Tipping in The United States

[sturginho]

I don't tip. I don't believe in it.

Really? Most waitresses and servers depend on tips to make a living. You know their hourly wage is absolute garbage right and is tip dependent?

This is what most of us Europeans cannot comprehend. Employers should pay their workers enough for the job that they do, not rely on their customers to do it for them. If I want to tip somebody it's because I want to recognise that they have worked hard to give me a good experience, not because they are going to starve if I don't!

Still if I were to visit America I would be mindful of the culture and tip accordingly, I certainly wouldnt refuse to tip in an attempt to make some kind of misguided point about how I don't agree with the practice.

p.s. I think Wasted was just trying to invoke Mr Pink

[31illusions]

I tip 2-3 dollars at the most no matter what the bill is. But if you're in a big city it might be more. I've heard employees can be rude or forceful if you don't tip enough or at all in NYC.

[downzy]

I tip 2-3 dollars at the most no matter what the bill is. But if you're in a big city it might be more. I've heard employees can be rude or forceful if you don't tip enough or at all in NYC.

If that's your policy, then I suggest you never eat at the same place twice.

[ZoSoRose]

You HAVE to tip here in the USA. Its part of the meal or whatever, if you can't afford the tip then you can't afford the product. It sucks, as employers should pay their employees, not me, but that is how it is.

At a restaurant, I always do 20% and if they aren't that good 15%. If they are downright terrible then I do 10% but that is a rare occurrence- everyone has bad days.

[downzy]

I don't tip. I don't believe in it.

Really? Most waitresses and servers depend on tips to make a living. You know their hourly wage is absolute garbage right and is tip dependent?

This is what most of us Europeans cannot comprehend. Employers should pay their workers enough for the job that they do, not rely on their customers to do it for them. If I want to tip somebody it's because I want to recognise that they have worked hard to give me a good experience, not because they are going to starve if I don't!

Still if I were to visit America I would be mindful of the culture and tip accordingly, I certainly wouldnt refuse to tip in an attempt to make some kind of misguided point about how I don't agree with the practice.

p.s. I think Wasted was just trying to invoke Mr Pink

In an ideal world, yes, that would make sense. But if employers paid their employees more, then they'd have to price the food and alcohol accordingly to reflect the increased cost. And then the customer is stuck with paying for service that might not be to their liking.

It's a personal stance, but I believe tipping incentivizes servers to be better.

At the end of the day, it's a social norm in North America that isn't going to go away any time soon.

[sturginho]

I don't tip. I don't believe in it.

Really? Most waitresses and servers depend on tips to make a living. You know their hourly wage is absolute garbage right and is tip dependent?

This is what most of us Europeans cannot comprehend. Employers should pay their workers enough for the job that they do, not rely on their customers to do it for them. If I want to tip somebody it's because I want to recognise that they have worked hard to give me a good experience, not because they are going to starve if I don't!

Still if I were to visit America I would be mindful of the culture and tip accordingly, I certainly wouldnt refuse to tip in an attempt to make some kind of misguided point about how I don't agree with the practice.

p.s. I think Wasted was just trying to invoke Mr Pink

In an ideal world, yes, that would make sense. But if employers paid their employees more, then they'd have to price the food and alcohol accordingly to reflect the increased cost. And then the customer is stuck with paying for service that might not be to their liking.

It's a personal stance, but I believe tipping incentivizes servers to be better.

At the end of the day, it's a social norm in North America that isn't going to go away any time soon.

In the UK if the service is not to your liking you tell the waiter that everything is fine then when their back is turned you swear never to visit the establishment again

[Graeme]

In Mexico I tipped 10% generally and even found that really weird, there was a Canadian guy who hung out with us (the rest of us were European) and he was pretty anal about ensuring that everybody tipped for everything and got really annoyed at some of our attitudes to it. In Scotland we usually chuck a wee bit of change in with the bill and don't really count it. Guess it's another aspect of a low-income, low-tax economy...

[31illusions]

Well downzy, I don't really care what you think. Tip is given for quality of service It's not a requirement.

If a restaurant tries to add a tip on the bill without my permission I fight it. No one should tell me how much I should give.

[sturginho]

It'd make more sense to pay higher percentage at a place where the prices are lower actually, as cheap places probably don't pay well for the service people.

I wonder how Americans would react to a restaurant with a sign "no obligatory tipping, we pay our staff decently".

They'd think that it was some kind of commie trap

Edited June 27, 2014 by sturginho

[Forsaken]

I hate the way it is here in the US, making tips kinda mandatory. Tipping to me is traditionally optional and should be left that way... I don't wanna have to be obliged to tip a waiter and have shit service. And if I don't tip the guy at my favorite restaurant and I come back the next time? There's always that fear of whats gonna happen behind those kitchen doors.......

[downzy]

i) Do you agree that a fair minimum wage should be handed to service people by the employers though?

ii) No minimum wage?! What's wrong with people.. Actually there's no absolute minimum wage in my country at all but the law says employer has to pay sufficient wage. Underpaid jobs are usually done illegally by people from other countries working here.

iii) I don't "disagree" with tipping but the I think the fact they have to rely on that is fucked up. I root for the workers' rights.

iv) Are there any high end restaurants in North America that pay humanely to their workers? That kinda places I'd prefer..

i) Yes, absolutely. A fair minimum wage should be a given. But in most U.S. states, that's not going to happen any time soon. Like I said in a previous post, in an ideal world servers would be paid $20 an hour and nobody should feel compelled to tip. But that's just not going to happen in North America.

ii) What do they define as a "sufficient wage?" That term seems like it could be taken advantaged of.

iii) My bet is that if you asked servers at most fine-dining restaurants they'd prefer a low minimum wage while keeping the current tipping system in place. Servers in North America can make a lot of money this way. I worked with a girl who made $28k in a week during Toronto's annual film festival (she worked at THE bar/restuarant in Toronto's swankiest neighbourhoods at the time). Service industry workers also like tips because they don't generally show up on their income tax statements, meaning most of the money is tax free.

Understand that most North Americans don't have an issue with tipping because it's a social norm. We're happy to pay it because we understand that the server depends on their tips to live and that the bill would be much higher if wage costs were incorporated into final bill. It's the way things are done here in North America. The system only fails when someone disagrees with it. Like I said, there are many establishments here where tipping isn't the social norm.

iv) Actually, I really lucked out where I worked. Working in a hotel that also has a hot bar or restaurant is probably the best place to work in the service industry. Hotel workers are either unionized, hence they'll get a higher wage, or hotels themselves will pay their workers more to counter any work organization. I was making $13 an hour plus tips (I was a service bartender at the time, so I wasn't making the same tips as the bartenders who dealt with customers directly), which is pretty unheard of at most establishments. Before I retired from the industry, I worked at a different location that only paid $8.90 an hour, which is the minimum wage for service workers in Ontario. Canada is a little different in the U.S., however. I have heard of a few restaurants that have popped recently that ask their customers not to tip as they pay their workers more, but I don't expect that trend to continue.

[sturginho]

In Mexico I tipped 10% generally and even found that really weird, there was a Canadian guy who hung out with us (the rest of us were European) and he was pretty anal about ensuring that everybody tipped for everything and got really annoyed at some of our attitudes to it. In Scotland we usually chuck a wee bit of change in with the bill and don't really count it. Guess it's another aspect of a low-income, low-tax economy...

In Scotland you more than likely pay the bill in change anyway

[Dazey]

I tip 2-3 dollars at the most no matter what the bill is. But if you're in a big city it might be more. I've heard employees can be rude or forceful if you don't tip enough or at all in NYC.

If that's your policy, then I suggest you never eat at the same place twice.

I suspect he's swallowed more se(a)men than the Bermuda Triangle.

[T.wa.T]

Ok, so last time I asked years ago I got some pretty sound advice. I know it will generate debate as to whether you should or not but I'm not asking that I'm specifically asking; I'm off to NYC with my good lady in a weeks time celebrating my birthday plus other things. What's the tipping policy. Feel free to list as much detail as you can please.

Staying in a really plush hotel in Manhattan.

Thank you in advance

Tip with cash so the waiter definatly gets the tip. Sometimes, if you include the tip on a credit card, the business/owner will keep it.

20% is the standard, unless there is an unusual circumstance.

[downzy]

I hate the way it is here in the US, making tips kinda mandatory. Tipping to me is traditionally optional and should be left that way... I don't wanna have to be obliged to tip a waiter and have shit service. And if I don't tip the guy at my favorite restaurant and I come back the next time? There's always that fear of whats gonna happen behind those kitchen doors.......

If the service is shit, don't tip. In fact, make a point to talk to the manager about why you're not leaving a tip. Nobody would fault you for not leaving a tip because you felt the service was inadequate or terrible. Even someone like myself who defends the tip system will from time to time not tip because the service is shitty. But if you talk to the server's manager and explain the situation, you'll be doing yourself a favour if you choose to come back and you'll be doing the restaurant a favour.

Those who are good at their jobs generally prefer when their inferior counterparts get called out. If I'm working with someone who is terrible and giving the restaurant a bad name, I want their customers to complain so that my manager will replace my counterpart. More often than not tips are pooled, so if someone is bad at their jobs they're affecting my income. Nothing wrong with not tipping so long as you make it known why.

[sturginho]

I tip 2-3 dollars at the most no matter what the bill is. But if you're in a big city it might be more. I've heard employees can be rude or forceful if you don't tip enough or at all in NYC.

If that's your policy, then I suggest you never eat at the same place twice.

I suspect he's swallowed more se(a)men than the Bermuda Triangle.

yeah but he had to pay extra

[magisme]

You have to realize, too, that we have good food here, so it's worth it. Not like in some of your shit ass countries.

I kid!

[downzy]

Ok, so last time I asked years ago I got some pretty sound advice. I know it will generate debate as to whether you should or not but I'm not asking that I'm specifically asking; I'm off to NYC with my good lady in a weeks time celebrating my birthday plus other things. What's the tipping policy. Feel free to list as much detail as you can please.

Staying in a really plush hotel in Manhattan.

Thank you in advance

Tip with cash so the waiter definatly gets the tip. Sometimes, if you include the tip on a credit card, the business/owner will keep it.

20% is the standard, unless there is an unusual circumstance.

Again, this is often a misconception. The establishment will always know how much a server sells in a given shift. Unless the restaurant isn't using a centralized computing system for ordering and billing, management will know how much revenue a server is generating. And they will extract the house commission based on revenue.

[Dazey]

The tipping culture in the US is fine as far as I'm concerned. I wish it was the same in the UK so we could occasionally get decent service.

[sturginho]

You have to realize, too, that we have good food here, so it's worth it. Not like in some of your shit ass countries.

I kid!

I always leave a good tip when I get my plate of chips & gravy

Ok, so last time I asked years ago I got some pretty sound advice. I know it will generate debate as to whether you should or not but I'm not asking that I'm specifically asking; I'm off to NYC with my good lady in a weeks time celebrating my birthday plus other things. What's the tipping policy. Feel free to list as much detail as you can please.

Staying in a really plush hotel in Manhattan.

Thank you in advance

Tip with cash so the waiter definatly gets the tip. Sometimes, if you include the tip on a credit card, the business/owner will keep it.

20% is the standard, unless there is an unusual circumstance.

Again, this is often a misconception. The establishment will always know how much a server sells in a given shift. Unless the restaurant isn't using a centralized computing system for ordering and billing, management will know how much revenue a server is generating. And they will extract the house commission based on revenue.

And to my European brain that sounds well shady!

Edited June 27, 2014 by sturginho

[downzy]

I tip 2-3 dollars at the most no matter what the bill is. But if you're in a big city it might be more. I've heard employees can be rude or forceful if you don't tip enough or at all in NYC.

If that's your policy, then I suggest you never eat at the same place twice.

I suspect he's swallowed more se(a)men than the Bermuda Triangle.

I've personally never seen that happen, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. The restaurant/bar/hotel I worked at for a couple of years would have some royal assholes and never once did I ever see their food tampered with. I remember serving one of the actors from The Wire (the guy who gets fired because he lost the video camera and made up stories about having an informant) and he was a train wreck of a customer who sent back his food several times. Each time the kitchen would cook him something completely new. The better restaurants will deal with assholes professionally. Mom and pop diners however, now that's where you're rolling the dice.

[Dazey]

You have to realize, too, that we have good food here, so it's worth it. Not like in some of your shit ass countries.

I kid!

Fuck off you cunt!!!

It hurts cuz it's true!

[T.wa.T]

Ok, so last time I asked years ago I got some pretty sound advice. I know it will generate debate as to whether you should or not but I'm not asking that I'm specifically asking; I'm off to NYC with my good lady in a weeks time celebrating my birthday plus other things. What's the tipping policy. Feel free to list as much detail as you can please.

Staying in a really plush hotel in Manhattan.

Thank you in advance

Tip with cash so the waiter definatly gets the tip. Sometimes, if you include the tip on a credit card, the business/owner will keep it.

20% is the standard, unless there is an unusual circumstance.

Again, this is often a misconception. The establishment will always know how much a server sells in a given shift. Unless the restaurant isn't using a centralized computing system for ordering and billing, management will know how much revenue a server is generating. And they will extract the house commission based on revenue.

Yes a legit business will use those systems etc... but there are many establishments that take the waiters tips. I know from experience. It has more to do with the owners being greedy pricks.

[Orsys]

I tip 20 to 30% for good to great service. I tip 10% for rude service.

Once I tipped a penny, because she mistakenly thought my boyfriend was paying the bill and blatantly flirted with him

to the point that my young son noticed. I left a note so it was clear why she got the penny and in future she should have

hedged her bets by smashing her breasts in my face as well.

[Axl_morris]

A posh hotel in Manhatton. Well, must have been a good month for donations