Tipping in the US (at a restaurant)?

Hi,

First of all, I am from Germany, so I am not all that familiar with
the tipping etiquette in the US except for what I have read in a
travel guide and on the Web.

I was in California recently and had a breakfast at my hotel that was
not included in the price for the room. At the end, the waitress
brought me the check in one of those leather envelopes (or whatever it
is called). I only had larger dollar bills at that time, so I couldn't
just leave the amount including the tip on the table. The check had a
line where I could note down the amount of tip, which I did (it was at
least 15 %). She asked "You want me to bring you the change?". I said
yes. She then brought me the exact change without keeping the tip I
noted down on the check. However, I didn't realize that right away and
took all the change. So, now I wonder what I did wrong. Is this line
only looked at when paying with a credit card? Or did the waitress
expect me to take the exact change back and then return to her
personally the tip I wanted to give?

I also saw some people paying to the cashier at the exit. Do you take
your check to the cashier then? I didn't see the people paying to the
cashier leaving any tipping money on the table (doing this may not be
possible if you only have larger bills or a credit card). If/when you
pay to the cashier, how does your waitress get her tip?

One last question: Do you always round up to whole dollars when
tipping even if that would raise the tip a lot?

Regards,
Peter

Peter Frank wrote:
took all the change. So, now I wonder what I did wrong. Is this line
only looked at when paying with a credit card? Or did the waitress
expect me to take the exact change back and then return to her
personally the tip I wanted to give?

Yes to both of them. The line is only used for credit cards (in a hotel, it
might also be used when paying your room.

I also saw some people paying to the cashier at the exit. Do you take
your check to the cashier then? I didn't see the people paying to the
cashier leaving any tipping money on the table (doing this may not be
possible if you only have larger bills or a credit card). If/when you
pay to the cashier, how does your waitress get her tip?

Generally one does return to the table to put a tip on it when paying in
cash. Tips are often added to the bill when paying via credit card. In the
US people use credit cards a lot, so that may be what was happening at the
cashier; that people were paying by credit card or adding to room, and putting
it on the credit card bill.

One last question: Do you always round up to whole dollars when
tipping even if that would raise the tip a lot?

No. You leave 15% for good service, more for excellent service. This has
tended to creep up, to more like 17% for good service, and 20% in some
fancier places and more expensive markets. That said 15% is pretty much
always an adequate tip, and 20% is always a good tip, and you can round to
the quarter or even leave exact change.

--
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

Peter Frank wrote:
took all the change. So, now I wonder what I did wrong. Is this line
only looked at when paying with a credit card? Or did the waitress
expect me to take the exact change back and then return to her
personally the tip I wanted to give?

Yes to both of them. The line is only used for credit cards (in a hotel, it
might also be used when paying your room.

I also saw some people paying to the cashier at the exit. Do you take
your check to the cashier then? I didn't see the people paying to the
cashier leaving any tipping money on the table (doing this may not be
possible if you only have larger bills or a credit card). If/when you
pay to the cashier, how does your waitress get her tip?

Generally one does return to the table to put a tip on it when paying in
cash. Tips are often added to the bill when paying via credit card. In the
US people use credit cards a lot, so that may be what was happening at the
cashier; that people were paying by credit card or adding to room, and putting
it on the credit card bill.

One last question: Do you always round up to whole dollars when
tipping even if that would raise the tip a lot?

No. You leave 15% for good service, more for excellent service. This has
tended to creep up, to more like 17% for good service, and 20% in some
fancier places and more expensive markets. That said 15% is pretty much
always an adequate tip, and 20% is always a good tip, and you can round to
the quarter or even leave exact change.

--
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

Peter Frank wrote:
took all the change. So, now I wonder what I did wrong. Is this line
only looked at when paying with a credit card? Or did the waitress
expect me to take the exact change back and then return to her
personally the tip I wanted to give?

Yes to both of them. The line is only used for credit cards (in a hotel, it
might also be used when paying your room.

I also saw some people paying to the cashier at the exit. Do you take
your check to the cashier then? I didn't see the people paying to the
cashier leaving any tipping money on the table (doing this may not be
possible if you only have larger bills or a credit card). If/when you
pay to the cashier, how does your waitress get her tip?

Generally one does return to the table to put a tip on it when paying in
cash. Tips are often added to the bill when paying via credit card. In the
US people use credit cards a lot, so that may be what was happening at the
cashier; that people were paying by credit card or adding to room, and putting
it on the credit card bill.

One last question: Do you always round up to whole dollars when
tipping even if that would raise the tip a lot?

No. You leave 15% for good service, more for excellent service. This has
tended to creep up, to more like 17% for good service, and 20% in some
fancier places and more expensive markets. That said 15% is pretty much
always an adequate tip, and 20% is always a good tip, and you can round to
the quarter or even leave exact change.

--
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

One more point: if you spend an unusually long time at the table (for
instance, twice as long as most diners) and the restaurant is filled,
you may want to tip a little more--especially if the service has been
good but not, of course, if the service has been substandard.

One more point: if you spend an unusually long time at the table (for
instance, twice as long as most diners) and the restaurant is filled,
you may want to tip a little more--especially if the service has been
good but not, of course, if the service has been substandard.

Juliana L Holm wrote:
[snip]
No. You leave 15% for good service, more for excellent service.
This has
tended to creep up, to more like 17% for good service, and 20% in
some
fancier places and more expensive markets. That said 15% is pretty
much
always an adequate tip, and 20% is always a good tip, and you can
round to
the quarter or even leave exact change.
[snip]

This always starts an argument. The first thing of note is that the
convention was usually 15% PRETAX. 15% was at one time considered
appropriate
for "nominal" service, 17% for above average service, 20% for
extraordinary
service. Anything above that was for individualized service. Over the
years folks have argued alot about these conventions. Many folks would
tip 15%, post-tax, and consider that equivalent to 17% pretax. Then
there are the "tip 'em a penny" for bad service types. Strictly
speaking,
if one is going to "stiff" a server to any particular degree, a
discussion with a manager is probably appropriate. Honestly, if one is
tipping 20%+, a kind word to a manager may also be appropriate.

There aren't any "laws" in this manner and one can tip about
whatever
they want, or not at all. It is notable that in many cases, the
difference
being discussed is roughly a dollar on many tabs.

Juliana L Holm wrote:

No. You leave 15% for good service, more for excellent service. This has
tended to creep up, to more like 17% for good service, and 20% in some
fancier places and more expensive markets.

Nuts to that. When you eat in a fancier more expensive place you are 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.

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.

Dave Smith wrote:
Juliana L Holm wrote:

No. You leave 15% for good service, more for excellent service. This has
tended to creep up, to more like 17% for good service, and 20% in some
fancier places and more expensive markets.

Nuts to that. When you eat in a fancier more expensive place you are 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.

You also clipped the key part of my post.

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).

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.

Julie


--
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