how much to tip?

[brain55]

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.

 

[daugen]

In fact for a mixed drink I'm probably giving $2

she must have been awfully cute...:dance1:

 

[polo1665]

Given a choice, I would be in the 20% baseline camp, but I don't have a choice. My wife is in the 25% baseline camp.

I have noticed that many of my fellow seniors appear to be in the 10% (or less) camp.

Just curious. What do you tip your barber? My wife doesn't go with me to the barbershop, so I am on my own. My barber charges $13/cut and $12/cut for those 65 and older. I have been giving him $15 -- a 15+% tip before I turned 65, 25% since then.

Steve

No tip for the barber.........well actually no barber............follically challenged, cut what little I've got myself.

Growing up my parents sent me to a barber that us kids affectionatley referred to as "Jerry the Butcher". Don't ever remember Mom sending enough money along for a tip.

 

[polo1665]

what irritates me is when you go to a bar and order a beer and the server expects a $1.00 tip per beer ! And someone needs to teach these young bartenders how to actually do their job to their own benefit , if I walk in and they can't even say hello and stand down the bar texting on their phone why would I be inclined to tip them at all ?

Can't remember the last time I went to the bar and only had one beer, but if I did have just one, I would most likely leave a buck. The only place I leave a dollar per drink is at a casino (one where the drinks are free), and that is to get the girl to come back and check on me:laughing:

edit: I also generally give a dollar per drink at wedding receptions. Many times those bartenders are friends of the bride or groom, working for tips.

 

[MikeInEburg]

One important point is that the federal minimum wage for tipped employees is $2.13 per hour. Many restaurants have their wait staff doing tasks outside of waiting tables, but still only pay the $2.13/hour.

 

[Deere Dude]

I went on a 7 day cruise and ate in a dining room a lot. Maybe twice or 3 times a day sometimes and the waiters were knocking themselves out serving me and my group. If i wanted an extra lobster or steak, they never had a problem. At the end of the cruise we got our bill for the waiters tips. Customary at the time was $10 a day or something like that, and I thought, "What a rip off." After I sat down and did some calculating and considering their service I tipped generously for me, being generally a cheapskate. I thought they deserved a healthy tip.

I never see that type of service at any other restaurant I am in. Of course I hardly ever go to high end places because of the price and it is just not my character. Most of the places I go to, it seems the waiters don't seem to be very proactive. For a big tip I think they should go above and beyond, not just be there.

 

[TripleR]

I HATE eating out and don't drink, but when I do find myself in a restaurant I tip pretty generously, my grandmother and mother made their livings as waitresses and I have a soft spot for them.

I think the whole idea of tipping has gotten out of hand and the employer should pay their employees a decent wage and leave me out of it.

 

[joshuabardwell]

My base tip in restaurants is 20%. I go down to 15% for mediocre service. Having to wait for refills on drinks is a common thing that gets the tip knocked down for me. In "buffet-style" restaurants where there isn't full table service, but there are roving wait-staff filling drinks and bussing tables, I tip 10%. If there is no table service (e.g. a deli where you order and pickup at a counter), I don't tip at all. The other thing is, I always try to tip a few dollars even if it's more than 20%. I don't want to penalize the wait-staff because I only ordered a coffee or whatever. I still took up their table for however long, and they're counting on that money.

My sister was a waitress for many years before she moved up to managing the restaurant, and I have heard a lot of horror stories from her about how restaurant politics work. One thing I try to keep in mind is that the kitchen can really screw the wait-staff over. If the kitchen is under-staffed, or if the people in the kitchen don't like the waitress for some reason, the food will come up slow, or it will be messed up, and there is nothing the wait-staff can do about it. So I try to keep in mind when things go bad at a restaurant whether it is the wait-staff's fault or not. But there's no excuse for not checking to make sure my drink is full! I absolutely hate it when I finish the last half of the meal with an empty glass.

 

[podagrower]

We don't eat out often, but when we do, it's usually a treat for us. I like it to be a treat for the wait staff as well. Generally in the 30% range, it keeps you in their memory, and you well be acknowledged in the future. My wife worked as a waitress, and i delivered pizza when we were younger, so we know what tips mean.

When somebody hands you a 20 for a 15 dollar bill, you give back 5 ones. They can tip what they want. If you give them a 5, they have to choose between a 5 dollar tip or no tip-not a good idea.

 

[themichelob]

Forty years in the restaurant business. When I dine out, I always leave 20 per cent. (Plus, it's easy to calculate--two times the check amount, move the decimal point, there's your tip). Regards, Mike