Tipping 30%?
By Lena Kovadlo
@lovebuglena (45177)
Staten Island, New York
January 11, 2025 9:28pm CST
I just saw a post on Facebook that said how to tip a server. They showed a total amount, said to move the decimal point one to the left (that’s 10%) and then multiply by three. That comes out to a 30% tip. This followed by the line that said something like this: if you cannot do that you do not need to go out to eat.
Who leaves 30% tips? I bet even celebrities or other rich people don’t do that.
And to say to someone if you can’t leave a 30% tip then stay home is just wrong. If people do that then waiters will get no tips at all and the restaurant won’t make any money either.
It’s not the customers’ fault that restaurant owners don’t pay the waiters enough money and that they have to rely on tips.
Also, tips should be optional. And the amount you choose to leave should not be dictated by the restaurant. You tip how much you can afford to and/or how much you want to leave based on the service provided.
But sometimes restaurants automatically add a service charge to your bill (usually 18%) and on top of that ask you to leave a tip. No way!
What I also don’t get is the whole tipping system. Whether I order a salad or a steak the waiter still brings me one plate. Service is exactly the same. So why should I be required to leave a higher tip if I order the steak just because it costs more?
8 people like this
8 responses
@kaylachan (74129)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
12 Jan
Tipping caulture, which is prominent here in the U.S. is an ongoing problem. Depending on where you dine, tips act as an incintive to provide above and beyond service. But, if you go to a 5 star restaurant, you're likely going to get servers that are paid a living wadge and are vetted. But if you go to a lower class place, the service might not be ideal. And, since servers aren't paid a living wadge, are likely to give better service to those they know will make up what they should be paid.
That being said: I agree with you. Due to George's stroke, I've come to rely on delivery services, and they impliment wat is known as forced gradituity. They'll tak on a tip (usually ten percent) in your bill with the option to go higher. Rarely are you given the option to leave no tip.
In my opinion, this is a bigger problem then expecting a person to pay more than the meal or service was worth. And, it needs to stop.
I understand that being a server under any circumstance is not a nice job. And, dealing with people is no easy task. But, I believe if tiping needs to be a thing, it should be earned and the tip should reflect the level of service.
6 people like this
@lovebuglena (45177)
• Staten Island, New York
12 Jan
Sometimes you go to a counter to order something and when you pay it asks if you want to leave a tip? Really? For what?
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (45177)
• Staten Island, New York
12 Jan
Waiters, regardless of how upscale the restaurant is, should be paid a decent wage. They shouldn’t have to rely on tips to make a living. And if I were a waiter I’d wanna do my best regardless of how much people tip me. But I know that there are people who won’t give you great service if they know they won’t get much tip from you.
3 people like this
@kaylachan (74129)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
12 Jan
@lovebuglena You also have to remember what waiters have to deal with. They are the person who has the most contact with the customers. And, you have families with unbehaved kids and entitled Karans. And everything in-between. So, not only is tipping inportant to them, it's the abuse. Those who don't tip, are typically a-holes.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (344821)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Jan
@lovebuglena I hadn't heard that but it could be so.
3 people like this
@lovebuglena (45177)
• Staten Island, New York
12 Jan
I’ve heard that in some places tips are actually frowned upon.
4 people like this
@lovebuglena (45177)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Jan
That’s the way to do it. I don’t think it’s right to tip based on the total.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (139966)
• United States
12 Jan
Tips ARE optional and if a server doesn't give me good service, they don't get anything! I mark through the automatic tip on bills and give what I think the service is worth, up to 20%.
And I agree, the restaurant owners should have to pay minimum wage, at the least, so servers don't need tips to live.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (139966)
• United States
13 Jan
@lovebuglena In Missouri it's allowed because a waiter/waitress is expected to earn the rest of his/her wages, up to minimum wage, from tips. (The manager or owner of the restaurant has to keep track of the tips and report those as wages to the IRS every three months. The employee has to pay income tax on the tips themselves.)
When I was the manager for a Ken's Pizza, I asked the wait staff how much they wanted me to report they earned each week and that's the amount I reported, as long as it was enough to make their wages come out to minimum wage. Of course, some wait staff earned much more than that amount and I was supposed to report it... Did I report that much? Nope. I reported the amount the waiter/waitress told me to report.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (45177)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Jan
I think servers should get more than just minimum wage.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (45177)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Jan
@DaddyEvil but how is it even allowed to pay below minimum wage?
1 person likes this
@porwest (95308)
• United States
12 Jan
I draw the line at 20% unless the service is so stellar it knocks my socks off. When I was "coming of age," the standard was 10%. Then it became 15%. Now it's 20%. I am sorry, but there is a limit here. I understand WHY we tip bartenders, waiters and waitresses, and CERTAIN other people like cab drivers or porters. But there IS a limit and at some point we're going to have to address this. Tipping has become WAY out of control, especially with tips now being asked for in situations where no tip is deserved or necessary. Enough is enough.
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (45177)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Jan
We tip the servers but why don’t we tip others that take care of us like those that clean up our plates, clean our table, etc? Waiters don’t do that usually. Or maybe it depends on the restaurant.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (45177)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Jan
@porwest what the heck is with this paying minimum wage thing? Pay a decent salary damn it.
1 person likes this
@porwest (95308)
• United States
13 Jan
@lovebuglena Bus staff, cooks and dishwashers are paid minimum wage. Many restaurants will still have a "shared tip" policy, which I am generally against, but they do it.
1 person likes this
@RevivedWarrior (3119)
• India
12 Jan
I bet the post was written by a waiter who works on minimum wages or less. Tipping definitely has to be optional. Unless the person did everything to make the dining experience good , there is no reason to tip. Again, if we were to tip that can be max 15% , nothing more unless there was an extraordinary reason. We cannot help the waiter for the wages he /she receive from the owner. There are many of us who are exactly living good times. I did have an experience of having 12% added to my dining bill at a Thai restuarant in Mason Ohio . They mentioned as gratitude to the waiter. And that was the last I dined there. Well, so much about tipping.
@lovebuglena (45177)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Jan
But the dining experience is more than just the waiter taking care of us. It’s also how long we have to wait for a table, how long we have to wait for the waiter to take our order, how long we have to wait to get a check and pay the bill. And whether the food is good or not. In theory leaving a tip should be based on the whole dining experience. If it wasn’t great why leave a big tip, if at all?
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (170569)
• Boise, Idaho
13 Jan
I pay what I want not what is dictated. We usually order out and I chose the lowest percent unless they do a great job. I mean if it weren't for Uber One I'd be paying a delivery fee. And a tip? No.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (45177)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Jan
If you’re paying a delivery fee there should definitely not be any tip.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (170569)
• Boise, Idaho
13 Jan
@lovebuglena .......Right! I pay a monthly $9.99 for Uber One so I don't pay delivery fees. Some of them are extraordinarily high.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (183840)
• United States
13 Jan
I usually only tip 15%-18% except for exceptional service. I would rather pay a higher food price and just not know about it. Have a good week.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (45177)
• Staten Island, New York
13 Jan
That’s good. Hubby usually tips 20% but sometimes more.
