John from Cincinnati Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 This conversation extends beyond servers. The delivery driver who'll be bringing my order tomorrow night is probably going to be stupid busy. Extra big New Years tip for that person. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stefanie Without Stefanie Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 1 hour ago, OSJ said: Another salient point is that customers at the seafood place knew that they were going to a nice place and prepared to spend accordingly. Folks going to the pizza place were looking to grab some grub on the way home. When I tended bar in a neighborhood joint I did more in tips (by far) than I earned hourly. When I tended bar in a college joint, despite it being packed most evenings the tips sucked and I had to split with the waitstaff and bussers. College kids are the fucking worst, demanding and cheap bastards on top of that. Like I said, if you can't afford to take care of your server, stay the fuck home. Your very presence is costing your server money. Tables did turn pretty quickly at the pizza place compared to the seafood restaurant. I could easily have two seatings at a four top at the pizza place in the time it would take to have one seating at the seafood place, just because the seafood place would have four or five courses involved compared to a pizza and maybe some wings and a couple of rounds of beers. That said, the pizza place was also where the tables would get completely trashed too. Ever had to clean up a table completely covered in a layer of blue cheese dressing from some folks who think it's hilarious? The pizza place also had a lot of cruel pranks, like people who would leave full glasses of water turned upside down, so the moment you lift the glass all the water comes rushing out (and the tip would be inside of the glass, usually a dollar or two in paper money that is now soaking wet on a $50-60 check). There would also be folks (usually on Sunday lunches) that would give religious tracts that were designed to look like money instead of actual tips. That didn't happen at the seafood restaurant. There would be fussy customers, but very rarely did I get tipped below 15% there. Bad tips, or tips wrapped in pranks like the aforementioned water glass, didn't really give me a lot of feedback as a server. What would give me feedback would be when someone would speak to the manager, or when a customer would tell me that I made a mistake. Those are things that were actionable. A bad tip gave me nothing actionable to work on or to improve. I could always tell a bad tip was coming, too, if I would drop the check off and nobody at the table would look at me. As far as my own tipping methods... since waiting tables was how I kept afloat for a couple of years, I tip pretty high. My standard is around 25%, rounded up to the nearest dollar. With delivery, I do $5 to start and $1 for every additional item I order, plus an extra $3 if it's inclement weather. So if I order two pizzas and a soda, and it's raining, that driver's getting $10 from me, because I didn't have to go outside to get it. Getting food delivered or eating out is something I rarely do as I'm very specific about what I eat, so if I'm going to do so, I'm going to make sure the people who are taking care of me are getting something in return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swift Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 4 hours ago, OSJ said: If you're going to be a cheap bastard like Swiftian, may I suggest that Taco Bell has a delightful carryout service. Are you incapable of engaging in civil discussion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChesterCopperpot Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 17 hours ago, OSJ said: Like I said, if you can't afford to take care of your server, stay the fuck home. Your very presence is costing your server money. Here's me thinking that's what an employer should be doing. But what do I know - I'm a cheap prick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSJ Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 15 hours ago, Swiftian said: Are you incapable of engaging in civil discussion? Oh, quite capable of it, it's just more fun goading you. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxB Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 I know a guy who when he's drunk and in town, rather than walk home or get a taxi, he goes into the Pizza shop, orders some food, and asks if they can deliver it to his house. Then somehow persuades them to also deliver him to his house at the same time. He must be a big tipper, though because they keep letting him do it. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swift Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 3 hours ago, OSJ said: Oh, quite capable of it, it's just more fun goading you. Oh, so instead of discussing in good faith, you were just looking to be rude to liven up your day? That's fairly poor behaviour when everyone else was engaging in a reasonable discussion. I made a decision a few years ago to only ever be polite in online discussions. There's too much argumentative behaviour online and I didn't want to add to it. You can continue to goad if you wish but note that it'll be a one sided affair. Enjoy the new year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSJ Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 Just taking the piss, as it were. Much of what I said was sincere and in good faith, a little bit was poking monkeys with a stick. Enjoy the new year and learn to not be such a cheapskate (unless you enjoy getting boogers in your food). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabe Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Tipping 15-18% is not being a cheapskate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSmUgly Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 I tip 20% when dining in within the United States or Canada unless I'm at a restaurant where there is a gratuity added explicitly in order to provide for the workers' health care, etc., which is fairly common at restaurants in my neck of the woods. I tip 25-30% when I have really great service and a great experience. I tip a couple of bucks for takeout. In countries where tips are not commonly given, I still give 5-ish percent because I'm American and leaving without tipping seems wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 (edited) Is it more heelish to tip nothing at all, or an amount that's dickishly tiny? Edited January 3, 2020 by West Newbury Bad Boy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSmUgly Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 23 minutes ago, West Newbury Bad Boy said: Is it more heelish to tip nothing at all, or an amount that's dickishly tiny? I'd think that in the case of the U.S., tipping nothing might just indicate that you're cheap; tipping 5-10% indicates that you thought the service sucked. Or am I wrong on this? That's my logic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 (edited) This is fine and dandy for restaurants, but what about other places? I was a pretty heavy international business traveler when I was in the private sector and I still do quite a bit of international travel in this hemisphere now that I am a public sector IT gumbah. It's always been my experience whenever I am in someplace like Jamaica or the Philippines, that a little cash goes a long way. I'll often break out twenty bucks or something to my service person with the subtle "there's more where that came from" nod if they take good care of me. When you look out for people, they tend to look out for you. I'm never at a loss for fresh linen, an extra towel, or additional goodies in my wet bar or suite kitchen when I spread a little US commerce around. It doesn't even take that much to establish some goodwill since most of those countries pay slave wages anyway. Edited January 2, 2020 by J.T. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSJ Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 3 hours ago, Smelly McUgly said: I tip 20% when dining in within the United States or Canada unless I'm at a restaurant where there is a gratuity added explicitly in order to provide for the workers' health care, etc., which is fairly common at restaurants in my neck of the woods. I tip 25-30% when I have really great service and a great experience. I tip a couple of bucks for takeout. In countries where tips are not commonly given, I still give 5-ish percent because I'm American and leaving without tipping seems wrong. Actually, be careful of the latter... In some places tipping is considered grossly insulting. (I'm not sure why giving one money is considered insulting, hey, insult me all day long...) You're in Seattle or Bellevue, right? Home to excellent restaurants and generally speaking, top-notch service. I don't know how many of my favorite places remain, but we used to just love Stella's on Roosevelt next to the theatres. Went there often enough to get the royal treatment. Excellent food and very reasonably priced. Used to be open 24 hours which is always a hit with me as we keep pretty odd hours; nothing quite like deciding that you want garlic pasta and Italian sausage at 3AM and having a place open that has that very thing on the menu! Also, where else do you get espresso at 3AM? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stefanie Without Stefanie Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 5 hours ago, Smelly McUgly said: I'd think that in the case of the U.S., tipping nothing might just indicate that you're cheap; tipping 5-10% indicates that you thought the service sucked. Or am I wrong on this? That's my logic. Both indicated a cheap table to me, but leaving nothing left it open to chance that someone swiped the tip from the table before I could bus it (which happens sometimes at the pizza place). I mentioned this earlier, but the only thing that truly indicated to me that something was wrong with my service was when someone outright told me something was wrong, or asked to speak to my manager about their meal. Leaving a bad tip after telling me that everything was fine when I delivered the check didn't give me anything actionable to work on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSJ Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 13 hours ago, Tabe said: Tipping 15-18% is not being a cheapskate. If you're going 18%, might just as well round up to 20%. Easier to figure and the small difference is appreciated by your server. FWIW: Nothing says "cheap bastard" like a calculator at a restaurant. If you can't figure out 10-15-20% without a calculator, may I suggest that a remedial math course is in order. If I'm tipping as low as 15%, it's because the service and/or food left a lot to be desired and I probably won't be visiting the establishment again. The last time that occurred was when Kathy and I took her oldest sister out to dinner and they literally forgot her order. You would think that with three people at the table and only two plates of food being served that the server might have gleaned that there was something amiss. As it was, Shirley got her entree when we having dessert, not at all acceptable, nor was the excuse about a "new waitstaff" when we called to complain the following day. They finally made it right and sent us a comp dinner coupon, but really, that has to be a low for ineptitude at what was supposed to be a fairly upscale place. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSmUgly Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, OSJ said: Actually, be careful of the latter... In some places tipping is considered grossly insulting. (I'm not sure why giving one money is considered insulting, hey, insult me all day long...) You're in Seattle or Bellevue, right? Home to excellent restaurants and generally speaking, top-notch service. I don't know how many of my favorite places remain, but we used to just love Stella's on Roosevelt next to the theatres. Went there often enough to get the royal treatment. Excellent food and very reasonably priced. Used to be open 24 hours which is always a hit with me as we keep pretty odd hours; nothing quite like deciding that you want garlic pasta and Italian sausage at 3AM and having a place open that has that very thing on the menu! Also, where else do you get espresso at 3AM? Yeah, but I'm on the east side, and the very thought of going into Seattle tires me. Oh, I'll go, but if I'm going to go that far, it'll usually to the ID for Chinese food or to my favorite ramen place or even to the one good Tom Douglas restaurant in Belltown which serves Mexican of all things. 1 hour ago, Stefanie the Human said: Both indicated a cheap table to me, but leaving nothing left it open to chance that someone swiped the tip from the table before I could bus it (which happens sometimes at the pizza place). I mentioned this earlier, but the only thing that truly indicated to me that something was wrong with my service was when someone outright told me something was wrong, or asked to speak to my manager about their meal. Leaving a bad tip after telling me that everything was fine when I delivered the check didn't give me anything actionable to work on. Yeah, but most of us are too passive-aggressive for that. Honestly, I'm not telling waitstaff that something is wrong. I'm not interested in confrontation, for one, and for two, usually I'll just give 12-ish percent and not go back ever (or if it's a place that I like going that has a pretty bad off-night, give fifteen percent and not go back for months or even a year or two). I never said that I was a perfect (or great...or even good) customer, in my defense. Your point about not actually having useful feedback is more than fair. Edited January 2, 2020 by Smelly McUgly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 For context, the since-deleted image above was the sign about tipping in the crowd during last night's Dynamite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxB Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 (edited) 30 minutes ago, West Newbury Bad Boy said: For context, the since-deleted image above was the sign about tipping in the crowd during last night's Dynamite. "MJF tips 5%", was it? And now, a joke in a spoiler box: Spoiler What did the leper say to the Prostitute? "You can keep the tip" Edited January 3, 2020 by AxB 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig H Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 If our bill is small, like if we only went somewhere for a drink and our total bill was something like $10 then we typically just tip $10 because we took up seats that could have gone to someone else that would have ordered more food and drink. For anything more than that, it's usually 20 to 25% that we're tipping. We usually round it up to a penny over the dollar amount because the way our checking account works, that puts $.99 into our savings account. If our bill was really large, like $100 to $200 for the two of us and the service was great then we'll try to tip even more. The only time we've ever tipped less than 20% would be the time not that long ago where I think we tipped $1. I still feel guilty about that, but the waiter, manager, and person from the kitchen were all assholes, there were 6 of us that waited forever for our food and it was really the only place to eat, they brought out 5 of our meals and made no mention of the 6th meal, and when we asked about being comped they were like, "well, we served you your food so if you want something we can give you a free dessert." Like, go fuck yourself at that point. You're lucky you're getting $1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niners Fan in CT Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 I go 20% fairly flat rate. Whether the service was bad or good I still go 20% because I feel it's the right thing to do and usually mistakes are not the fault of the waiter/waitress. I'll consider going above 20% if I don't feel like making the change or the service was exceptional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSJ Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 6 hours ago, Smelly McUgly said: Yeah, but I'm on the east side, and the very thought of going into Seattle tires me. Oh, I'll go, but if I'm going to go that far, it'll usually to the ID for Chinese food or to my favorite ramen place or even to the one good Tom Douglas restaurant in Belltown which serves Mexican of all things. Yeah, but most of us are too passive-aggressive for that. Honestly, I'm not telling waitstaff that something is wrong. I'm not interested in confrontation, for one, and for two, usually I'll just give 12-ish percent and not go back ever (or if it's a place that I like going that has a pretty bad off-night, give fifteen percent and not go back for months or even a year or two). I never said that I was a perfect (or great...or even good) customer, in my defense. Your point about not actually having useful feedback is more than fair. IIRC, didn't the Malay Satay Hut move to the East Side? That place was so good that it made the trip to the ID on a Saturday afternoon worthwhile. The fact that it was next door to the Wong Tung Seafood Market was an added bonus. Any place where you can actually select the Dungeness or Snow Crab that you want to take out is A-OK with me. The frogs and eels, not so much. I'm afraid that I also avoided the soft-shell turtles. I was raised to believe that a turtle belongs in a terraium, not on my plate; just sayin'... We were there one afternoon when this elderly Chinese woman ordered up a bag of a dozen frogs and several soft-shelled turtles. Did you know that turtles hiss like rather loud snakes? I didn't until I heard the racket that they started making being in the same bag with the frogs (who were croaking rather dismally as though they somehow knew that their afternoon was going to end badly). Anyway, the Singapore Noodles at the Malay Satay Hut is to die for... I wish that I could replicate the recipe, I can come sort of close, but not close enough... You mention Belltown, is Two Dagos from Texas still around? An absolutely great place that surprised me by their sheer audacity in maintaining a menu with a simply ridiculous amount of entrees ranging from fresh seafood to pizza and tacos. Such a lunatic venture is worthy of support! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSmUgly Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 Malay Satay Hut is on this side, IIRC, but I haven't seen the Belltown restaurant that you mention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolfan in NYC Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 I'm coming in here because I don't like any of you right now. I'm an overtipper, because I've done tip-based jobs and they suck. The reason Americans tip is because in full service restaurants the server usually gets paid significantly (50-80%) below minimum wage. Why this happens is a long, hard political debate which we will not re-hash here. Also, of note, servers also get taxed on their tips, which is fucked up. So, here's Dolfan's guide to tipping. Start at the number I quote and round up to the next dollar. Breakfast - 18% Lunch - 20% Dinner - 22%-25% (and up) If service is EXCEPTIONAL, add 5-10%. -- If you can't afford to tip in America, you cannot afford to go out to eat, as you are actively hurting another person's income. Download the Tip n' Split app (Android) or Tip Calculator Gold (iOS) to help you out. - Oh, and stop bumping dead threads. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts