Do you TIP....and WELL???

Many years ago I was a waitress I know what it is like trying to feed a family off of your tips. In Arizona you only get paid a 1/4 of your minimum wage! in other words like $3.00 an hour plus tips, You have to work your butt off for grocerymoney! I tip 18% of my tab and sometimes more if I feel the service was exceptional! By the way the percentage went up from 15% to 18% over a year ago therefore if you are still tipping of of 15% rates you are jipping people out of their money!

I work as a waitress, therefore when we go out for dinner,which isn't very often, I do tip very well because I know exactly how hard it is to stay pleasant and provide great service for everyone. There has only been one time that I didn't tip and it was because our server was rude, slow and flung our plates on the table like we interupted her day. As a waitress myself, I wasn't going to pay for service that I didn't get. It was the only truly miserable dining experience I've ever had.

I think that you should almost always tip. The only way that a tip shouldn't be given is if the service was absolutely horrible and for no legitimate reason. If the restaurant is busy or if the server is inexperienced etc then they should still receive a tip. On the wealthy subject speaking from experience for the most part the more money people have the more tight-fisted they get. They'll pay $200 for a meal but you're lucky if they give $2 for a tip.

I usually start at 20% of the check. Someone told me about a year ago your supposed to take a percentage of the check before taxes and drinks but...I used to wait tables so if I'm a little over, that's ok. Like I said I start at 20%, if I have to ask repeatedly for something -- like a fork or my salad dressing or a refill on my drink -- then the percentage goes down. If the food is not prepared right or cold/warm, down goes the percentage again. Sometimes, if the service is really bad, I won't leave a tip. I feel guilty and its really awkward when the waiter/waitress is at the door all smiles and saying goodbye, but I believe tips should reflect the quality of service you get. And if the service is especially good, I will tip extra.

Honestly, I'm not that agreat of a tipper. I think it just depends on the server and the meal. Most of the times I'm disappointed. My husband is a good tipper though. He believes that they should be tipped well. He's worked in a restaurant so he knows how hard it is, and he knows how much they could use the extra tips. But back to me lol. I think if the meal is good, and I'm satisfied, then I'll tip pretty good. But if the meal is bad, I wont tip too well, especially since I feel like I would've already wasted my money on a bad meal, why spend more on a tip. And if I feel like the waiter/waitress is doing a good job, then I will tip them well. But if they're lousy, and they're not caring about my wellbeing, I will not tip a high amount.

i do tip, and i believe that i tip well. i know that i tip more than 10%, it's usually more like 20%. even the pizza delivery guy. tonight we went out to dinner. we went to applebees. the total was $60. i left a $10 tip. the wait staff are barely making an hourly wage. enough to pay their taxes and that's about it. they LIVE off those tips. even the pizza delivery people are getting paid bupkiss. and they all bust their butts too. i've done that job. i feel for them. i tip well. and my tips do reflect the service i receive. and i understand that there are times when the place will be busier than others. and that the kitchen is backed up. or they are short staffed. i try not to allow that to affect my tip. it's all a perspective thing.

I always try to tip well. Especially in food services. I understand that these people can work hard and don't always make a lot of money to begin with. It isn't a job that they normally make a career of. So, I can identify with them and hope that a few extra $$ can help. I know many who do not give the minimum tip and that is troublesome to me. There are so many service people expecting tips that I sometimes don't know the less obvious situations that require a tip. If I miss a tip somewhere, I try to make up for it next time. I don't understand how wealthier people can be so stingy other than the fact that they fear losing their money. That is exactly the wrong attitude to have.

well I am not that good tipper........ in my particular case it depends upon the quality of food and the service but obviously...... i mean i wouldnt tip anyone for not even serving the food properly.... but when i am not tipping still I dont feel good for the person... but then even this "NOT FEELING SO GOOD" does not make me tip him...hey now dont call me devellish for this!!! Though my dad was a great tipper -- he used to pa almost 50% of the bill as tip -- usually it used to be my mom who used to stop him doing so!!

I am with you girl and i assistant managed a bar for a year!! I also waitressed and bartended so i know exactly what a tip can mean. Not only that we tip for our service and i will give you an example of what i mean. If it is 15 minutes to 2 say and it is last call. If the descion of your last drink that you can sell comes down to two people and one tips you say $5 all the time and the other one doesn't tip often or even at all. You have to go for the tipper because he or she pays you for your service just as the bar pays you for your service. I tip way too much too as i tend to tip for service ... LOL! No one really liked it when there was a packed bar and i would still get served before most. I guess it can be worth the few extra dollars sometime. Although like you tip or not i always gave the same great service.

I always thought that tipping is a must in the States?! As in the UK, it's an option. Nevertheless, when I go out in the restaurant, wherever I see service is not included, I always put tip, because then I know they probably would expect me to tip them. lol When the service is bad, I still tip them, but try not to come back to the place anymore. hahaha.. In all honesty, I don't really like the idea of tipping. I don't mind they added up the price or whatsoever, and not call that a tip, instead of putting it blank and leave it up to me to pay the 'tip/service'.

Tippint is a tricky business. I vary the amount of my tip based on three items. The first is whether or not I receive what is reasonable service for the conditions of the situation. If I go into a dive, I don't expect 5 star service. Or,if I'm in a position to have plenty to occupy the time so the meal will lengthy anyway, I will tolerate lesser service. If the service is superlative for the conditions or the waitperson is very helpful, I will increase the tip. In any event, I still rarely tip above 15%. If I am at a buffet, I will not usually exceed 10% because the service required is less and the waitstaff can cover more tables in less time. If I am in an upscale restaurant and receive bad service or cold food, I will reduce the tip. I believe it is my waitperson's responsiblity to check my food before it is delivered in this type of establishment. I use 15% as my base and move up or down based on the quality of the service. If I have to flag a waitperson for a refill, I reduce the tip. If it takes too long to take my order, I reduce the tip. If the person is rude, I reduce the tip.

I try to tip about 17%. But now my parents are tipping sometimes 20%. When did it go up? It keeps going UP UP UP. I thought 17% was better than 15%. Not too long ago wasnt it 10%? Am I loosing it? How do you know how much is a good tip? As long as the service is good, we tip 17% me and my sister when we dine alone. My parents if they like the service tip 20%. But again we base it on our services. Did they listen, did they mess up stuff, stuff like that!

Hmm I think I'm a bit generous when giving tips. But if the service sucks, you get zero from me.

I never really thought about this until I met my husband and he explained it to me, he had worked as a pizza delivery person. He told me that what his father thought was a standard tip, the 10-15% of the bill, was really low, and that people who worked those kinds of jobs relied on their tips. Now when I go out with my husband we always tip at the least 25% of the bill.

Tipping, in my opinion, is a reward for the service given. If they did a good job, pleasant, and helpful, yes, I tip, and I tip very well. 30%. If they were not good, then they will only get 10%.

In Australia or at least in the circle I go in, it is not custom to tip, Wages for waiting staff are costed in for service. It is only in recent years, that I have notice tip jars at the cash registers

This is going to be brief answer, because we don't tip in Australia. Never have. Although with the increase in tourism, I believe there is tipping in some of the big hotels frequented by overseas tourists. When I travelled overseas, particulary to the US, it was always a difficult concept for us to get used to. But we have to respect others culture, so it is right for Aussies to tip when overseas.

I always tip. There are only few ocassions when I don't, and it has to be a serious problem for me to do that. I've got a tip calculator on my cell phone, so I use that to figure out my tip. My sister is a bartender, so I know how much they depend on the tips. I will tip if the food is bad, since it's not the waiter/waitresses fault. I'd tip for anything that wasn't their fault. If they're the ones causing the problem and it gets out of hand, then I don't leave a tip. I mean, I'm spending extra money (that I don't have much of) to go out and I expect the entire package. So if the waiter/waitress is in the wrong and it can't be resolved, I don't bother. I'm not paying to be mistreated - no way. If they're gonna treat me like crap, well then, right back at 'em! Luckily this doesn't happen often, or I'd probably stop going out - yeah, right!

I agree with what Sawsen said. My brother works as a server/runner at a reastaurant and knows how it is to receive tips, so he always tips a lot when we go out to eat. But like sawsen said, i tip well when i'm satisfied.

In the US, you should at least tip 20% because IRS tax tipped employees. Here in the Philippines, when we eat, they add vat of 12% and 10% service charge but I still tip about 10%. Quite expensive to eat out.