What's the usual tip to give at restaurants in the US?

[GAbOS]

to answer the OP, 15% for doing standard job. up to 30% for killing it. for shitty attitude/poor service a 10% insult tip.

Zing! I absolutely agree with this.

[agent]

-what about the establishments where one person takes your order and brings the bill but some other "server" actually schlepps the food to the table? who am I tipping? do they split it?

Honestly it shouldn't really matter. If you received what you ordered promptly, that's for them to hash out. Some establishments (typically fine dining) have a dedicated food runner, who as mentioned previously in the thread are typically paid from a tip share. Otherwise it's simply a part of the teamwork necessary to make a restaurant run smoothly.

- how about the "server" who lets you know first greeting he thinks you're a turd? or hits on your woman? actually, in that case, he just lost his establishment a customer. and he'll get my 10% insult tip.

Which obviously would be deserved.

...15% for doing standard job. up to 30% for killing it. for shitty attitude/poor service a 10% insult tip...

Exactly.

[agent]

I don't. Begrudge anyone their living and if some folks want to tip 30% to you for your service, that is fantastic, but please don't assume that means that is the "standard"

No one is arguing that 30% is the standard.

[M-technik-3]

I tend to tip in cash vs putting this way it's exactly that undisclosed income. Server needs to be honest or dishonest when declaring their tip money on taxes.

I generally follow the 2 for 10 or 20% rule, but on occasion I will tip poorly if service is that bad like most. I try not to hold it against the restaurant but we have a few we do not go to anymore because of just plain horrible service.

[z31maniac]

How in the real fuck do you take a job that pays 2.12 per hour?

The restaurants are fucking the servers, not the guests by not tipping 25-40%

The bottom line is a great deal of people do shitty low paying jobs for not a lot of money, and do not get any bonus, or tip, or even an odd "good job today"

I am sorry some restaurant employees in some states make so little, in fact. I think that is dammed near criminal.

But...

You need to be focusing your frustration on the owners of the establishment and not the people creating the revenue stream.

It does sound like there are some real douchebag patrons out there, however I have never in my life thought it might be fun to not tip a server just to mess up their day or for kicks.

I remember when the "standard"was 10%. And then servers started saying it was 15 now they say the standard is 20,25,30,40? Really?

I don't. Begrudge anyone their living and if some folks want to tip 30% to you for your service, that is fantastic, but please don't assume that means that is the "standard" No one is entitled to anything from any customer that the customer does not feel the server earned.

Also, I will say that in the early 90's I and my ex could walk out at the end of the night with a $150 each on a decent night. Hard to feel sorry for. And that is when the average was up to a mighty. 10%

Yes, because the big restaurant lobbies have successfully lobbied Congress to exempt people who get tips from being paid the standard minimum wage.

Servers $2.13/hr minimum wage hasn't been raised in 20 years.

So yes, the "Respectable" tip amount has gone up.

Again this idea of "why take the damn job then" well, because if no one did you wouldn't have a restaurant to go eat at. I side with Harvey Keitel in the Reservoir Dogs scene (Can't think, Mr. White?).

[e30lov]

Guess I'll never knew how hard it really is to be friendly, take orders, and bring food and drinks to a table.

[Sideways87]

lol @ people saying serving is an easy job.
Guarantee those people have never worked in the industry.

Agree

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[RUFFLZ]

lol @ people saying serving is an easy job.
Guarantee those people have never worked in the industry.

[Pac1373]

How in the real fuck do you take a job that pays 2.12 per hour?

The restaurants are fucking the servers, not the guests by not tipping 25-40%

The bottom line is a great deal of people do shitty low paying jobs for not a lot of money, and do not get any bonus, or tip, or even an odd "good job today"

I am sorry some restaurant employees in some states make so little, in fact. I think that is dammed near criminal.

But...

You need to be focusing your frustration on the owners of the establishment and not the people creating the revenue stream.

It does sound like there are some real douchebag patrons out there, however I have never in my life thought it might be fun to not tip a server just to mess up their day or for kicks.

I remember when the "standard"was 10%. And then servers started saying it was 15 now they say the standard is 20,25,30,40? Really?

I don't. Begrudge anyone their living and if some folks want to tip 30% to you for your service, that is fantastic, but please don't assume that means that is the "standard" No one is entitled to anything from any customer that the customer does not feel the server earned.

Also, I will say that in the early 90's I and my ex could walk out at the end of the night with a $150 each on a decent night. Hard to feel sorry for. And that is when the average was up to a mighty. 10%

[evandael]

I cut my own hair I should tip myself.
What's that?

why are you even talking, tool?

so irrelevant.

[Sideways87]

I worked in the service industry for three years and my wife has been doing it for eight. In a sit down restaurant 15% a respectable tip, if you cant tip that stay home. Serving is alot more than taking your order and bringing food. If your a regular customer that tips poorly and the servers know you by name its because they see you come in the door and are telling the host/hostess not to sit you with them. Also if your a known crappy tipper you will get crappy service everytime you go. Here in Tennessee you get paid $2.13 an hour and uncle sam takes all that plus some. When you stiff a server that cost them money out of their pocket, they have to tipout bartenders, host, and bussers based on their shifts sales. At most restaurants everybody runs other servers food so that your food doesnt just sit in the window. When you come in being an asswipe guess what your gonna get an asswipe server in return. If your a big tipper yes you get better service but thats also because usually they are more personable and you enjoy them being seated at your table. When we go out we always tip 25% or a $10 min. because we know how hard it is.

[Raxe]

I tip whatever I feel like, never understood the need for a percentage thing. As a single guy who pays for mostly my own meals, I can't see why serving a $50 plate and a $10 drink automatically entitles a server to a higher tip than a $15 plate and a $3 drink. You're carrying one plate and one, maybe two glasses; why does it matter how much the food costs?

That being said I'll usually tip no less than $5, no more than $10 and I don't ask for special favours.

[2761377]

holy crap! it took until post 77 for mr. pink to enter the house. almost everything of value to be said in this argument tarantino throws out there. except-

-what about the establishments where one person takes your order and brings the bill but some other "server" actually schlepps the food to the table? who am I tipping? do they split it?

- how about the "server" who lets you know first greeting he thinks you're a turd? or hits on your woman? actually, in that case, he just lost his establishment a customer. and he'll get my 10% insult tip.

to answer the OP, 15% for doing standard job. up to 30% for killing it. for shitty attitude/poor service a 10% insult tip. in extreme cases, after the "server" has my insult tip in hand, i'll ask him to have the manager come out and then throw him under the bus.

just having the job does not entitle a person to a specific tip percentage- it must be earned. the "servers" whose comments in this thread show an entitlement attitude are those most likely to spit in the customer's food.

conversely, i have been hooked up by the vast majority of "servers" and truly appreciate being taken care of. to them i say "thank you very much" with $.

[Thizzelle]

today i got a haircut and tipped the woman. on a $45 dollar cut i gave her a $12 tip.. or it might have been $31, i'm not sure if one of the ones was a twenty.

either way, i'm sure she'll remember me the next time i go in there, and not as the cheap bastard who didn't tip.

I cut my own hair I should tip myself.
What's that?

[agent]

Lets stop basing things on your opinion as we can both clearly and definitively tell ours are on opposite ends.

Since you posted facts link me to facts showing 15% is the national average, and of what year were these studies done? pre or post recession?

Here are the first three links returned from a Google search of "what is the industry standard for tipping?"

1. http://www.itipping.com/tip-guide-restaurant.htm
2. http://www.tip20.com/tipping-standards
3. http://www.askmen.com/money/how_to/4_how_to.html

Thanks for the fun fact on database, the furtherest I went in programming was C++ and HTML.

You're welcome!

That is the basis of tipping; the better the tip, the better a job the server did. However again you are basing your opinion on an argument that is not a baseline across the board.

I disagree, based on the links above.

Servers may or may not take a poor tip in the manner in which you've described. It also begs to note that certain cultures have very different levels of service and as result have very different expectations.

Maybe we should put it to a poll among R3V's service staff? On second thought, there's no way to truly validate who is/was and server and who isn't/wasn't, so the result set couldn't be trusted.

I agree that it's a cultural thing, though again this thread is about the standard tipping practices in the US. With my (and my wife's) vast experience in the field, I'd say I'm qualified as an expert.

You're I was never taught how to properly tip quote is slanderous at best and again has no real basis of logic.

I used the word "you" though it absolutely wasn't pointed at you specifically; it was used in the general second person sense of the word.

Not all automotive manufacturers used bailout money, Ford didn't but you clearly are reaching for the wrong part of my analogy.

My point there was that the auto analogy is a reach because of the failure of the industry (and its workers) to keep its quality up with the global market and the competition that was allowed to happen here (because of the import/export laws, but that's another thread entirely). That's not a problem in restaurants. They succeed or fail based on their own merits or failures and the competition they face on a local level, and for some, a regional and/or national level.

Money doesn't equate to mutual respect... I talk to people not give them money.

Perhaps... tipping nets you better results then an actual conversation.

I do both. ;)