Question: Tipping in Restaurants, for Services, ??

[Cousin Hepcat]

Question: Tipping: (particularly in the U.S., but anyone feel free to have a say) Seems there's some ambiguity in the general population, about who to tip or not. Some say, only waiting staff at restaurants, barbers, and porters; others say, as wikipedia puts it, "anyone performing any service for you in a low-paid job".

One of the most interesting opinions was, to NOT tip "technicians" like trained appliance installers who deliver & install a fridge, but to DO tip furniture deliverymen, who deliver a particularly difficult piece (i.e. huge sofa barely fits through front door, etc). I tipped our sofa delivery folks a couple weeks ago and debated that with some folks I know.

The old movies seemed to me to show people tipping Everyone, but maybe that was Hollywood.

How about loungers? Who do you tip? Do you tip? Who? How you define what kind of service or delivery people you do or don't tip?

- C H

 

[LadyDeWinter]

I do tip,the staff in a restaurant. Removal men, people who install the fridge or other things. Even the postmen who delivers packages from time to time.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Well, I've been working a few nights a month as a bartender -- and I can tell you that tips are very much appreciated!! Essential, even.

I've never had furniture delivered, but I suspect I'd want to tip them if I did. I had a couple of guys from the neighborhood carry my refrigerator up two flights of stairs once, and tipped them with a case of beer, something they appreciated much more than cash.

I also always tip the pizza delivery guy, and I'd be inclined to be quite generous if the weather's bad.

I would never, ever stiff a waitress on a tip. I think to do so is really cheap and low-class -- tips are part of their pay, not just a courtesy.

 

[TaxMan1]

I work parttime as a tobacconist in a cigar shop. My tip jar DOES appreciate it if I've been helpful to you in your selection?!
What about restaurant take-away? Do you tip the person who hands you the food and collects your money? A percentage?

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Deleted threads?

I had started a thread about tipping etiquette not too long ago and now it seems to be gone. Has there been some housecleaning here, or am I just not seeing it? I had wanted to post the link here.

 

[Hondo]

Don't be chaep, tip when you can

I’m known as a great tipper, Shoe shine guy charges $8, so I give him a twenty and say keep the change, its not putting a dent in my wallet the guys works hard, know he doesn’t get many customers, I like the shine in my shoes, that’s me, the generous tipper. Same goes for bars, I’ve only had the grocery store bag persons say “No Thank You” when helping take groceries for my car; I tip when ever I can.

 

[Rosie]

I tip all the time, more if I'm happy and can afford it.

I always tip waitstaff, I've been known to tip lots for great service. Cabdrivers, food delivery guys (so much so that some of them have on occassion gone to the store for me on their way to delivering my food for ice cream, pickles, things their restaurant doesn't have), the grocery delivery guy, my mailman who makes a special trip down my street especially for me since I get home later than his normal delivery time to my street. ( I get lots of packages from all of my online shopping). The bag packing person at the supermarket, my nail technician (on the ocassions I get my nails done), my pedicurist and anyone else who does a service for me unless they are particularly nasty.

 

[Samsa]

After reading several posts, it dawned on me that we were talking about money, not tipping one's hat. I was starting to wonder when it was that women starting tipping their hats!:eusa_doh:

The only people I routinely tip are waitstaff, bartenders, and barbers. If I were to take a taxi, I would certainly tip the driver.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I tip, and tip well. Although now that I think about the number of nights I've had take out and tipped the driver, I probably could have saved a lot of money

But, people in the service industry for the most part work very hard. Unless they are truly terrible or rude, I leave at least 20%.

I've always wondered about the people who come to your house to fix appliances. When my furniture was delivered, I tipped. When my heat pump broke in the middle of winter and to fix it the poor guy had to stand on the roof (8 stories up, with a negative 20D windchill!!) for an hour. I swear his lips were blue when he came back inside. Well, he wouldn't take a tip.

 

[Quigley Brown]

I don't think I'd tip the mailman. They already have good salaries. I tip my barber, but she owns the place...so I question it sometimes. When I use gift cards at restaurants the server gets an extra large tip.

 

[erikb02809]

While I tip and will always tip well unless the service was grossly negligent, whenever I hear this topic discussed, all I can think of is Mr Pink (steve Buscemi's character) at the beginning of Reservoir Dogs. All the crooks are sitting around in a diner. It comes time to leave, and everyone puts in for the tip except Mr Pink, who goes into this monologue about why he doesn't believe in tipping. While his argument wouldn't exactly change my views on tipping, he does bring up some interesting points regarding the tipping of workers in some professions as opposed to others.

 

[Phil]

I always tip wait staff in resturaunts. If you've seen Waiting, "Don't f*** with the people who handle your food." I do make it a point to tip someone who does something I can't do myself or something thet they aren't being paid well to do.
The earlier example of technicians, they make some good money. They have knowledge of how the appliance should be hooked up and all. The furniture movers should be tipped though. They are doing a job that I could do, but choose not to do because they can do a much better job. Therefore they should be tipped for doing such a rigorous job.

 

[Jack Scorpion]

At restaurants, I tip the usual 15-20 percent. If the waiter/ress is particularly great or had to overcome some difficulty during the dining experience, then sure, I'll tip extra.

However, I am of the mind that overtipping shows as little class as undertipping. And it makes me really uncomfortable when I am at dinner, splitting up a check and the after I put down a 17% tip for an adequate job, one of my friends adds a couple more dollars on top of mine.

Tipping more than earned does not make you a better person. It just shows a lack of respect for social contract. Of course, tipping less than earned does make you a bad person .

 

[Elaina]

This is one of my soapboxes. I worked for $2.13 an hour for almost 15 years. Tipping was vital to my survivial, and I was a damn fine waitress. I still am when I do the job.

When you go to a restaurant with a bar, and order an alcoholic beverage, most of the tip goes to the bartender, not the server. It varies from place to place, but bear in mind that many servers in "finer" restaurants make less: they force them to tip the host/ess, bartender (sometimes even if no alcohol is ordered), bus boys and cashiers. I once worked for 2 days where the cooks were included in the tip out, and 75% of my tips were gone.

I always tip my hairdresser, and when I had a "regular" one, I overtipped he always because I am such a pain in the neck (I am so scared my hair is going to be messed up and I usually can't see anything, so I have a panic attack), and she was paitent, helpful and I always walked out looking like a million bucks. I also went 3 times a year, so the hour and a half she spent with me cost her money too. So I pay for her service, which is excellent, and then I pay for the extra time, which she loses tips there too.

I tip my pet groomer (yes, I have cats who get baths), the man that resoles my shoes (he always adds extra service for free, like new laces, better soles then what I asked for, fast turn around), my dry cleaner that does all my fabric before I sew it (time involved; she does a superb job at doing it and usually fray checks the edges for free), my nail tech, and the kid that carries out my groceries. Other then that, I don't go anywhere where class dictates it.

Postmen aren't supposed to take money. Tipping isn't allowed, at least according to my uncle. And because I have issues with being nickel and dimed to death, I tend not to tip when I get charged delivery fees (I never want them to do anything to the furniture then drop it in the living room anyway, and I move it when they leave). To that, I always offer coffee and something to eat, and sadly, I don't tip pizza boys when I'm already charged $2-4 in fees, I generally offer them a beer, if they're old enough, or a soda if they're not (which most of the ones that do deliver are grey haired). I don't feel bad, pizza delivery earns $8 an hour to begin with, and while the companies are adamant that they do not get the fee, most do get half the delivery fee as a bonus. I also don't generally tip if there is forced gratuity already included in the price of anything, although I will if service provided is above par, since many do just enough to get by.

I am also terrible about awful service. We went out last night, and the server was one of those that catered to the men, ignored the women, and I gave her half the tip. She waited on my husband, not me, and the cook got my tip, since he refilled my coffee.

As a general rule, I tip a quarter for the worst service you can imagine, 5-10% for bad service, but they tried, 15% for average, and 20-25% for good to excellent, as I was taught when my mother stuck me in a finishing school when I was a punk teenager. They also emphasised overtipping being as low class as constantly undertipping, although there are always reasons to do one or the other, quietly.

Sorry for the long post.

 

[Nathan Flowers]

No malfeasance is afoot

I had started a thread about tipping etiquette not too long ago and now it seems to be gone. Has there been some housecleaning here, or am I just not seeing it? I had wanted to post the link here.

Your thread is still there:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=9562&highlight=tipping

 

[RetroModelSari]

Tipping terms are a bit different in Germany. I heard in the USA you are expected to give a tipp whenever you go to a restaurant. Here you give a tipp when you are pleased with the service. 5-10 percet are normal, but it´s not like a rule. On the other hand I heard the payment for those jobs is higher over here so they are not as dependent on the tipp as overseas.

 

[beaucaillou]

I tip many people. I've been in fine dining for 7 years and think it's only good Karama to tip others well. I tip delivery people (not UPS, but furnture delivery), movers, my haircutrix, all waitstaff of course (if someone not in a direct chain to the money does a great job, like a bus person, I tip them directly), Sommeliers, coat check...

My thinking is that there's enough to go around, and it will come back to me anyhow.

 

[ShooShooBaby]

i try to tip well at restaurants and anywhere else i'm getting a service, especially by someone who makes a small amount of money. as a vegetarian with food allergies, i always feel like tipping well makes up for asking for my special needs.

as a former barista, i always about tipping in coffeehouses. i can't tell you how hard i worked, and how little i made on some shifts. unfortunately, many people think nothing of ordering a $4 drink, a sandwich, and a piece of cake and not tipping a dime. so those who dropped me a buck or their change on a coffee drink really made a difference in my night

can someone tell me, what's the appropriate % to tip a cab driver? i've never taken a cab, but feel like i should know that, just in case.

 

[beaucaillou]

as a vegetarian with food allergies, i always feel like tipping well makes up for asking for my special needs.

can someone tell me, what's the appropriate % to tip a cab driver? i've never taken a cab, but feel like i should know that, just in case.

First: I love you for recognizing that vegetarians demand more of our attention, but at the same time, the restaurant should be set up to accomodate you, within reason, especially nicer ones.

I can see how when you go to your corner diner you might come across as a more needy diner to them, but at a fancy place, it's their job to help you have a great experience. I say 'within reason' because I've waited on people who say things like: "I'm allergic to gluten, nuts, refined sugar, garlic, bell peppers, and want no butter and no oil." My first thought is, "You should have stayed home." Those are the truly challenging guests, and I can say truthfully that they *never* tip more or recognize that they are difficult.

Cabbies I usually tip 15-20%, but I think I'm on the high side. I think 10-15% is pretty customary.

 

[ShooShooBaby]

usually we stick to the "tried-and-true" vegetarian places, which is easy where we live! it's more of a challenge when going out with family and the like. my partner's mother always insists on going somewhere horrible like chili's, where even the salsa may possibly contain chicken fat! it's good to know that servers notice the additional effort i make to tip well for extra service.

thanks for the cab tipping advice as well.