My children recently informed me that I am a bad tipper (craziness, I tell ya).

[KidsHappen]

Generally I tip 20 % for good service (because 1 - it is easy to figure and 2 - two and wait staff who gets my family deserves a little more) or 25 % for above and beyond service. Since we only go out to a sit down meal a few times a year and it is always the whole family (between 10-12 people), even a 20% tip can be pretty substantial and 25% must be unheard of. I have had many wait staff track me down and ask me if I had made a mistake, or try to give some back, tell me it really was necessary to be quite so generous or just to thank me profusely. I am fairly comfortable with the fact that I am a good tipper.

 

 

So the other night we went out and it was a everyone throw some money in the pot kind of deal. So we paid for the meal with our card and then used cash to pay the tip. We left $20 and that was about $1.05 short of 20%. One of the girls asked if that was all I was leaving and I said yes that seemed about right. The waiter was wasn't the best but it was acceptable enough for almost 20%. My dd said that she thought that you should always leave at least 25% for good service and if it ended in some loose change number then she rounded to the next nearest dollar. Another one informed me that she had been leaving a tip on the tab and then some money on the table. So I informed them that they had been over tipping and we went over the whole thing all over again. This is not the first time I have covered this but hopefully now that they are spending their own money they will get the concept for good here soon.

 

Momma's Tipping rules:

 

1) tip between 10-20% for acceptable, average, good service according to your preference. You can leave 10% for acceptable, 15% for average and 20% for good or you can just pick one set amount that you always pay unless something extraordinary happens.

 

2) Figure the tip and add it to the bill OR leave the tip on the table. One or the other not both.

 

3) If you are dining with a parge party be sure to check and see if a gratuity has already been added to the bill and if so be sure to not double tip. It is ok to leave a small additional amount if you would like but you are not obliged to.

 

4) It is always acceptable to tip above and beyond for service above and beyond.

[CLBMom]

You sound like a good tipper to me! My dh is funny about making sure he tips enough and your method sounds like his.

[Hannah C.]

My husband is a waiter. 15% is for mediocre but acceptable service - 10% is considered stiffing the waiter or an indication that you did not like the service you received.

 

Other than that, he would agree with your tipping rules. Your kids have been overtipping! I'm sure their waiters appreciated it :)

[Jeannie in NJ]

your rules sound good to me. I tip 20% almost all the time (unless service was really bad, then I adjust accordingly). Dh tips between 20 and 25%.

[MeganW]

15% is for mediocre but acceptable service - 10% is considered stiffing the waiter or an indication that you did not like the service you received.

 

 

I agree - 15% is absolute minimal - if they took your order, got you a drink, and your food made it to the table, you should leave 15%.

[snickelfritz]

No way, that's a generous amount. I give around that, but I've always heard 15% was a good tip.

 

Even if you are the only person waited on in an hour (which is doubtful) that person made over $20 an hour. That doesn't seem so shabby to me.

 

I thought that amount was usually split with the kitchen? Often in a mandatory way (ie... A certain percentage of the tabs, no matter what the actual tip was????)

[MeganW]

No way, that's a generous amount. I give around that, but I've always heard 15% was a good tip.

 

Even if you are the only person waited on in an hour (which is doubtful) that person made over $20 an hour. That doesn't seem so shabby to me.

 

Keep in mind that wait staff comes in at least an hour early to set up, make tea, roll silver, etc. They are there waiting just in case someone comes in, so often are there for more than an hour before even getting their first table. Then they have to stay after to wipe, sweep, refill salts, etc. On a good night, they might only stay an hour after their last table has gotten up. They do not earn ANY money from the restaurant, and must tip the bartender, host, busboys, etc. Waitstaff minimum wage is usually completely taken up by taxes, so there is no pay other than tips. That $20 per hour is divided over a good bit more than the one hour.

[Susann]

DH is a long time restaurant manager and he says you're right on target. But, he also added, if you receive poor service to ALWAYS ask for the manager. Managers want to know if there is an issue so that they can rectify the situation.

[gardening momma]

People can tip what they want, but to me, tipping 25% is like paying for our family of 4's meal and then asking the server to add on a meal and a drink for her/himself. I just don't feel that I need to add an entire meal for every 4 that we order. I tip 10%-15%, depending on service. I rarely reach 20%, though.

[angela in ohio]

I waitressed for many years. I give 15% if they did nothing special but provided the basic services required (a drink refill, cleared empty plates.) If they did it with a smile and acted like they really cared, I tip 20%. If they are one of our "regular girls," I tip more than that, especially the one pregnant with number two who also brings us refills immediately. :D I also leave more if the bill is small. When ds and I go to breakfast, the bill is usually under $10, but I leave my minimum $5.

 

If they don't provide a minium of service I will tip 10% (or less.) If they are outright rude, I will ask to talk to a manager. (Ditto if they are amazing.) I used to work with incompetent servers. People kept tipping them, though! So I had to run around and work harder to help out with their tables, and I kept thinking, "If people would stop giving them the usual 15%, they might get the picture and quit or improve!!" :glare:

 

I think most people get that the food itself isn't the servers area, though. I always had people tell me they knew it wasn't my fault when things went wrong in the kitchen. Of course, I cared and tried to make it better. But I don't feel like most people penalized me for that.

[kalanamak]

I read "zipper" and figured you'd caught various tender parts in some.

[Abigail4476]

18-20% is perfectly acceptable. Beyond 20% is generous, and should be reserved for exceptional service, IMO.

[angela in ohio]

I read "zipper" and figured you'd caught various tender parts in some.

 

beans and franks... :D

[GailV]

We generally do 15 to 20% except when it's a tiny bill. Then we use a "$1 minimum tip" rule. Sometimes that comes up if you just stop for a cup of tea or somesuch -- just as much running around for the server as if you ordered something larger.

[KidsHappen]

:smilielol5:

 

gotta hate when that happens....

 

I don't think I have had that happen to one of the dds but the one time it happened to my ds, I sent him to his father as I had no experience in that area.

[Hannah C.]

No way, that's a generous amount. I give around that, but I've always heard 15% was a good tip.

 

Even if you are the only person waited on in an hour (which is doubtful) that person made over $20 an hour. That doesn't seem so shabby to me.

 

The waiter would have made $20 for *that* hour. To balance it out, there would have been the two hours before and after actually waiting tables when the waiter was getting paid $2.13 an hour (money that will be eaten by taxes), along with the 3 hours where people came in and stiffed their waiter. Depending on your luck, you could work an entire night and make $17 for 5 total hours of work. And in some places you still have to tip out the bar and the busboy.

 

My husband is a waiter in a business area, which means he makes enough money to live on because there's good business and people tip. Until the law is reformed, that's how it works - waiters live off of tips. It is far more common for him to get $40-$50 for an evening shift (5 hours total, $8-$10/hr) than it is for him to receive $100 ($20/hr). Lunch shifts are better. Then again, this is a decent waiter job - we can live off of his income alone, but we aren't far from the federal poverty line. At the first restaurant he worked at, a *good* night was $40.

 

Any waiter will see a 10% tip and be insulted. 10% says that you did not appreciate the service you received. 15% is minimum - anything above that is completely optional, but also appreciated, especially if the service was better than the minimum. I would never tip above 20% unless the service was EXCELLENT and I could afford it.

 

ETA: This post is directed at the thread in general, not at you Wendy - I just used your post as a spring-off.. :)

Edited March 3, 2012 by Hannah C.

[gardening momma]

The waiter would have made $20 for *that* hour. To balance it out, there would have been the two hours before and after actually waiting tables when the waiter was getting paid $2.13 an hour (money that will be eaten by taxes), along with the 3 hours where people came in and stiffed their waiter. Depending on your luck, you could work an entire night and make $17 for 5 total hours of work. And in some places you still have to tip out the bar and the busboy.

I agree with you about the time they work before and after waiting tables--getting set up and and-of-day tasks. But I am not responsible for lost wages/tips when other customers stiff the waiter.

[Hannah C.]

I agree with you about the time they work before and after waiting tables--getting set up and and-of-day tasks. But I am not responsible for lost wages/tips when other customers stiff the waiter.

 

I didn't mean to imply that. My point was just that a waiter's salary can vary widely, so one should not stiff one's waiter! (And the $20 tip in question would not be stiffing.) Nor should one assume that the waiter will have a great night based on one tip of that size. :)

Edited March 3, 2012 by Hannah C.

[Shannon in TN]

I thought that amount was usually split with the kitchen? Often in a mandatory way (ie... A certain percentage of the tabs, no matter what the actual tip was????)

 

We only had to split with the busboy and the bartenders, if they made drinks for us.

 

Keep in mind that wait staff comes in at least an hour early to set up, make tea, roll silver, etc. They are there waiting just in case someone comes in, so often are there for more than an hour before even getting their first table. Then they have to stay after to wipe, sweep, refill salts, etc. On a good night, they might only stay an hour after their last table has gotten up. They do not earn ANY money from the restaurant, and must tip the bartender, host, busboys, etc. Waitstaff minimum wage is usually completely taken up by taxes, so there is no pay other than tips. That $20 per hour is divided over a good bit more than the one hour.

 

:iagree:

 

The waiter would have made $20 for *that* hour. To balance it out, there would have been the two hours before and after actually waiting tables when the waiter was getting paid $2.13 an hour (money that will be eaten by taxes), along with the 3 hours where people came in and stiffed their waiter. Depending on your luck, you could work an entire night and make $17 for 5 total hours of work. And in some places you still have to tip out the bar and the busboy.

 

 

 

:iagree:

 

I waited tables for years and completely agree with the OP's tipping tips. The most I ever made hourly, and this was by the time-clock, was $3.15/hr. Sometimes, with the tips, I could call it about $8-10/hr over the period of a 4-6 hour shift, which would include the set-up, break down, and waiting for customers in between.

[Ohdanigirl]

15% is for mediocre but acceptable service - 10% is considered stiffing the waiter or an indication that you did not like the service you received.

 

:)

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

ALWAYS ask for the manager. Managers want to know if there is an issue so that they can rectify the situation.

 

I would add that you should mention the problem to your waiter/waitress first. Sometimes what you think is a problem is a rule, or out of their control.

 

For example: Some people complain that the waitress comes back too soon after serving the food to see if things are Ok, then does not return until it is time to offer dessert. In many places this is what you are required to do, and a secret shopper would dock you doing otherwise.

 

Often the waitress can offer an explanation, apologize, and even try to make it right, or remember for next time.

 

 

Danielle

Edited March 3, 2012 by USDGAL

[Tap]

Good rule, but in some states like Washington, they make minimum wage. I don't tip as much when we eat in Washington vs Oregon (where they make less money per hour).

 

The way restaurant prices have increased over the past few years, we have pretty much stopped going to sit down restaurants. Part of it is due to the tipping and drink charges. I have gotten take out, just to avoid the way that these two expenses can quickly double our food bill. 5 years ago we used to eat out for about $50-60 now it is closer to $100 for a decent meal. We just can't afford that any more.

[gardening momma]

Good rule, but in some states like Washington, they make minimum wage. I don't tip as much when we eat in Washington vs Oregon (where they make less money per hour).

Does anyone know if there's somewhere online to see what the minimum wages for waitstaff is by state? Just curious. I have a vague recollection of what it was in MI years ago when a friend was a waitress. I'm wondering what it would be now there and here in OH.

[ma23peas]

Oh, I disagree with many of you on here! :) Different strokes I guess...

 

I waited tables and my husband waited tables for many years...we consider ourselves respectable tippers...for subpar service will give 10% do not think we've every given nothing...well, maybe once..but our meal was comp'ed it was so bad....I think we tipped the hostess in that case instead. We'll give 15% for good service, will give 20% for those deserving...

 

But, on the otherhand, as a server, I never 'cared' about the tips...sure it was the bulk of my pay...I could make $500-$800 a week in tips and my 'paycheck' would be about $60. So, back in the 80's/90's we did not get paid well, if I remember correctly it was about $2.01 an hour..after taxes, not much...but then again..I venture to say that of all the servers I knew (including myself, regrettably) no one claimed all their $500-$900 in tips...or else we would be required to pay in to our paycheck each week! I think most claimed around $100-$200...I usually claimed half...looking back, I regret that...but do not feel sorry for servers...

 

As far as tippers, 2-3% of the time I may have been stiffed, never had a dash and dine (thankfully), there were some customers that you knew when they walked in the door you might get 5%...they just do not tip...then you have customers that tip 40-50%! You have customers who a nice meal out is a huge financial stretch for the family but you can tell it's a special night out...if they left me $5 on a $80 meal...I just hoped they had the best time celebrating....there were customers who were 'regulars' and routinely drop a $100 bill on a $20 meal...my husband had one regular who was a big whig and just loved the conversation he could have with my husband..so in my mind, it always balances out...

 

Tip is not a requirement, always a suggestion..customary, yes...but not obligated...so, I never looked at it as I better get one or I'll be upset...I was always thankful and my attitude and attention to service mattered more to me than the money, but funny, how when you give those two things, the money is more than adequate.

[Grover]

I will never understand this whole tipping thing

[Hannah C.]

I venture to say that of all the servers I knew (including myself, regrettably) no one claimed all their $500-$900 in tips...or else we would be required to pay in to our paycheck each week! I think most claimed around $100-$200...I usually claimed half...looking back, I regret that...but do not feel sorry for servers...

 

<snip>

 

Tip is not a requirement, always a suggestion..customary, yes...but not obligated...so, I never looked at it as I better get one or I'll be upset...I was always thankful and my attitude and attention to service mattered more to me than the money, but funny, how when you give those two things, the money is more than adequate.

 

At my husband's restaurant, all credit card tips are reported automatically and the vast majority of tips are left on credit cards. My record of dh's wages and the W-2 were quite close, though not exact. Also, I believe the IRS has a mechanism to estimate cash tips whether they are reported or not - and it is based on a percentage of a waiter's sales, meaning they can be taxed on money they did not make.

 

Tipping is far closer to a requirement than it is to being customary. Giving people gifts for their birthday is customary, but if there are no gifts it doesn't really affect the birthday person (aside from possibly hurt feelings). If no one tips a waiter, he will have no money to pay the bills. HUGE difference. (However, he is supposed to make real minimum wage in that case, paid by the employer.)

 

Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington pay waiters full minimum wage, according to the US Department of Labor.

http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm

Edited March 3, 2012 by Hannah C.

[QueenCat]

Any waiter will see a 10% tip and be insulted. 10% says that you did not appreciate the service you received. 15% is minimum - anything above that is completely optional, but also appreciated, especially if the service was better than the minimum. I would never tip above 20% unless the service was EXCELLENT and I could afford it.

 

It is interesting how that has changed since I waitressed 20+ years ago (mid-to late '80s)... Back then, one expected most customers to tip 10%, as that was the "standard" for good service. It was rare to get more than 10%. Even if you went above & beyond... Most of my time waitressing was in a white table cloth type of restaurant but I found the tipping to be pretty much the same percentage wise at other places. I should note that we were informally expected to tip the busboys and the bartenders.

 

Today, I typically tip 18-20%.... but will tip less if the server doesn't seem to want to be waiting on us. I can tell the difference between a server issue and a kitchen issue. I would never penalize a server for a kitchen issue.

Edited March 3, 2012 by CathieC

[La Condessa]

there were some customers that you knew when they walked in the door you might get 5%...they just do not tip...

 

In our first few, 'starving student' years of marriage, my husband and I seemed to get pegged as these on most of the occasions when we did go to a nice restaurant. (Which, while not often, was more frequent than our income would have allowed, because dh's parents would occasionally give him some money and say, "Go have a nice evening out.")

 

It tends to be a self fulfilling prophecy, when the wait staff assume that the poor young couple are going to be poor tippers, so they stick them in a corner and ignore them.

[ma23peas]

Tipping is far closer to a requirement than it is to being customary. Giving people gifts for their birthday is customary, but if there are no gifts it doesn't really affect the birthday person (aside from possibly hurt feelings). If no one tips a waiter, he will have no money to pay the bills. HUGE difference. (However, he is supposed to make real minimum wage in that case, paid by the employer.)

 

In your opinion, I just have a different view. I never said no one should tip a waiter, I said it is the nature of the profession to get ranges from 0%-100% tips, it all averages out...I believe the patrons are first, not my career in waitressing....and with that attitude, you generally get good tips...the ones who seemed to get the 'bad' tippers were also those with the bad attitudes...in my experience it's a science of averages and attitudes...I just do not agree it is required.

[black_midori]

I want to point out that ALL servers are required to make AT A MINIMUM the *Federal* minimum wage of $7.25 - regardless of what they make in tips. There are very elaborate calculations for this, but the long and short of it, as far as I can recall from many years ago work with the subject, is that the server has a base wage that is low (often $2.15 or something like that) and reported tips. If the reported tips plus the wage base end up being less than minimum wage, the employer has to bump it up to minimum wage. There is often a "standard amount" that is usually used as the reportable tips (say 10% of all that server's tickets for that period). The server can also do a personal calculation and put in that amount as reportable tips (say by actually counting their tips for the night and reporting that).

1) If the server chronically reports their own tips as being under the 10% (as an example), the manager is liable to become concerned with the abilities of that server to adequately do the job. If everyone pays said server so little that the AVERAGE is under 10%, there is obviously a problem.

2) Often (perhaps more often than not) servers are willing to accept whatever the "restaurant standard" is as their reportable tips because they have made more than that average amount.

(understand, of course, that LEGALLY they are required to report what they actually receive)

3) In general, if a server's wages are having to be constantly bumped up to reach minimum wage, either that server is terrible and ought to be let go OR that restaurant is having financial issues and needs to re-evaluate how many servers they can afford to have on staff (or other issues).

 

So... tip at a steady average of 10-20% and don't fret about poor John or Sally not making at least minimum wage... :)

[Shellers]

We always tip 15% and I think we are good tippers. :) We are a family of five (six when the oldest is home).

 

My DD21 was a waitress for many years and would not consider a 10% tip an insult. A ONE PENNY tip is an insult.

Edited March 3, 2012 by Shellers

[Tap]

Does anyone know if there's somewhere online to see what the minimum wages for waitstaff is by state? Just curious. I have a vague recollection of what it was in MI years ago when a friend was a waitress. I'm wondering what it would be now there and here in OH.

 

Here you go

[Pretty in Pink]

I think the OP is on target with her tipping guidelines, with the exception of tipping below 15% for good service. If I leave less that 15% them I'm asking to speak to the manager because of poor service. We typically tip on the higher end, 20 to 25%. We plan for it when selecting a restaurant, actually. If it's just the two of us (well, three, since we take the baby everywhere with us) we can afford to tip well because our overall bill will be lower. If we have all of the kids with us then we really like to show our appreciation for good service, being friendly and patient with our children, and cleaning up after them (even well-mannered children drop food on the floor, occasionally spill drinks, etc).

 

I can overlook some shortcomings in service so long as my waiter/waitress is polite and friendly. I know it's a tough job!

[Nestof3]

When I was a server, I aimed to give my absolute best, and I hoped for 15 % from that, the more, the better. I never would have expected 15 % for just showing up at the table and doing the bare minimum.

[5kidsforME]

When I was a server, I aimed to give my absolute best, and I hoped for 15 % from that, the more, the better. I never would have expected 15 % for just showing up at the table and doing the bare minimum.

 

:iagree: IMO if you showed up and did the bare minimum then you should be happy with that measley pay check. That's what is owed to you for doing your job. The tip is the icing on the cake, for being a good waitress that does more then just the bare minimum.

[Hannah C.]

:iagree: IMO if you showed up and did the bare minimum then you should be happy with that measley pay check. That's what is owed to you for doing your job. The tip is the icing on the cake, for being a good waitress that does more then just the bare minimum.

 

Actually, in most states, the employer, the employee, and the federal government assumes that TIPS will make up the majority of your salary - and they mess with the waiter's wage accordingly, giving the employer a "tip credit" which allows them to pay the waiter a minimum of $2.13 an hour instead of $7.25. So yes, you ARE expected to tip. If a waiter does not make at least $5.17 in tips per hour (to bring his actual wage up to $7.25) then the employer is supposed to make up the difference.

 

That being said, if (general) you receives truly bad service feel free to tip accordingly - but if your drinks are refilled, your orders are taken and arrive, and your waiter checks up on you at least once, that's decent service, IMHO, and deserving of a decent (15%) tip. If you can't afford the tip, you can't afford to eat at a sit-down restaurant in the US - at least until they change the laws.

Edited March 3, 2012 by Hannah C.