In which case, wouldn't it be simpler to just add it to the prices and leave the tip as it should be...a genuine reward for exceptional service?

So do we!

That is completely out of line, no matter where you are. That's theft and I would not have left a penny. How irritating.

Helpful tip suggestion on receipt (?)
 

Notice the helpful suggestions for the tip. I'm irritated by this for two reasons:

1 -- It starts at 20%. Isn't the custom 15%?
2 -- The 'suggestions' are calculated incorrectly. The tip should be calculated on the pre-tax total.

So I left $6. A good tip on a $30 tab, and left thinking I was cheap. Comments?

http://www.dinigroup.com/~mdini/tip_cm.jpg

I don't think having a suggested tip line is a bad thing. It helps people try and do math that many have trouble with.

15% used to be the norm, but many places/servers are pushing that higher to a minimum 20% as the expected tip.




I believe it should be on pre-tax and that's how I tip and was raised/taught. The restaurant I'm involved in has 15/18/20 on pretax.

The POS system allows the restaurant to choose:

suggested tip/no suggested tip
pretax/after tax
%

It's this kind of crap that brings out the inner skinflint in me. 15% is certainly acceptable and these pre-printed amounts are really presumptious.

Not to mention the fact that waiters are already paid minimum wage in California.

I agree that pre tax is appropriate...

But, I notice.... You actually did not leave a tip and reduced your total bill! :)

I think the $6.00 should have gone at "Other" and the Total would have been $38.70.

I almost NEVER go above 20%... I start at 15% and go up or down based on level of service.

The intention is!'t to be helpful to the customer, it's intention is to make the customer feel uncomfortable about leaving it blank. It's a mildish form of blackmail / coercion.

I would be less likely to leave a tip if this was put on my bill.

You've hit the nail on the head.

For this reason I've been trying to get my friends in California on board with the idea that "10% is the new 15".

I certainly adjust my % downwards as the tab grows. Let's say I spend $80 on dinner for the two of us. 20% is $16 and if the service merits $16, I will pay it. Let's say I am dining with my daughter and her husband. We go someplace a little nicer and spend $200. 18% is $36. That's more than twice what I tipped for the dinner for 2. In my mind that's still a nice tip and I'm not sure I got that much more service than when dining with my wife at a place with a lower priced menu. In fact, there should be some degree of efficiency. It doesn't take twice as long to fetch a pitcher and pour 4 waters or twice as long to deliver 4 desserts. I would support the 10% rule for any state where the server is already making $5 an hour more than my local servers.

And the OP is correct about tipping on the pretax total.

I have yet to see a list of suggested tips -- from any vendor -- which did not include the tax when applying the %. It's just another reason to ignore them.

This. But I probably would have made the same mistake

This sort of thing wouldn't affect my tip amount, as the waitstaff likely isn't responsible for the wording on the receipt.

It would, however, reduce the likelihood of my returning to the restaurant.

I hate all of this expectation of a tip and with amounts exceeding 15% too, that's exactly the type of thing that makes me not want to tip at all.