tip out to everyone else in the restaurant: bussers, runners, bartenders, etc, and their hourly wages are usually $0 after taxes. I earned $2.15/hour when I served. After taxes, since I didn't make enough to have to pay state taxes, I earned about $0.25/hour.

Anyway, it's a very humbling experience to work in the service industry, and as a result, I'm sure to tip appropriately. I give 20% if they do a good job and if they do a great job and were especially attentive I'll give 25% or more. 15% if they're okay. 10% if service is pretty lousy.

Trust me, if you leave a 10% tip, they'll know they did something wrong. The only way to justify less than that is if they're a total jerk to you, in which case feel free to leave as little as you'd like.

Message Edited by jaybird201 on 09-20-2008 10:22 PM

[haulingthescoreup]

15% bare minimum. I guess I'm lucky, I usually have good service. Up to 25% if they were great.

My first job paid $1.80/ hour, plus 10% of the waitresses' tips. Makes me tilt toward generosity.

[MattH]

Usually 20% for good service -- and for bad service they will never see me again. I wonder how this breaks down according to whether somebody has ever worked in food service; I know exactly what it is like to work for tips, so now that I am more prosperous I remember and tip accordingly.

[Anonymous]

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@haulingthescoreup wrote:
15% bare minimum. I guess I'm lucky, I usually have good service. Up to 25% if they were great.

My first job paid $1.80/ hour, plus 10% of the waitresses' tips. Makes me tilt toward generosity.

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I hear ya. Puts things in perspective!

Message Edited by jaybird201 on 09-20-2008 10:23 PM

[Anonymous]

also something to keep in mind, (from what i've heard) servers would rather have tips in cash than plastic. something about taxes.

[MattH]

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@Anonymous wrote:

also something to keep in mind, (from what i've heard) servers would rather have tips in cash than plastic. something about taxes.

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The IRS rules on tips are very complicated, but one controversial aspect is the IRS extrapolates from tips paid with plastic (because unlike cash, they IRS can get the data for tips paid with plastic, with cash they must depend on what the server reports). Trouble is, if the cash customers actually do tip less than those who put the tip on credit cards it can be difficult to convince the IRS of that.