Do You Tip?

[JohnH]

I'll tip at a Chinese buffet, unless the service really sucks.  The one I generally go to costs me $6.50 so I usually just leave $8. 

For carry out?  No way.  I'm not going to tip the cashier at Target for ringing up my underwear, nor will I tip the Pizza Shoppe guy that rung up my tasty pie.  I'm coming to them to purchase their product, they're not bringing it to me.

John

[name]

Our Chinese Buffet is like what the old man is describing...waitress seats us, keeps the glasses filled, table bussed, and is also busy stocking the buffet.  Usually 15%

Sit down restaurant, 20% in general.  For exceptional service....maybe a little more, but usually rather than beyond the 20% I'll ask the server to speak to their manager and then praise the excellent service.  This way the server gets the message that I appreciated them, AND scores points with the supervisor.  If wife and I both just drank water then I'll up the 20% too since they still had to work to keep it filled, and it's not fair that they not get a return on that.

Poorer service? Poorer tip.

No way in hell am I going to tip for take out, but I see what you guys are saying about taking care of your regular mom and pop joints.

Seldom tip at the Bar...usually all I'm ordering is a beer or a scotch, so tipping there would be like tipping for takeout...if I ordered a Martini, yes...a buck maybe two.  If the bartender recommended a good single malt (I usually have to tell them what's single and what's blended) then yes.  If the bar is really really busy and the tender didn't make me wait or paid attention to me then yeah.  If it's obviously a college student who's busting his ass or if she has big boobs...then yes.

Ok...I guess I do tip at that bar....

The one on my mind is the Pizza Delivery guy.  I tip a buck out of a sense of obligation, but I resent it.  Delivery is the service I purchased from the company...he wasn't doing me any favors.  It seems to me like tipping the UPS driver.

[Tracy]

Who's to say that the teeny-booper smacking gum behind the register is even going to share the tip with the guys in the back making your pizza?

[name]

On the additional tip.....if the restuarant includes gratuity...hell no.  They usually make that 18%, but if they would have just let me tip them I would given 20.  I figure at that point, though, their charging me a surcharge for wait staff so **** them.

Side story - some co-workers and I took our boss to a dinner...about 20 or so in our party.  Dinner probably was close to 5 or 600 bucks.  One coworker put everything on her card, including a 20% tip.  She asked me the next day to divide up the bill and email everyone what they owed her, and when i did that for her I noticed that place had already added a 20% tip to the bill!

She called, and they had noticed her mistake held the charge...didn't run it through thinking she would probably be back.  That was nice of them...

[john todd]

there was a comic strip a while back where a high school class was being tested and the question was something like "if a group of 10 go to a restaurant and the bill is $275 plus 8% tax and with a 15% gratuity what does each person owe?".   and one of the students was like "awww come on when are we ever going to need this".

at the time it seems like i had been to a dozen lunches where no one could figure out how much to pay, so i thought it was freakin' hilarious.

[JohnH]

I used to tip even better for delivery, especially in crappy weather.  The guy's allowing me to sit on my ass and bringing dinner to me, so I'd generally give 20-25%.  But now that most places charge an extra $1-1.50 for delivery I tend to tip a little less. 

John

[jadesfire]

Now, I have a question:

If your bill is $42.56, do you just add $8.00 (around 20%) or do you do what my husband does....$8.44?  He absolutely refuses to not round to the nearest dollar.  He has traveled so much with my son, that now Jeff does that!  I don't know why, but it drives me insane.  Jay will look at me like " hey what do I add to .36 cents?? "  I know what he wants but I ignore him in hopes that he just rounds the tip, not his receipt.

Now, onto the original question.  I tip around 20% unless he's cute and I am sloshed...then it's much higher.  Jay is the same way.  I read his slip from Hooters a few weeks ago and the bill was 24.76 (or something like that) and he rounded that sucker up to $40.00.  He said he must of added wrong...

[Mikey D]

Wow, I thought everyone tipped at a bar.  I always leave at least a dollar a drink plus whatever the spare change is.  And again, more if the bartender has boobies.  Tips always lead to faster service for me, so I'm more than happy to do it.  It gets me drunk faster.

[Morgbug]

Now, onto the original question.  I tip around 20% unless he's cute and I am sloshed...then it's much higher. 

I gotta get back in the service industry.  Where do you live again?

[Tracy]

do you do what my husband does....$8.44?  He absolutely refuses to not round to the nearest dollar. 

My husband does that

I tip around 20% unless he's cute and I am sloshed...then it's much higher.

I do that

Jay is the same way.  I read his slip from Hooters a few weeks ago and the bill was 24.76 (or something like that) and he rounded that sucker up to $40.00.  He said he must of added wrong...

My husband does that

[Deanpaul]

I'm with Rob.

Just because it's on the receipt doesn't mean they get a tip - that's lame. I'm trying to remember the exact circumstances, but there was one particular place I went that was especially forward about the on reciept tip line. I always put a slash through it because I didn't trust wherever it was to not write their own in should I choose to ignore it.

[Rob]

I figured that these two friends who were telling me that you always tip everyone (unless they really really were horrible) were only feeling this way because they both worked in restaurants.

The same way that I always take my shopping cart to the return because when I was 17 I worked at a grocery store and had to bring carts in...

But it's a little odd that one of the guys who was telling me this was the one who I picked up a technique from that is about what you do Deanpaul, I circle the printed total, and then draw a line down through the tip line.

[Famine]

If the waitress is polite, or cordial, and does a good job, I always leave 20%. If I think the food is exceptional, I make sure I send a manager or greeter into the kitchen and tip the cooks.

I also make a point to ask if they pool their tips. If they pool their tips, I refuse to tip. Imagine if one girl works all night and busts her ass, and the other doesn't, she still makes half the money.

Kevin

[Ben]

I tip in the following situations: bar, sit-down restaurant, haircut, and the pizza delivery dude. I usually don't go to buffets, but if I did, I'd tip just because they keep drinks full.

But, if I wait too long for anything, the tip isn't as big as it could be. And I can't see how baristas have the nerve to have a tip jar on the counter when I've driven to their palace of beans and waited for a beverage that they aren't offering free refills on.

[Ben]

Wow, I thought everyone tipped at a bar.  I always leave at least a dollar a drink plus whatever the spare change is.  And again, more if the bartender has boobies.  Tips always lead to faster service for me, so I'm more than happy to do it.  It gets me drunk faster.

I'm with you. Cute, flirty, and fast waitresses always get more from me.