There's a lot of bones of contention here about tipping in the dining and restaurant industry (and also including bars, etc.)

When I next go to the US, I would find it hard not to tip mechanically, because there always seems to be a "convention" and the rules shift from demographic to demographic, from area to area and year to year. For example, how much should you offer as a tip for an average (read: everything was in order but nothing spectacular) service meal? Are there cases for no tip? What's a good amount to give for exceptional service? What happens (or what would the restaurant and/or its staff be "entitled" to do to you) if you undertip, whether you left 0% or 35% of the total bill? Do you tip every time you get served or do you only tip at the end? Even in this thread and so many other tipping threads (yes, we all know how many there are!), no one can come to an agreement.

My main problems (problems = I don't know how to deal with it, not that I have an issue with it...or at least yet) is for other service people in other industries (and seeing this is in DiningBuzz! I might just be going a bit O/T here). For example, hotel porters, valet, skycaps, check-in agents (e.g. airport counter, hotel counter), housekeeping, concierge, taxi/limo drivers, etc.. A good example would be if I arrived at a hotel and a porter took my bag when I really wanted to carry it by myself. OK first impression is that I am a cheapskate (so shoot me) - trying to carry my own bag to save on paying the porter - but it would seem you would just have to tip the porter even though the service was not wanted? Do you need to leave a per diem or something in your room everyday for housekeeping, and if so how much (e.g. as a % of how much you paid for the room? What about award stays - tips can't be given in points!).

What do people who "expect" a tip do when they are supposed to get a tip but the customer forgets or doesn't proffer one? That awkward silence between the two parties and perhaps only when the worker rubs their fingertips together that perhaps something gets done. Is it wrong to ask a worker how much they should (or they normally receive) as a tip and give that amount to them? If you really want to reward a particular person, what should you do if you don't know (or if you do know) if the place collects all tips and divides them equally amongst all the service staff? Here's one: how do you leave a tip if the food is exquisite but the service is very, very ordinary - so you would like to tip the chef (if you could) but not overly tip the waiter?

I love some of the stories I hear sometimes of celebrities dining at places and apparently leaving an "insufficient" tip. Like the staff were expecting at least double of what the common person being served would tip. Seems rather crass (but a good excuse for a news article for a budding journalist!)

In Australia, there is no tipping culture. Unless you so desire it, you may leave a tip, and I like to do it myself when the service is much better than average. Prices in Australia have a blanket 10% goods and services tax which must be included in printed prices by law. So I am used to reading the price of items on a menu and understanding that they include what I pay for the venue, the time I spend in it, the service and the quality of the food. And if there is a disconnect with that, I would see to it that the manager is informed and perhaps there be some resolution.

A great example of this (although not in Australia but similar culture) is when I dined at Harvey Nichols fifth floor restaurant in London. The prices of the food - even the market menu - were by no means cheap, but I was very impressed by the attentiveness of the service and the quality of the food was immaculate. Well worth every penny and quid I spent that afternoon.


Does someone have a printable guide like the "one stop shop" guide to tipping in the US? Does this section from Wikitravel seem accurate enough?