Tipping in America?
Jun 28, 2010, 5:20 pm
#16
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Having recently moved to the US tipping is one thing that really irritates me. I don't mind tipping when someone has provided excellent service or gone out of their way but the mentality here seems to be tip regardless in many situations.
There becomes an expectation that a tip will always be forthcoming, and some people actually ask for it (either directly or indirectly).
There becomes an expectation that a tip will always be forthcoming, and some people actually ask for it (either directly or indirectly).
The issue isn't whether you like it, whether it seems logical or appropriate to you, or whether you think it is not constructive. It's how we do things here. When I'm a guest in someone else's country, I always abide by the social conventions and expectations of that country, whether I agree with them (or understand them) or not.
Jun 28, 2010, 5:27 pm
#17
Join Date: Oct 2003
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Posts: 946
NY seems to be the only place where everyone expects a tip irrespective of service standards - most of the rest of the US I find reasonably relaxed.
My rule of thumb is to follow local "custom", but not to top if service is non-existent, AND I will not be returning to that hotel/restaurant (to ensure no repurcussions...!)
Generally, I add 10% and round up.
My rule of thumb is to follow local "custom", but not to top if service is non-existent, AND I will not be returning to that hotel/restaurant (to ensure no repurcussions...!)
Generally, I add 10% and round up.
Jun 28, 2010, 5:27 pm
#18
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Note that in the USA employees in industies/roles where tipping is customary (such as waitstaff and bellhops) have a legislated basic wage of $2.13 per hour:
I hate tipping as much as the next guy, but when in the USA, $1 bills are your friend.
For more, see here:
I hate tipping as much as the next guy, but when in the USA, $1 bills are your friend.
For more, see here:
Jun 28, 2010, 5:44 pm
#19
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I live in the USA and also dislike the tipping everywhere custom. Give yourself this comfort, though. There is no custom. Tipping customs are all over the place. And those receiving the tips act awkward in receiving them as do those who fumble tipping. Don't overthink it.
For me - $1/bag at a hotel. But I never let them take my laptop case.
Taxis - 10% of the fare, unless they SUCK.
Restaurants - 20% of the bill.
Drinks - $1/each
Valet - $5
Front desk - never tipped. Hotel maids - only in London and Egypt. Doorman - nope - never even thought about it. Tip cup at the sandwich shop. You must be joking.
For me - $1/bag at a hotel. But I never let them take my laptop case.
Taxis - 10% of the fare, unless they SUCK.
Restaurants - 20% of the bill.
Drinks - $1/each
Valet - $5
Front desk - never tipped. Hotel maids - only in London and Egypt. Doorman - nope - never even thought about it. Tip cup at the sandwich shop. You must be joking.
Jun 28, 2010, 6:33 pm
#20
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: BOS
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Note that in the USA employees in industies/roles where tipping is customary (such as waitstaff and bellhops) have a legislated basic wage of $2.13 per hour:
I hate tipping as much as the next guy, but when in the USA, $1 bills are your friend.
For more, see here:
I hate tipping as much as the next guy, but when in the USA, $1 bills are your friend.
For more, see here:
I don't understand why visitors to the US have a problem with tipping waitstaff. In Europe it's built into the prices; in the US it's not. Same thing, just done a different way. Same with taxes. You have to remember that sales tax is not included in the prices in restaurants and stores. The Land of the Free + 5%!
Lucifer is wise not to return to restaurants where he tips 10% - he would probably eat a lot of spit!
British people do have a reputation for being lousy tippers in the U.S..
Jun 28, 2010, 6:37 pm
#21
Join Date: Dec 2006
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 1,212
I live in the USA and also dislike the tipping everywhere custom. Give yourself this comfort, though. There is no custom. Tipping customs are all over the place. And those receiving the tips act awkward in receiving them as do those who fumble tipping. Don't overthink it.
For me - $1/bag at a hotel. But I never let them take my laptop case.
Taxis - 10% of the fare, unless they SUCK.
Restaurants - 20% of the bill.
Drinks - $1/each
Valet - $5
Front desk - never tipped. Hotel maids - only in London and Egypt. Doorman - nope - never even thought about it. Tip cup at the sandwich shop. You must be joking.
For me - $1/bag at a hotel. But I never let them take my laptop case.
Taxis - 10% of the fare, unless they SUCK.
Restaurants - 20% of the bill.
Drinks - $1/each
Valet - $5
Front desk - never tipped. Hotel maids - only in London and Egypt. Doorman - nope - never even thought about it. Tip cup at the sandwich shop. You must be joking.
At a hotel the ONLY people you need to tip are people handling your bags, and the valet.
Outside of the hotel setting, the ONLY people you need to tip are a) bartenders, b) waiters, and c) taxi drivers. (edit: I sometimes tip people delivering large items into my house, but doubtful you'll be doing any of that as a tourist :-) )
And Nicksta covered all five categories perfectly.
I've never, ever tipped a front-desk clerk in a hotel. Ever. And I've stayed in hundreds of hotels all over the US.
Jun 28, 2010, 7:28 pm
#22
Join Date: Oct 2006
Programs: LAN, AA, SPG
Posts: 1,965
15% in restaurants is considered more or less mandatory for sufficient service, 20% maximum if it is exceptional, 10% if the service was downright bad; Bellmen/Porters $2/bag; Taxis 10% of fare; Valets $2. I would NEVER attempt to tip a desk clerk in a respectable hotel, but I always ask for an upgrade 
Edited to add: You are not expected to tip on the tax of your restaurant bill, so you may just tip the 15% of the subtotal before the tax is added at the bottom of the bill.
Edited to add: You are not expected to tip on the tax of your restaurant bill, so you may just tip the 15% of the subtotal before the tax is added at the bottom of the bill.
Last edited by phlashba; Jun 28, 2010 at 7:40 pm Reason: Addition
Jun 28, 2010, 7:34 pm
#23
Join Date: Oct 2006
Programs: LAN, AA, SPG
Posts: 1,965
Waitstaff also pay tax on a certain amount in tips that it is assumed that they have earned, whether or not they actually received it. This is to try and counterract the situation of waitstaff not reporting their tips as income to the IRS.
I don't understand why visitors to the US have a problem with tipping waitstaff. In Europe it's built into the prices; in the US it's not. Same thing, just done a different way. Same with taxes. You have to remember that sales tax is not included in the prices in restaurants and stores. The Land of the Free + 5%!
Lucifer is wise not to return to restaurants where he tips 10% - he would probably eat a lot of spit!
British people do have a reputation for being lousy tippers in the U.S..
I don't understand why visitors to the US have a problem with tipping waitstaff. In Europe it's built into the prices; in the US it's not. Same thing, just done a different way. Same with taxes. You have to remember that sales tax is not included in the prices in restaurants and stores. The Land of the Free + 5%!
Lucifer is wise not to return to restaurants where he tips 10% - he would probably eat a lot of spit!
British people do have a reputation for being lousy tippers in the U.S..
Last edited by phlashba; Jun 28, 2010 at 7:35 pm Reason: typo
Jun 28, 2010, 8:59 pm
#24
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Depends.
At a posh place, certainly. But then you're likely to get good service, and also likely to give them a tip.
Your typical waiter or waitress is quite likely one of the many workers in the US who pay no federal taxes, when it is all said and done. The tax system is overly generous on the entry level workers, and rapidly aggressive on the middle-level workers. And extraordinarily generous to the idle or working rich who live in the "mostly 15%" federal tax bracket.
Jun 28, 2010, 11:20 pm
#25
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One situation that has puzzled me in the USA.
I have status in the Sheraton chain of Hotels which gets me access to a private Lounge in the Hotel.
At the end of, say, buffet (serve yourself) breakfast I am presented with a chit to sign off a tip.
Question is - how much? The breakfast hasn't cost me and has no direct monetary value so how much to tip?
I have status in the Sheraton chain of Hotels which gets me access to a private Lounge in the Hotel.
At the end of, say, buffet (serve yourself) breakfast I am presented with a chit to sign off a tip.
Question is - how much? The breakfast hasn't cost me and has no direct monetary value so how much to tip?
Jun 28, 2010, 11:30 pm
#26
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Posts: 807
Jun 28, 2010, 11:32 pm
#27
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 807
One situation that has puzzled me in the USA.
I have status in the Sheraton chain of Hotels which gets me access to a private Lounge in the Hotel.
At the end of, say, buffet (serve yourself) breakfast I am presented with a chit to sign off a tip.
Question is - how much? The breakfast hasn't cost me and has no direct monetary value so how much to tip?
I have status in the Sheraton chain of Hotels which gets me access to a private Lounge in the Hotel.
At the end of, say, buffet (serve yourself) breakfast I am presented with a chit to sign off a tip.
Question is - how much? The breakfast hasn't cost me and has no direct monetary value so how much to tip?
Jun 29, 2010, 12:22 am
#28
Join Date: Oct 2009
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With 3 years as a resident of LA and a further 42 years of regularly visiting the US I must endorse PTravel's assessment in Post #15:-:. It sounds exactly right for LA and every other city in the Union, except perhaps New York City.
There has been a tendency for the old 15% rule of thumb to slip upward to 18% these past three years. I generally go with 15% at lunch, 18% at dinner and 20% at upscale restaurants: with a little upward or downward adjustment to reflect satisfaction level. For buffet breakfasts I leave $1 per head.
It takes a while to feel comfortable with the US tipping culture. Nevertheless; the cost of a meal plus tip in the US generally compares well with the cost of a meal minus tip in most western countries.
There has been a tendency for the old 15% rule of thumb to slip upward to 18% these past three years. I generally go with 15% at lunch, 18% at dinner and 20% at upscale restaurants: with a little upward or downward adjustment to reflect satisfaction level. For buffet breakfasts I leave $1 per head.
It takes a while to feel comfortable with the US tipping culture. Nevertheless; the cost of a meal plus tip in the US generally compares well with the cost of a meal minus tip in most western countries.
Jun 29, 2010, 12:46 am
#29
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: SEN
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After an initial reaction to this thread of 'oh hard can it be', I have to appologise as it's made interesting helpful reading.
Are there any major differences between the US and Canada in regards to tipping?
Are there any major differences between the US and Canada in regards to tipping?
Jun 29, 2010, 12:54 am
#30
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I'm in my 6th decade of being an American living in the U.S. The only place where I've ever heard of tipping front desk personnel is Las Vegas, where a $20 bill will, indeed, get you a better room. Of course, in Las Vegas, everything is for sale, and a well-placed tip can get you in to a sold-out show, a table in a fully-booked restaurant, etc.
Here's how I tip (and I've lived in Southern California for 25 years):
Restaurants - between 15 and 20%, depending on the service. The tip is usually NOT included in the bill, unless it is a large party (more than 6) that are dining.
Bars - the same, unless the bartender or cocktail waitress is particularly friendly, in which case I might tip more. The only exception is airline club rooms, at which I tip $1/drink.
Bellmen - $2 / bag, more if a bag is particularly heavy or awkward.
Taxis - 10% of the meter, more if the driver distinguishes himself, e.g. we get into an interesting conversation, he goes out of his way by helping with bags, etc.
Valet parkers - Dependent on the charge, if any. At least $2, frequently $3.
Concierge - It depends on how hard they work for me. Normally, I would not tip merely for making a reservation, unless a specific reservation was difficult to obtain and the concierge had to apply personal leverage to obtain it. I do tip for show tickets as these almost always required the aforementioned personal leverage. I do not tip for directions, recommendations or being given a hotel map -- these are all part of the job of a concierge.
Self-serve establishments, take-out food, etc. - As a rule, I do not tip, whether or not there are tip jars.
Lounge singers and musicians - I'll tip if I think they're really good. I've tipped between $1 and $20, depending on the establishment and how much I like them (this is true around the world). I do not tip entertainers who approach my table to perform without asking.
Here's how I tip (and I've lived in Southern California for 25 years):
Restaurants - between 15 and 20%, depending on the service. The tip is usually NOT included in the bill, unless it is a large party (more than 6) that are dining.
Bars - the same, unless the bartender or cocktail waitress is particularly friendly, in which case I might tip more. The only exception is airline club rooms, at which I tip $1/drink.
Bellmen - $2 / bag, more if a bag is particularly heavy or awkward.
Taxis - 10% of the meter, more if the driver distinguishes himself, e.g. we get into an interesting conversation, he goes out of his way by helping with bags, etc.
Valet parkers - Dependent on the charge, if any. At least $2, frequently $3.
Concierge - It depends on how hard they work for me. Normally, I would not tip merely for making a reservation, unless a specific reservation was difficult to obtain and the concierge had to apply personal leverage to obtain it. I do tip for show tickets as these almost always required the aforementioned personal leverage. I do not tip for directions, recommendations or being given a hotel map -- these are all part of the job of a concierge.
Self-serve establishments, take-out food, etc. - As a rule, I do not tip, whether or not there are tip jars.
Lounge singers and musicians - I'll tip if I think they're really good. I've tipped between $1 and $20, depending on the establishment and how much I like them (this is true around the world). I do not tip entertainers who approach my table to perform without asking.
A couple of small differences with PT: As a former bartender and taxi driver, perhaps I'm a bit biased, but I'd say that the minimum for a taxi is 15 percent and that for great service from a waiter/bartender/taxi you could go above 20 percent. On the other hand, if you feel someone's attitude was really lousy, don't feel obligated to give even 15 percent. (On the other hand, if the service is really slow, take into account whether it was the waiter or bartender's fault.)
As someone mentioned, in NYC you might find that the expectations and tips are a bit higher than the rest of the country.