Do You Tip When You Go Out?

[Dreek Lass]

I don't tip when I go out, Most of the time I can't even afford to pay for whatever it is that i have ordered whilst I was out, never mind giving away more money for the benefit of another person. For having this notion. I have been told that I shouldn't go to a restaurant if I am not intending to leave a tip, which is ridiculous. I will go where I want to, and not leave a tip or leave a tip if that is how I am feeling.

How do you feel about tips? Do you feel like you have to leave them?

 

[claudine]

I'm only a poor student, most of the time I can't afford tipping. But it's not really such a big deal since I rarely eat in restaurants anyway. I'm on a gluten free diet so I have to prepare my own food
But if I went to a restaurant, I'd leave a tip. It's a nice thing to do. It doesn't have to be a big amount of money.

 

[dconklin]

I always tip when we go to any place that serves us food and/or drinks. We don't go out to eat much where we would leave a tip - maybe once every couple months. I always base my tip on the server too. If they were real good with personality, I usually leave them about 25% of the bill as a tip. If they were horrible or mean then it will definitely be less.

I won't go out to eat at a restaurant if I don't have the money to include a tip too tho.

 

[Dreek Lass]

I'm only a poor student, most of the time I can't afford tipping. But it's not really such a big deal since I rarely eat in restaurants anyway. I'm on a gluten free diet so I have to prepare my own food
But if I went to a restaurant, I'd leave a tip. It's a nice thing to do. It doesn't have to be a big amount of money.

I know that it doesn't HAVE to be a lot of money, just a small tip. But just as it used to be a choice as to whether someone would tip or not, it seems to have become mandatory in the mind of many. And people don't want small tips. They want at least $3 - $4 for a tip, not a measly 70 cents lol.

I am not leaving a tip if I don't want to and I am not leaving one if the waiter is giving me a look.

I think that it is weird that people are not going to restaurants because they don't have tip money. I mean, seriously?

 

[BlackStar101]

I tip around 98% when going out since I know that, at least in North America, servers aren't paid much and really tend to rely on tips. I do however base the tips on the service that was received, the few times I haven't tipped the service was truly atrocious. Like I'm talking we didn't get our drinks until we had been there over 90 minutes and food was another 90 minutes and trying to find anyone to help was impossible. Typically though I tip around 10-20%.

 

[dconklin]

I know that it doesn't HAVE to be a lot of money, just a small tip. But just as it used to be a choice as to whether someone would tip or not, it seems to have become mandatory in the mind of many. And people don't want small tips. They want at least $3 - $4 for a tip, not a measly 70 cents lol.

I am not leaving a tip if I don't want to and I am not leaving one if the waiter is giving me a look.

I think that it is weird that people are not going to restaurants because they don't have tip money. I mean, seriously?

I believe that if I don't have enough money to include the tip for a person who is bringing me my food and anything that I need, then I don't need to be spending the money I have in a restaurant. I should probably be spending it on something more needed if that is what I have, like the grocery store to make our own food. I rarely eat out anyway tho.

In the US, the federal minimum wage for tipped positions (waitresses and waiters included) is a lot lower then minimum wage for non tipped positions. Tho some restaurants choose to pay employees more, there is a good chance that your waiter or waitress in the US is only being paid between $2-$3 an hour where federal minimum wage for non tipped position is over $7 an hour. That is a big difference and waiters and waitresses rely on tips to be able to support themselves.

 

[katews]

I generally tip 15-20% *if* the service is good. If the waiter or waitress is rude or flops the food down and never comes back to see how the food is or if we need anything else, I have no heartburn about walking out.

That's the "being proper" side of me. I WISH the servers would be paid a decent wage because having to pay more for food than the food itself probably isn't something that anyone "enjoys" doing.

And why don't cooks who actually PREPARE my food get tips, now that I'm thinking about it?

 

[katews]

I generally tip 15 or 20% *IF* it's good service. If the waiter or waitress is grumpy or rude or plops the food down and doesn't check back to see how the food is or if we need anything, I have no heartburn about walking out.

That said, I wish they would be paid a decent wage because I don't think anyone *enjoys* having to pay more than what their food is worth for a meal out. If I order a $30 meal, I should pay $30 and not $36, but I do it anyhow because it's the way I want to be.

And same subject, why don't the people who actually COOK the food get tips as well?

 

[angelle]

I agree, you should be able to go where ever you want to go. If you don't want to leave a tip, then that is your choice. I personally have never left a tip and that is because my significant other always leave a tip. But I make sure that it is not more than a couple of dollars. When I am out with my friends, we don't go to a place where a tip can be left.

 

[katews]

I apologize for the dupe here. I hope admin can delete the second. It just spun and spun yesterday and gave no indication that it posted, so I gave up. Didn't expect it post twice when I thought it didn't post at all.

 

[dconklin]

I generally tip 15 or 20% *IF* it's good service. If the waiter or waitress is grumpy or rude or plops the food down and doesn't check back to see how the food is or if we need anything, I have no heartburn about walking out.

That said, I wish they would be paid a decent wage because I don't think anyone *enjoys* having to pay more than what their food is worth for a meal out. If I order a $30 meal, I should pay $30 and not $36, but I do it anyhow because it's the way I want to be.

And same subject, why don't the people who actually COOK the food get tips as well?

The cooks get paid much better wages because they are not considered a tipped position so their wages are higher and there is a possibility that the waitresses may share tips with the cooks. When I was a cocktail server in a casino, we used to give the bartenders that made our drinks a percentage of our tips.

 

[jenniferb7890]

The only time I don't leave a tip is when I have crappy service. As someone who has worked in the service industry those tips are the difference between paying electric and lighting up some candles. I realize everyone's in a tight spot, but if your waiter or waitress does their job well they definitely deserve to be tipped.