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Who changed it to 20%
Old 01-16-2020, 05:17 PM   #1
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Who changed it to 20%

We are eating out the other day and I was asking my daughter what I should tip as I am trying to teach her to do simple math in her head (she seems to not be able to do so).... she said 20%...


WHAT? No, it is 15%.... well, I was told in no uncertain terms that it was 20% and has been 'forever'....



SOOO, who decided that 15% was not enough and when?


BTW, my tax is 8.25% and I usually double it and round up so it is at least 16.5% so I do not feel bad at all...
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Old 01-16-2020, 05:28 PM   #2
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For at least as long as I've been tipping (a little over 20 years), it's been 20%. 15% is only if you were not happy about something, and 25% if you were thrilled.
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Old 01-16-2020, 05:37 PM   #3
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ever since my offspring worked as waitstaff. that is when it became 20%...

Also, it's easier math than 15%. Not a lot easier, but worth the extra 5%.
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Old 01-16-2020, 05:43 PM   #4
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I do believe that in the last 10 or so years, the choices for tips on the bill when applicable now give a choice of 18/20/22, while it use to provide 15/18/20.
I do now give 20% for very good service.

In fact, I just started seeing that the suggested tip calculation sometimes now includes the tax.
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Old 01-16-2020, 05:46 PM   #5
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I have become angry about this.
15% of pre tax is my default.
If you travel to Western Europe, then tip+sales tax in the USA is really annoying.
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Old 01-16-2020, 05:47 PM   #6
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I think it went to 20% when math skills declined. I tend to tip about 20% before tax and adjustments. I vary depending on the place.. very good service at a cheap place will likely get 30% or more from me. Adequate service at an expensive place 15%. Poor service 10% ish so they know I was thinking of them. Tip more if I hog the table or drink water/soda as it's just as much, if not more work to refill my glass than to bring a beer.


I've been moonlighting serving at a friends taphouse and seem to average between 20-25% and have had a few surprises around at 40-50%. Have had a couple bad nights (tips, not my service) where it was close to 15% and it kind of sucked.
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Old 01-16-2020, 05:53 PM   #7
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When I was a kid (35-40 years ago), 10% was "typical" and 15-20% was "generous".
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Old 01-16-2020, 05:54 PM   #8
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Yea, it has just been the last 10 or 15 years. Hardly forever. I usually do something between 15 and 20%.

Oh, and if we are going to start talking about tipping around here, we can add it to the "when to take SS" and "pay off the mortgage" list.
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Old 01-16-2020, 06:09 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by FLSUnFIRE View Post
I think it went to 20% when math skills declined. I tend to tip about 20% before tax and adjustments. I vary depending on the place.. very good service at a cheap place will likely get 30% or more from me. Adequate service at an expensive place 15%. Poor service 10% ish so they know I was thinking of them. Tip more if I hog the table or drink water/soda as it's just as much, if not more work to refill my glass than to bring a beer.


I've been moonlighting serving at a friends taphouse and seem to average between 20-25% and have had a few surprises around at 40-50%. Have had a couple bad nights (tips, not my service) where it was close to 15% and it kind of sucked.
I pretty much follow the bold above. I go out to lunch alone sometimes when DW has an activity. I drink water. My bill, before tax, is $7. Minimum tip on this is $2.

At some places, they will automatically add 18%. Then that is what they get. I might have tipped more, but if you put it on the bill, that's what you get.

Just me.
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Old 01-16-2020, 06:16 PM   #10
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We usually tipped 15%. After my daughter and son started working in their teenage years as hosts in restaurants, they exhorted us to do 20%.

I do something in between, depending on how we perceive the service level.
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Old 01-16-2020, 06:18 PM   #11
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I have done 20% for years.
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Old 01-16-2020, 06:21 PM   #12
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At some places, they will automatically add 18%. Then that is what they get. I might have tipped more, but if you put it on the bill, that's what you get.

Just me.
My usual practice is to round the bill (including tax) up to the nearest $10, double that and move the decimal point, which always exceeds 20% for the tip. It is particularly generous when you consider that we almost always get a bottle of good wine with dinner, so the server gets a ten spot or so just to bring the bottle over and pour one glass for me.

Last week, we ate in a restaurant down in Miami Beach. They automatically added 18% to the pre-tax amount, so that's all they got.
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Old 01-16-2020, 06:28 PM   #13
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I usually do 20% then round the total bill down.... it the bill is $24.64, 20% would be $4.92 but I'll tip $4.36 so the total bill is $29.00. While it looks like that is "only" a 17.7% tip it is really more since the $24.64 includes rooms and meals tax so the meals alone is more like $23 so the tip is really 18.9%.

I prefer that the slip I sign be even dollars.... sometimes the server gets a bit more and sometimes a bit less.
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Old 01-16-2020, 06:37 PM   #14
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I usually do 20% then round the total bill down.... it the bill is $24.64, 20% would be $4.92 but I'll tip $4.36 so the total bill is $29.00. While it looks like that is "only" a 17.7% tip it is really more since the $24.64 includes rooms and meals tax so the meals alone is more like $23 so the tip is really 18.9%.

I prefer that the slip I sign be even dollars.... sometimes the server gets a bit more and sometimes a bit less.
I am just opposite. On a CC my tip is in even dollars, so the math is easy. If I am paying cash, then usually I just pay in even dollars, so the change exchange is easy.

Either way, I tend to over tip.
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Old 01-16-2020, 06:41 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by pb4uski View Post
I usually do 20% then round the total bill down.... it the bill is $24.64, 20% would be $4.92 but I'll tip $4.36 so the total bill is $29.00. While it looks like that is "only" a 17.7% tip it is really more since the $24.64 includes rooms and meals tax so the meals alone is more like $23 so the tip is really 18.9%.

I prefer that the slip I sign be even dollars.... sometimes the server gets a bit more and sometimes a bit less.
Same here. Even dollars.
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Old 01-16-2020, 06:42 PM   #16
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I always overtip. I always get great service from people who are really happy to see me.
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Old 01-16-2020, 06:46 PM   #17
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C'mon, 15% is easy math, and I'm no math whiz. Just figure 10%, double it for 20%, split the difference and add to the 10%. Came up with that one when I first started going on dates...my young man wasn't sure how much to leave for our pizza.

But that was some time ago, and the perception of a proper tip has inflated. 15% is now "considered" stingy. (I put the verb in quotes because no one is quite sure who's doing the "considering." If it's society, how does society know how much you left? And if it's servers doing the inflating, then that seems a bit....self-serving).
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Old 01-16-2020, 06:55 PM   #18
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When I was growing up, my parents taught me that a tip on a restaurant meal was 18%. About ten years ago when DD worked as a server she informed us that 20% is standard. I usually tip at least 20% now, if for no other reason than lazy math. But when we go to the local dive bar for cheesesteak night and the bill is only $8, we leave the waitress $4 or $5.
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Old 01-16-2020, 06:59 PM   #19
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Tip on pretax or post tax amount?


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Old 01-16-2020, 07:05 PM   #20
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Tip on pretax or post tax amount?
Pre tax for me.
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