Don't know if anyone has posted this already (since I'm not going to read this entire thread) but here is an article citing a study saying that there is little, if any, correlation between tips and quality of service.

"While people claim in surveys that they tip almost exclusively based on the level of service, field studies in actual restaurants, such as those conducted by Michael Lynn of Cornell, find that better service is only partially correlated with bigger tips. A step up on a 1-to-5 rating scale of customer satisfaction translates into just a small increase (say, from 15 to 16 or 17 percent of the check)."

http://www.smartmoney.com/spend/fami...1301325538049/

I find this to be quite believable. Most people tip out of habit, and they tip the same percentage each time based on what they think is appropriate. Only in extreme cases do people adjust the tip based on service.

Oh, I believe it and it makes a lot of sense. If you just had a great meal, you'll probably be in a better mood, which will make you more likely to leave a bigger tip.

I actually love this topic/debate.

Here are my thoughts/experiences.


1. I will sometimes tip without doing the whole percentage calculation thing. Overtip in some cases when the service was great and they were super attentive(not to the point of annoyance) but to ensure we were well taken care of.

2. One time, I overhead a table of 5 or 6 leaving and the young waitress say, "I dont know what happened, I was nice and took care of them and they left me (it was either a few dollars or nothing at all I dont remember). So I actually got mad.

I then asked her if I did in fact here it right. She said yes they didnt tip or tipped low. I said dont worry. I got your tip for them.

Not being a big shot. But I have no problem righting someone else's WRONG.

3. Another time, maybe two times, the waiter/waitress was rude and not attentive and I left NOTHING. I didnt feel bad about it at all.


PS. I have had some waiters that "fish" for ALOT more than the standard tip. Which I didnt appreciate and just looked at them and left.

I have been trying something the last few weeks that I feel works great for sit down restaurant tipping, at least in the US.

I tip 20% no more no less. I don't view it as a tip anymore I view it as a mandatory 20% service charge, rounded to the nearest dollar, no different than paying the mandatory sales tax only I have to add it on the recept myself. Absolutely incredible service, 20%, absolutely horrible service, 20% (although I am not likely to return anytime soon if ever)

It has been great. Went out to a local sports bar earlier this week for a burger and a beer and had a quite enjoyable experience. No longer was I concerned with and judging every little thing about my server to try to come up with some stupid percentage based on a million different little factors as to why or why not they deserve some percentage. Ordered my burger and a beer, she did her job, what else can I say? Bill was like, $11.50 something like that (pre tax of course, never tip on the tax is my rule) so I did the math in my head. 20% of 11.50 is what? About 2.30, 2.40 something like that? I rounded to the nearest full dollar and left a 2.00 tip. No wasting my time thinking up what she did or didn't do right or what I was or was not happy with and trying to come up with some stupid percentage to represent my exact level of satisfaction. Just paid my 20% service charge and went on my way.

Now I have had bad service at this place semi-recently. Food came out lukewarm and she took forever to bring me another beer, however the service earlier this week was great.

I will continue using my method now from now on. The occasional off night, I am fine with that, if the food or service is consistenly bad however I simply just will not go back. I am just making it easier on myself now to expect a 20% markup on the menu prices in all sitdown restaurants. No more concerning myself with details.


Now tipping taxi drivers, porters, airport shuttle vans, etc I absolutely hate. That is their job. At least with servers they are paid less than minimum wage so they need the tips to make it up, but I hate tipping the above positons. On my personal travel I drive my own car to the airport and take public transportation at my destination whenever possible so I avoid interacting with people expecting a tip as much as humanely possible, however when I do interact with those people I tip out of pressure and guilt. Luckily though for work when I pack a bag that needs to be checked and prefer to take the shuttle I tip two dollars each way, one for loading my bag and one for a good, friendly ride. Or 10% of the fare for a taxi as tips are a reimbursable expense, within reason, for me.

I don't mind tipping waitstaff (or paying the 20% service charge as I now call it), but I wish the expectation of tipping all other professions went away. I don't tip the cashier that rings up my items at a store for doing their job, so why should I tip a taxi driver for doing their job? One thing I absolutely can't stand is tip jars at fast food or carry out places. I have even heard of them appearing at gas stations. Unbelievable.

You guys realize there's a "tip calculator" app for both the iPhone and Android, right? :confused:

I just have my tip calculator set at "12%" and "round total" to nearest dollar.

Enter bill amount: $12.47
Tip calculates to: $1.53 <- write this amount to credit card receipt
Total bill: $14.00 <- write this total amount to credit card receipt

Sign

You only tip 12%? Yikes!

That was my thought, too, when I read that post, but we've rehashed this subject a gazillion times over, and I knew nothing productive would come of bringing it up. :)

that's 60% of the recommended amount. if i could find your company, i would call them, and explain to them that you are a 60% kind of guy, and they should knock your salary by 40%.

:D I could understand 12% if it was lousy service, 15% if it was decent service, and 20% if it was great service, but 12% as a standard seems low. I'd guess that if they happen to be a regular customer at an establishment, they never receive the perks that most regulars tend to, and probably have servers fighting over who will escape having to serve that table. :)
:D I like that way of thinking!

Because where I reside, they already tack on 8.75% sales tax onto it.

So for a $15.99 meal, I end up paying $1.40 additional in sales tax at 8.75% which comes to $17.39. Add 12% onto that and its an additional $2.09. Overall my $15.99 meal comes to a total closer to $20.00.

Hence, I never really do go out to eat in the first place; maybe once a month to take mom out to dinner (once-a-month regular to a Japanese restaurant where we've been going since I was a kid; except for the who pays role) is about the extent of my restaurant experience. Add in the sales tax and the tipping process, it's not worth it to eat out. I really don't understand the mindset of people who go out to eat more than half of the week.


If a waiter serves 10 tables in an hour (the extent of service is "bringing water" because the Japanese restaurant I go to, the sushi comes to you instead of you ordering it via a waiter) and each of those tables tips at 20% ($2-$3 per table), the waiter would be making $20-$30+ an hour. I seriously don't see a point to it.

Between me and mom, we usually eat about $70 worth of conveyor belt sushi (including drinks, fruits and desserts). Add in 8.75% sales tax, that comes to $76.13. Add in 20% tip, that then comes to $91.36, where the waiter whose extent of job is filling up water gets $15.23 in tips. On just my table alone. Not including the other 9 tables he/she might be serving in that hour.

How does it justify that $70 worth of conveyor belt sushi now comes to a total of $91.36 with the waiter making $15.23 in tips?

The "thing" that's doing the biggest job of bringing food to my table is the conveyor belt, not the waiter. Why would I want to pay a 20% tip rate on top of the 8.75% sales tax rate when the waiter would be making $20-$30+ an hour because they can now serve 10+ tables an hour and leave the hardest job to a conveyor belt, and their hardest job now is filling up water?

The correct amount to tip is the amount the customer wishes to pay.

The server shouldn't be punished for the sales tax you pay.

In a case like the restaurant you mention, your tip is probably adequate, in that the server isn't bringing food, assuming the sushi chef isn't also expecting a tip from that. However, if you are somewhere that the server is doing more work, i.e., delivering food, taking oders, etc., then they do typically deserve more.

Most restaurants I frequent do not assign 10+ tables/hour to servers, in part because if they have that many tables, they are less likely to provide good service to all of the tables. Something closer to no more than 5 is more the norm.

As far as eating out half of the week, if you cannot afford the tip, plus the sales tax, plus the meal, don't go out to eat. :)

what makes me laugh is tipping for winning in vegas...like in blackjack

casino should pay these people, not gamblers who happen to be lucky

In most of these conveyor belt sushi restaurants (getting quite popular here in LA), there's usually only two waiters serving 10+ "tables" (more like counters). There really isn't much for a waiter to do other than filling up water and ringing up the bill as the biggest job of bringing food is done by a conveyor belt machine.

In that light, I see this more like a fast food restaurant than a full restaurant. If I don't tip at McDonald's (or even Carl's Jr. where they bring me the Six Dollar Burger to your table), I really don't see the nature of paying the full 20% tip.


I'm happily single. If it's between paying $15.99+tax+tips for a lasagna at an Italian restaurant, I'd rather buy frozen lasagna for $10/10 at my local supermarket. :D

So you're either responsible for the underpayment of the waiter if you fail to tip at the levels insisted on by the tipping Mafia or the unemployment of the waiter if you don't eat out - can't win. Not to mention the fact that eating in restaurants is something we would like to keep out of reach of the lower classes. Only Wall Street Bankers/Brokers should be allowed in restaurants in the first place so we should actually shoot for much higher levels of tipping to give us proper control of those who can eat out