tipping 25%

[cheyne]

I agree with WillNilly on the luxuries aspect.  We start at 20% and go up or down from there.  I have rarely tipped less than 15%, as DH and I are pretty easy to serve and don't need a lot of attention.  I don't get my nails or hair done so I am not sure what the percent should be for those services.  At the airport or hotel I tip $2. per bag (or $5 for two bags).  When we travel I always have a bunch of $1 and $5 bills on me for tipping.

[menley]

I currently live in Europe and the standard is 10%, so the concept of 25% being expected is just sort of mind-boggling at the moment 

The creeping upwards in "acceptable" tips drives me crazy. When I was a kid it was acceptable to tip 10%, by the time I was in high school / college 15% was considered the norm. When I left the US 7 years later it was 20%, and now only two years later I'm being told it's 25%?

I understand that the servers' cost of living increases, I really do. But so does mine, and so does the cost of the meal, so as a previous poster said, the amount of the tip is increasing too even if you don't increase the percentage. At some point I'm going to be priced out of eating out, and I'm firmly in the middle of the middle class.

[Hmmmmm]

Does any one have a limit how how much they would tip?

I have a bottom limit. Like DH and I grab lunch at a taqueria last week and our entire bill was $14 but we left a $4 tip which is my minimum but a sit down lunch service but works out to 40%.

But there have been business dinners with a group of 4 that we've ran up a tab where a 20% tip comes to over $100 for a 2 hour dinner. Every time I sign one of those tickets I realize the server is making a pretty high per hour salary just on serving our single table. I always wonder if one day I'm going to hit my upper limit and just rebel against the 20%. I quit going to one place near our office because the waiter asked if I'd like him to add 25 or 30% to the tab. Considering I was hosting a large group and the tab was over $1400, I was fine with telling him 20% since that was the restaurant policy for a group of 8 or more.

[noydb]

I quit going to one place near our office because the waiter asked if I'd like him to add 25 or 30% to the tab. Considering I was hosting a large group and the tab was over $1400, I was fine with telling him 20% since that was the restaurant policy for a group of 8 or more.

The nerve!!!!  Seriously, I'm with you, that would end my business relationship with that restaurant.  *shaking my head*

[magician5]

I never eat anyplace where a 25% tip instead of a 20% tip would break me (for me, an expensive dinner check is $20).

I get "my table" at a selection of the local ethnic joints, and they really repay an extra dollar or two with a warm welcome. I also go with my wife to Red Robin, and we return often because they fall all over themselves to serve us well even though (with her bariatric mini-stomach) we only eat, between us, a small entrée for one. In return, I simply can't repay all that friendly (and often extra) service with $2.40 on a $12 bill.

[Hmmmmm]

I never eat anyplace where a 25% tip instead of a 20% tip would break me (for me, an expensive dinner check is $20).

I get "my table" at a selection of the local ethnic joints, and they really repay an extra dollar or two with a warm welcome. I also go with my wife to Red Robin, and we return often because they fall all over themselves to serve us well even though (with her bariatric mini-stomach) we only eat, between us, a small entrée for one. In return, I simply can't repay all that friendly (and often extra) service with $2.40 on a $12 bill.

I completely agree on not using a standard percentage on a low tab. For under $20 I always tip at least 4-5 dollars for table service. But with our family of 4 we seldom dine out with a tab of less than $65. 4 burgers, fries and drinks at our favorite counter burger spot is $43.

[Library Dragon]

Honestly, I wish if they aren't going to switch away from tipping that instead we go to a flat rate per person or per hour. I never could figure out why I should pay more for them to take and bring an order for a prime rib versus a burger.

I agree with this.  It takes the same amount of effort to take a burger and a prime rib out to the customer.  I will pay 25% or even more if I have a very inexpensive order and good service.  I'll often tip more than 25% if we just go out for breakfast, dessert, or have an otherwise inexpensive meal.  If we go out to dinner, especially at a pricier place, I figure the server makes plenty with an 15-18% tip.

POD

It takes no more energy to open a $50 bottle of wine as a $30 bottle of wine. 

When I have the local lunch special for $10 I always tip at least $3. A higher percentage, but well earned.  If I double the tax it's 16.5-18%.  I usually round up depending on how good the service is versus how much of that is high priced, low service items.  It usually ends up at 20%, but 25% is excessive.

[miranova]

I won't be increasing my tip to 25%.  I know there are exceptions, but in general, most servers I know make more money than I do, and my job isn't a picnic either.  I haven't gotten a raise in 5 years.  Raising the tip percentage from 20 to 25% (assuming we accept 20% as the current standard which is debatable) would actually be a 25% increase in tipping income for servers.  I've never gotten a raise that substantial in my life.  I'm currently hoping and praying for a 2% raise this year.  I think it's getting out of hand.  The rest of us work hard too.  Let's keep things in perspective.

[Diane AKA Traska]

I generally tip 20%, but that's because I like the "drop the last digit and double it" simplicity. 

25%?  That's once a decade level of tipping (would likely be a little more often if we ate out a lot).

[BabyMama]

I tip 20% and up for good service, but I'm frequently a single diner, and live in a smallish city where people remember you (and I'm a minority race in a pretty white area, so the likelihood of that happening is fairly high), so I see it as a small investment for good service next time too. If my meal costs $8 or less, I'll round up to the next dollar for the tip. If service has been especially good, I'll throw in an extra two or three.)

I was reading article comments on Facebook the other week; it was one of those where the picture of the ticket was posted online, and people were angry because the tipper had left less than $5 (but they had tipped something like 23%.) Apparently some feel that you must leave $5 or 20%+, whichever is more. Um, no.

[menley]

Does any one have a limit how how much they would tip?

I have a bottom limit. Like DH and I grab lunch at a taqueria last week and our entire bill was $14 but we left a $4 tip which is my minimum but a sit down lunch service but works out to 40%.

<snip>

Yes, I have a bottom limit as well. I often get delivery when my husband is working late or out of town, and food is super cheap here, so the total cost of my meal is $5-7. The standard here for delivery is just to round up your amount to the next bill, but that would be like, a $0.30 tip. I always give the equivalent of $2 in that situation.

[bopper]

No, sorry, not going to tip 25%.  I have raised my tipping to 18-20% over the last few years, but as restaurant prices keep going up, tips go up too so I don't see the need to increase the %.  The only place I tip more is a little diner my friends and I go to for breakfast often.  The whole meal costs $5 (including coffee) so I generally tip $2-3 because I can't bring myself to leave those great waitresses a $1 tip.

I agree with this. The % stays the same (15-18%) but your take home amount is more because the price of the food is more.  This is why I don't tip more in NYC either...the price is double so you get more take home tip.

[cabbageweevil]

I currently live in Europe and the standard is 10%, so the concept of 25% being expected is just sort of mind-boggling at the moment 

The creeping upwards in "acceptable" tips drives me crazy. When I was a kid it was acceptable to tip 10%, by the time I was in high school / college 15% was considered the norm. When I left the US 7 years later it was 20%, and now only two years later I'm being told it's 25%?

I'm east of the Atlantic, too -- in the UK.  As I've mentioned before on eHell -- the business about tipping in restaurants in the US, comes to be for me rather a disincentive re visiting the US, even if I could afford such a trip.  Have been reading discussions about this issue on various Internet sites, ever since my first discovering the Net a fair few years ago. At my "first discovering" time, 15% was generally quoted as the acceptable standard tip; then it became 20%; now 25% is being talked of (to my relief, the majority of posters on this thread are not in favour).  I can't help but wonder, though -- how long before the acceptable standard becomes 50%?  100%?  This thing truly strikes me as something of a bugbear, as regards visits to the States.

[TurtleDove]

I agree with this. The % stays the same (15-18%) but your take home amount is more because the price of the food is more.  This is why I don't tip more in NYC either...the price is double so you get more take home tip.

The cost of living is higher in NYC too though, which is why the cost of eating out is higher.

[gellchom]

I had a fellow professional-like server tell me once that you dont want have the tipping system go away bc then servers have no incentive to serve you awesomely.

That's pretty sad.  I always give my clients my best because that's what they are paying for, and because I take pride in my work.  I'm sorry restaurant servers don't see it that way.  But I bet most do and your friend is an exception (or doesn't report tips on their tax return!).  Anyway, by that logic, I shouldn't tip anything at all if I am not planning on ever returning to that restaurant, right?

Nope, sorry, the tip isn't a bribe for better service than others are getting (and, I suppose by definition, the extra attention I would be buying for myself would take away from others' service).  It's to pay for service.  And it just seems to me that the tipping system is an unfair system that underpays some servers, overpays others, confuses and bullies customers, and pretty much brings out the worst in everyone.  I'll continue to try to tip generously and fairly, but I sure wish we could dump the tipping system in favor of just paying servers, salon workers, and so forth fairly to do their jobs as we do in most fields.

The tips I resent a bit are the ones for something I don't even want -- like a restroom attendant, an airport van driver who grabs my carryon away from me when I don't need help, or required valet parking in a restaurant lot where I could easily (and more quickly) just park and get the car myself.  I still tip them, but I feel kind of trapped.

And I definitely agree about tip jars at locations like those Redneck Gravy listed.