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Tipping in the US (at a restaurant)?



 
 
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  #11  
Old April 18th, 2005, 07:38 PM
Dave Smith
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GQ wrote:


Except that you hear more and more stories of servers who run after customers
saying they did not leave a good enough tip. I've never experienced it here in
Toronto, but I've heard of this on several occassions from different people,
particularly from restaurants in New York. I wonder if this is becoming a trend.


My mother saw it happen in St.Catharines. Marie's in Port Dalhousie :-)
They had a horrible meal, cold soup, dirty cutlery, rude and sloppy service. A couple
sitting near my mother and her friends left a very small tip and the waitress ran out
to scream at them. The old guy gave her a blast right back, and my mother and her
friends were able to avoid a similar confrontation even though they did not leave
much of a tip either.


  #12  
Old April 18th, 2005, 07:48 PM
Dave Smith
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Juliana L Holm wrote:

already paying more for the meal. If you are leaving a 15% tip on an

expensive meal it is already a bigger tip than you would be paying in a less
expensive place.

YMMV, of course. You may be paying a bigger tip, but you are usually getting more
services.


More water? More cutlery? More glasses?

Generally, if you pay $6 for an appetizer, it involves the waitress taking your order
and returning with the dish, the same amount of service you would get if the dish was
priced at $12 or $20. You can get a drink for $3.95 in a cheap restaurant of $6.95 (or
more) in a good place, and it doesn't involve anymore service, just a trip back and
forth to the bar. Based on a flat 15% tip, the waitress is already making twice as
much in tips because the items cost twice as much.

You also clipped the key part of my post.


That's because I responding specifically to you suggestion that one should leave a
higher percentage tip when in an expensive restaurant.

Generally, a 15% tip will be accepted as at least a minimal tip anywhere in the US,
particularly when provided by a foreign tourist.

It is customary in some areas and in some restaurants to leave more. Generally these
are high end places where the server spends particularly more time with you (and
therefore has fewer customers) or in more expensive markets (like here in Washington
DC).


They do? Who wants a waiter spending more time with them? ALl I want a waiter to do is
to take my order and bring my food, check on me once in a while to see if I need
anything else. I don't want them breathing over my shoulder. I am there with friends /
family / associates, not to hobnob with the wait staff.


But 15% will be accepted pretty much everywhere, and 20% will be considere a good
tip everywhere, so anywhere in that range is just fine.


Call me a cheap SOB, but if I am already paying 3-4 times as much for something because
it is a special restaurant, or if they are simply over priced, then the service had
better be bloody great just to get the 15% because I am already being gouged.


  #13  
Old April 18th, 2005, 07:51 PM
Jim Logajan
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GQ wrote:
On 4/18/05 1:24 PM, wrote:
There aren't any "laws" in this manner and one can tip about
whatever
they want, or not at all.


Except that you hear more and more stories of servers who run after
customers saying they did not leave a good enough tip. I've never
experienced it here in Toronto, but I've heard of this on several
occassions from different people, particularly from restaurants in New
York. I wonder if this is becoming a trend.


Have never heard of that. But if it is happening in the U.S., I'd blame the
IRS as the cause:

http://www.gastronomica.org/pages/sample4.2.html

Basically, given a mix of cash and credit card (CC) payments to a
restaurant, the IRS has used the average CC tip amounts to estimate the
tips on the cash payments and expects taxes to be paid on it. If you, as a
customer, pay by cash and undertip, the restaurant could be hit up for
taxes by the IRS on income they never received.
  #14  
Old April 18th, 2005, 08:18 PM
Juliana L Holm
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Dave Smith wrote:

They do? Who wants a waiter spending more time with them? ALl I want a waiter to do is
to take my order and bring my food, check on me once in a while to see if I need
anything else. I don't want them breathing over my shoulder. I am there with friends /
family / associates, not to hobnob with the wait staff.



Then I suggest you avoid such restaurants.

But 15% will be accepted pretty much everywhere, and 20% will be considere a good
tip everywhere, so anywhere in that range is just fine.


Call me a cheap SOB, but if I am already paying 3-4 times as much for something because
it is a special restaurant, or if they are simply over priced, then the service had
better be bloody great just to get the 15% because I am already being gouged.


You're a cheap SOB. Don't go to such restaurants. You won't enjoy yourself,
anyway.

--
Julie
**********
I could be wrong. My experience is limited to my experience.

Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm
  #15  
Old April 18th, 2005, 09:00 PM
Dave Smith
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Juliana L Holm wrote:

They do? Who wants a waiter spending more time with them? ALl I want a waiter to do is
to take my order and bring my food, check on me once in a while to see if I need
anything else. I don't want them breathing over my shoulder. I am there with friends /
family / associates, not to hobnob with the wait staff.


Then I suggest you avoid such restaurants.


??? Why?
Are those the reasons you go to restaurants? If I was dining out to make friends or meet
clients it's not the wait staff that I am aiming for. I go for the food. Good service is part
of the package.

Maybe I should walk in and pull my pants down and see if the wait staff will kiss my ass.
That seems to be the sort of treatment some people expect from waiters.

Call me a cheap SOB, but if I am already paying 3-4 times as much for something because
it is a special restaurant, or if they are simply over priced, then the service had
better be bloody great just to get the 15% because I am already being gouged.


You're a cheap SOB. Don't go to such restaurants. You won't enjoy yourself, anyway.


Oh? Should I feel better about myself because I paid $10 for a drink that I could have got
elsewhere for $4? Should I enjoy myself that I left a $2 tip instead of $1? Should it make
me feel special because I can make people dance for my coins?

When I go for dinner I tip. But I ain't no rube. I work hard for my money and I see no
reason to be flaunting it my playing financial power games with people who wait on tables
because they can't find a better job than that.


  #16  
Old April 18th, 2005, 09:11 PM
GQ
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On 4/18/05 2:51 PM, Jim Logajan wrote:
http://www.gastronomica.org/pages/sample4.2.html

Basically, given a mix of cash and credit card (CC) payments to a
restaurant, the IRS has used the average CC tip amounts to estimate the
tips on the cash payments and expects taxes to be paid on it. If you, as a
customer, pay by cash and undertip, the restaurant could be hit up for
taxes by the IRS on income they never received.


Well..never heard of that...if that's the case, I think that's the first
reasonable explanation I've heard of why someone would be that P.O. about being
under-tipped...

I noticed that in a couple of restaurants in Chicago and in Boston and in
Hawaii, there were some restaurants automatically adding in the gratuity to the
bill, even though its just 2 or 3 people dining (I know this is standard
practice for large groups). Maybe this is to ensure that patrons don't
undertipped and also discourage people from overtipping???
  #17  
Old April 18th, 2005, 09:11 PM
GQ
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On 4/18/05 2:51 PM, Jim Logajan wrote:
http://www.gastronomica.org/pages/sample4.2.html

Basically, given a mix of cash and credit card (CC) payments to a
restaurant, the IRS has used the average CC tip amounts to estimate the
tips on the cash payments and expects taxes to be paid on it. If you, as a
customer, pay by cash and undertip, the restaurant could be hit up for
taxes by the IRS on income they never received.


Well..never heard of that...if that's the case, I think that's the first
reasonable explanation I've heard of why someone would be that P.O. about being
under-tipped...

I noticed that in a couple of restaurants in Chicago and in Boston and in
Hawaii, there were some restaurants automatically adding in the gratuity to the
bill, even though its just 2 or 3 people dining (I know this is standard
practice for large groups). Maybe this is to ensure that patrons don't
undertipped and also discourage people from overtipping???
  #20  
Old April 18th, 2005, 10:08 PM
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Dave Smith wrote:
Juliana L Holm wrote:

[snip]
You're a cheap SOB. Don't go to such restaurants. You won't enjoy

yourself, anyway.

Oh? Should I feel better about myself because I paid $10 for a drink

that I could have got
elsewhere for $4? Should I enjoy myself that I left a $2 tip instead

of $1? Should it make
me feel special because I can make people dance for my coins?

When I go for dinner I tip. But I ain't no rube. I work hard for my

money and I see no
reason to be flaunting it my playing financial power games with

people who wait on tables
because they can't find a better job than that.




I fail to see why you would patronize a restaurant you think is
grossly overcharging you.
The servers work hard for their money too. If you don't want to pay
for what you
receive, don't go there.

 




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