Tipping

[avidflyer]

We've covered this many times before BUT...Out with the wife for a nice dinner. Cocktails at the table, bar was slammed. Saw a nice bottle of cab I hadn't had in a while. Nice dinner got the check $200 in food $400 in the two cocktails and the bottle of wine. Service was marginal, but told now days lucky they have a wait staff. Left $100 tip...which I thought was very generous...leaving the restaurant got the look from the waiter...really???

Next day, Bellman at the hotel helped with all the bags from a weekend of shopping. I gave him a $20 as he loaded the uber....Was ecstatic told me I was very generous no one tips anymore thank you

I have no idea what to expect from people these days.

[Chewbacca]

1. You care too much about what people you’ll never see again think about you.

2. Your tipping was fair.

3. Try my technique: I tell waiters here’s $5. Whether you get the $5 depends on how you look after my table. Now go!

4. Take money saved and buy Rolexeses

[Beo3]

You did nothing wrong. A 18 percent tip is normal, and if the service was marginal, as you say, your gratuity was on point.

[Star Ferry]

you tipped over 16% on a bill that was mostly wine. Seems normal, if not generous. When they told you they were lucky to have a wait staff, was that prompted by a complaint to a manager? If so, that may be what irked the waiter

But IMO this is all part of the labor shortage. When it's hard to find workers, business owners take on personalities they would not have taken on in different times. So you end up with more employees acting badly or lacking a good attitude.

[avidflyer]

Originally Posted by Star Ferry

you tipped over 16% on a bill that was mostly wine. Seems normal, if not generous. When they told you they were lucky to have a wait staff, was that prompted by a complaint to a manager? If so, that may be what irked the waiter

No complaining, seems to be the general senses around all the major cities restaurants etc. I travel about 25 days a month, it just seems that the consensus. Several of the restaurants we love when on the east coast, have very limited hours. or cant open all sections of the restaurant.

[brandrea]

I usually tip 20% sometimes more sometimes less depending on the service.

I’d say you tipped well for marginal service

Sorry duplicate post.

[Danny83]

When my wife and I go out im fair ….. but I dont like when a 300-400 bill comes out and they start the tip at 20%. We eat out 15-20 per month. I tip 15-20%. Im not tipping more unless at strip club

[colpol]

These Tipping topics get me every time

I know across the water it’s part & parcel of every day life & you seem to tip for everything

I ‘ve walked out plenty & left nothing for poor food / service. Likewise for excellent service - have went above & beyond. If a waiter wants to give me the eye on the way out - I wouldn’t give it a second thought.

If/ when I leave a tip - it’s at my discretion & how much. End of.

[Blansky]

Originally Posted by Danny83

When my wife and I go out im fair ….. but I dont like when a 300-400 bill comes out and they start the tip at 20%. We eat out 15-20 per month. I tip 15-20%. Im not tipping more unless at strip club

Agree, and besides the waiter and waitresses get kinda testy when you keep slipping dollars bills into the waistband of their pants every time they come to fill your water glass.

What a world we live in.

[sickened1]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

1. You care too much about what people you’ll never see again think about you.

2. Your tipping was fair.

3. Try my technique: I tell waiters here’s $5. Whether you get the $5 depends on how you look after my table. Now go!

4. Take money saved and buy Rolexeses

Never thought I say this but...excellent advice.

[Star Ferry]

Originally Posted by colpol

These Tipping topics get me every time

I know across the water it’s part & parcel of every day life & you seem to tip for everything

I’ve walked out plenty & left nothing for poor food / service. Likewise for excellent service - have went above & beyond. If a waiter wants to give me the eye on the way out - I wouldn’t give it a second thought.

If/ when I leave a tip - it’s at my discretion & how much. End of.

Many of the same restaurant/bar owners who cry about how hard it is to make a living would take the server's side in OP's story. In other words, they'd condone retaliation against the customer, whether subtle or overt, for a (perceived, because it was actually rather generous) poor tip.

To the extent the managers and owners take an "us v. them" mentality that antagonizes the paying customer, they shouldn't be surprised when they fail to turn the expected profit.

[DJ TT 2002]

I’m a very generous tipper but I do not calculate a tip based on the wine served with dinner.
There’s already an extraordinary markup on alcohol in a restaurant

[Tools]

Originally Posted by avidflyer

. . . Left $100 tip...which I thought was very generous...leaving the restaurant got the look from the waiter...really???
. . .
I have no idea what to expect from people these days.

Exactly, a hundred bucks for an hour of pretty minimal labor, good wages.

A "look" makes me want to walk back and pick up a pretty decent gratuity, which is all about the service and attitude presented.

The guy at the next table who had exactly the same meal, but no drinks, would leave a 20 and not even get a second look.

[crew]

I started a thread quite some time ago about tipping for food and wine. The consensus was that if you can afford a (pick a number) dollar of wine you can afford to tip on it. I, upon due consideration, agree with that.
In avidflyer’s case I think he was fair (I’d probably have done the same) but definitely not generous. Generous tips start at over 20%, not under. This isn’t a slam on OP, he left what he thought was fair and most of us agree he was. The waiter sounds like he may have had an attitude.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Blansky

Agree, and besides the waiter and waitresses get kinda testy when you keep slipping dollars bills into the waistband of their pants every time they come to fill your water glass.

What a world we live in.

[BNA/LION]

Originally Posted by Danny83

When my wife and I go out im fair ….. but I dont like when a 300-400 bill comes out and they start the tip at 20%. We eat out 15-20 per month. I tip 15-20%. Im not tipping more unless at strip club

I've noticed the options on the electronic machine they bring to the table sometimes to pay starts at 18% now. I get it with the cost of living going up and things. 15%-20% is our standard tipping range. For exceptional service and food we will give more. However, A Tip Is Earned Not Guaranteed... If The Service Sucks, So Does Your Tip!

[avidflyer]

Speaking of the handheld electronic card readers, that start at 18%, i've ran into that a lot lately on carry out. If you get 40 or $50 in carry out you, I might leave the kid 5- 10 bucks, especially if you went inside and picked it up yourself....but you kind of get the frown on that also.... say $5 on a $50 pick up order. I've also noticed some fast food restaurants do that now, and it's probably a standard at Starbucks now.

[Malum]

I’m a creature of habit . I frequent many of the same restaurants, I know the owner , server , bartender et al . I always tip them handsomely and always receive grade A service . Out of town I generally give 20 percent and odds are I will never see these people again . I think that’s more than fair .

[77T]

Originally Posted by avidflyer

We've covered this many times before BUT...Out with the wife for a nice dinner. Cocktails at the table, bar was slammed. Saw a nice bottle of cab I hadn't had in a while. Nice dinner got the check $200 in food $400 in the two cocktails and the bottle of wine. Service was marginal, but told now days lucky they have a wait staff. Left $100 tip...which I thought was very generous...leaving the restaurant got the look from the waiter...

Curious, what was your tabletop time?

Has it a 2 ⭐️ Michelin or higher?


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[HHIslander]

Your tip was generous. The waiter was an ass.

I don’t tip more than $20 for opening a bottle of wine, regardless of cost. I do tip 20-40% on food and regular drinks. I should add I won’t spend more than $400 or so for a bottle of wine when out, the markup is too much for me to stomach. I have a hard time paying $800 for a bottle I paid $300 for at home.

I was a waiter during college at a high end place that serves bottles of wine well over $1k and we never expected the normal tip rate on a pricey bottle of wine.

[austinp]

I waited tables for 10 years when I was a young man. Your tip is perfectly fine. The waiter is an a hole.
The best table to get as a waiter is 6 guys on an expense account. I’d send all the Smokin hot cocktail waitresses over and share the tip with them. Good times.


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[JasoninDenver]

I have been running into this problem with short staffing impacting the dining experience at a number of restaurants lately while returning to leisure travel. I generally understand but have found that it is the management’s response to the problem that has either a nominal or negative impact.

Some of our favorite places have gone to a reduced menu based on difficulty in sourcing ingredients or cutting back on the number of tables served due to staffing issues. For example, we are on Maui right now and, for the first time in 15 years, we will not be dining at Mama’s Fish House because they are reducing service and reservations are impossible to get. They have refused to let quality or service suffer and I respect this.

However, I have become quite ticked with certain places that have taken a horribly pissy attitude and allow their staff to be anything but respectful to their patrons. Several places have gotten so bad I will never cross their doors again.

[PBJ1925]

20% - Meals (sit-down with actual service)
10% - Uber
$5-10 - Valets

Are my general defaults, sometimes more for exceptional service.

I struggle at times with take out orders, or over the counter meals where there is some type of expectation of a tip/gratuity when there really isn't any service per se. I'll typically tip something on take out orders or if the over the counter person is cordial but when they start to expect a 20% tip that's when it starts to get weird for me.

[PBJ1925]

20% - Meals (sit-down with actual service)
10% - Uber
$5-10 - Valets

Are my general defaults, sometimes more for exceptional service.

I struggle at times with take out orders, or over the counter meals where there is some type of expectation of a tip/gratuity when there really isn't any service per se. I'll typically tip something on take out orders or if the over the counter person is cordial but when they start to expect a 20% tip that's when it starts to get weird for me.

[GB-man]

I literally walked out of a restaurant yesterday after we didn’t see a server for 15 mins. No drinks nada. We then flagged a manager and 5 min later still nobody lol I’m not spending 100 a plate plus drinks for 3 and not getting service. I too have noticed so many restaurants have gone to s***. Old fav dishes aren’t the same, the servers are way more hit or miss. Prices of course are insane but that’s tolerable.

Regarding the tip I normally give 20-25%. If the service was “off” 15% and something inexcusable I’ve tipped nothing a handful of times. We don’t buy big bottles so I don’t know the protocol there.

I virtually never tip on takeout. What a scam that is. Buck for coffee shops, acai bowls etc

[AzPaul]

Not sure why an expensive bottle of wine should have such a big influence on what the waiter gets. Dinner's dinner.

[kieselguhr]

You tipped fair for meager service. Don’t worry about it. I would’ve glared back.

[Moondoggy]

I have no idea what to expect from people these days.

This, it's a bloody nightmare. Hate it.

[Andad]

Originally Posted by Moondoggy

I have no idea what to expect from people these days.

This, it's a bloody nightmare. Hate it.

This is probably why tipping is not the norm in Oz?

[Moondoggy]

Originally Posted by Andad

This is probably why tipping is not the norm in Oz?

I am 50/50 in both countries, Aus the business owners pay a decent wage, US business owners want the client to pay the wage. Swings and roundabouts I know, not that simple.

US Govts have tried in the past to change minimum wage and business owners got cranky hence went to the can real quick.

The tipping culture started from dark days and has stayed put.