To Tip or Not To Tip?! (The "tipping" discussion thread)

[Bamabuzzard]

Here we go, boys and girls! What are your thoughts on tipping?!

 

[mdb-tpet]

Tipping should only be for exceptional service, as the employees should be paid a living wage by their employers. Otherwise, they have two bosses, one who refuses to pay them what they are worth, and the customer who is at best capricious.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I tip at a "sit down" restaurant and if the service is good I'll tip 20%-25%. If it is decent/"okay" I'll tip 10%. But I'm not tipping for "begrudging" or "I don't give a crap" service. I definitely do not tip at establishments like Subway or places that historically have never been a place for tipping.

Personally, I wish the restaurants would just add 20-25% to their items, and indicate to the customers (on the menu) that is what's being done but if they want to still give them a tip, then do so.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

I wish we would do away with tipping. We are the only loser country that still does it. Italy does accept tips if you feel the service was above and beyond. I tipped a couple of times when I was there and I handed the money directly to the server or tour guide.

I don't mind "paying more" for my food. Pay your workers a decent wage.

 

[Superdad]

I tip if the service is good. The amount depends on how good the service is, not how much my bill was. If my glass stays empty for more than a few minutes & they aren't busy, they probably aren't getting tipped.

 

[Crimson1967]

I’ll tip 20-25% for good service. Usually less if it is just “OK” and even less for bad service. I have left zero on occasion.

I agree the whole system is stupid. Pay them a fair wage and adjust your prices accordingly. If the service sucks because they aren’t getting tipped, you won’t see me again.

I do not tip on carry out. Don’t tell me a server has to bag it up. That takes less than a minute. If the boss assigns a server to work the whole shift doing carry out duty, they should get paid more per hour. Or maybe hire a person just to handle the carry outs

I tip very little at buffets. Maybe a couple dollars.

Whoever came up with the idea of adding a tip option to fast food payments (seems to be more upscale fast food) needs to be shot.

 

[B1GTide]

We tip very well. We just feel fortunate and take these opportunities to help the less fortunate.

 

[Ratal]

I typically tip about 20% unless it is poor service.

I heard an interesting debate on the radio a couple of weeks ago. Someone was arguing that you should only tip on the pre-tax amount of the bill. While the amount isn't a huge difference, I found it an interesting argument.

 

[B1GTide]

To illustrate the power of tipping, a little while ago my wife and I stayed overnight in a TRU hotel at the midway point of a long drive somewhere in SC. Average hotel - nothing fancy.

The next morning, as we prepared to leave, we realized that we did not have any small bills to leave a tip for the maid. The front desk could not make change smaller than tens. So Amy decided to tip the maid service $10.

She approached the cleaning woman in the hallway and handed her the $10 bill and thanked her, then turned to leave. The woman stopped her and gave her a hug with tears in her eyes.

You never know when something inconsequential to you might be really meaningful to someone else.

 

[CrimsonNagus]

I hate tipping, the entire practice is stupid. Makes sense that it caught on in the US because we are a country full of greedy, cheap business owners. Why not pay your staff crap and then make the customer feel bad so they supplement your staff's living expenses.

It's getting out of hand with how many places ask for tips now. Sorry Five Guys, I'm never tipping there so stop throwing that screen up when I pay. Just because you have to cook and bag the food doesn't mean your earn a tip (McDonalds employees do that much). Shoot, I have to fix my own drink. It's not just Five Guys but so many place that I never even thought about tipping at now throw up that little screen asking for them. It's annoying.

Even more annoying, the percentages offered on those screens keeps going up. I was at one place were the lowest % was 25, then it listed 30% and 40%. Are you freaking crazy, 40%!!! You want me to raise my bill by 40% to cover your cheapskate boss, turning an already pricey $60 meal into an $85 meal. These places make me sick. 15% is what I tip, always have and always will. If it is a sit-down restaurant and the service was out of this world, I'll go higher. If your screen doesn't offer a 15% option then I hit the no tip button. Stop trying to bully me into tipping more. Earn it first.

When I pick up a carry out order I don't always tip, it just depends on the place and the person "serving" me. I never tip and pizza places when I pick it up myself. But I will tip a little when I order carry out at Waffle House. Well, until now. My wife and I got a to go order from Waffle House last week and I notice a "House rules" sign on the door so, I read it. One of the "rules" at the bottom read "a 10% charge is added to all to-go orders". What!!! Well, that's it, no more tips for Waffle House. I hate it when place bury things like this somewhere. WH doesn't give you an itemized receipt so you would never know unless you read this sign on their door that was no bigger than a sheet of paper. Being deceptive like that is a quick way to lose my tip.

Like I said, I hate tipping. Don't get me started on our upcoming cruise, where we chose to pay our tips up front, but most cruise fan websites/forums/Reddit say you should tip even more on top of that. Why? Why include tips upfront if you are still expected to tip again? That crap really gets under my skin. Not me, I paid them up front and that is all they get.

All tipping minimum wage laws should be abolished. The subminimum wage was set at $2.13 in 1991 and it is still the same in 2023. Why has it not been raised and why is tipping broken in the US? Because of one huge lobbing group that fights to keep it that way, the National Restaurant Association (the other bad NRA). I found this video interesting:

 

[rolltide_21]

20% for places with actual servers. I waited tables for a while and understand where they’re coming from.

I dont partipate in “guilt” tipping. Just because you made me a coffee or handed me a donut doesn’t mean you should get tipped especially when you’re making $15 per hour. Since COVID it seems all food service expects a tip. That’s ridiculous.

From the joke thread-

 

[Bamabuzzard]

This is why I'm not hard on people who choose not to tip, because what has happened is subtly the restaurant industry has shifted blame from them choosing not to pay their employees a decent wage to the customer, and a lot of society has long taken the bait, hook line, and sinker. We're shaming the wrong people...

 

[rolltide_21]

I hate tipping, the entire practice is stupid. Makes sense that it caught on in the US because we are a country full of greedy, cheap business owners. Why not pay your staff crap and then make the customer feel bad so they supplement your staff's living expenses.

It's getting out of hand with how many places ask for tips now. Sorry Five Guys, I'm never tipping there so stop throwing that screen up when I pay. Just because you have to cook and bag the food doesn't mean your earn a tip (McDonalds employees do that much). Shoot, I have to fix my own drink. It's not just Five Guys but so many place that I never even thought about tipping at now throw up that little screen asking for them. It's annoying.

Even more annoying, the percentages offered on those screens keeps going up. I was at one place were the lowest % was 25, then it listed 30% and 40%. Are you freaking crazy, 40%!!! You want me to raise my bill by 40% to cover your cheapskate boss, turning an already pricey $60 meal into an $85 meal. These places make me sick. 15% is what I tip, always have and always will. If it is a sit-down restaurant and the service was out of this world, I'll go higher. If your screen doesn't offer a 15% option then I hit the no tip button. Stop trying to bully me into tipping more. Earn it first.

When I pick up a carry out order I don't always tip, it just depends on the place and the person "serving" me. I never tip and pizza places when I pick it up myself. But I will tip a little when I order carry out at Waffle House. Well, until now. My wife and I got a to go order from Waffle House last week and I notice a "House rules" sign on the door so, I read it. One of the "rules" at the bottom read "a 10% charge is added to all to-go orders". What!!! Well, that's it, no more tips for Waffle House. I hate it when place bury things like this somewhere. WH doesn't give you an itemized receipt so you would never know unless you read this sign on their door that was no bigger than a sheet of paper. Being deceptive like that is a quick way to lose my tip.

Like I said, I hate tipping. Don't get me started on our upcoming cruise, where we chose to pay our tips up front, but most cruise fan websites/forums/Reddit say you should tip even more on top of that. Why? Why include tips upfront if you are still expected to tip again? That crap really gets under my skin. Not me, I paid them up front and that is all they get.

All tipping minimum wage laws should be abolished. The subminimum wage was set at $2.13 in 1991 and it is still the same in 2023. Why has it not been raised and why is tipping broken in the US? Because of one huge lobbing group that fights to keep it that way, the National Restaurant Association (the other bad NRA). I found this video interesting:

I worked for that wage back in college. And, if you’re honest and count & enter all your tip money at the end of each shift you will receive pay checks for $0.00. Once I got a two week check for just over $1. Most servers know this and only enter about half their total tip money each shift. Many would do 10% of their total sales for the night. I didn’t do that but most did. If you do it right, the $2.13 is there just to cover your withholdings.

 

[crimsonaudio]

We tip very well. We just feel fortunate and take these opportunities to help the less fortunate.

As I've told my wife many times - that extra $10-20 on top of the regular tip amount means the world to some people (I waited tables in college), but I'll not miss it.

That makes the decision pretty simple.

Now I don't tip all these people at every place you go now. No, I'm not tipping the cashier at the coffee shop for taking my money and handing me a cup of coffee.

 

[crimsonaudio]

I worked for that wage back in college. And, if you’re honest and count & enter all your tip money at the end of each shift you will receive pay checks for $0.00. Once I got a two week check for just over $1. Most servers know this and only enter about half their total tip money each shift. Many would do 10% of their total sales for the night. I didn’t do that but most did. If you do it right, the $2.13 is there just to cover your withholdings.

I always reported 10%.

 

[Bazza]

Somewhat related......who here HASN'T waited tables and experienced first-hand the concept of who tips and who doesn't........and it's effect on your lifestyle.....

 

[BhamToTexas]

We tip very well too. I’m with BigTide. We have been blessed and I have been a bus boy without a place to live and with a car that won’t run and can’t get to work.

But it does need to be an actual service.

I too am frustrated with the register screens that give you 20-25-30% options at the concession stand or at the concert where the person just grabbed the beer out of the fridge behind them and handed it to me. Come on, that’s not tip worthy.