On tipping (cow not included)
The Sharkansky lack of proportionality fiasco does bring up a key point: What is the correct amount to tip in Seattle?
The rule of thumb, as argued by Eric Earling, has always been 15% for average, 20% for good, 10% for poor. The zeitgeist, though, is that you start at 20%, while 10% is for visiting Europeans and conservative bloggers.
Me, I start at 20%, but it’s not about economics. It’s about my inability to multiply any number in my head by .15. Moving the decimal point one left and doubling the number, I can do that. So I tend to be a 20-10 tipper — bad service gets 10%, everything else gets 20%. I don’t tip on the sales tax, though.
One other thing in this mix is Washington’s minimum wage law doesn’t separate waitstaff into some other category because it’s a tipped profession. So, while a waitress in Moscow, Idaho gets $2.13/hour and expects tips, down the road in Pullman another waitress is making $7.93/hour regardless of tips. On the other hand, though, that means only that a waitress has about $6/hour to start with, and if you assume that a living wage in Seattle is now upwards of $15/hour, that’s still $7/hour she’s going to have to make in tips. So while it’s benefiting East of the Mountains waitstaff greatly, it’s almost a wash for those working around the Sound.
So. 15%? 20%? What’s right?
Ha. I tip 20% always just for that same reason: Math is Hard. Well, actually, when I’m drunk sometimes I tip more than that, which might explain why bartenders know me by name…but anyway, Kristen and I once discussed how we’re both too lame to ever tip less than 20% even with bad service.
FWIW, I double the tax and round up and add a buck or so or round to the nearest five, depending….since tax is over 8.++%, it ends up being close to 20%. Unfortunately, the cooks are the ones who could really use the tips, and they don’t get to share.
I’m one of those always, always 20 percent tippers. I’ve worked every damn tipping job under the sun (pizza delivery, barista, hair salon, restaurant, stripper…uh just joking about the last one). I figure if they’re HORRIBLE, then a low tip, but most people might be having a bad day, spurred on by the Sharkaskyies of the world. I just want to spread the love and the wealth. And really, what’s another $1 in the grand scheme of life?!
AFC, most of the cooking jobs I’ve worked at, the front of the house would tip out the cooks. (I think it worked like: front gets 60% of week’s tip pool, split by hours worked, back gets 40% split the same way.)
I think the law has something negative to say about that practice, but tips are under the table anyway.
(I tip roughly a fifth of the total, rounded to the nearest $.50. But I’m good at doing fractions in my head.)
15% for normal service. 20% if the server was friendly and/or made us laugh at any point during the meal (or if he/she was obviously covering more than one section during a busy period, regardless of service). I can’t remember the last time I received legitimately bad service so I don’t recall how I handled the tip.
see also
http://www.lindsayism.com/2007/03/how_to_tip_an_e.html
I’m an overtipper. I tend to tip at least 20% unless the service was just really subpar. I don’t care if the server makes jokes with me or makes me laugh (although that’s always nice), but I will tip 15% or a very little less if my water glass goes empty for a long time, and especially if I’ve asked for more of something (water, soda, napkins) and I’ve seen the wait staff go by two or three times without bringing it to me. Of course if they are slammed and the waiter or waitress comes over and personally apologizes for the lack of stellar service (as I’ve had some do), I’ll leave the 20%. Everyone has bad days. It takes a whole lot to get me to leave less than 15%.
I round up to the nearest dollar, then take 20% of that. If service is exceptional I might add another dollar.
Every area (city, suburb, region of the country) has different tipping protocol. For Seattle, 20% is definitely the standard.
First of all, “tipping” is a very broad term, but I think most folks are referring to tipping at a sit-down restaurant. I tend to tip way more at a bar on a percentage basis than I do at a restaurant, mostly because I’m usually tipping $1/drink or trip to the bar.
Secondly, tipping isn’t supposed to cheer up waiters/waitresses “having a bad day” — it’s supposed to reflect the level of service received. It’s not charity, and it’s not pity.
Thirdly, roughly half of the commenters here could not pass the math WASL and have no business anywhere outside a remedial math class. Multiplying by 15% is absurdly easy: take 10% (move the decimal point one digit to the left), then add half of that to itself. Round up/down as you see fit.
Fourthly, Audrey, how are you defining 20% as the standard? What is your source for this? Your ass?
Question: Do you all tip that 20% on the total bill (including tax) or on just the pre-tax portion?
I end up going 20% on the post tax portion, but I definitely round down.
the weight placed on the pre-tax vs. post-tax discussion always baffles me. For a 20% tipper, it works out to a mere 1.8% difference in the tip. Hardly worth quibbling over.
I tip a standard 20% or so…which can go up if service is really good, or down a bit if service is really bad (and by bad, I mean incompetent or surly). I do wonder though, what is the adjustment, if any for buying expensive wine? The server usually does the same amount of work whether you spend $30 or $300, so should you reduce the tipping percentage? Also, takeout. I usually tip 10%, but wonder if I’m being cheap. Any ideas?
I too am an overtipper and tend to tip on the whole bill (tax included). If I’m tipping at a bar, it’s $1/2 per bottle/glass. If however, I’m supporting local establishments that I frequent regularly (that yummy Greek restaurant in West Seattle, my favourite Football (read: Soccer) pub in Tacoma) then I’ll tip more. I rushed into said Irish pub for a quick lunch and to watch half the match before rushing off to an interview and I believe tipped the bartender %75. It’s good service regardless of what I order and I frequent it often, sometimes running up a high tab, more often not.