Interesting article on tipping

[Alan]

Interesting article on tipping. We'll be spending 3 days in Iceland soon so it is good to know that we would insult or embarrass if we leave a tip anywhere

BBC News - To tip or not to tip... or should it be banned?

"A New York restaurant has banned tipping to spare customers the bother, while some restaurants in other US cities have already replaced the gratuity with a fixed optional service charge. So is the discretionary tip falling out of favour in the land where it's king?"

 

[comicbookgujy]

I just spent a month in Hong Kong and it was so great not having to tip anyone!

Most places just added 10% to your receipt.

I'm tired of feeling like a scum because I "only" tip 10% for average service instead of the standard 15% to 25%...

 

[urn2bfree]

Here is slink to a Freakonomics podcast covering much the same territory and more about differences in who tips who does not and who gets tipped and who does not:

http://www.freakonomics.com/2013/06/03/should-tipping-be-banned-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/

And a restaurant in San Diego which banned tipping mentioned in the podcast:

http://thelinkery.com/blog/no-tipping/

 

[BTravlin]

Just moved to Mexico and the situation is even more frustrating because some restaurants automatically add a tip to your bill while most others don't. It's annoying to always be on the lookout for the included tip.

 

[MichaelB]

It is interesting to read about tipping customs. I don't mind but find tipping while traveling causes some unwanted stress.

 

[Chuckanut]

One of the worst was the policy of some restaurants in the UK to take employee tips and use them to get the employee's wages up to the minimum wage.

Revealed: how the restaurant chains pocket your tips - Home News - UK - The Independent

 

[Arifriekinel]

One of the worst was the policy of some restaurants in the UK to take employee tips and use them to get the employee's wages up to the minimum wage.

How is that different from the US? I thought our policy was that your base salary plus tips had to come up to minimum wage, so if your tips don't hit it, your boss has to cover the rest of the way. My waitress friends only make a bit over $2 an hour before tips.

 

[Midpack]

One of the worst was the policy of some restaurants in the UK to take employee tips and use them to get the employee's wages up to the minimum wage.

How is that different from the US? I thought our policy was that your base salary plus tips had to come up to minimum wage, so if your tips don't hit it, your boss has to cover the rest of the way. My waitress friends only make a bit over $2 an hour before tips.

It's not different, very few restaurant servers make less than minimum wage with tips despite their minimum wage of $2.13/hr. Some/many/all states are required to make sure servers net at least the state non-tipped minimum wage, though not sure how that's enforced. Obviously, people wouldn't choose to be servers if the money wasn't a satisfactory option for them. I was a waiter in my 20's and I know servers in most restaurants still make good money, in upscale restaurants it can push 6 figures.

What's more surprising to me is that the tipped worker minimum wage has been frozen at $2.13/hr since 1991.

 

[H2ODude]

Where and when to tip how much in foreign lands can be very frustrating. Don't want to be looked at as Ugly American for either undertipping or "throwing money around." And, when you ask someone who's been in the country a while their guidance can be somewhat vague and nonspecific. I thought it was interesting that in Paris I was told a waiter in a nice restaurant considered a tip somewhat of an insult; that he was a professional and paid as such. Who knew?

 

[Chuckanut]

How is that different from the US? I thought our policy was that your base salary plus tips had to come up to minimum wage, so if your tips don't hit it, your boss has to cover the rest of the way. My waitress friends only make a bit over $2 an hour before tips.

In my state, businesses cannot use tips to make sure their workers get at least the minimum wage.

Here is a table of minimum wages for tipped employees in various states, based upon allowing tips to make up the minimum or not allowing tips to make it up to the minimum. Obviously, very few earn only $2.13 an hour.

http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped2012.htm#Washington

 

[Katsmeow]

Most states allow the employers to pay less than minimum wage with tips making up the difference (which I've never felt was right).

 

[Midpack]

Most states allow the employers to pay less than minimum wage with tips making up the difference (which I've never felt was right).

I'd like to know what servers make with tips before making that judgement, a little data. YMMV

I was a waiter in a pizza joint, and then later in a semi-high end restaurant. I did very, very well with tips even after voluntarily paying my busboys out of my own pocket - no complaints. Lots of servers do very, very well even today, though undoubtedly it's harder at the low end diners at the like.

As a server you can expect to earn significantly more than the minimum wage. Even at a family-style restaurant, diner, or chain restaurant, you will most likely deal with happy customers who tip between 15% and 20% of their bill, meaning you are making a significant amount of money hourly! In fact, the average a waiter makes per hour is closer to $15 an hour, which is more than double the federal minimum wage!

http://waitersandwaitresses.com/how-much-do-waiters-make/

 

[Katsmeow]

I have no doubt that many servers do well with tips. My objection is a philosophical one that objects to allow tips to make up part of minimum wage. I believe that servers should be paid minimum wage and tips so should be in addition. I'm not asking you or anyone else to agree to with me.

 

[Midpack]

I have no doubt that many servers do well with tips. My objection is a philosophical one that objects to allow tips to make up part of minimum wage. I believe that servers should be paid minimum wage and tips so should be in addition. I'm not asking you or anyone else to agree to with me.

And neither am I...

 

[samclem]

How is that different from the US? I thought our policy was that your base salary plus tips had to come up to minimum wage, so if your tips don't hit it, your boss has to cover the rest of the way.

That's the way it is in most states. And in many/most establishments, the waiter/waitress will be getting a pink slip very soon if the boss has to make up the difference on a frequent basis (there are exceptions: unexpectedly slow business, etc). If Waiter A is bringing in enough tips to make minimum wage and Waitress B consistently doesn't, it's a relatively easy call.

 

[Lsbcal]

Seems that the article is about high end places in cities like New York. We don't do that but do tip reasonably on the West Coast. Have never had a waiter chase us down and DW still loves me.

 

[photoguy]

I have no doubt that many servers do well with tips. My objection is a philosophical one that objects to allow tips to make up part of minimum wage. I believe that servers should be paid minimum wage and tips so should be in addition.

I agree with this. I think having a carve out to allow some class of workers to be paid less than minimum wage is ridiculous.

 

[comicbookgujy]

Seems that the article is about high end places in cities like New York. We don't do that but do tip reasonably on the West Coast. Have never had a waiter chase us down and DW still loves me.

I had someone chase me down when I tipped only $10 on a $100 bill for 2 people.

Waiter said it's mandatory 15%...What? Nowhere did the menu say mandatory 15% for 2 people. The service was horrible. I wanted to tip 0% because it was so bad.

 

[Mulligan]

I agree with this. I think having a carve out to allow some class of workers to be paid less than minimum wage is ridiculous.

I pay it, but have never "got" this whole tipping thing. They should get a salary paid by business and bake it into the menu prices.

 

[Lsbcal]

I had someone chase me down when I tipped only $10 on a $100 bill for 2 people.

Waiter said it's mandatory 15%...What? Nowhere did the menu say mandatory 15% for 2 people. The service was horrible. I wanted to tip 0% because it was so bad.

Generally my max is 12% unless the bill is really low then the % goes up. Seems most of the places we go to pool the tips -- that's my impression. Mostly I see no correlation between the tip and our service.

 

[photoguy]

Mostly I see no correlation between the tip and our service.

I've seen study's that basically claim this as well, but I wonder if this lack of correlation is just within in the US but not necessarily true globally. I've found service to be uniformly better in the US than Europe (at least at the restaurants I've been too).

 

[Midpack]

I pay it, but have never "got" this whole tipping thing. They should get a salary paid by business and bake it into the menu prices.

Honestly, you don't think tipping provides an incentive for servers to provide better service? How much I tip is always influenced by the service we receive, but maybe others just tip the same regardless.

 

[Midpack]

I had someone chase me down when I tipped only $10 on a $100 bill for 2 people.

Waiter said it's mandatory 15%...What? Nowhere did the menu say mandatory 15% for 2 people. The service was horrible. I wanted to tip 0% because it was so bad.

I suspect you would have been doing the manager/maitre d' a big favor had you just walked back in and asked about "the policy." Odds are it was bogus, and the management might have been very interested in the waiter's actions.

I can't remember when service was so bad that I wanted to leave 0%, but I'd find the management and explain why up front before doing it. Without hearing about the poor service, the restaurant staff would understandably conclude you (the customer) were just a cheapskate-jerk...

 

[jollystomper]

This is an area I choose to look at as "small stuff" and don't sweat it. I tend to tip around 20%. With what I make its no real difference leaving a $15 vs. $20 tip. Of course when I retire and have to live on less, I may change this habit.

At times I like to use tipping as "act of random kindness". I remember once eating with a friend and our waitress was essentially being sexually harassed by a nearby table, to the point where we spoke out to them about it. Of course these fools didn't simmer down and then left without a tip. We could tell she was upset so we decided to leave a big tip, $50 on a $30 bill, with a note that said "thanks for the service, not all guys are idiots, hang in there". Just before we got to our car she came tearing out of the the restaurant to us, crying and thanking us and hugging us. She even joked and asked us "Are you married or dating anyone? Or do you have brothers who are single?" Sometimes it feels good to tip and help brighten someone's day.

 

[Mulligan]

Honestly, you don't think tipping provides an incentive for servers to provide better service? How much I tip is always influenced by the service we receive, but maybe others just tip the same regardless.

No, I just give the 15%-20% each time. To me anyways, it doesn't effect the service in any way, because it is paid after, not before, and they would not know prior if I was a cheap bastard or not. I pay because it is expected, because their pay depends on it. When some restaurants already add the tip into the bill it is expected, not an incentive. It may just be me, but the business should pay the appropriate salary. Why tip a waiter for good service, and not cashier at Walmart who moves the products through at a fast rate and bags the goods in an excellent manner? Why tip cab driver, but not a city bus driver, who got you safely to your destination, also? Why not tip the heart surgeon who successfully performed your heart transplant? Just because he makes a lot of money doesn't mean he would put maximum effort into it. I will never figure it out, but I am conditioned to pay the past 30 years, so I will dutifully continue.