Tipping

[BillM]

Tight azz.

If you got someone waiting on you at a table and the service ain’t deplorable, tip 20%.

If the service is deplorable, they get nothing. Find a different gig.

Mom was a waitress for over 40 years at Dennys alone, and tipped 15% unless the service was really bad. Then she'd tip two pennies. The message was "The service wasn't worth two cents but I feel too guilty not tipping at all." She started waiting tables when a dime was a good tip.

 

[trekrok]

My mother in law lives with us and she freaks out when we leave more than a few dollars for a tip. I generally have to sneak it to the waiter/waitress

Yeah, my wife's mother used to tip $1/ head.

Actually, basing it on something other than a percentage makes some sense. Does someone work less serving a table of 4 at say a chilis vs mahogany? I get there MIGHT be an experience difference, but is it 2 or 3x different?

 

[red dirt shootist]

A few weeks ago the queen and I had to go to town and we stopped at Cattlemans for lunch, and they were busy, The queen ordered a grilled cheese and I ordered a BLT. Our waitress, who looked like she had not had a charmed life brought out our order, but I got a grilled ham and cheese, which looked good, and she was busy as hell, so I just kept my mouth shut. She brought the bill and as I was digging some cash out she walked up with a box and said, I screwed up your order, I said I got to try something different and it was damn good, that's not a screw up, she put the box on the counter and said there's no charge for that, it was my BLT. She got a 10 dollar tip. Life is good.

 

[foghorn918]

My daughter waited tables through college so I tip good service exceptionally well. My dad doesn’t understand that waiters basically work for tips. When we went out for dinner and he tossed a couple bucks down, I’d toss a 5 or 10 on his when he wasn’t looking

My mother in law lives with us and she freaks out when we leave more than a few dollars for a tip. I generally have to sneak it to the waiter/waitress

I would do the same thing when we were out with my mom and step-dad. A $2 tip was their standard no matter where we ate or what the bill was.

 

[OKRuss]

Curious, y'all tip on the total amount on the check including taxes or just on the food total? Some of the amounts printed on the receipts for 15%, 18%, 20% included the taxes and others just the food. Personally, I only tip on the food total and not on the taxes. In the grand scheme of things, not a big deal but irks me to tip on the taxes.

 

[JD8]

Yeah, my wife's mother used to tip $1/ head.

Actually, basing it on something other than a percentage makes some sense. Does someone work less serving a table of 4 at say a chilis vs mahogany? I get there MIGHT be an experience difference, but is it 2 or 3x different?

Yes. Knowledge, timing, presentation. MUCH different. At Chilis, nobody will ask you what year your house box wine is? they won't ask what kind of oil the potatoes are fried in? where did their fish come from? The list goes on. Chilis doesn't time the courses.......they don't pre-bus the table...... etc.

 

[mavs]

Curious, y'all tip on the total amount on the check including taxes or just on the food total? Some of the amounts printed on the receipts for 15%, 18%, 20% included the taxes and others just the food. Personally, I only tip on the food total and not on the taxes. In the grand scheme of things, not a big deal but irks me to tip on the taxes.

What really irked me the other day was Olive Garden uses those electronic payment machines and they are set to default at 20% tip based on the total bill including taxes. Almost everyone in the free world knows that is BS, but the server and the manager both tried to tell me they didn't know that and I'm sure they have both been in the restaurant business for many, many years. So, I reduced the check to 15%. It really irritates me when they automatically add any tip, just let me put it on. So I told them to take their little machine and shove it and give me a real check that I can fill out and sign.

Went home and wrote a nasty e-mail to corporate and got a really useless reply...."thanks for your comments, we will, blah, blah, blah" I sent them a return that said I thought they were totally incompetent and that I won't be eating at their restaurant any more. I'm sure they will really bother them.

 

[TedKennedy]

I tip, generously. The wife tips ridiculously generously.

It still pisses me off that we have this system where restaurants underpay staff to keep prices lower, and rely on customer choice to dictate what the server's pay will ultimately be.

The server that gets me or the wife is fortunate, the server that caters to 8 folks that just left a gathering for Sunday dinner may not be, it really seems like chance determines the pay rate, not necessarily how good the service is.

 

[swampratt]

I tip and I am a tight wad.
I cut my own hair though.
I can screw up my hair cut just as well and it's FREE!

 

[JD8]

I'll say this, because I came from a generation of service industry people that were VERY different than what you have now.

DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY TIP!! You're doing not doing anyone any favors by feeling sorry for anyone, or pity. Let them earn it. If they earn it, 15-20% or higher if you had a great experience. But kids today think they should be tipped just because they're standing in front of you. Tip for good service and those that go beyond, nothing more, nothing less.