Tipping in the States

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*** BANNED *** Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 164

Have been to the US a couple of times, and understand that tips to people in the service industry is expected as they are poorly paid, my question is would the service suffer if they were paid more and did not rely on tips.

Also is the doubling of the sales tax still a good way to work out a tip

** SUSPENDED ** Joined: 26 Mar 2005 Posts: 1267

Generally, a "tip" is 15% of what your bill is.

http://www.onlineconversion.com/tip_calculator.htm

I believe they do rely on tips, as they are underpaid due to the fact that they get tips.

*** BANNED *** Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 164

Thanks Radden
Helpful site

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:00 pm

Wikipedia has a helpful page on tipping customs in different countries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipping_by_region

I usually leave 10% of the bill. What is really starting to hack me off here in the UK is that the restaurants are automatically adding 15% to the bill for service which you can decline to pay. I usually do just that, as I suspect it goes straight to the restaurant and not the staff. Where that's the case, I leave cash on the table for the waiter instead.

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:19 pm

^^^^
i found that out more so in london were upto 15% is added to the bill
whether or not you have had good service.
now that sucks

i normally take it off and stuff them as i have never really had good service
or a meal i would rave about.(one exception was in mortlake there is an persian/iranian restaurant which is well worth going to and very inexpensive)

sorry state of affairs really.

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:19 pm

Another thing they do here in the States. If you are part of a "large" party, usually 8 - 10 or more, they automatically add a gratuity. Be watchful of this so not to double tip. Back to your first point. If they paid a decent, liveable, wage the service people would not have to rely so heavily on tips. On the other hand, if the service is really good, I always leave around 20%. If the service sucks, they get no tip from me.

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 6:23 pm

^^^ that is now being introduced to eating establishments
in this country.

Evil or Very Mad

*** BANNED *** Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 164

I have to say the service in the States is much better than in the UK

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:12 pm

I *&%$ hate tipping! Just pay people a decent bloody wage in the first place you tight sods who own restaurants and hotels etc. Its only because we all go along with it that employers can get away with it.

I always give 10% for taxis and meals here in the UK, but if its compulsory I take offense and leave nowt.

It seems compulsory in the US, I cant remember if it was Au or NZ where a waiter ran after us because we'd left him some cash on the table..

*** BANNED *** Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 164

Quote:

was Au or NZ where a waiter

Yes down under they wouldnt tip in a canoe

*** BANNED *** Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 164

Kayak for the Shermans

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:40 pm

In the states, you should be aware of where you are, or more importantly, what the tax rate is where you are. Sometimes doubling the tax won't get you to 15%. The rate changes state by state and even by county within each state.

*** BANNED *** Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 164

Thanks for that i will stick to the 15% rule of thumb

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:46 pm

I always tip well even if the service is below par. When I have pizza delivered to my house I always give the delivery person $5.00. They are appreciative of the money. One delivery person told me that they fight over who is going to delivery my order because of the tip. Now I know why my za is always hot!

Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:49 pm

In most US establishments, the wait staff makes an extremely low wage which is then supplemented by the tips. Personally, I like that approach - it allows me to pay what I think the service was worth. I remember leaving a very small tip for very poor service at one restaurant - the waitress was furious, and told us that if we didn't think the service was worth 15% then we shouldn't tip her at all. So, we didn't - I don't think that's what she really wanted!

My assumption has always been that the price of the meal would increase if the restaurant paid higher wages to the wait staff in order to cover their increased cost. Just like an increase in minimum wage - if wages go up, prices must go up as well. I'd just as soon cut out the middleman and pay what I thought the service was worth.

As Harry said above - if the service was good, and particularly for an evening meal, a 20% tip is not out of line.

edit: it's very easy to calculate a tip. Take the cost of the meal before tax, cut off the last decimal place, and there's your 10%. From that it's simple to figure either 15% o 20%. No need to worry about the tax at all.

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:22 am

I go on a lot of cruises, and participate in a few cruise-related message forums. Tipping is always a HUGE topic on there - someone starts a tipping thread every few days it seems, and they always follow the exact same path. Some people insist that without tips the service would suffer, others think it's just a scam for the cruise lines to be to advertise lower fares but getcha for more in the tips (which are automatically added to the bill on many lines). And all the different opinions in between. There are always huge arguments in the thread about how bad some people think the service would be if the incentive for big tips wasn't there, vs the others who insist that tipping is unnecessary and a rip-off.

Things have recently been going well enough for me financially that I've been able to upgrade my cruising to the luxury lines, which usually don't require tipping. In fact my favorite cruise line, Regent Seven Seas, actively dissuades passengers from tipping - if you try to tip a crew member they'll politely decline. And I can tell you from firsthand experience that the service is far BETTER on that line than on any other cruise line I've been on. The crew is happier - they pay them a decent wage and treat them like humans. They train them well, and pay close attention to the comment cards that all passengers are asked to fill out at the end of the cruise. There are no silly games being played by the crew, like sucking up to the people who they think will tip big, or treating passengers differently if they've tipped in advance.

I personally hate tipping -- I am of the ilk that believes that an establishment oughta just pay their workers what they are worth. If someone doesn't do their job well, they should simply lose it! If a customer gets bad service in other types of establishments where tipping isn't a factor, what do they do? They complain! If a business is getting complaints about a poor staff member, then there's their "tip" - fire his ass. The problem with tipping is that it's not a fair way to compensate employees. Some people will simply not tip, regardless of how great the service was. And there's nothing the service person can do about it.

But I am also aware that in the US (where I live) it is what it is. Food service workers are paid well below minimum wage. So I tip the standard 15%, unless it's really good service, then I'll go up to 20%. I don't like it, but I'm not going to stiff the waiters because of a poorly designed compensation package.

My parents always liked to tell the story of one of their early dates. My dad took my mom to the most exclusive restaurant in town, where they were served by the snootiest waiter who not only gave them poor service, but sneered at them, made fun of their inability to pronounce French-sounding menu items properly, and generally treated them badly. So at the end of the meal, my dad left two dimes on the table. As they were walking out the waiter rushed up to them, stuck out his hand with the two dimes in his palm, and said, "Sir, I believe you forgot something." My dad looked him square in the eye and said, "Why, you are right! I did."

Then he reached over and took back ONE of the dimes. Laughing

(I love that story.)

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 4:45 am

Tipped people get way less than normal wage earners. Where I live, the normal minimum wage went up to $6.50 in 2006, but the minimum wage for tipped employees is still $2.33. So nice of the state to remember to give those employees an equal raise to cover extra costs. Rolling Eyes

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:06 am

One of the (many) benefits of living Down Under is that tipping isn't automatically expected, but nevertheless very gratefully received when it's been earned by people providing excellent service. We tend to leave 10% in restaurants - and old UK habit - and I usually 'round up' taxi fares. Saves faffing around with change apart from anything else.

I've visited the US several times and understand that 15% tip is the norm although I once made the mistake of "only" tipping 10% in a restaurant that served crap food with crap service. The waiter and his menacing mates literally stood around the table and told me to adjust the tip if I knew what was good for me. This was in New York City, natch. Very Happy

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:34 pm

I actually like tipping. The waiters tend to work much better than if they were on straight wage. That's generally the case with most jobs... commissioned associates are more likely to go above and beyond than the old hourly or salary earners.

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 3:31 pm

^^^ Same thing happened to us in the Caribbean last year. I tipped the waiter 25% (excellent waiter, great service, great food) - and he chased us down as we were leaving to give me the money back. Amazing..

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:03 pm

If you want to see how the restaurant business really is in the US, just rent the move Waiting... Wink

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:05 pm

What's really bad in the States is that the IRS figures what they think the waitstaff *should* have made in tips, and expects their share of taxes from it Evil or Very Mad

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 7103 Location: Yes

Tipping is just a way of life in the U.S. That said, whenever I visit NYC I always get tipping malaise. Since I'm usually wining and dining during those visits, I'm in the clutches of the service industries (restaurants, taxis/parking, doormen, bellhops, etc). And in NYC you can't get away with just a $1 tip (not if you will have to rely upon those guys/gals again), so I'm constantly dropping $5 bills everywhere I go....it can get a bit distressing after a while.

For lunch, I tend to tip 15% (if it's a nothing-special meal). For dinner, 20% is my standard unless service is below par, in which case I'll consider 10% or less. My wife, during college, worked a seaside restaurant. She would come home with her pockets stuffed with cash -- granted she worked 6 days a week, from 4pm to 2am, but still, good money to be made.

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:49 pm

On one of our trips we were forced to layover after 13 hours of travel and take the first flight out the next day. I asked for a 5:30 A.M. wake up call and for a taxi to be called for a pick up at 7. They asked that we be down at the front desk at 6:30. We go down to find that the kitchen had made breakfast and the restaurant was opened an hour early. I left a nice tip to cover their extra consideration plus what I would have paid for a meal at the airport. As we were pulling out, the waitress stopped the taxi trying to explain to us that the meal was free. Oh, this was not in America. Was this thread about tipping in the US? I've never had service like this in a place that worked on tips. I have a cheap cow-orker that has never tipped the service staff at a hotel or motel. Don't forget to leave a little something to the people that cleaned your room and didn't steal your things.

*** BANNED *** Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 164

I remember one bartender who I tipped the right way, over a period of time gave me some free drinks he said his boss allowed this with good customers who did the right thing tipping wise

How much to tip per drink now?