Talking of tipping - % to tip at buffets

[smartestnumber5]

So I stand by my point. Tip what you want and what you can afford. Dont break the bank by tipping something you cant afford. And another thing, do not feel cheap tipping only a few $. You are tipping what you feel they deserve and what you can tip. If the waiter doesnt like it, to bad. Tell them to be happy what they got. Its better then leaving no tip at all.

Wow! If you follow your own advice and ever get the same server twice you must get a lot of spit in your food before its served to you.

I don't understand the idea of only "tipping what you can afford." Tipping 15% at a normal sit down restaurant with good service is an understood part of the price of the meal (I'll ignore the buffet issue since there seems to be To me it is no different than tax.) I know you say you don't want to hear that "if you can't afford the appropriate tip you can't afford a meal." Does this apply to tax as well? Do you try to buy a $100 stereo with 6% tax and then say, "Oh, I can't afford a $6 in tax, I can only afford $1. So be happy with that" to the salesperson?

It seems your logic--Too bad if the server doesn't like it; they'll have other tables which will tip them higher so that they can barely afford to pay their taxes--would also justify paying only a small percentage of the bill (so long as you can get away with it) even though the server will have to pay the rest herself. After all, all of the other tables will pay the whole bill and leave a tip, so she'll make enough that she can cover your bill if it's a busy night.

Perhaps you see tipping as somehow in a completely different league than paying the bill such that tipping is completely optional and at the whim of the consumer. If I were to leave an extremely low tip after good service I would feel that I was stealing from the server just as surely as if I had not fully paid the bill. The fact that if all of her other tables are not like me then she'll be able to pay her taxes would not make me feel better about it. Personally, I think leaving the minimum tip after good service should be just as legally enforceable as paying tax. I'd like to see people who stiff the servers get chased down on the way out the door just like those who try not to pay the bill and threatened with calling the police.

What waiters need to start doing is stop expecting tips. This way they arent mad or upset when they get a small tip or no tip.

You must be kidding right? Am I missing that your whole post was supposed to be sarcastic--a joke? (I usually have an okay eye for that sort of thing.)

 

[rentayenta]

This thread has taken an interesting turn.


My opinion is that if you cannot afford to tip, you cannot afford the meal. You can't buy a car and then say you can't afford to insure it. You can't buy a home and not pay the electric bill. You cannot purchase a pet and then not afford to feed it. It's the same logic.


Tipping is part of the experience. Period.

 

[Disney8704]

Couldnt agree more! You know its strange. People living in other countries feel the same way as I do when it comes to leaving tips. But people here in the US feel differently then I do. Am I living in the wrong country?

I think the wages system for servers is well over due for a rethink in the USA.
Why should people have to pay an extra 20% for a tip?
Who makes all the profit on these expensive meals...Disney.
Disney should pay the servers a decent minimum wage...like the do here in the UK,that way any tips are for excellent service not because we feel we have to make up for crummy wages.

 

[Disney8704]

See thats the beauty about the US. TIPS ARE OPITIONAL. You are NOT forced to leave any tips. And for your info, I live in DE. There is NO tax. If im in a state that require to pay tax, well duh of course Im gonna pay the tax. I have to. But you DONT have to leave a tip. Tax and tips are 2 completely different things. And no there is no joking here. Im dead serious. The waiters knew what they were getting themselves into when they took on their jobs. If they didnt know, well I guess they got a serious wakeup call. Nobody should be forced to leave a tip unless its mandatory to do so. And Im sorry I dont see leaving tips is mandatory unless its already included in the price or the place has rules of party of 8 or more there will be an automatic gratuity included. You cant expect everyone to follow YOUR rules and leave at least 15% tip. Let me ask something here. What about homeless people? Say they get just enough $ to go into somewhere to get a nice warm meal but dont have the money to leave a tip. Do you suggest they dont go into that place because they cant leave a tip? In my opinion, waiters who EXPECT tips are greedy people, especially those who expect a certain %. You cant expect anything in this world cuz when you do and you dont get it, you are let down very hard and it hurts. Why go through that? If I was a waitress I would appreciate tips, not expect them. Oh yeah, paying for tips is NOT understood part of the meal. If it was it would be included on the bill. It's very obious people from different states think differently when it comes to leaving tips. Here in DE. Its rare you see people leave tips. DH and I always leave $5. Its generally 20-25% of the bill. The other night DH and I went to Olive Garden, and we were sitting in a area where we around a bunch of other tables. Whenever someone got up, we never saw money left on the table. One time I asked a waitress at Texas Roadhouse if she ever gets tips just out of curiosity. She says she rarly does and she expects that because people in DE hardly leave tips. And she was awesome. We've have had her a few times before and she would remember us and she gave us the same respect and service as she did to everyone else. I told her that last time we couldnt leave a tip cuz we didnt have the money, just enough to eat out and she perfectly understood. So point is different people=different opinions.

Wow! If you follow your own advice and ever get the same server twice you must get a lot of spit in your food before its served to you.

I don't understand the idea of only "tipping what you can afford." Tipping 15% at a normal sit down restaurant with good service is an understood part of the price of the meal (I'll ignore the buffet issue since there seems to be To me it is no different than tax.) I know you say you don't want to hear that "if you can't afford the appropriate tip you can't afford a meal." Does this apply to tax as well? Do you try to buy a $100 stereo with 6% tax and then say, "Oh, I can't afford a $6 in tax, I can only afford $1. So be happy with that" to the salesperson?

It seems your logic--Too bad if the server doesn't like it; they'll have other tables which will tip them higher so that they can barely afford to pay their taxes--would also justify paying only a small percentage of the bill (so long as you can get away with it) even though the server will have to pay the rest herself. After all, all of the other tables will pay the whole bill and leave a tip, so she'll make enough that she can cover your bill if it's a busy night.

Perhaps you see tipping as somehow in a completely different league than paying the bill such that tipping is completely optional and at the whim of the consumer. If I were to leave an extremely low tip after good service I would feel that I was stealing from the server just as surely as if I had not fully paid the bill. The fact that if all of her other tables are not like me then she'll be able to pay her taxes would not make me feel better about it. Personally, I think leaving the minimum tip after good service should be just as legally enforceable as paying tax. I'd like to see people who stiff the servers get chased down on the way out the door just like those who try not to pay the bill and threatened with calling the police.




You must be kidding right? Am I missing that your whole post was supposed to be sarcastic--a joke? (I usually have an okay eye for that sort of thing.)

 

[smartestnumber5]

I think the wages system for servers is well over due for a rethink in the USA.
Why should people have to pay an extra 20% for a tip?
Who makes all the profit on these expensive meals...Disney.
Disney should pay the servers a decent minimum wage...like the do here in the UK,that way any tips are for excellent service not because we feel we have to make up for crummy wages.

I think this is one way restaurants could go. I've never really understood the history of how it came to be that servers got paid $2 an hour from their employers and tipping became part of their wages.

I think changing at this point though would be bad for servers and possibly bad for customers too. I assume if employers had to pay another $5 an hour to every server they would raise their prices to do so. If they raise the prices 15% or more the customer would end up paying more than they were paying under the tipping system. (And if the 15% is included in the price we have to pay the 6% tax on that 15% which we don't have to do when the 15% is given as tip.)

This would also mean MUCH lower wages for servers--barely above minimum wage. Right now it seems serving is one of the few non-degree requiring/non-technical skill requiring jobs one can make a decent living at. But that would certainly change if servers were paid minimum wage and I assume many long term servers who depend on their jobs to feed their kids would need to quickly find another job since $7 an hour for a family of one adult and one child puts them just $1000 above the poverty line.

ETA: I don't know why anyone who is a bad tipper would like this system though because they'd likely be forced to pay something like the price of the tip in higher food prices.

 

[disneyfan2kids]

In my opinion, waiters who EXPECT tips are greedy people, especially those who expect a certain %. You cant expect anything in this world cuz when you do and you dont get it, you are let down very hard and it hurts. Why go through that? If I was a waitress I would appreciate tips, not expect them.

OK to use your scenario...

Server "A" has "5 tables" in an hour. Each table has a $100/bill. Each table leaves $2 (you said this is a good tip right?). That's $8 in tips and $2.14 in wages. That's $10.14 the server just made... WAIT... he/she has to pay taxes on 8% of the bill ($400 in checks = taxes being paid on $32) OK. Let's assume 15% tax bracket. That servers is paying $4.80 in taxes. Subtract that from the $10.14 they made. That server just ran his/her butt off, refilled your cups, cleaned your dirty plates and carted food to and from you (let's assume this was done pleasantly) and you think the fact that they cleared $5.34 after taxes is enough? I'm sorry... but I strongly disagree.

Again - I'm not arguing against those people that think poor service should be reflected in the tip (to each his own)...but I am against "not tipping" based purely because it's supposedly "optional" and people say they can't "afford it".

I ask again...everybody else's financial history is none of my business...but where is the logic in paying thousands for a vacation and claiming you can't afford more than $1 or $2 tip? It does not sound logical to me. My $0.02

 

[mefordis]

See thats the beauty about the US. TIPS ARE OPITIONAL. You are NOT forced to leave any tips. And for your info, I live in DE. There is NO tax. If im in a state that require to pay tax, well duh of course Im gonna pay the tax. I have to. But you DONT have to leave a tip. Tax and tips are 2 completely different things. And no there is no joking here. Im dead serious. The waiters knew what they were getting themselves into when they took on their jobs. If they didnt know, well I guess they got a serious wakeup call. Nobody should be forced to leave a tip unless its mandatory to do so. And Im sorry I dont see leaving tips is mandatory unless its already included in the price or the place has rules of party of 8 or more there will be an automatic gratuity included. You cant expect everyone to follow YOUR rules and leave at least 15% tip. Let me ask something here. What about homeless people? Say they get just enough $ to go into somewhere to get a nice warm meal but dont have the money to leave a tip. Do you suggest they dont go into that place because they cant leave a tip? In my opinion, waiters who EXPECT tips are greedy people, especially those who expect a certain %. You cant expect anything in this world cuz when you do and you dont get it, you are let down very hard and it hurts. Why go through that? If I was a waitress I would appreciate tips, not expect them. Oh yeah, paying for tips is NOT understood part of the meal. If it was it would be included on the bill. It's very obious people from different states think differently when it comes to leaving tips. Here in DE. Its rare you see people leave tips. DH and I always leave $5. Its generally 20-25% of the bill. The other night DH and I went to Olive Garden, and we were sitting in a area where we around a bunch of other tables. Whenever someone got up, we never saw money left on the table. One time I asked a waitress at Texas Roadhouse if she ever gets tips just out of curiosity. She says she rarly does and she expects that because people in DE hardly leave tips. And she was awesome. We've have had her a few times before and she would remember us and she gave us the same respect and service as she did to everyone else. I told her that last time we couldnt leave a tip cuz we didnt have the money, just enough to eat out and she perfectly understood. So point is different people=different opinions.

You have obviously never worked in food service industry, so let me educate you on a few things.

When a restaurant employer hires a waiter, they specifically state they will be paid x $ per hour PLUS TIPS. The employer/restaurant owner is EXPECTING that you tip thier employee. He/She knows that these employees will not work for $2.50 or whatever an hour. The tips make up for the low wage. Is the employer being greedy to expect that you tip? Is the IRS being greedy when they hit the server with 8% of their sales for taxes (to ensure the server pays taxes ON THEIR TIPS).

People thinking like you and not tipping servers would force the employers to pay the servers a living/minimum wage and in turn restaurants would raise their prices. Either way, you would pay.

Just know the server is still paying taxes on your bill, even if you leave no tip.

One thing I"ve observed in life is that cheap people are some of the most miserably unhappy people I've ever had the misfortune of coming into contact with. I almost feel sorry for them.

 

[Disney8704]

Well lets see. There is a difference here when it comes to paying thousands of dollars on vacation and cant afford decent tips. Take me and DH for example. We have bills to pay every month of course like everyone else. DH is in the air force. He only brings home $2323 a month and thats on Staff Sergent pay and includes is BAS. His BAH goes to Pennacile who is the property owners for base housing. Now, after paying bills we usually have just enough to put money towards christmas, our Disney trip in december and go see 1 movie and thats it and maybe go out to dinner. The HUGE difference is this. If we were to tip like you say, we wouldnt be able to take the trip this December. It would have to be cancelled or seriously postponed, due to DH chances getting deployed in Jan are extremely high. We have enough money to pay for the trip and leaving some sort of tip and thats it. Now I dunno about everyone else, but Im not gonna cancel my trip that we have been saving up for a while now and planning for awhile now just so I can leave like 20% tips on the table. Im sorry but anyone who does that, is out of their minds. No waiter is that good, to where you have to postpone or cancel your trip because you cant leave a proper tip.

OK to use your scenario...

Server "A" has "5 tables" in an hour. Each table has a $100/bill. Each table leaves $2 (you said this is a good tip right?). That's $8 in tips and $2.14 in wages. That's $10.14 the server just made... WAIT... he/she has to pay taxes on 8% of the bill ($400 in checks = taxes being paid on $32) OK. Let's assume 15% tax bracket. That servers is paying $4.80 in taxes. Subtract that from the $10.14 they made. That server just ran his/her butt off, refilled your cups, cleaned your dirty plates and carted food to and from you (let's assume this was done pleasantly) and you think the fact that they cleared $5.34 after taxes is enough? I'm sorry... but I strongly disagree.

Again - I'm not arguing against those people that think poor service should be reflected in the tip (to each his own)...but I am against "not tipping" based purely because it's supposedly "optional" and people say they can't "afford it".

I ask again...everybody else's financial history is none of my business...but where is the logic in paying thousands for a vacation and claiming you can't afford more than $1 or $2 tip? It does not sound logical to me. My $0.02

 

[Disney8704]

Just gonna say 1 more thing and I think Im done with this thread. We all can go on and on about tipping until we are blue in the face. Point is everyone has a different view and opinions on tipping. You cant expect everyone to tip the same or to tip at all. Tipping is an issue that just doesnt wanna seem to die. Everyone has the right to tip what they want. If they wanna tip nothing or tip 20% thats up to them, not you. Unless tipping is enforced by law dont expect everyone to tip the same amount because its not gonna happen.

 

[disneyfan2kids]

Well lets see. There is a difference here when it comes to paying thousands of dollars on vacation and cant afford decent tips. Take me and DH for example. We have bills to pay every month of course like everyone else. DH is in the air force. He only brings home $2323 a month and thats on Staff Sergent pay and includes is BAS. His BAH goes to Pennacile who is the property owners for base housing. Now, after paying bills we usually have just enough to put money towards christmas, our Disney trip in december and go see 1 movie and thats it and maybe go out to dinner. The HUGE difference is this. If we were to tip like you say, we wouldnt be able to take the trip this December. It would have to be cancelled or seriously postponed, due to DH chances getting deployed in Jan are extremely high. We have enough money to pay for the trip and leaving some sort of tip and thats it. Now I dunno about everyone else, but Im not gonna cancel my trip that we have been saving up for a while now and planning for awhile now just so I can leave like 20% tips on the table. Im sorry but anyone who does that, is out of their minds. No waiter is that good, to where you have to postpone or cancel your trip because you cant leave a proper tip.

We're going to have to agree to disagree on this one.

If I couldn't afford to properly pay for those people that are providing me a service, I would not use that service.

I cannot afford to go to Europe every year because I can't afford the airfare. I just don't go. I don't choose to go anyway and not properly pay for the services.

Once again... we will have to agree to disagree. If it were me, I'd cut out one TS meal during the trip and use that saved $$ to properly pay my servers for the remaining TS meals. OR, if I couldn't tip...I'd use Counter Service.

You mentioned how hard you save for your DW trip...that's commendable. However, please realize that your servers are saving hard for something too...maybe a trip... maybe tuition...maybe food for their children. Everyone works hard to save.

 

[smartestnumber5]

See thats the beauty about the US. TIPS ARE OPITIONAL. You are NOT forced to leave any tips. And for your info, I live in DE. There is NO tax. If im in a state that require to pay tax, well duh of course Im gonna pay the tax. I have to. But you DONT have to leave a tip. Tax and tips are 2 completely different things. And no there is no joking here. Im dead serious. The waiters knew what they were getting themselves into when they took on their jobs. If they didnt know, well I guess they got a serious wakeup call. Nobody should be forced to leave a tip unless its mandatory to do so. And Im sorry I dont see leaving tips is mandatory unless its already included in the price or the place has rules of party of 8 or more there will be an automatic gratuity included. You cant expect everyone to follow YOUR rules and leave at least 15% tip. Let me ask something here. What about homeless people? Say they get just enough $ to go into somewhere to get a nice warm meal but dont have the money to leave a tip. Do you suggest they dont go into that place because they cant leave a tip? In my opinion, waiters who EXPECT tips are greedy people, especially those who expect a certain %. You cant expect anything in this world cuz when you do and you dont get it, you are let down very hard and it hurts. Why go through that? If I was a waitress I would appreciate tips, not expect them.

If you got paid $2 an hour you would be greedy to expect more than that? While I've never been a server, I would assume that when one is hired the employer explains that the server can indeed EXPECT a certain amount in tips. And it seems the federal government and the IRS think it is appropriate that servers EXPECT tips since they do not bust restaurant owners for breaking minimum wage laws. So yes, they did know what they were getting into--they knew they were getting a job in which they could and should expect to be tipped! (Of course, I'm sure they also knew that some customers would stiff them. Similarly they probably also were told ahead of time that some customers would try to leave without paying the bill, would try to get things taken off the bill by saying there was a fly in the last bite of their food, some would verbally abuse them or sexually harass them. The fact that they knew these things ahead of time doesn't make them okay.)

It sounds like you are saying that you only pay tax because you would get thrown in jail if you didn't. What do you do in situations in which a casheir gives you too much change back? It seems in such cases that they probably have to pay back any missing money at the end of the day out of their own wages. And I would think it obvious that the right thing to do is give the money back because it would be harming the casheir to keep it. But if tipping is completely morally optional and you only pay tax because they'll throw you in jail if you don't, it sounds like you would keep the money, no?

I think we would all understand a homeless person not leaving a tip in order to get a meal. (Though, if the person ordered one of the more expensive items on the menu I would think that perhaps they should have gotten a more moderately priced but just as filling and satisfying item so they could have left a tip. This is what I don't understand about the "I can't afford to tip" crap. I have a diner near my house that has prices that are cheaper than McDonalds--you can get a special for $5. I have a very hard time believing that there are significant numbers of people who have EXACTLY enough money to pay $10 for the meal plus $.60 for tax, but do not have another $1.50 for tip. I can believe the homeless person example, but I just don't believe there are a slew of Disboarders who have EXACTLY $10.60 available for dinner and not a cent more.) If they really could not leave a tip and afford the meal, then I would hope they might leave a note to the server and apologize explaining that they are in an extreme situation and they are sorry they cannot tip her. (Not that they'd tell her she was greedy for expecting more than $2 an hour!) I would just as much understand them not having the money for tax at a coffee shop. I would hope the server would understand and wouldn't begrude the person the tip. Similarly, I would hope that the coffee shop cashier would say, "I'll cover the tax for you." I would also hope that if a homeless person were stealing a loaf of bread from the supermarket the check out clerk would look the other way. But since being homeless is an extreme situation, I wouldn't apply those hopes to any other situation.

 

[rentayenta]

What's being lost is what actually constitutes good service. Some folks expect the world and are too cheap to tip regardless of the service provided. Again, you cannot teach class and respect even to the cheapest soul.

 

[mefordis]

Well lets see. There is a difference here when it comes to paying thousands of dollars on vacation and cant afford decent tips. Take me and DH for example. We have bills to pay every month of course like everyone else. DH is in the air force. He only brings home $2323 a month and thats on Staff Sergent pay and includes is BAS. His BAH goes to Pennacile who is the property owners for base housing. Now, after paying bills we usually have just enough to put money towards christmas, our Disney trip in december and go see 1 movie and thats it and maybe go out to dinner. The HUGE difference is this. If we were to tip like you say, we wouldnt be able to take the trip this December. It would have to be cancelled or seriously postponed, due to DH chances getting deployed in Jan are extremely high. We have enough money to pay for the trip and leaving some sort of tip and thats it. Now I dunno about everyone else, but Im not gonna cancel my trip that we have been saving up for a while now and planning for awhile now just so I can leave like 20% tips on the table. Im sorry but anyone who does that, is out of their minds. No waiter is that good, to where you have to postpone or cancel your trip because you cant leave a proper tip.

After reading your scenario, I completely understand why you wouldn't tip 20%. No judgements from me. What i have a problem with is when people are supposedly high paid "rocket scientists" or doctors or whatever they profess to be and can't seem to bring themselves to tip because they are too busy crying over not having water as soon as they put their pills on the table, or some such nonsense.

As a former server, I would not have wanted a family to forgo their vacation in order to tip on the top end, but I am saying that from a viewpoint of 15 years later, when I have much more financial stability. I figure with my tips I will make up the difference for those who truly cannot afford it, but not for cheap curmudgeons.

 

[disneyfan2kids]

What i have a problem with is when people are supposedly high paid "rocket scientists" or doctors or whatever they profess to be and can't seem to bring themselves to tip because they are too busy crying over not having water as soon as they put their pills on the table, or some such nonsense.

.... I figure with my tips I will make up the difference for those who truly cannot afford it, but not for cheap curmudgeons.

 

[Disney8704]

I to agree that people who can afford high tips, could leave those kinds of tips. But people like me and DH who arent rich we actually live paycheck to paycheck needs some sort of slack. We have the right to go out to eat to once in awhile, even to nice places. Now DH and I always tip $5 which comes out to be 20-25% of the bill, cuz our meals never come out over $25. We never order deserts, so thats why we can come out ahead and not spend a lot of $ going out to eat. Plus living in a state with no tax helps out a lot as well. When we go to Disney in December we will be doing a lot of CS meals plus a lot of TS meals. However, some of he TS meals in the morning are Buffets, so therefor we will eat a light lunch and have a early dinner around 5pm. The day we go to AK we plan on eating at the Mara, eat lunch at flame tree and dinner at RFC in DTD, so only 1 TS meal that day. Then we have 1 day at MGM and 1 day finishing up AK and MGM. The day we do MGM we will eat breakfast at Boma around 7:30am and have a very early dinner at sci-fi around 4pm and right afterwards catch Fantasmic. So therefor we completely skip lunch to not only help not being overally stuffed but to help save money as well. And if we get hungry later we'll just grab a snack. Same thing for the day we do MGM and AK. We will eat breakfast at Donalds (which will be the new one at Tusker House) and then have another early dinner at 50s around 4pm. Now the days we go to MK and Epcot is where it gets expensive. Most days we will have 2 TS meals. However the breakfasts are mainly buffets and we will once again have early dinners around 5pm. Setting our meals up like this is gonna allow us to tip 15% at the TS meals. I know its not the 18% like on the DDP or 20% like most people do tip, but the norm is 15-20% so I think im in the clear.

After reading your scenario, I completely understand why you wouldn't tip 20%. No judgements from me. What i have a problem with is when people are supposedly high paid "rocket scientists" or doctors or whatever they profess to be and can't seem to bring themselves to tip because they are too busy crying over not having water as soon as they put their pills on the table, or some such nonsense.

As a former server, I would not have wanted a family to forgo their vacation in order to tip on the top end, but I am saying that from a viewpoint of 15 years later, when I have much more financial stability. I figure with my tips I will make up the difference for those who truly cannot afford it, but not for cheap curmudgeons.

 

[just another guy]

Couldnt agree more! You know its strange. People living in other countries feel the same way as I do when it comes to leaving tips. But people here in the US feel differently then I do. Am I living in the wrong country?

You are MORE than welcome to leave!

Here in DE. Its rare you see people leave tips. DH and I always leave $5. Its generally 20-25% of the bill. The other night DH and I went to Olive Garden, and we were sitting in a area where we around a bunch of other tables. Whenever someone got up, we never saw money left on the table.

BS! I'm not going to believe for a second that DE is some magical state where no one tips, and all the servers are completely happy not getting paid(your hourly wages goes to taxes, and therefore the check is often ZERO). Just because you don't see cash piled up on the table doesn't mean they are not tipping. They could easily hand the sever the check, cash, and tell the server to keep the rest. Also, an ever growing number of americans pay with plastic more than cash. That means the tip is written in.

 

[illiniowl]

Point is everyone has a different view and opinions on tipping.

Actually, this isn't true. In this country, the vast, VAST majority of people understand that when you're at a TS-type (non-buffet) restaurant, you are required by societal custom to tip at least 15% of the pre-tax bill for standard service. Some people feel the minimum tip for standard service should be more (18%, 20%, whatever), different people define "standard service" differently, people differ about how much to reduce a tip (or whether it's OK to not leave one at all) for bad service, and what constitutes bad service, and whether it's OK to tip less than 15% at a buffet - these are all things on which, yes, people can legitimately disagree. And one certainly has the right to wish that we had a different system - that restaurants would be required to pay minimum wage to servers, or that the tip would be automatically added to the bill, or that the custom of tipping would never have arisen in the first place. Heck, feel free to lobby your elected representatives to change the system. But at present we don't have a different system (and, I might add, we never will), and the bottom line is that someone who leaves less than 15% for standard service in this country is either ignorant of what society expects of them (a possible excuse for a foreign tourist although responsible people educate themselves ahead of time on the customs of the countries they're going to) or just plain selfishly cheap, thoughtless and rude.

Everyone has the right to tip what they want.

Wrong. Everyone has the power to tip what they want, because there isn't an official law on the subject. But just because one can leave a $5 - or $1, or $0.02, or whatever - on a $100 tab even though the service was acceptably standard doesn't make it right to do so. It is, in fact, wrong - society says so. Do not eat at a TS-type restaurant if you are not prepared to tip 15% of your bill for standard service. Period.

 

[PlutoLuvr]

No judgments here, either, Disney8704. Just like I mentioned in the last thread where you stated your beliefs on tipping, you do what you believe is best for your family.

I will say, however, this is NOT a Delaware thing. I'm from DE, lived in Wilmington, New Castle, Dover; come from a massive family and still have lots of friends we dine with when we're back home. It is customary, at least from anything I've ever witnessed in 35 years, to tip the standard 15 to 20 percent, more if the service is extraordinary; less if it's poor. Some of my cousins have had jobs as servers in DE, and they most certainly rely on the standard percentage of the bill in tips as their income.

I, too, have traveled all over this beautiful country of ours and have had the pleasure of dining at many, many restaurants. I know you said one's choice to tip at all depends upon the region, but I have yet to visit any region of the USA where 15 to 20 percent is not customary. What region of the country specifically are you referring to where $1 to $5, or "whatever you can afford" is an acceptable and customary tip? Seriously, I'd like to know, just in case I find myself there one day.

 

[Disney8704]

I didnt say that they were happy. I said that they were understanding. The servers know themselves weither or not people tip. I have a friend who used to work as a waitress and she was one of the best in the restaurant she worked at. But she told me, that she was lucky if she came home with more then $20 in tips per week. She's waited on me and DH. Of course we would leave a tip. But we would watch her as she would wait on the other tables, same excellent service as us. But no tips, or very little tips. I think the reason why not many people leave tips is because DE is a poor state. The cost of living around here is not cheap! Sure we may have no tax, but people buying homes, I can only imagine 3/4 of their paychecks goes to their house payments. The cost of homes start about $300,000.

You are MORE than welcome to leave!



BS! I'm not going to believe for a second that DE is some magical state where no one tips, and all the servers are completely happy not getting paid(your hourly wages goes to taxes, and therefore the check is often ZERO). Just because you don't see cash piled up on the table doesn't mean they are not tipping. They could easily hand the sever the check, cash, and tell the server to keep the rest. Also, an ever growing number of americans pay with plastic more than cash. That means the tip is written in.

 

[disneyfan2kids]

FYI - I've never multi-quoted before...so forgive me if this doesn't work.

I to agree that people who can afford high tips, could leave those kinds of tips. But people like me and DH who arent rich we actually live paycheck to paycheck needs some sort of slack.

There IS slack...nobody is saying you have to tip 20%... but at one point you mentioned that decent service is worth $2 or $3 to you, regardless of cost of meal. The "slack" is built into that 15% option (or lower for poor service.) But $2 or $3 for a $100 meal is NOT the 20-25% that you mentioned you normally leave.

We have the right to go out to eat to once in awhile, even to nice places.

Of course you do. But if I couldn't afford a tip, I would choose not to eat there.

Setting our meals up like this is gonna allow us to tip 15% at the TS meals. I know its not the 18% like on the DDP or 20% like most people do tip, but the norm is 15-20% so I think im in the clear.

OK, this statement above is QUITE different than your tone in previous posts. You've stated (earlier) that you feel that a dollar or two is sufficient...that servers are GREEDY if they want more... and that tipping is OPTIONAL.

These things you said are not indicative of you tipping in the 15% range. If you do in fact tip servers in this range...well then I don't think anyone would disagree with that. What some (many?) here were disagreeing with were your multiple previous posts saying that $1, $2, or $3 dollars is more than enough for any amount of meal. And your statement regarding greed.

And, I live 10 minutes from the Delaware border.... tipping is the norm no matter where you live.