OT: When did an 18% tip become mandatory?

[TonyR]

Originally Posted by DenverDynamite

Well I mean if I'm sitting at the bar actually drinking than yeah, I'd leave a 20% tip on the final bill, but I was once at a club years ago and walked up to the beer bar and ordered one (overpriced) beer and got barked at by the skanky bartender for not tipping her for handing it to me.

I'll often run a tab with my credit card, which makes it easy to just tip 20% when you settle up.

[Drunk Monkey]

Originally Posted by DenverDynamite

So a bartender who opens a crappy beer bottle gets near a 40% tip for a 2 second job? See, I don't know. I have tipped in that situation, but I have a hard time with it. Call me cheap.

I hear ya...... I usually tip on the first few rounds. Having said that if I am buying 5 beers at a time he is not getting $5, 2 at most. Unless it is really busy then I am more generous with the hope of not having to wait as long.

[Shananahan]

Originally Posted by Requiem

The amount I tip completely depends on the service I am receiving.

This is absolutely the way to go.

I've tended bars and served at many different restaurants and the concept of a flat, mandatory tip seems insane to me. It would be awesome for the servers, but it's ridiculous. Nothing made me madder as a server than to work with some lazy, careless slacker who was making as much or more than I was while I busted my ass for the customer.

Honestly, even the 15% thing is pretty absurd to me. A guy who sells a bowl of soup and a soda, then provides countless refills and crackers, etc shouldn't automatically be tipped less than a dude who sells a fancy filet and then just walks away.

[Drunk Monkey]

Originally Posted by Shananahan

This is absolutely the way to go.

I've tended bars and served at many different restaurants and the concept of a flat, mandatory tip seems insane to me. It would be awesome for the servers, but it's ridiculous. Nothing made me madder as a server than to work with some lazy, careless slacker who was making as much or more than I was while I busted my ass for the customer.

Honestly, even the 15% thing is pretty absurd to me. A guy who sells a bowl of soup and a soda, then provides countless refills and crackers, etc shouldn't automatically be tipped less than a dude who sells a fancy filet and then just walks away.

I travel a lot internationally. Without a doubt, service in the US is second to none. This is a direct result of our tip structure. I like it.

[SleepingTiger]

Tipping is pure BS. However, i do tip. When my wife and I go out, we always include the tip in budget for the night. If i don't want to tip, i better go to a fast food or cook at home.

I normally tip 15% unless the service is very good, then its 18-20%.
Bartender - $1 per drink
Haircut - $5 and up depending on price of cut. Its its great clips and the price was $7.99, its $5.
Valet - whatever change i got in my car. normally 3-5 depending on the establishment.


I have several times tip $1 on food service to make a point.

Was at saltgrass steak house here in Dallas ($30 steak), family was celebrating a promotion or something. It was later in the evening and we notice they started to clean up and get ready for closing 30 minutes before closing. My idiot waiter, got out a duster and started to dust the wall fixtures next to us. I was furious. I asked the moron if he need our help. He was oblivious and kept on dusting. Told the manager and he apologized up and down.

[broncosteven]

Originally Posted by Kaylore

How are those people with degrees in the "green jobs" initiative going to pay their rent?

"Liberal kiddies" got to find a way to make enough money to get to the point where they are gun toting conservatives who think it is still 1778.

[Requiem]

Originally Posted by broncosteven

"Liberal kiddies" got to find a way to make enough money to get to the point where they are gun toting conservatives who think it is still 1778.

Lonestar?

[Shananahan]

Originally Posted by SleepingTiger

I have several times tip $1 on food service to make a point.

More often than not this simply makes the server hate their lives and the lives of the customers even more, resulting in even worse service for everybody else.

[maven]

Originally Posted by DenverDynamite

Cool, thanks. I agree. It's like a take-out place actually no wait staff, yet they have a tip jar and a line on the credit card bill for a tip.

If you went and picked up the food why the heck would you tip?

[maven]

Originally Posted by DenverDynamite

That's another one - Bartenders - okay I get it if you go and order multiple drinks that require mixing or whatever. But what if you walk up to a bar and order a 3 dollar bud light. Is opening a beer bottle really a tip worthy service?

No. I don't. If I order one beer I don't tip. If I'm getting multiples throughout the night I will throw a dollar down.

[BroncoBeavis]

The thing I've never been clear on is housekeeping. What's the protocol there?

[Requiem]

Originally Posted by maven

No. I don't. If I order one beer I don't tip. If I'm getting multiples throughout the night I will throw a dollar down.

Depends.

Usually if I know the person bartending, I will throw them a bigger tip. People helping people -- powerful stuff.

If I'm with a group of people and ordering drinks and they are getting them all individually for the table, if a beer (Newcastle) costs me $3.50 -- I'll throw down five to make sure we get good service all night. Works every time. I've never went into a bar with friends, got a table and not had us getting awesome service because we were cool with tips. I won't do it every beer, but I will do it initially to get served well because the last thing I want to do at a bar is wave dollar bills down between two middle-aged people who smell like turds and wait a year for a drink.

[SleepingTiger]

Originally Posted by Shananahan

More often than not this simply makes the server hate their lives and the lives of the customers even more, resulting in even worse service for everybody else.

It comes down to this. If i constantly fail at my job, missing deadlines and just screwing up designs. I should get fired. If you are a waiter/waitress and you are rude and obnoxious, then maybe being a waiter isn't for you.

If someone who works in the service industry and no idea what customer service is, maybe that job isn't for them. Maybe they should work in another field that doesn't deal with customers.

I am customer, its not my responsibility to subsidize someone who is a complete fail at doing their job just because they are self entitled to a tip. BS

[Taco John]

I fundamentally start at 10% and go no lower and then give as much as 20% based on the service level. Most of the time I end up giving 15%. As someone who worked as a server for years during high school and college, I think this is completely fair.

[chadta]

1 penny for piss poor service, only because i actually had a server chase me out of a restaurant once claiming that i forgot to leave a tip, i said i know there is nothing there, but i didnt forget anything, the penny makes it crystal clear that it was a piss poor performance and the tip wasnt just forgotten.

average service gets somewhere between 15 and 20 depending on if i have cash to pay the tip, or rounded up to the nearest dollar on the credit card.

great service or just doing something that i see as above and beyond has been known to result in 33 to 50%. Repeat places where they remember my kids names get bonus.

One thing i recently found out is that sonic, americas drive in, pay based on tips, so they get the 3 dollar or whatever wage. which is really kind of sad, its fast food as far as im concerned.

[Taco John]

Except at the bar. If I'm drinking, (when I was drinking at bars), I would start with a $10 dollar tip, and then make certain to hit up the same person every time I needed another drink. Cheapest way to drink.

[SleepingTiger]

Originally Posted by Taco John

Except at the bar. If I'm drinking, (when I was drinking at bars), I would start with a $10 dollar tip, and then make certain to hit up the same person every time I needed another drink. Cheapest way to drink.

I used top tip this bartender big. It paid off big time at the end. I would drink all night and my tab will come out to $20. Tip the guy $30.

[Taco John]

Originally Posted by SleepingTiger

I used top tip this bartender big. It paid off big time at the end. I would drink all night and my tab will come out to $20. Tip the guy $30.

In college I had a bartender line me and a buddy up 7 shots apiece of Jager on a $10 tip and a $20 dollar tab.

Though as it turned out, I only rented the Jager for about a half hour...

[BroncoBeavis]

Originally Posted by Taco John

In college I had a bartender line me and a buddy up 7 shots apiece of Jager on a $10 tip and a $20 dollar tab.

Though as it turned out, I only rented the Jager for about a half hour...

I think that's just how Jager works, from what I remember. I'm not sure the human digestive tract is even capable of processing it.

[kappys]

1) Food - 18-19% standard(round down from 20 a little). I tip less as a percentage at pricy restaurants(15%) unless they have service that matches their prices(attentive, drink refills, etc) Tip a little more than that at the waffle house if my coffee cup is full because the food is so cheap. 25% good service, 5-10% for really bad service

2) Drinks - 10% for drinks ordered at the table(bottle of wine). At the bar $1 draft or mixer, for multiple beer bottles about .50 per bottle. I also had the deal where I was a regular getting drinks almost for free and tipping like 300% at the end, I don't drink much anymore so those days are gone.

3) Haircut - great clips equivalent $5, a little more at a fancier place. My fiance cuts my hair now so its been a while.

4) Bellman - $2-3 dollars per bag, $5 if you have a real heavy one. I rarely use them though.

5) Cabbie - 10% rounded up on top of their already outrageous prices

6) Valet - $3 if there is already a charge - $5-10 if not

[chadta]

Originally Posted by SleepingTiger

I used top tip this bartender big. It paid off big time at the end. I would drink all night and my tab will come out to $20. Tip the guy $30.

you were on mystery diners last night weren't you ?

pretty sure that bartender lost his job over that

[SleepingTiger]

Originally Posted by chadta

you were on mystery diners last night weren't you ?

pretty sure that bartender lost his job over that

is that a show? don't watch much tv anymore.

No he didn't get fired. However, the bar/restaurant did close down eventually.

[ColoradoDarin]

Originally Posted by SleepingTiger

is that a show? don't watch much tv anymore.

No he didn't get fired. However, the bar/restaurant did close down eventually.

That's what happens when bars sell 100 bucks worth of booze for 20.... It's also theft by the bartender.

[peacepipe]

Originally Posted by chadta

you were on mystery diners last night weren't you ?

pretty sure that bartender lost his job over that

probably not, I was a regular at one bar,almost never got a full tab. I would go there about 12 noon leave about 8 or 9 stumbling drunk,having done several shots & probably drank 12-18 beers and get a 30 dollar check. depending on where you go a bar may have a % of sales that they are allowed to give away.usually for new customers in order to get them to come back,but more often than not they use it to take care of regulars/big tippers.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Requiem

Sounds like a fun time. One of my best friends from undergraduate got his degree in English, went on to get his MA and now is doing his PhD back where we went to school together (in exactly what you are) and is teaching at the university (lower level courses) and making a pretty solid living while completing his PhD.

I hear you on the AH&SS people getting ripped on all the time. Has happened to me a lot on this board, but couldn't care less.

Maybe you'll be a rockstar professor someday or write a book more influential than 1984.

Orwell DREAMED of making it to waiter... he was just a poor plongeur in 1920s Paris. He consistently teetered on the brink of starvation.