I will admit that Ive never worked a job for tips, but I do understand the economics of the job and that most waiters and waitresses who work this way often make generally less than minimum wage salary with tips being the bulk of their compensation. I also understand that in most restaurants that the waiters must share some portion of the tips with the others staff in the dining room, whether it is busboys, servers, runners or even other random staff.
In another admission, I eat out a fair amount. It is not unusual for me to eat at least 4 and as many as 8 meals a week in a restaurant. Some weeks much less, others, such as when Im traveling on business, all my meals except for room service breakfasts. So, I have a fairly highly developed sense of what kinds of service I like and what kinds of inattention and attention displease me. I also understand that apart from speaking to the manager I have no real leverage in getting better service or in rewarding good service then by my tipping at the end of the meal.
But, like many blunt instruments, tipping is a poor way to deal with many frustrating, irritating or unpleasant meals. In many cases the reason for dissatisfaction is not the service but the food. And, except in the rarest of cases, that isnt the servers fault. Also, there are times where due to poor management or bad luck a restaurant doesnt have enough servers and yours is either overburdened or has a table for 18 that she is dealing with by herself before yours so that you will be unable to get her attention or your food before the big table is served each course. Here, while it may not be the servers fault, it is clearly something within her purview and the inferior experience is predicated on a lapse in service. The fact that the waiter may be quite pleasant doesnt change the fact that youve had a lousy experience because the service was terrible.
The amount that people tip varies widely from country to country, region of the US to region, and from city to city. Some tip based on the full amount of the bill including food, beverages and tax, others solely based on food and beverage before tax and still others solely based on food. For some its a strict 15%, others 20% and yet others always leave a rounded off dollar amount or an amount that makes the total bill a rounded off amount.
So, whats your standard tip?
How do you calculate that?
Whats the range that youll go to from the best to the worst?
What factors influence how much you tip?
And, if youve ever left no tip or a clearly nominal amount(a nickel or a penny), what caused you to do that?
For me, I hover around 20% of the food and beverage amount without tax generally evening out the total amount of the bill to a full dollar amount.
I will go as low, generally as slightly below 15% and as high as about 22%. If Im going low I will calculate 15% and then consciously lower it by some amount, like a nickel or a dollar.
The speed with which the server comes to the table when it should be apparent that I or another diner is looking for something, like a piece of cutlery, napkin, another iced tea, or some ketchup to cover the lack of flavor of the food, etc. is one. The willingness to accommodate me or some other diners special requests or even just what choices are made on the menu. And, how they may help when you order something that isnt really a good choice or suggest something that may be special and really good(and not just the expensive special that the chef is pushing to get the old stuff out of the back of the walk in refrigerator). Failure to refill the water glasses or check up on refills of iced tea are major negatives, especially after Ive told the waiter that its important.
I have on the rarest of occasions left essentially no tip, but left a nickel or a penny, when the experience was terrible, the service was rude, surly or aggressively uncooperative. In those cases I have always spoken to the manager on the way out to describe that I have consciously left essentially a zero tip because the waiter/waitress made the meal so unpleasant and documented the prime reasons. In each of those cases but one the manager comped my meal and apologized and asked that I give the restaurant another try.
Your thoughts?
In another admission, I eat out a fair amount. It is not unusual for me to eat at least 4 and as many as 8 meals a week in a restaurant. Some weeks much less, others, such as when Im traveling on business, all my meals except for room service breakfasts. So, I have a fairly highly developed sense of what kinds of service I like and what kinds of inattention and attention displease me. I also understand that apart from speaking to the manager I have no real leverage in getting better service or in rewarding good service then by my tipping at the end of the meal.
But, like many blunt instruments, tipping is a poor way to deal with many frustrating, irritating or unpleasant meals. In many cases the reason for dissatisfaction is not the service but the food. And, except in the rarest of cases, that isnt the servers fault. Also, there are times where due to poor management or bad luck a restaurant doesnt have enough servers and yours is either overburdened or has a table for 18 that she is dealing with by herself before yours so that you will be unable to get her attention or your food before the big table is served each course. Here, while it may not be the servers fault, it is clearly something within her purview and the inferior experience is predicated on a lapse in service. The fact that the waiter may be quite pleasant doesnt change the fact that youve had a lousy experience because the service was terrible.
The amount that people tip varies widely from country to country, region of the US to region, and from city to city. Some tip based on the full amount of the bill including food, beverages and tax, others solely based on food and beverage before tax and still others solely based on food. For some its a strict 15%, others 20% and yet others always leave a rounded off dollar amount or an amount that makes the total bill a rounded off amount.
So, whats your standard tip?
How do you calculate that?
Whats the range that youll go to from the best to the worst?
What factors influence how much you tip?
And, if youve ever left no tip or a clearly nominal amount(a nickel or a penny), what caused you to do that?
For me, I hover around 20% of the food and beverage amount without tax generally evening out the total amount of the bill to a full dollar amount.
I will go as low, generally as slightly below 15% and as high as about 22%. If Im going low I will calculate 15% and then consciously lower it by some amount, like a nickel or a dollar.
The speed with which the server comes to the table when it should be apparent that I or another diner is looking for something, like a piece of cutlery, napkin, another iced tea, or some ketchup to cover the lack of flavor of the food, etc. is one. The willingness to accommodate me or some other diners special requests or even just what choices are made on the menu. And, how they may help when you order something that isnt really a good choice or suggest something that may be special and really good(and not just the expensive special that the chef is pushing to get the old stuff out of the back of the walk in refrigerator). Failure to refill the water glasses or check up on refills of iced tea are major negatives, especially after Ive told the waiter that its important.
I have on the rarest of occasions left essentially no tip, but left a nickel or a penny, when the experience was terrible, the service was rude, surly or aggressively uncooperative. In those cases I have always spoken to the manager on the way out to describe that I have consciously left essentially a zero tip because the waiter/waitress made the meal so unpleasant and documented the prime reasons. In each of those cases but one the manager comped my meal and apologized and asked that I give the restaurant another try.
Your thoughts?
