Tipping Etiquette: Take the Reader Survey
As part of my ongoing investigation into tipping customs, I’m putting together a survey. Please take a moment to fill it out– it’s quick and easy!
I’ll publish the results in an upcoming post. If there’s anything else you’d like covered, please drop a note in the comments. Thanks!
Fun survey; I enjoyed! A couple of them I was kind of stumped on. I look forward to seeing the results, though.
I would have separated that two-part question “I would prefer if gratuity were added to the bill or servers were paid a fixed wage.” I hate the former, but like the latter and would still tip in that case.
I agree with joe c. — I would prefer if servers were paid a fixed (living!) wage, but not if a gratuity were simply added to every bill (at that point, it’s no longer a gratuity, it’s a line item). I voted that I strongly agreed for that question, but based only on the fixed wage.
Look forward to seeing the results!
will definitely be interesting to see the results of this…
@ joe & Sabrina: Sorry I think of wages and adding gratuity as the same thing because restaurants would need to improve their margins by raising prices. But you’re right they should have been separate questions.
Mike: Clever idea with the survey. Slick!
I’m enjoying the series and still anticipating your post on hotel tipping as I’m often stumped when it comes to this unique tipping situation.
I regularly question what’s expected and what’s not… from bellman to concierge to chambermaid.
In Australia, they frown on tipping. They state that they pay a living wage, and tips should only be for special service. So, a fancy high-end restaurant, great service, you might leave a couple of bucks. Don’t tip a bartender, they are already paid a living wage.
A more defined and sensible culture to live in.
Like others noted, separating that one question would have been helpful. I am totally against gratuities being added in automatically and totally in favor of waitstaff being paid a living wage. I well remember how my jaw dropped when I applied for a wait position at a restaurant and was told that the hourly wage was about $2. Needless to say, I didn’t finish filling out the application.
Tipping is always optional. People who complain about it are stingy selfcentered petty individuals who have no real compassion. I always tip and do so gladly because there is a reason someone is doing the service for me…
As a server, I feel it is necessary to inform everyone that servers have to tip OUT on sales tax (they pay the bar (regardless of if they sell any alcohol), bus people, food runners, etc), so it’s unfair to think that the customer shouldn’t tip on tax as well. 10% of total bill (including tax) is NOT a good tip. 20% is. We are charged on tax, so we should get tipped on tax.
I work at a place that is technically fine dining (prices), but they could up the class of the patrons simply by dimming the lights, enforcing a dress code, and asking people with screaming/running-around children to leave, but they don’t. If all customers left me 15%, I wouldn’t complain so much because the check averages are higher than many other restaurants. However, your family of 7 comes in, spends $40 on drinks for the kids, your bill is over $200 and you leave me $10? Get the hell out of here. Some people have no clue.
It’s sort of sad to resort to it, but I think a somewhat tactful reminder of tips would be if on every check, there is what 15%, 18%, and 20% is. Patrons wouldn’t have to do the math, and it would set 15% as the minimum acceptable tip for decent service. I have seen this at carry-out places, but no where where I have worked.
I am a delivery guy and I deal with being short-changed I would put it almost all day long. With the economy like it is the honor system just isn’t working very well anymore people feel like they are being jipped at the pump and then use that as their justification for tipping you 8 or 5 or sometimes even 0%. Honestly I somewhat agree with being payed a living wage but what I’d like more is for people to think about the pump and think about what service people deal with all day long and give 10 to 15% which honestly is all I can assume I get I rarely receive anything over 15%. Some people tip like they were raised by wolves and act like you receive a decent wage. As a delivery guy when I walk up to a door I expect 10% and to those that don’t tip that under normal circumstances you should be ashamed because even with a 5% tip a (good) service person will still be as courteous to you as they are to their 20% tippers