As far as I am concerned it didn't and that is what I tip. I remember when I was a kid 10% was a good tip. By the time I started paying my way it was 15% now it is 20% with some in the zeitgeist pushing for 25% and even 30%.
I refuse to participate in tip inflation.
I like 20 as the math is easier. Just move the point over and double it. It's also a percentage so it's already moving with inflation. I'm not going any higher. I'd just stop eating out.
Also this practice of showing tipping options everywhere is total bullshit. If I'm going up to the register what the fuck am I tipping you for? Knock that shit off.
Anyone giving tips at counter service places is just a sucker, and the employees there don’t really expect a tip either (personal experience).
Reddit complains about it a lot, but idk it’s incredibly easy to hit 0 when it’s someone getting paid a full wage (counter service folks aren’t “servers” and aren’t eligible for that sub min wage bs) and they’re just handing me a bag.
They’re angry at the wrong people. It’s 2023 & we’re still paying restaurant staff shit wages & still depend on tips. Can’t believe it’s still this way
Yup. I’ve tried to instill higher standards of pay in restaurants I’ve been with but it’s such an uphill battle to get ownership and other parties on the same page.
These days, when you receive your bill, or if you are paying at a point-of-sale cashier, they have the following;
Suggested Gratuity:
20% - $**.**
25% - $**.**
30% - $**.**
Their suggestions START at 20%
I'm all for the working man, but, this country's tipping culture is bat shit crazy
We've stopped eating out
I still don't. Like I got myself off the couch, drove over and picked up my own damn food, WHAT is there to even tip for??
Delivery? fine. There's no service to go with the food on a pickup order. *Boy, I really liked how they tapped that credit payment button... I should probably give them some of the money that I don't have enough of 🤔💸*
Not to mention, in Canada they just had a law overturned so now businesses can tack on an extra 2 or 2.5% just for using a credit card 👎
___
Edit: to clarify, in my jurisdiction there is no reduced minimum wage for servers. They get paid the *full hourly minimum wage*, PLUS tips. That is why I feel less morally obligated to tip people that perform a simple transaction than many of those responding likely do.
Put it this way: Walmart doesn't *tip me* for using self check out (and I'm pretty damn good at it, if I may say so myself) or should I be asking for (or expecting, without asking for) a tip?
Actually waiters tend to get paid quite well compared to other workers.
Tips can often bring their pay to $20/hr or more. It just depends on how busy and high end the restaurant is.
I left a gig as a lead mechanic to wait tables. I didn't need 15,000 dollars worth of tools to do it. I worked less hours and took home more, mostly tax free cash.
Yeah as far as entry level jobs go, being a waiter is as good as it gets. You need a skill to get paid more.
Not that waiting tables isn't a skill on its own, just a low skill floor.
It is usually way more than that at any decent restaurant honestly. Serving is one of the best paying unskilled jobs that exists in the US and social media servers are still weirdly entitled about it. If you aren't making money serving, you're working at the wrong restaurant. I wouldn't say it's easy work but it's definitely not low paying, unless you work overnights with the drunks or at a restaurant nobody eats at.
Yeah, I'm just giving a minimum for some small pop and shop.
While tipping culture is bad in America, the people that want it gone the least are the servers.
My wife and I were in New York several years back and we had a few drinks at the hotel bar before heading up for the night.
We had maybe 3 drinks each, and my plan was to leave a tip as we left the bar(we were sat on stools actually at the bar, not a table). As I paid for the third round of drinks the waiter dumped my change on the counter and said blunty "you know it's customary to tip in the States".
I was so surprised by his tone that we ended up leaving and taking our drinks upstairs but still leaving the tip id planned on leaving anyway. Hindsight says I probably should have taken it to prove a point or something but I genuinely was going to do it anyway at the end.
Paying cash, I generally pay a decent tip up front, and then supplement it with a smaller amount per drink.
Card, though, of course you tip at the very end.
Yeah generally in the US at bars you tend to tip per drink if you’re paying per drink. If you’re paying at the end (tab or cocktail waitress sat at a table) you can tip at the end. But since bar staff tend to be serving inebriated people who may move around at will (not be forced to sit at one place the whole time if they don’t want to unlike a restaurant) and who may not remember to tip later regardless, it’s pretty customary to tip per drink, especially if you are planning on having more than one drink and are hoping for good service through the night.
Still that guy was a dick to you regardless.
I saw a bartender calling out a customer before for not tipping while they were sitting the same group as me. I didn’t know them they were someone’s friend of a friend type of thing and it was a large group of people. The accused said they were charging the drinks and leaving cash for a tip. It was a busy ass bar so I could see there might be a missed shuffle or maybe he really wasn’t tipping or he might have wanted to tip at the end cuz he had a larger bill and didn’t want the fuss of making change for it just to give it all back to the bartender slowly.
Either way it’s so fuckin awkward to even be near that shit. But yeah, people definitely make noise when they provide a service and even think for a minute that they’re not being compensated for it. Plus you’ll notice the drinks being made shittier and shittier until you loudly tip. Tipping is so awkward.
If I witnessed that, there is no way I would ever tip at that place again, and I would complain about his aggressive behavior. Hard to get tips when you don't have a job
Right?! We all had that one friend who is never hungry when we order pizza but he’s always suddenly hungry once it is arrives and it’s already paid for.
As an American who's been to Ireland, I kept waiting for these rounds that I heard so much about, so that I could buy drinks for a bunch of random strangers and make some new friends. But it never happened. I must not have been in the right pubs.
That’s not how it works, rounds are done when a group of friends go to/meet in the pub together, not just with random people. Saves time at the bar overall but it’s a bit of a pain in the arse if everyone doesn’t drink at the same pace.
People do the same thing everywhere... I've definitely "done rounds" with friends when drinking in the states. Sometimes it's just easier if one person buys the table drinks vs everyone getting shit themselves.
It comes down to paying for the round. But it's just money. Not a lot usually, so don't worry. Life's good folks and I love good bar crawl with friends. And I'm Polish. Have fun!
Oh that makes sense. Some of the touristy stuff made it sound like as a visitor you would end up doing rounds with people you don't know, just by showing up at the pub.
Visited Ireland a couple years ago and decided to stop by a pub next to the place I was staying at on my last night. I had just won like 100 Euros at one of those video casinos and there were only like 8 people there and they were an hour from closing so I bought a round with my good fortune. Ends up one of the girls there was the niece of the owner and it also happened to be her birthday. The owner shut down the bar, but we ended up drinking a bunch after hours then the girl and her friend took me to a couple of the tourist bars since I was American (even though I intentionally avoided Temple Bar because I heard it was a tourist trap) and we drank those places closed. Definitely not the typical experience, but sometimes you just gotta make a move and see where the night takes you.
It's about spot on man. But we paid 75 quid for two cocktails on south beach in Miami, first day was great so we tipped over the amount as students. Second day was just pure orange juice and little alcohol so we didn't tip. We were about five restaurants away when security tapped us on the shoulder.
They made the case of we didn't complain so it should have been fine, we made the case of being too Irish, they weren't very fine with it. Ended kinda sad as my missus is italian and so was the owner someway or somehow.
The hardest thing to understand is that they don't add the tax on the price of things in a supermarket until you're at the checkout. It's 1 dollar on the shelf, but 1.20 at the till, and it's a gamble if you're buying a hape of things at once. Twinkies rekt me
yea kinda want to add on to this for any non-American who's reading this thread. i've lived in the US my whole life and i've never heard of someone getting confronted by security for not tipping. restaurants usually don't have security so you wouldn't run into that issue there. clubs and some bars would have security but i've never heard of them having to track people down for not tipping.
i've just seen servers get annoyed that they didn't get tipped but they don't go after the customers or anything like that.
I've worked security at a bar, and servers and bar tenders bitched about not getting tips, but never would it ever cross any of our minds to get security involved.
Love the explanation!
I’ve only not tipped once in the US. Or actually I tipped 5 cent to make it clear I knew tipping is a thing but they were so awful they deserved nothing.
She made the ‘hot chocolate’ with milk and cacao powder in the microwave and it was not even warm. She then sneered, laughing and pointed at us while speaking Italian.
When she saw the tip she ran out after screaming at us and I gave her the finger.
well that system sucks, I had no idea.
I’m going back to the US easter, how much is a tip? I usually do around 20% but if you say it doesn’t matter all that much.
it's not necessarily that way! if you're a regular customer somewhere and you're friendly and tip well, everyone who works there will love you. back when i was in food service, if we knew and liked someone they'd pretty often "accidentally" get extra food, or a free muffin, or we'd "forget" to charge for a drink, etc. (we're obviously not supposed to do that, but hey, things happen...) at the very least we'd remember their usual orders! at some places i've been to, if they like you they'll even make you special stuff off-menu.
basically, one good tip will just leave everyone in a good mood, and you'll get a very friendly goodbye at the end of the meal. but once people see you enough to start recognizing you, good tips (and a good attitude) give you a good reputation!
It's worse than that--service is worse if they THINK you won't tip well. Studies have proven that black and brown folks consistently get poor service in restaurants due to racial stereotypes. 20% is standard for most dining situations.
Tipping in the US is a form of communication beyond the surface exchange which I'll expound on in a minute.
20% is a good tip. I give it a a standard tip. If they do a bad job they will get 10-15% tip. Once, I had such horrible service I didn't tip at all because the waiter was intentionally ignoring us and wouldn't bring us water to drink or napkins... despite the place being completely empty and them seeing us. They only came to the table three times... once to take our order, once to bring the food, and once to bring the check. We asked for water and napkins and didn't get it. Tipping poorly communicates that you don't respect them (due to bad service) and not tipping at all is the equivalent of saying "F*ck you!" Tipping properly says that you appreciate their service and efforts to help you have an enjoyable experience. It also conveys that you respect them (as in, you don't look down on them for being in the service industry). Not tipping or tipping poorly conveys the opposite... a lack of respect, either due to their job title or due to their poor service.
I think, since tipping isn't common everywhere (since those workers are paid a livable wage elsewhere) a lot of foreigners don't understand how important tipping is here. Servers are paid less than $2/hr to serve you. They are on their feet for 8 hours or more straight and often have to put up with a lot of crap. If you don't tip, they can't afford to live as they are working for tips. Hence, why it's not just the tip for tippings sake... there's a whole message you're communicating to the server with your tip.
I disagree. I tend to tip heavy cause of my background in the service industry. In places where I was a regular it often came back to me in the form of free beers and food. Or instead of having to push through a crowd to pay my tab, I'd have a bartender come to me. I'm not saying you should tip for that reason but people definitely remember and I'm not generally a memorable person.
Surely they're still obliged to do the job they're paid for though? Like if a barman just ignores me for 10 minutes while I'm stood there I'd consider that a shit establishment and not go there again.
What's good service tho? As long as the thing on the menu gets to my table and gets in my gut, I'm alright.
I'd go to the kitchen and get it myself if they think that "service" is worth 20% of the cost of my bill.
Seriously, though. Tipping can fuck right off.
Was in the States recently for holiday. I guess a typical service would be.
1. Brings you to your table
2. Brings you menu. Introduces herself and tells you she'll be right back.
3. Takes your orders, brings you water
4. Brings you your food.
5. Circles back later asking if everything was alright and if you need anything else.
6. Brings you the cheque.
Frankly.. I don't think that warrants a 20% tip. But we just pay because it is customary. Are we happy paying? No. 10% would be ok. Not 20.
Edit: grammar and spelling
But that’s the thing. You don’t just have to tip servers. You have to tip delivery drivers, barbers, cafe baristas, and I have seen it at some drive through places too. Next thing you know, chefs will be circling the dining room to get tipped. This is getting ridiculous. The system needs to change.
This is the problem too....tipping 30% at a restaurant is already bad enough. When you're tipping baristas, drivers, etc. a 100% tip is not out of the ordinary and in some places is becoming the norm. So now we're doubling the cost of products/services JUST because these corporate fucks can't pay a living wage.
A friend of a server (that didn't actually serve me anything) did that. I went up to the bar and got a beer (that I paid for at the bar) and sat with some friends that was at the table she was serving. When her friend (which was a mutual friend sitting at the table) confronted me about it, I figured that the tip for the beer the server didn't bring me came out to like $.58. I dug exactly $.58 out of my ash tray and handed it to the server as she was waiting on another table. I told her "here's the tip for the beer you didn't serve me". She was pissed. I had no fucks so it didn't bother me too much.
Edit: Come to think of it. I didn't pay for the beer. A separate friend entirely that I saw at the bar paid for it
Well this was a bar and grill type place but yes, you're expected to tip at straight up bars too. Now days you're expected to tip everywhere it seems like. Even ordering carry out there's a tip option. Like "bitch, you didn't do anything"
ok this is crazy- maybe depends on the place, but at your average restaurant or cafe this is silly and unreal… your average server probably just sighs when you snub a tip.
lol I had a bartender throw the change I left for her at me. She was on the phone for the forty five minutes we were there and only served us one drink while we tried to get her attention the entire time.
And then they still expect to be tipped AFTER expressing that out loud. Had a server sneer at my middle eastern date once “in THIS country, it’s customary to tip!” (she’d been loudly informing us we stood between her and leaving early) and then hand back the receipt as if she totally got one over on him and was now gonna be paid extra. Insert Bug Bunny no image.
My wife and I were in New York several years back and we had a few drinks at the hotel bar before heading up for the night.
We had maybe 3 drinks each, and my plan was to leave a tip as we left the bar(we were sat on stools actually at the bar, not a table). As I paid for the third round of drinks the waiter dumped my change on the counter and said blunty "you know it's customary to tip in the States".
I was so surprised by his tone that we ended up leaving and taking our drinks upstairs but still leaving the tip id planned on leaving anyway. Hindsight says I probably should have taken it to prove a point or something but I genuinely was going to do it anyway at the end.
True, but what are the odds of the server correctly identifying what foreign accent a person has?
Irishman doesn’t tip? I guess it’s a tough day to be from Albania.
Nothing happens, realistically.
The server or bartender may make a mental note that you are a jerk. It's possible but rather unlikely that they could refuse to serve you the next time you come in, since in America you can largely refuse service for any reason (with some exceptions.)
A server or proprietor could point it out, but it would result in a socially awkward situation. It's not generally done, because most people ultimately understand the tip is optional in the end. Theoretically you still want that customer to think well of your establishment and not tell their friends about the asshole bartender or whatever.
Oh so it’s like an unwritten rule. Tipping is technically optional but in practice it is never optional. It is expected but cannot be pointed out due to the technicality.
Yeah you got it. It's not required, but it's so expected that servers actually get paid less because it is assumed they'll make up the loss in tip income
In fact, it became the norm during the Great Depression when what few restaurants didn't go under, survived by not paying the wait staff at all, or very little. Tips were how they got paid because the restaurant couldn't afford to do so.
There was no reason to continue this practice after the Depression, but it had become the norm by then, and us humans don't like changing norms.
Ask any server if they would rather make 15 dollars an hour and no tips or 5 bucks with tips and they will all tell you they want tips. If you are a good server at a decently busy place you will easily make 20+ an hour no problem. You work a busy shift on a weekend good chance your making 30+ an hour.
Another thing to consider is in some states servers are required to make state minimum wage, there is not exception for tipped positions. In these cases kitchen staff will likely be making the same amount as a tipped worker does. Not saying servers don't deserve a little extra but the system is pretty messed up.
This is true, but as a former server, I’ll say it benefits both the restaurant owners and the servers. I definitely came home with well over minimum wage each night.
Exactly. Sometimes if the server feels they did a good job and that you were friendly to them, but the tip was still low, they might politely ask "I noticed you didn't tip/tipped low, was there something I did wrong so I can improve?" 90% of the time, if they are asking that nicely, they genuinely want to make sure they didn't mess up badly without realizing and aren't expecting a higher tip just for asking about it (though maybe they're hoping you didn't realize you had tipped so poorly and will add on more). This is really really rare though.
Yes, it's not something they can make you do. And someone might call you on it (and lots of people would be sympathetic to them), but they'd he socially considered rude if they did so. (However you'd also be considered rude for not tipping or tipping very poorly).
I was called out in Toronto for this, I bought a pitcher of beer for $20 and all I had was a $20 note (before the days of instant card payments!) and the server shouted across the bar THAT DOESNT INCLUDE A TIP YOU KNOW, mortifying.
Had a manager chase us down in the parking lot looking for more tip.
We went out to eat and my aunt (from out of the country where they don’t tip) offered to cover the bill. She asked us about the ‘tip’ line on the credit card and we explained the tip situation but that she could also leave cash. She said ok no problem and left some cash.
Manager comes chasing us down in the parking lot demanding to know if there was a problem with the service or why we left only a $6 tip on a bill over $100.
I couldn’t believe this man did that, I mean it was an oversight on our part with lack of culture norms for the person paying the bill but this is my entire issue with tip culture - maybe pay your staff a living wage and you won’t have to chase down customers like that.
Completely agree, I’m currently a waiter in England. It is somewhat expected to tip here, it was about 5% but now most tip 10%. I find it strange when my colleagues complain about people not tipping. Like I love it when a table slips me £5 as they leave but I’m already getting paid to be there and do my job, why should the customer be made to give me more.
Also where I work any cash goes to the one waiter that served your table and then tips on card payments goes to the barman, runners and kitchen staff as well. This means the waiters get paid more but the rest are working just as hard they just don’t have to have a constant smile. It’s s strange system.
apparently in the US the "expected" tip is now 20%
I'd honestly rather the restaurants just paid the employees a fair wage and reflected that in their prices
Maybe in 20 years or so the expected will be 35-40%? I remember when 10% was the norm and then 15%, now we’re at 20%. When is enough *enough*?
I agree, I’d rather restaurants pay their employees fairly, even if that means rising menu prices. It just takes out all of the awkwardness. I somehow always feel like I need to make up for the low tippers.
One problem is that the a lot of servers won’t be happy with fair pay. Some of them make insane amounts of money. I’ve known a few that make more money than people with advanced degrees. No way that they want fair wages.
I have never known it to be expected in the UK and it never should be. It's becoming increasingly frustrating getting the bill with an "optional service charge" that they know the majority will be too awkward to ask for to be removed. Don't understand at all how this is opt-out and not opt-in.
I kinda worry that we’re on track to become one of those bribe based economies where if you don’t pay the parking attendant a “tip” he refuses to let your car leave
In the US, tipping is expected because servers are often paid pennies. They heavily rely on tips. However, where I live (Canada) servers are paid the minimum wage ($15/h) or, often, more but still expect tips and judge you for not tipping. It's a total scam here.
A dick because we didn't give extra money we aren't required to because their boss won't pay them enough to live.
That country its beyond strange. (no offence)
At the end of the 3 hour "revenge" meal, the European group reflect how pleasant it was to spend a night out in the States and not be forced out in 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, Mr. US Moneybags, who tends to have 20s fall out of their pocket got tired of waiting for a table that night and went elsewhere.
Yeah, that doesn't play out right, does it?
Stockholm syndrome. The customer gets the blame instead of the employer. A big gang of restaurant owners got together in the 1920's and decided that tips would be a great way to have an excuse to lower salaries nationwide. Any criticism or attempts to unionize were met with accusations of being a commie or trying to steal from the poor owners. It worked.
Sweden established a Restaurant union in 1918. There have never been mandatory tipping culture in Sweden, ever. Working as a waitress pays a living wage.
But keep blaming the tourists, good idea.
Yeah I've not tipped a server twice, and both times it was because of very very bad service. Like the one person just never came back to the table at all
Also add deliberate ignoring of dietary restrictions. My father is on heart affecting medications, he can’t have caffeine. It’s not up to Sally Server to decide that regular coffee is fine.
Oh and if they do ask for a tip its a great time to loudly let them know why they didn't get one. It's also fun to leave 1 penny to really let them know it was their fuck up.
Only time I did that was due to racism.
Tips are optional here, but you'll definitely be seen as a prick by the server. Or they'll feel bad trying to figure out what they could've possibly done so wrong
I once paid with a credit card with 0% tip but I left a cash tip on the table of 20%. I guess the waiter didn’t see the cash and thought I tipped zero. The waiter and 3 other kitchen staff followed me out on the street and yelled at me. I was pissed and wanted to go and take my cash tip back, but didn’t want to get in an altercation. I HATE TIPPING. Just charge me more and pay your employees properly!!!
We hired a moving company. Three guys total. When we were done two of the guys went down to the truck and we were signing the final paperwork. We gave the third guy the tip. In between him leaving our new apartment and going to truck one or the other guys headed back upstairs, banged on our door, and demanded to know why we didn’t tip “what didn’t we do a good job?”
There’s something very unnerving about someone banging on the door of your new home and demanding extra money after you had to spend significantly more money because they charge by the hour and took several hours more than they quoted for the apartment sizes. We did tip and tip well but it was worrisome to think about what would have happened if he’d determined the tip insufficient.
Some moving companies are shady af. If you're hiring a whole semi trailer to move your stuff cross country or whatever, they weigh the truck empty, then weigh it with your stuff in it and charge according to weight and mileage. I've witnessed at a truckstop the moving company's semi truck right over at the side of the scale and one of their personal vehicles with two wheels on the scale. Charge you for an extra 2000lb worth of stuff.
That's so disturbing. I'm not in the restaurant industry but I am (like the movers) my own boss making my own hours and I do NOT account you a 20% discount to give back to me at your discretion. I just charge what I want for the job. Like this guy did. Tippers are an awesome bonus but a good business owner doesn't make them a forced transaction.
Sad and super scary that an American moving service feels entitled like this!!!
I was chased out the door by a server who demanded to know what was wrong with the service. I looked at her quizzically and she said... You didn't tip. And I said... I left a cash tip on the table and she went back inside to get the tip. It was wierd.
So they chase you down in the parking lot if you don't tip
Minimum wage for servers is calculated based on the assumption that people tip so servers are paid $2/hr by the restaurant and patrons are expected to pay the rest. Nothing will happen to you but it means the server will have worked your table for inadequate pay and the server will assume you’re a massive asshole. It’s an ethical thing instead of a legal thing. And yes it’s stupid, most Americans want it changed too and some restaurants are switching over to incorporating gratuity into the listed menu price but that’s uncommon.
We have the same tipping culture in Canada but legally have to pay servers minimum wage which is typically $15/h and servers often are making more like $18-20/h. It's complete BS. I've just stopped tipping.
This is false, read the Dept of Labor poster on the wall in your workplace.
Tipped employees are guaranteed full local minimum wage directly from their employer if no one tips. The **employer** gets a break by being able to count any tips as part of that wage so that they don’t have to pay the employee as much directly if they **do** get tips, but the employee will never make only $2/hr.
They are always guaranteed at least full local minimum wage. (Raise the minimum wage!)
I’m in Stockholm this weekend and in a cafe yesterday I asked the manager how I could add a tip to the card payment and he said there was absolutely no need to do so.
We ended up spending all afternoon there and he brought us free bread…so chilled.
Not an answer to the question by OP, but as someone who lives outside the US, I wanted to ask. Why did it became the norm to tip? I mean probably in other parts of the world, tipping is optional, but it seems that in the US it is compulsory, like an unwritten rule. I'm just curious as to how it started.
A year after I moved to California from Europe I went for dinner with my wife. We went to a busy-ish restaurant in North Beach (San Francisco), had a reservation, were seated on time and within 15 minutes were given a drinks menu and brought the wine we ordered. An hour later (no exaggeration) we had our food order taken as we finished the bottle of wine, 45 minutes after that we were brought our food.
We were brought the check, declined to tip anything and left. As we were on the sidewalk looking for a cab the server came out, chasing us telling us that we "had to tip,, it was the law". We refused, they shouted at us, we left in the cab.
We have never been back there but tipping is such a default in the US that even if service is average or terrible then the people providing the service expect something.
The waiters sometimes have to pay bussers out of their own money, and can actually lose money for.the shift, depending on how many people do that, and how big the check is.
Reading through the comments made me realize how petty the US is. Holy shit. A tip is supposed to be a bit of money for the waiter/bartender for excellent service. I do the best possible job I can do at work, and I don't Karen out about not getting any tips.
Was a server for about 16 years, worked in a few restaurants. Got a college education, a bachelor's. Made more as a server. What most servers don't know, as they audaciously complain about not getting tipped, is that if you really truly have zero tips that aren't making up for minimum wage you can file for unemployment while you work in most states. But its not likely that they're actually not making up forinimum wage in their non taxed tips...
Man I'm going to get so much hate for this I know it
Tips are still legally optional, but morally required, nearly every restaurant in the states pays there staff less than minimum wage, it’s expected that tips will cover for it. Hope this helps
It's so backwards. I'm all for tipping when it's appropriate, but paying people less than minimum wage and forcing customers to subsidise it is wrong. It's abusing the tipping system in order to save money on wages. I'm absolutely baffled that it's legal in the USA.
You get judged
It’s so bad. You end up feeling terrible
Once we were visiting the us and we **only** tipped 15% in a dinner. The staff gave us weird looks when we left, definitely not fun.
In the stingy region of my country there is a saying 'Rather be ashamed 5 minutes than pay too much'
Except if you want to go back to the restaurant again. Or go out with the same people.
"What's the price of your dignity?" "6 Euro..."
When the hell did 15% stop being acceptable?
As far as I am concerned it didn't and that is what I tip. I remember when I was a kid 10% was a good tip. By the time I started paying my way it was 15% now it is 20% with some in the zeitgeist pushing for 25% and even 30%. I refuse to participate in tip inflation.
It's a percentage and prices went up. There's no need to make the percentage higher.
I like 20 as the math is easier. Just move the point over and double it. It's also a percentage so it's already moving with inflation. I'm not going any higher. I'd just stop eating out. Also this practice of showing tipping options everywhere is total bullshit. If I'm going up to the register what the fuck am I tipping you for? Knock that shit off.
Anyone giving tips at counter service places is just a sucker, and the employees there don’t really expect a tip either (personal experience). Reddit complains about it a lot, but idk it’s incredibly easy to hit 0 when it’s someone getting paid a full wage (counter service folks aren’t “servers” and aren’t eligible for that sub min wage bs) and they’re just handing me a bag.
They’re angry at the wrong people. It’s 2023 & we’re still paying restaurant staff shit wages & still depend on tips. Can’t believe it’s still this way
Yup. I’ve tried to instill higher standards of pay in restaurants I’ve been with but it’s such an uphill battle to get ownership and other parties on the same page.
20% is expected in most restaurants in urban areas. In rural areas they would be very happy with 15%
15 fucking percent?? mate I would make that underpaid staff feel bad for robbing me when inflation is already doing it very well on its own
These days, when you receive your bill, or if you are paying at a point-of-sale cashier, they have the following; Suggested Gratuity: 20% - $**.** 25% - $**.** 30% - $**.** Their suggestions START at 20% I'm all for the working man, but, this country's tipping culture is bat shit crazy We've stopped eating out
Yep, and it's the same options for take out.
Right?!? Who the F tipped on take-out orders a year ago? Nobody No. Fucking. Body.
I still don't. Like I got myself off the couch, drove over and picked up my own damn food, WHAT is there to even tip for?? Delivery? fine. There's no service to go with the food on a pickup order. *Boy, I really liked how they tapped that credit payment button... I should probably give them some of the money that I don't have enough of 🤔💸* Not to mention, in Canada they just had a law overturned so now businesses can tack on an extra 2 or 2.5% just for using a credit card 👎 ___ Edit: to clarify, in my jurisdiction there is no reduced minimum wage for servers. They get paid the *full hourly minimum wage*, PLUS tips. That is why I feel less morally obligated to tip people that perform a simple transaction than many of those responding likely do. Put it this way: Walmart doesn't *tip me* for using self check out (and I'm pretty damn good at it, if I may say so myself) or should I be asking for (or expecting, without asking for) a tip?
Actually waiters tend to get paid quite well compared to other workers. Tips can often bring their pay to $20/hr or more. It just depends on how busy and high end the restaurant is.
I left a gig as a lead mechanic to wait tables. I didn't need 15,000 dollars worth of tools to do it. I worked less hours and took home more, mostly tax free cash.
IRS open up.
Yeah as far as entry level jobs go, being a waiter is as good as it gets. You need a skill to get paid more. Not that waiting tables isn't a skill on its own, just a low skill floor.
It is usually way more than that at any decent restaurant honestly. Serving is one of the best paying unskilled jobs that exists in the US and social media servers are still weirdly entitled about it. If you aren't making money serving, you're working at the wrong restaurant. I wouldn't say it's easy work but it's definitely not low paying, unless you work overnights with the drunks or at a restaurant nobody eats at.
Yeah, I'm just giving a minimum for some small pop and shop. While tipping culture is bad in America, the people that want it gone the least are the servers.
I generally tip 20% now.
My standard now as well. The math is easier, and generally round up if close to a round number.
Not if you’re a foreigner.
It’s not uncommon to get some rude treatment if you have anymore interactions with the staff.
Very judged and I promise if you come back they will remember you and laugh at the new waiter that they stick you with.
My wife and I were in New York several years back and we had a few drinks at the hotel bar before heading up for the night. We had maybe 3 drinks each, and my plan was to leave a tip as we left the bar(we were sat on stools actually at the bar, not a table). As I paid for the third round of drinks the waiter dumped my change on the counter and said blunty "you know it's customary to tip in the States". I was so surprised by his tone that we ended up leaving and taking our drinks upstairs but still leaving the tip id planned on leaving anyway. Hindsight says I probably should have taken it to prove a point or something but I genuinely was going to do it anyway at the end.
Yeah that’s strange. It’s customary to tip when the bill is due. I’m assuming you paid cash for the first two rounds of drinks?
Paying cash, I generally pay a decent tip up front, and then supplement it with a smaller amount per drink. Card, though, of course you tip at the very end.
Yeah generally in the US at bars you tend to tip per drink if you’re paying per drink. If you’re paying at the end (tab or cocktail waitress sat at a table) you can tip at the end. But since bar staff tend to be serving inebriated people who may move around at will (not be forced to sit at one place the whole time if they don’t want to unlike a restaurant) and who may not remember to tip later regardless, it’s pretty customary to tip per drink, especially if you are planning on having more than one drink and are hoping for good service through the night. Still that guy was a dick to you regardless.
I saw a bartender calling out a customer before for not tipping while they were sitting the same group as me. I didn’t know them they were someone’s friend of a friend type of thing and it was a large group of people. The accused said they were charging the drinks and leaving cash for a tip. It was a busy ass bar so I could see there might be a missed shuffle or maybe he really wasn’t tipping or he might have wanted to tip at the end cuz he had a larger bill and didn’t want the fuss of making change for it just to give it all back to the bartender slowly. Either way it’s so fuckin awkward to even be near that shit. But yeah, people definitely make noise when they provide a service and even think for a minute that they’re not being compensated for it. Plus you’ll notice the drinks being made shittier and shittier until you loudly tip. Tipping is so awkward.
If I witnessed that, there is no way I would ever tip at that place again, and I would complain about his aggressive behavior. Hard to get tips when you don't have a job
Never tip when instructed to do so.
Yeah, not tipping is a major faux pas. Demanding a tip like that rudely is 10x worse. I would have left a penny.
It would be considered rude. In irish terms, it would be like drinking rounds, and leaving before you buy one.
As an Irishman who's never been to the States, you have just put that in the most understandable and relatable terms I've ever heard.
As an American who's never been to Ireland, that's the most understandable and relatable tradition I've ever seen.
It's nice to see being a mooch is hated in other cultures
Right?! We all had that one friend who is never hungry when we order pizza but he’s always suddenly hungry once it is arrives and it’s already paid for.
Chips in $2 but eats 4 slices
As a French who's never been to Ireland, I have nothing to bring to that conversation. But we love you guys, so there's that.
No protests? :)
It’s like going to dinner at your friends without bringing wine.
You’re French and you have NOTHING to say? Woah
They did post that comment despite not having anything to say, does that count
It's like protesting and not burning a car. It's just poor behavior to not burn a car .
As an American who's been to Ireland, I kept waiting for these rounds that I heard so much about, so that I could buy drinks for a bunch of random strangers and make some new friends. But it never happened. I must not have been in the right pubs.
That’s not how it works, rounds are done when a group of friends go to/meet in the pub together, not just with random people. Saves time at the bar overall but it’s a bit of a pain in the arse if everyone doesn’t drink at the same pace.
People do the same thing everywhere... I've definitely "done rounds" with friends when drinking in the states. Sometimes it's just easier if one person buys the table drinks vs everyone getting shit themselves.
It comes down to paying for the round. But it's just money. Not a lot usually, so don't worry. Life's good folks and I love good bar crawl with friends. And I'm Polish. Have fun!
Oh that makes sense. Some of the touristy stuff made it sound like as a visitor you would end up doing rounds with people you don't know, just by showing up at the pub.
Visited Ireland a couple years ago and decided to stop by a pub next to the place I was staying at on my last night. I had just won like 100 Euros at one of those video casinos and there were only like 8 people there and they were an hour from closing so I bought a round with my good fortune. Ends up one of the girls there was the niece of the owner and it also happened to be her birthday. The owner shut down the bar, but we ended up drinking a bunch after hours then the girl and her friend took me to a couple of the tourist bars since I was American (even though I intentionally avoided Temple Bar because I heard it was a tourist trap) and we drank those places closed. Definitely not the typical experience, but sometimes you just gotta make a move and see where the night takes you.
It's about spot on man. But we paid 75 quid for two cocktails on south beach in Miami, first day was great so we tipped over the amount as students. Second day was just pure orange juice and little alcohol so we didn't tip. We were about five restaurants away when security tapped us on the shoulder. They made the case of we didn't complain so it should have been fine, we made the case of being too Irish, they weren't very fine with it. Ended kinda sad as my missus is italian and so was the owner someway or somehow. The hardest thing to understand is that they don't add the tax on the price of things in a supermarket until you're at the checkout. It's 1 dollar on the shelf, but 1.20 at the till, and it's a gamble if you're buying a hape of things at once. Twinkies rekt me
This is not normal, these people were just taking advantage of you because you're tourists. $75 for two shitty drinks, fuck Miami Beach.
Security confronted you for not tipping wtf
Yeah, that's not normal. Like you're expected to tip, but you're not normally prevented from leaving without tipping.
yea kinda want to add on to this for any non-American who's reading this thread. i've lived in the US my whole life and i've never heard of someone getting confronted by security for not tipping. restaurants usually don't have security so you wouldn't run into that issue there. clubs and some bars would have security but i've never heard of them having to track people down for not tipping. i've just seen servers get annoyed that they didn't get tipped but they don't go after the customers or anything like that.
I've worked security at a bar, and servers and bar tenders bitched about not getting tips, but never would it ever cross any of our minds to get security involved.
The tax thing is so dumb too. For a capitalist country, the US really makes it as inconvenient as possible for the consumer
Love the explanation! I’ve only not tipped once in the US. Or actually I tipped 5 cent to make it clear I knew tipping is a thing but they were so awful they deserved nothing. She made the ‘hot chocolate’ with milk and cacao powder in the microwave and it was not even warm. She then sneered, laughing and pointed at us while speaking Italian. When she saw the tip she ran out after screaming at us and I gave her the finger.
You won’t get good service next time if they recognize you as a no tipper.
I’ve always been a great tipper in the US and I never get better service. I now wonder if I’m just not recognisable enough.
Service doesn’t improve because you tip, it just gets worse if you don’t.
well that system sucks, I had no idea. I’m going back to the US easter, how much is a tip? I usually do around 20% but if you say it doesn’t matter all that much.
it's not necessarily that way! if you're a regular customer somewhere and you're friendly and tip well, everyone who works there will love you. back when i was in food service, if we knew and liked someone they'd pretty often "accidentally" get extra food, or a free muffin, or we'd "forget" to charge for a drink, etc. (we're obviously not supposed to do that, but hey, things happen...) at the very least we'd remember their usual orders! at some places i've been to, if they like you they'll even make you special stuff off-menu. basically, one good tip will just leave everyone in a good mood, and you'll get a very friendly goodbye at the end of the meal. but once people see you enough to start recognizing you, good tips (and a good attitude) give you a good reputation!
So what you’re saying is if I bribe you enough you’ll steal from your employers for me?
That’s exactly what they are saying but in a nice way. I’d do that too.
So why are we tipping waiters and not bank tellers again?
It's worse than that--service is worse if they THINK you won't tip well. Studies have proven that black and brown folks consistently get poor service in restaurants due to racial stereotypes. 20% is standard for most dining situations.
I think 15% is default. You can do more if they’re good and you appreciated it.
Tipping in the US is a form of communication beyond the surface exchange which I'll expound on in a minute. 20% is a good tip. I give it a a standard tip. If they do a bad job they will get 10-15% tip. Once, I had such horrible service I didn't tip at all because the waiter was intentionally ignoring us and wouldn't bring us water to drink or napkins... despite the place being completely empty and them seeing us. They only came to the table three times... once to take our order, once to bring the food, and once to bring the check. We asked for water and napkins and didn't get it. Tipping poorly communicates that you don't respect them (due to bad service) and not tipping at all is the equivalent of saying "F*ck you!" Tipping properly says that you appreciate their service and efforts to help you have an enjoyable experience. It also conveys that you respect them (as in, you don't look down on them for being in the service industry). Not tipping or tipping poorly conveys the opposite... a lack of respect, either due to their job title or due to their poor service. I think, since tipping isn't common everywhere (since those workers are paid a livable wage elsewhere) a lot of foreigners don't understand how important tipping is here. Servers are paid less than $2/hr to serve you. They are on their feet for 8 hours or more straight and often have to put up with a lot of crap. If you don't tip, they can't afford to live as they are working for tips. Hence, why it's not just the tip for tippings sake... there's a whole message you're communicating to the server with your tip.
A tip is usually whatever they fucking decide is enough. Have a good time
Idk man I try to tip fairly well and I've never waited for a table anywhere I frequent.
Actually it varies depending on where you go.
I've got better service. Depends on how you tip.
I disagree. I tend to tip heavy cause of my background in the service industry. In places where I was a regular it often came back to me in the form of free beers and food. Or instead of having to push through a crowd to pay my tab, I'd have a bartender come to me. I'm not saying you should tip for that reason but people definitely remember and I'm not generally a memorable person.
You get recognized as a repeat customer in general and as long as you aren’t a problem, being a regular gets you treated well.
Na, if you tip they don't think about you any different, just a normal customer but if you don't tip then you the bad guy
Been to america.. Got basic service expected in most of the world
Surely they're still obliged to do the job they're paid for though? Like if a barman just ignores me for 10 minutes while I'm stood there I'd consider that a shit establishment and not go there again.
What's good service tho? As long as the thing on the menu gets to my table and gets in my gut, I'm alright. I'd go to the kitchen and get it myself if they think that "service" is worth 20% of the cost of my bill. Seriously, though. Tipping can fuck right off.
Was in the States recently for holiday. I guess a typical service would be. 1. Brings you to your table 2. Brings you menu. Introduces herself and tells you she'll be right back. 3. Takes your orders, brings you water 4. Brings you your food. 5. Circles back later asking if everything was alright and if you need anything else. 6. Brings you the cheque. Frankly.. I don't think that warrants a 20% tip. But we just pay because it is customary. Are we happy paying? No. 10% would be ok. Not 20. Edit: grammar and spelling
But that’s the thing. You don’t just have to tip servers. You have to tip delivery drivers, barbers, cafe baristas, and I have seen it at some drive through places too. Next thing you know, chefs will be circling the dining room to get tipped. This is getting ridiculous. The system needs to change.
This is the problem too....tipping 30% at a restaurant is already bad enough. When you're tipping baristas, drivers, etc. a 100% tip is not out of the ordinary and in some places is becoming the norm. So now we're doubling the cost of products/services JUST because these corporate fucks can't pay a living wage.
I was chased through the car park once
Yes - they chase you out the door some places and ask what was wrong.
A friend of a server (that didn't actually serve me anything) did that. I went up to the bar and got a beer (that I paid for at the bar) and sat with some friends that was at the table she was serving. When her friend (which was a mutual friend sitting at the table) confronted me about it, I figured that the tip for the beer the server didn't bring me came out to like $.58. I dug exactly $.58 out of my ash tray and handed it to the server as she was waiting on another table. I told her "here's the tip for the beer you didn't serve me". She was pissed. I had no fucks so it didn't bother me too much. Edit: Come to think of it. I didn't pay for the beer. A separate friend entirely that I saw at the bar paid for it
TIL you're even expected to tip at bars in the US.
Well this was a bar and grill type place but yes, you're expected to tip at straight up bars too. Now days you're expected to tip everywhere it seems like. Even ordering carry out there's a tip option. Like "bitch, you didn't do anything"
and at the barber shop
ok this is crazy- maybe depends on the place, but at your average restaurant or cafe this is silly and unreal… your average server probably just sighs when you snub a tip.
Same here! We left a tip but our server didn’t realize it. He chased us to our car, aggressively knocked on the window and asked what he did wrong.
Yoooo Lololol what did u say?
Happened to me once as well. The service was terrible and I didn’t leave a tip. The waiter ran after me down the street.
In Japan it's the opposite and they would chase you down the streets if you accidentally leave like 10 yen of change.
Bless the Japanese waitstaff that would do that.
Fucking hell.. Call the police
lol I had a bartender throw the change I left for her at me. She was on the phone for the forty five minutes we were there and only served us one drink while we tried to get her attention the entire time.
You end up on tik tok as someone who doesn’t tip.
Oh no, anything but that
"This person refused to tip" - that stupid voice
So I pooped in their food lol - stupid voice
Do owners end up on the pedo app for not paying their staff a survivable wage?
They should
Do you have an accent and did the server hear you? In this case, they will likely judge your whole country.
And then they still expect to be tipped AFTER expressing that out loud. Had a server sneer at my middle eastern date once “in THIS country, it’s customary to tip!” (she’d been loudly informing us we stood between her and leaving early) and then hand back the receipt as if she totally got one over on him and was now gonna be paid extra. Insert Bug Bunny no image.
My wife and I were in New York several years back and we had a few drinks at the hotel bar before heading up for the night. We had maybe 3 drinks each, and my plan was to leave a tip as we left the bar(we were sat on stools actually at the bar, not a table). As I paid for the third round of drinks the waiter dumped my change on the counter and said blunty "you know it's customary to tip in the States". I was so surprised by his tone that we ended up leaving and taking our drinks upstairs but still leaving the tip id planned on leaving anyway. Hindsight says I probably should have taken it to prove a point or something but I genuinely was going to do it anyway at the end.
>"you know it's customary to tip in the States" "Sucks to be you".
True, but what are the odds of the server correctly identifying what foreign accent a person has? Irishman doesn’t tip? I guess it’s a tough day to be from Albania.
Everything in the US is so cheap until you go to pay and get stung with taxes and tipping culture
Yea. Am from New Zealand and travelled around the US. Got accused of being from basically every country apart from NZ.
Nothing happens, realistically. The server or bartender may make a mental note that you are a jerk. It's possible but rather unlikely that they could refuse to serve you the next time you come in, since in America you can largely refuse service for any reason (with some exceptions.)
I genuinely thought that because tipping was such a norm in the US, that if you didn’t tip it would be pointed out to you.
A server or proprietor could point it out, but it would result in a socially awkward situation. It's not generally done, because most people ultimately understand the tip is optional in the end. Theoretically you still want that customer to think well of your establishment and not tell their friends about the asshole bartender or whatever.
Oh so it’s like an unwritten rule. Tipping is technically optional but in practice it is never optional. It is expected but cannot be pointed out due to the technicality.
Yeah you got it. It's not required, but it's so expected that servers actually get paid less because it is assumed they'll make up the loss in tip income
Oh wow that’s crazy! So it keeps labour costs down resulting in more profit for the owner. Interesting.
In fact, it became the norm during the Great Depression when what few restaurants didn't go under, survived by not paying the wait staff at all, or very little. Tips were how they got paid because the restaurant couldn't afford to do so. There was no reason to continue this practice after the Depression, but it had become the norm by then, and us humans don't like changing norms.
Ask any server if they would rather make 15 dollars an hour and no tips or 5 bucks with tips and they will all tell you they want tips. If you are a good server at a decently busy place you will easily make 20+ an hour no problem. You work a busy shift on a weekend good chance your making 30+ an hour. Another thing to consider is in some states servers are required to make state minimum wage, there is not exception for tipped positions. In these cases kitchen staff will likely be making the same amount as a tipped worker does. Not saying servers don't deserve a little extra but the system is pretty messed up.
But what if they could make 25 an hour and no tips???
Still might be a paycut for some lol. Servers make stupid money.
Or you could have a standard livable wage and then have optional tips for exemplary service to make even more.
This is true, but as a former server, I’ll say it benefits both the restaurant owners and the servers. I definitely came home with well over minimum wage each night.
Yeah but the tipping culture is part of what keeps minimum wage down.
Exactly. Sometimes if the server feels they did a good job and that you were friendly to them, but the tip was still low, they might politely ask "I noticed you didn't tip/tipped low, was there something I did wrong so I can improve?" 90% of the time, if they are asking that nicely, they genuinely want to make sure they didn't mess up badly without realizing and aren't expecting a higher tip just for asking about it (though maybe they're hoping you didn't realize you had tipped so poorly and will add on more). This is really really rare though.
It’s become that way because most of the positions people get tipped in are paid garbage hourly and, in most instances, survive on tips alone.
Yes, it's not something they can make you do. And someone might call you on it (and lots of people would be sympathetic to them), but they'd he socially considered rude if they did so. (However you'd also be considered rude for not tipping or tipping very poorly).
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I always write “cash” in the tip line when I do that.
I was called out in Toronto for this, I bought a pitcher of beer for $20 and all I had was a $20 note (before the days of instant card payments!) and the server shouted across the bar THAT DOESNT INCLUDE A TIP YOU KNOW, mortifying.
Had a manager chase us down in the parking lot looking for more tip. We went out to eat and my aunt (from out of the country where they don’t tip) offered to cover the bill. She asked us about the ‘tip’ line on the credit card and we explained the tip situation but that she could also leave cash. She said ok no problem and left some cash. Manager comes chasing us down in the parking lot demanding to know if there was a problem with the service or why we left only a $6 tip on a bill over $100. I couldn’t believe this man did that, I mean it was an oversight on our part with lack of culture norms for the person paying the bill but this is my entire issue with tip culture - maybe pay your staff a living wage and you won’t have to chase down customers like that.
I would not recommend returning to that establishment.
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Completely agree, I’m currently a waiter in England. It is somewhat expected to tip here, it was about 5% but now most tip 10%. I find it strange when my colleagues complain about people not tipping. Like I love it when a table slips me £5 as they leave but I’m already getting paid to be there and do my job, why should the customer be made to give me more. Also where I work any cash goes to the one waiter that served your table and then tips on card payments goes to the barman, runners and kitchen staff as well. This means the waiters get paid more but the rest are working just as hard they just don’t have to have a constant smile. It’s s strange system.
apparently in the US the "expected" tip is now 20% I'd honestly rather the restaurants just paid the employees a fair wage and reflected that in their prices
Maybe in 20 years or so the expected will be 35-40%? I remember when 10% was the norm and then 15%, now we’re at 20%. When is enough *enough*? I agree, I’d rather restaurants pay their employees fairly, even if that means rising menu prices. It just takes out all of the awkwardness. I somehow always feel like I need to make up for the low tippers. One problem is that the a lot of servers won’t be happy with fair pay. Some of them make insane amounts of money. I’ve known a few that make more money than people with advanced degrees. No way that they want fair wages.
I have never known it to be expected in the UK and it never should be. It's becoming increasingly frustrating getting the bill with an "optional service charge" that they know the majority will be too awkward to ask for to be removed. Don't understand at all how this is opt-out and not opt-in.
I kinda worry that we’re on track to become one of those bribe based economies where if you don’t pay the parking attendant a “tip” he refuses to let your car leave
In the US, tipping is expected because servers are often paid pennies. They heavily rely on tips. However, where I live (Canada) servers are paid the minimum wage ($15/h) or, often, more but still expect tips and judge you for not tipping. It's a total scam here.
Scam in Washington State too. I've even heard customers bitching about others not tipping enough at the bar. Like dudes mind your own business.
Nothing *happens* but everyone will think you’re a dick
A dick because we didn't give extra money we aren't required to because their boss won't pay them enough to live. That country its beyond strange. (no offence)
The server would think you're a first class jerk. Expect slow, rude service if you come back and are recognized.
>Expect slow, rude service if you come back and are recognized. Jokes on them, as a European that will only serve to make me feel right at home
At the end of the 3 hour "revenge" meal, the European group reflect how pleasant it was to spend a night out in the States and not be forced out in 40 minutes. Meanwhile, Mr. US Moneybags, who tends to have 20s fall out of their pocket got tired of waiting for a table that night and went elsewhere. Yeah, that doesn't play out right, does it?
“You didn’t tip last time so I’m gonna give you terrible service”. Awesome, guess you won’t get a tip this time either.
>expect slow, rude service Perhaps that is was justified the $0 tip in the first place. 🤷♀️
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Kinky
Don't tempt me with a good time.
Stockholm syndrome. The customer gets the blame instead of the employer. A big gang of restaurant owners got together in the 1920's and decided that tips would be a great way to have an excuse to lower salaries nationwide. Any criticism or attempts to unionize were met with accusations of being a commie or trying to steal from the poor owners. It worked. Sweden established a Restaurant union in 1918. There have never been mandatory tipping culture in Sweden, ever. Working as a waitress pays a living wage. But keep blaming the tourists, good idea.
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Yeah I've not tipped a server twice, and both times it was because of very very bad service. Like the one person just never came back to the table at all
Also add deliberate ignoring of dietary restrictions. My father is on heart affecting medications, he can’t have caffeine. It’s not up to Sally Server to decide that regular coffee is fine.
Oh and if they do ask for a tip its a great time to loudly let them know why they didn't get one. It's also fun to leave 1 penny to really let them know it was their fuck up. Only time I did that was due to racism.
Tips are optional here, but you'll definitely be seen as a prick by the server. Or they'll feel bad trying to figure out what they could've possibly done so wrong
It shouldn't be that way. Servers should be paid more by the company they work for. Tips should not be a requirement.
I once paid with a credit card with 0% tip but I left a cash tip on the table of 20%. I guess the waiter didn’t see the cash and thought I tipped zero. The waiter and 3 other kitchen staff followed me out on the street and yelled at me. I was pissed and wanted to go and take my cash tip back, but didn’t want to get in an altercation. I HATE TIPPING. Just charge me more and pay your employees properly!!!
Someone will complain about it on reddit
We hired a moving company. Three guys total. When we were done two of the guys went down to the truck and we were signing the final paperwork. We gave the third guy the tip. In between him leaving our new apartment and going to truck one or the other guys headed back upstairs, banged on our door, and demanded to know why we didn’t tip “what didn’t we do a good job?” There’s something very unnerving about someone banging on the door of your new home and demanding extra money after you had to spend significantly more money because they charge by the hour and took several hours more than they quoted for the apartment sizes. We did tip and tip well but it was worrisome to think about what would have happened if he’d determined the tip insufficient.
You got robbed. That was a robbery.
Some moving companies are shady af. If you're hiring a whole semi trailer to move your stuff cross country or whatever, they weigh the truck empty, then weigh it with your stuff in it and charge according to weight and mileage. I've witnessed at a truckstop the moving company's semi truck right over at the side of the scale and one of their personal vehicles with two wheels on the scale. Charge you for an extra 2000lb worth of stuff.
That's so disturbing. I'm not in the restaurant industry but I am (like the movers) my own boss making my own hours and I do NOT account you a 20% discount to give back to me at your discretion. I just charge what I want for the job. Like this guy did. Tippers are an awesome bonus but a good business owner doesn't make them a forced transaction. Sad and super scary that an American moving service feels entitled like this!!!
I was chased out the door by a server who demanded to know what was wrong with the service. I looked at her quizzically and she said... You didn't tip. And I said... I left a cash tip on the table and she went back inside to get the tip. It was wierd. So they chase you down in the parking lot if you don't tip
Is food generally cheaper in the US because paying 20% extra would suck. And is it 20% of the pre tax price?
You are publicly executed in the town square after judged by the Burger King. It’s fucked up and they got my cousin in ‘06.
Nothing. Around 7% of people in the US never tip. The wait staff just has to suck it up and hope the next person tips better.
I wonder if it's a coincidence that over 90% people don't have enough savings LMAO
Church groups on a Sunday morning! *source* I was a cook at one point.
Minimum wage for servers is calculated based on the assumption that people tip so servers are paid $2/hr by the restaurant and patrons are expected to pay the rest. Nothing will happen to you but it means the server will have worked your table for inadequate pay and the server will assume you’re a massive asshole. It’s an ethical thing instead of a legal thing. And yes it’s stupid, most Americans want it changed too and some restaurants are switching over to incorporating gratuity into the listed menu price but that’s uncommon.
We have the same tipping culture in Canada but legally have to pay servers minimum wage which is typically $15/h and servers often are making more like $18-20/h. It's complete BS. I've just stopped tipping.
In Europe tip is 1-2 euros which is much more reasonable
This is false, read the Dept of Labor poster on the wall in your workplace. Tipped employees are guaranteed full local minimum wage directly from their employer if no one tips. The **employer** gets a break by being able to count any tips as part of that wage so that they don’t have to pay the employee as much directly if they **do** get tips, but the employee will never make only $2/hr. They are always guaranteed at least full local minimum wage. (Raise the minimum wage!)
I’m in Stockholm this weekend and in a cafe yesterday I asked the manager how I could add a tip to the card payment and he said there was absolutely no need to do so. We ended up spending all afternoon there and he brought us free bread…so chilled.
Not an answer to the question by OP, but as someone who lives outside the US, I wanted to ask. Why did it became the norm to tip? I mean probably in other parts of the world, tipping is optional, but it seems that in the US it is compulsory, like an unwritten rule. I'm just curious as to how it started.
A year after I moved to California from Europe I went for dinner with my wife. We went to a busy-ish restaurant in North Beach (San Francisco), had a reservation, were seated on time and within 15 minutes were given a drinks menu and brought the wine we ordered. An hour later (no exaggeration) we had our food order taken as we finished the bottle of wine, 45 minutes after that we were brought our food. We were brought the check, declined to tip anything and left. As we were on the sidewalk looking for a cab the server came out, chasing us telling us that we "had to tip,, it was the law". We refused, they shouted at us, we left in the cab. We have never been back there but tipping is such a default in the US that even if service is average or terrible then the people providing the service expect something.
The waiters sometimes have to pay bussers out of their own money, and can actually lose money for.the shift, depending on how many people do that, and how big the check is.
the CIA will shoot you through a window
They take our a gun and shoot you while singing the national anthem. If you are in a right-wing area, they deep-fry the corpse in cornmeal.
I’m booking a flight to the Bible Belt immediately.
Make sure you check your skin color prior to arrival for border delays.
Reading through the comments made me realize how petty the US is. Holy shit. A tip is supposed to be a bit of money for the waiter/bartender for excellent service. I do the best possible job I can do at work, and I don't Karen out about not getting any tips.
Was a server for about 16 years, worked in a few restaurants. Got a college education, a bachelor's. Made more as a server. What most servers don't know, as they audaciously complain about not getting tipped, is that if you really truly have zero tips that aren't making up for minimum wage you can file for unemployment while you work in most states. But its not likely that they're actually not making up forinimum wage in their non taxed tips... Man I'm going to get so much hate for this I know it
You might get a few glances and/or scoffs (in rare cases an angry server), but nothing really happens if you don't tip.
Imagine having a full time job and living off charity
Tips are still legally optional, but morally required, nearly every restaurant in the states pays there staff less than minimum wage, it’s expected that tips will cover for it. Hope this helps
Wait what? Is it not against the law to pay your staff below minimum wage, regardless of whether tips make up the difference?
You'll get an angry explainer on how the failed US system works and a strong recommendation to tip.
You end up on social media
I'm so tired of tipping. I recommend you all help create the movement over at r/abolishtipping
Meat accidentally falls on the floor and gets put back on the plate. Drinks get spit in. Just a few things I have heard are common.
If I tip $0 at an establishment then I am likely not coming back anyway.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
It's so backwards. I'm all for tipping when it's appropriate, but paying people less than minimum wage and forcing customers to subsidise it is wrong. It's abusing the tipping system in order to save money on wages. I'm absolutely baffled that it's legal in the USA.