Is it rude to tip a non-round number?
My bill was $33.41.
I could have tipped $6, but that's a hair under the 18% custom. I could have tipped $7, but that's over 20%. I've seen some companies write into their expense policy that tips over 20% will not be reimbursed.
I tipped $6.59. That made the grand total $40.00. Was that rude?
Years ago I dined with someone who used to wait tables, and as I filled out the receipt, he noticed I was trying to make the total a round number. He said as a server he hated that practice. He didn't give a reason. I suppose there's an element of selfishness here: the round total is convenient to me, but not to the server.
Indeed, a quick Google search brings up one argument that some restaurants pool and split tips, and that oddball amounts like $6.59 make splitting more complicated. I'm not sure if that argument has any merit, but it was out there.
What do y'all think?