how much to tip?

[Western]

I'm in the camp as some of you, I tip if the service is good, real good or just plain nice, I'll tip more. Bad service (happens allot) I will tip much less, a real ***** will get jack. I work out of town and eat out more than I care for, I have seen both ends of the spectrum.

One thing I do know, before complaining (that's how they see it no matter what) decide if what your eating is worth the complaint, they can do allot to your food when your not looking, risk reward type thing. I have waited until after I'm ready to leave it it was something that can wait, I've even told a few that their attitude got/ or lost them tip $$.

 

[brin]

I'm in the camp as some of you, I tip if the service is good, real good or just plain nice, I'll tip more. Bad service (happens allot) I will tip much less, a real ***** will get jack. I work out of town and eat out more than I care for, I have seen both ends of the spectrum.

One thing I do know, before complaining (that's how they see it no matter what) decide if what your eating is worth the complaint, they can do allot to your food when your not looking, risk reward type thing. I have waited until after I'm ready to leave it it was something that can wait, I've even told a few that their attitude got/ or lost them tip $$.

:thumbsup: Same here....I don't feel obligated to tip...A tip is meant to reward for above average attention and service...I refuse to be intimidated into believing I should support the employees of a restaurant for simply delivering our meal and then bringing the check..To earn the tip...there has to be some exemplary service otherwise I leave 10 to 15% unless it is just awful and then nothing...but I agree, be very careful sending any food you ordered back..and agitating the wait staff..they can get even by spitting in your food or worse...

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

I usually start at the 20 percent range too at a restaurant. If I'm dissatisfied enough to not leave a tip I'm likely saying something to a manager.
The place I'm getting my haircut now is $9 I usually give the girl a $20 and take $5 back in change.
I have no problem with a $1 a drink tip either but I'd be pissed if I had to wait to be acknowledged because the bartender was texting. In fact for a mixed drink I'm probably giving $2.

i see your in brentwood ,Ca We backwoods people in Tn aren't so likely to throw our money away for nothing

 

[DKCDKC]

I like to go out, but I don't have a ton on money. And I have more than some of the seniors I hang with. I also have daughters who got their start as waitresses during college. So I know their position. I probably average 20 percent, but vary all over based on service and attitude. I also go up a mite if I know those with me don't have a lot of money and can't give a really good tip.

I have a good barber at $11 - and I tip one or two bucks every time - as bills come out, so to speak. I do give him a $10 tip at Christmas.

Smallest tip ever - a nickel. On our honeymoon in a fancy NY restaurant Christmas Eve... Our meal came into sight from the kitchen, but the waiter in an almost empty restaurant dallied in conversation with another waiter so long our meal was cold. And then he rushed. I left the nickel so he wouldn't think I forgot.
Biggest tip ever - 100 percent. For a waiter, again in an almost empty restaurant at Christmas time, who took an order from a couple exhausted from shopping with a toddler, then sat down at an adjoining table and entertained the toddler for 45 minutes while we enjoyed a quiet meal.

 

[mikehaugen]

We gave nearly a 100% tip once. We had received a gift card that was good at a list of maybe 20 different restaurants, most were high-class and we searched for a couple, found one. It was getting late and was only about 1 hour from closing and since we didn't really feel like eating at this restaurant, we just sat at the bar for a couple drinks. Bill ended up being like $25, but this was a $50 gift card and it was one of those "use it or lose it" cards and was about to expire, so instead of let it go to waste, we put the rest on as a tip to the bartender. He was pretty decent, but I don't think I would ever tip anyone that much for any other reason.

 

[300UGUY]

I usually tip 20%, sometimes a little more. I don't go to a lot of new places, and the diner we have bfast at, I give a extra $10 or $20 at Christmas time. I've known a few waitresses, and it's a hard job that doesn't pay much. God has blessed us, and I feel we should share a bit. I see a lot of "Christians" that are absolute scrooges.

 

[lutt]

My tipping depends on how much they work our table to keep drinks filled,checking to see if you need anything or not and the like. I dont believe in these places automatically caculating the tip into the bill. If they earn there tip,I tip generously,if not no.My wife used to wait and bust tables at a place that made them put their tips in a jar and the end of the night,split them up, I dont believe in that either,we always make sure the waitress that waits our table receives the tip from us personally. LUTT

 

[daugen]

Seems that most of us are in the same basic range and that all of us will tip more for really good service.
And most of us have either worked in restaurants or known someone who has.

Probably a different discussion than that for tipping the cabbie in NYC who doesn't speak much English, tries to kill you several times each block,
and makes you want to leap out of the dirty cab to save yourself.

Ok, how about valet parkers? do they have to do anything special to get a buck or two, other than not wreck your car?

 

[Willl]

My reply would sound much like Western's.

But if I'm crunching numbers at the dinner table, I usually just double the tax amount.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I tip well for good service from a waitress/waiter that knows what they are doing.