Do You Tip at Restaurants?

Discussion in Off Topic Discussion & General Questions started by Adeal4u • May 24, 2012.

  1. Adeal4u

    Adeal4uActive Member

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    Going out to eat is always fun, but when the check comes it's a different story. I never know how much I'm supposed to tip. Is it 10% of the total meal? If the service was bad, do you still leave a tip out of pity? When I go out to eat, I usually have a standard price I pay, which is $5 no matter if the bill is high or low. Is this too much or is it too little what do you think?
     
  2. Parker

    ParkerWell-Known Member

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    If I have good service at a sit down restaurant, I leave a 15% tip. If I have bad service, I don't leave a tip. If I had excellent service I tip beyond 15% depending on how generous I feel. I don't have a problem tipping for service.

    I don't like the idea of tipping at other places, like Starbucks, the doughnut shop, etc. I think that's taking tipping way too far.
     
  3. Sandra Piddock

    Sandra PiddockExpert

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    I usually tip around 10% of the bill, as long as the service is good, and the meal is okay. In Spain, tipping is not a general thing, but back in the UK, we always tipped when we had good service, so we carry it on over here. I don't tip in bars if we've just had a drink, but if we've had a snack, I'll probably leave around 10% as a tip, as long as the barman was friendly and they didn't keep us waiting too long.
     
  4. clauemi

    clauemiActive Member

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    I just tip based on service, if it's excellent then I will tip at least $5 but if it's average just a couple of bucks. If you are just plain rude or not helpful at all then sorry but you don't get a tip. I just had a bad experience at IHop, they were low on servers or something cause we had to wait over 30 minutes for our meal. I had my kids with me and they were very hungry so that definitely pissed me off. Then to top it off our server only came once during the entire meal so when we were ready to leave I actually had to get up and ask for my receipt which they had gotten mixed up with all of other receipts. The worst experience I've had at IHop so I did not leave a tip at all.
     
  5. Jessi

    Jessi<a href="http://www.quirkycookery.com">QuirkyCooke

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    15% is generally what I aim for.

    Your $5 tip could be generous on some, but for others, it might come off as really cheap. For example, if you're leaving 5 bucks when there's a table of 5, the bill comes to $100, and the waitress had to keep bringing you guys drinks and changing your order, etc, then you're not doing it any justice.

    $5 is 10% of $50
    $5 is 15% of $33.50
    $5 is 20% of $25

    So you can see how your 5 bucks lines up roughly for expectations of tips. :)
     
  6. BarelyHangingOn

    BarelyHangingOnActive Member

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    If have worked in the service industry to put myself through school. I tip based on service but 15% is the standard min. for good service. I will go a little more if the service was good. At a sports bar last week a waitress told me I gave her a little too much. I told her the service was great and I liked her accent and to keep it. She was great so she got a little more. It works the same way, if the service was lousy then so will be the tip.
     
  7. addicted_buyer

    addicted_buyerExpert

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    I do leave tips but I don't always leave the same amount of money. It depends on the service mostly. If I feel it was very good, I get generous; otherwise, meet the tacky me!
     
  8. tosaytheleast

    tosaytheleastActive Member

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    I don't give tips to waiters in restaurants. Primarily because I don't have some extra bucks. I would if I already have enough cash. I did once when I was trying to impress a date but it never worked out. :(
     
  9. MakingCents

    MakingCentsActive Member

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    I always tip and at a minimum I tip 15%. If service is good or if I am at the restaurant a long time i'll tip 20 or even 25%. Remember nowadays you can't always go by service. The waiter has to share the tips with the bus boys and dishwashers in many restaurants and they have no control over how good the service is.
     
  10. Sugarhill

    SugarhillActive Member

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    I tip. I'd feel ashamed of myself if I didn't. I am also a good tipper. I take into consideration that the waiter may have had some really poor tippers earlier in the day.
     
  11. mommy0906

    mommy0906New Member

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    Personally I tip based on that the service was like. If my server did a really good job I generally leave about 5$, if they are slow, rude and just don't do a good job as a server, I never tip. I don't tip unless it is at a nice place. If I am getting a pizza or coffee, I will sometimes give a dollar or whatever change I have left, but that is very rare.
     
  12. Lena51

    Lena51Active Member

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    I tip every time because we do know that they don't make much and they rely on the tips mostly. I know how that feels and I try to share each and every time the waitress wait on me. I don't have any income at this moment and when someone shares with me I always share with someone else. It's because the more you give the more you will receive. Go by that rule and you will see no matter how the waitress acts, always give and you shall receive.
     
  13. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    Having worked in the field for tips I understand that the tip is the major part of the servers income. If the service is good I tip good, if the service is poor so is the tip. Sometimes the service is poor due to no fault of the servers, it could be the kitchen, so I try to keep that in mind when I tip.
     
  14. clewand550

    clewand550Active Member

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    If I have excellent service, I tip 20%. If I have good service, my tips are about 15%. For bad service, it will range anywhere from nothing to 10% depending on how bad the service is. If it is a buffet, I tip the waitress/waiter 10% if she or he has been good about picking up my used plates and filling up my water if it needs to be filled.
     
  15. Andrea4

    Andrea4Member

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    A good rule of thumb in my area is 15-20% of the bill, if you get good service. I have never left no tip at all, because I would just feel bad, even for horrible service. I've been a server before and I hated it like crazy. It's a terrible job, in my opinion. I thought I had the personality for it too, but obviously not. :)
     
  16. MakingCents

    MakingCentsActive Member

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    I can't believe there are people who leave no tip at all! You do realize that when a restaurant pays a server they don't have to give them minimum wage right? Average pay for a waiter is anywhere from $2-$7. Say you spend an hour at the restaurant (which is typical) and leave no tip. That means this person has just served you for an hour while you enjoyed a nice meal and they may have only made $3.... think about that.
     
  17. sergiu23

    sergiu23Active Member

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    Well, I rarely eat at restaurants. Mostly at fast-foods, and there are little tips. I mean, I don't see the point on giving someone from the counter any tip, if he/she just forwarded my order and took my money. At restaurants I usually leave 10%, 15% if the services are great (which rarely happens).
     
  18. kittykarina

    kittykarinaActive Member

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    My husband is a good tipper. If we don't have cash on hand he will always add it to the bill. I don't think that we have ever not left a tip. If the waitress does really good my husband will leave her a good amount. Normally, it is just me, my husband, and my son. Some waitresses are just awesome with our son and are constantly refilling drinks etc.... We know they don't make that much money and they work hard for every penny. We leave about 10-15%.
     
  19. dexterlablab1

    dexterlablab1Active Member

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    I tip at the places I go out to eat at. It's a good idea to tip especially if you're a regular. You never know what can be put in your food if you don't lol
     
  20. ljepilo

    ljepiloActive Member

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    People actually do that? I never tipped in restaurants lol..