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

[agent]

Why do they think they are entitled to a 20% tip on a $80 bill for bringing food and drinks out to the table?

Because they make TWO FUCKING DOLLARS AN HOUR. They are not entitled to that 25%, but if you are well taken care of you should take good care of them.

I can think of about 100 jobs out there that pay jack shit and are 100 times more involved then serving people drinks and food

Okay, name 25. Then of those 25, name 5 (not in the service industry) in which the job holder must rely on tips from customers as their primary source of income, since taxes and withholding effectively zero out any chance of receiving an actual paycheck.

[Threehz]

I think e30lov was talking about the people who make the shirts and shoes that people who don't tip well wear, but those people aren't in the U.S.

I can think of quite a few jobs that are almost, equally, or harder than food service, but they all pay much, much better.

[Turf1600]

Mine is just an orifice in which feces reside in and sometimes gets evicted.

Funny thing about stupid people, they don't know any better.

Feces resides in your colon. I guess they don't know any better. :)

[Thizzelle]

don't understand getting a job as a server if your so dependent on tips. Find a new job that pays more and get some skillzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
So hilarious reading through the posts

[FLYNAVY]

I guess this doesn't really apply to restaurants/bars that you never plan on going back to, but I've found that being a friendly and understanding customer who tips well (as in 20-25%) goes a long way towards getting great service and maybe some extra hook ups at the places that we frequent. It is just common sense IMHO.

We all know folks who are stingy with their tabs, or just disagree with a tip on principle. I don't specifically have a problem with that, but I do have a problem with folks who get real butt hurt with the wait staff when the problem itself is something completely out of their control....ie super busy night with not enough servers, slow/incompetent kitchen, etc. I have seen dumb and annoying wait staff plenty, but I would say that more often than not, the cause of your poor service is not the waiter/waitress.......so it frustrates me when people penalize them for someone else's mistakes. And yes, I know that the tips don't purely go into the server's pocket at some places, and yes, undertipping could potentially strike at the offender in those scenarios though probably in a way that is not noticed.

/rant
ps- have never worked service in my life (aside from pumping gas into airplanes in college, which was a solitary kind of "service"), so I have no agenda or axe to grind here.

[agent]

don't understand getting a job as a server if your so dependent on tips. Find a new job that pays more and get some skillzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
So hilarious reading through the posts

Congratulations on making the most ignorant post in the thread.

[z31maniac]

Our brunch tab yesterday was $135, we tipped $45. We are remembered and get fantastic service at the places we frequent.

A typical brunch/dinner tab for the two of is $100 with a $30 tip.

Bunch of cheap waffleswaffleswaffleswaffleswaffleswaffless ITT

[SmokeE30]

I tip well because I worked as a server before, it's not a glamorous job, I probably had it the worst serving in a retirement home full of picky old people that had nothing to look forward to all day then what they would have for dinner. And of course being people that were paying to live there and mostly senial there was NO TIPING. So I got paid minimum wage to deal with the pickiest customers ever that couldn't even remember what they ordered most of the time. Because of that one job I feel obligated to tip at least 20% and usually more as long as I had no qualms with my service. People that tip well and are frequent customers get treated better I feel. Granted it doesn't have to happen all the time my local watering hole sees me often enough and knows I take care of them that they hook me up on my tabs and if I'm short on cash I just catch up with them next time. Take care of people and they will take care of you

[quickervicar]

I am probably the most courteous and polite customer you will get as a server. I am friendly. I have patience. I know the difference between a kitchen screw up and a server's incompetence. I have some very close friends that have worked their way up into very good service positions in very good restaurants. Therefore, I feel that if my service was fair, I will tip 15%. If it was good, 20%. Exceptionally great experience will warrant 25-30+%. Exceptionally poor service will get 10%.

My response to those that call me a cheapskate idiot when staring at the 10% is this: "Your position is paid on a performance-based wage scale. If you cared about the job you did, you would provide better service. If you provide better service you will earn the better tip. If you are not capable of providing better service, you should find another job outside the service industry."

[Julien]

tldr

[Thizzelle]

Congratulations on making the most ignorant post in the thread.

how? I think what I posted was pretty legit.

[BobombETA]

I tip 20% including the tax.

[TwoJ's]

Dude/ugly: 15%
Hot and marginally decent to good service: 20%+

[myinfernalbmw]

Dude/ugly: 15%
Hot and marginally decent to good service: 20%+

Pffft hot dudes deserve 30% allday

[Mlarsen]

Our brunch tab yesterday was $135, we tipped $45. We are remembered and get fantastic service at the places we frequent.

A typical brunch/dinner tab for the two of is $100 with a $30 tip.

Bunch of cheap waffleswaffleswaffleswaffleswaffleswaffless ITT

This! You go to a restaurant or bar that you frequent and the service is good you make sure your server is taken care of. Chances are they will remember you and you'll probably continue to get above and beyond service when your there.
Bars in particular are where tipping goes a long way. A few bars around town I'm fairly regular at and know the bartender I tip them fat and you know what I get hooked up. There's be instances at certain establishments where I knew my bar tab was going to easily 100 bucks and I get my tab and it 30 bucks and ya know what? they're going to get a nice big tip. What goes around comes around.