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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[profbooty]

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

The prerequisites for entry into the food service industry a considerably lower than a skilled trade or professional job.

That doesn't mean it is an easy job to be successful at, rather those who have other training or talents have other doors open to them. I get it if people have to take the work because they have few other skills, but I wouldn't want to make a career out of the food service industry.

I tip 10% at buffets 15% at normal restaurants.

[Brownie hound]

I usually offer to bang the waitress/waiter in lue of a tip. Not my problem if they turn my tip down.

[goarmy]

I hardly ever pay cash so my tip is hardly there and I feel bad about it everytime. But I always check if I have cash and leave a couple of dollars

[Thizzelle]

this whole thread is what's wrong with society

[Sideways87]

I hardly ever pay cash so my tip is hardly there and I feel bad about it everytime. But I always check if I have cash and leave a couple of dollars

You can leave a tip when you pay with a card.

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[Dozyproductions]

My last job the servers had to know overe 600 wines by region, tastes, what goes well with what meal and the designation number the restaurant gave it. The menu had around 40 entrees and 40 appetizers alone and the servers had to know every detail and ingredient of each item. Add that to waiting 6-10 tables at a time from anywhere from 6-60 people at all of those tables plus each table was usually dramatically different.

Think about it this way. This was a normal situation when I served.

Lets say: you have 6 tables with 3 people at each one. That's already 18 drink orders and refills to worry about, which you have to count on other people for (busser, bar). Then you have the food orders to worry about which can almost go to a seemingly infinite amount of different ways to skin the same cat and the timing for those. You have to rely on the runner and kitchen to make sure this works. Then you have 2 more tables recently sat which you depend on the host and busser for. Plus each table is different with their needs and moods.
So already your multitasking for over 50 things and the faster all of it gets done, the faster the perceived service is, so you have to be on top of your co workers as well to achieve the effect. By that point you don't have any time and usually less time than required to perform all the tasks while being friendly, personable and sensitive to each individual and their needs.

I could walk out from 200-700 a night but guess what, I would start from 4-5 pm and leave around 12-1 am, couldn't go to sleep (due to the adrenaline for another 2-3 hours after work and literally I had to take a couple of hours before work to be able to get mentally ready. It was my entire life and I did a great fucking job and got paid accordingly.


So yes, If there is a table that makes you spend above average already borrowed time talking to me, making custom requests one trip at a time or a bunch of other reasons; not being able to tip a little bit is being an asshole.


The restaurant is like an organism with the servers being accountable for all of it. (at least with my experience in fine dining) It's more than taking orders and giving food. People who've commented in this thread and never worked the industry before... tell us what you do so we can make the same blanket statements about how shitty you do your job and how much you shouldnt get paid.

[agent]

Excellent, excellent post.

[Sideways87]

You knocked that one out of the park dozy!!!!

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[profbooty]

So yes, If there is a table that makes you spend above average already borrowed time talking to me, making custom requests one trip at a time or a bunch of other reasons; not being able to tip a little bit is being an asshole.


The restaurant is like an organism with the servers being accountable for all of it. (at least with my experience in fine dining) It's more than taking orders and giving food. People who've commented in this thread and never worked the industry before... tell us what you do so we can make the same blanket statements about how shitty you do your job and how much you shouldnt get paid.

You only have to memorize 600 wines and various food parings? Thats not that much to memorize. Various professionals such as CPA, doctors, lawyers and engineers have to memorize far more than that and not just have to regurgitate information, but have significantly more responsibility and are open to legal liability as well as be able to implement and design complex solutions based off that memorized information. I had to memorize over 6000 pages of practice, policy and procedure to pass the patent bar alone, let alone the thousands of hours involved in my undergraduate engineering education and being able to recall it for the professional engineering exam.

How many years of training did you have to go through before you could even start working? How much are you in debt before you could start working? Have you passed examinations with passrates below 50%?

You don't have to be accountable for all that much:

Do you have the stress of having someone's life in their hands as a doctor? Do you have the weighty responsibility of signing off on various products or building designs which can kill people (and being held accountable for it if you fail by the legal system?) Do you have your clients future in hand as a lawyer? Do you know how to follow all the SarBox rules when acting as an auditor/CPA?

Do you know how you are held accountable for all of the above? I take it you don't have to have insurance (or your employer) if you screw up and someone dies, is injured, faces years in jail or lost wealth due to your own incompetence?

Hey professionals are salaried, so we get paid the same if we work hard or not (though it is expected that you put in more than 8 hours a day, closer to 10-12 and you are on call depending on the type of professional you are), and bonuses are not to be expected unless we exceed expectations.

Friends of mine in the financial industry have similar levels of stress, knowledge requirements etc, when you are responsible for millions/billions of cash.

Oh and before you go off on me, my brother works in the food service industry and bailed out of college as he was making 700-1000 bucks a night 2 days a week as a bartender. Not the greatest move as when management changed he was out of a job and hasn't made anywhere near that again.

[agent]

Comparing the accountability, liabilities and responsibilities of a server to a doctor is nothing short of ludicrous.

[profbooty]

Comparing the accountability, liabilities and responsibilities of a server to a doctor is nothing short of ludicrous.

Thats the point. They have a low level of responsibility and are treated accordingly by management and customers. The previous poster invited others to post the type of work they do so that they could rip it apart.

So yes, If there is a table that makes you spend above average already borrowed time talking to me, making custom requests one trip at a time or a bunch of other reasons; not being able to tip a little bit is being an asshole.

I'm sorry that someone is asking you to do your job! If you want more money, then demonstrate to management that you can turn over customers more quickly, or that they come and spend more money more often because of you. Demonstrate the same to the customer. The customer is not your employer, your employer is. The customer is under no legal obligation to give you anything, even if it is an expectation by society.

Then take those skills you have developed and move it into a more lucrative customer oriented career such as corporate sales.