Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-11-2016, 08:54 PM   #41
Full time employment: Posting here.
ohyes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 805
DH and I tip 20% of total and $5.00 is our minimum tip for any meal...breakfast, lunch or dinner.

We adhered to 15% until about five years ago....when we got older/more generous...and yes, with three kids who worked in food services.

The $5.00 minimum tip is for meals only - not coffee stops, etc.
ohyes is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 08-11-2016, 09:43 PM   #42
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 331
Quote:
Originally Posted by bclover View Post
I don't know about most people but for me I hate the presumption that I should tip on anything but service. there is no service connected with the sales tax.

But by this logic you shouldn't be tipping on any portion of the bill, as it is just as easy to serve a $10 burger as a $25 burger. If people are really tipping on "the service" and they don't consider tax to be part of the service, then they should tip a flat amount regardless of setting. For instance, $1 per trip to the table whether you are at Applebee's or Commanders Palace.

So if people are okay with tipping a percentage of the bill...why not the WHOLE BILL?
FI by 2024 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-11-2016, 09:52 PM   #43
Full time employment: Posting here.
urn2bfree's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 852
When I lived in NYC, the fast way to tip was just to double the tax. That would indicate tipping was on the pre-tax amount.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum
urn2bfree is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-11-2016, 09:59 PM   #44
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
CaliKid's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Ex-Cali
Posts: 1,236
I didn't read every reply but dang there are some cheap people here. My grampa was always concerned with taxing on the sub-total or the total after tax. He would be like 110 if still alive because he was really old and old fashion and cheap. You people are younger so loosen up the purse strings a bit. Live a little!

20% on the total. Round up if good and round down if less than good. It's simple. You don't need a calculator to figure it out (hopefully).
__________________
______________________
The plan was September 1, 2022 and I am 95% there. Still working a few hours a week at the real job.
CaliKid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2016, 07:39 AM   #45
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Big_Hitter's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Les Bois
Posts: 5,761
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaliKid View Post
I didn't read every reply but dang there are some cheap people here.
no way

__________________
You can't be a retirement plan actuary without a retirement plan, otherwise you lose all credibility...
Big_Hitter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2016, 08:04 AM   #46
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
target2019's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: On a hill in the Pine Barrens
Posts: 9,686
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaliKid View Post
20% on the total. Round up if good and round down if less than good. It's simple. You don't need a calculator to figure it out (hopefully).
This works for us. At some point we moved from 15% to 20% as it is much easier to calculate.

A twist I've added, is that if I am not satisfied with service, I add the tip to credit card, and make sure it is 15% or less.
target2019 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2016, 08:57 AM   #47
Moderator
Aerides's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 13,879
Aerides is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2016, 09:20 AM   #48
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Alberta/Ontario/ Arizona
Posts: 3,393
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobbieB View Post
If it's a restaurant chit, they will all have a line for tip even if it's already added.
This has happened to me a few times, especially for larger groups. The waiter has always made it very clear that a gratuity has been included. Hard to believe that anyone posting on this thread would not notice the included gratuity. Ie if you are concerned about a couple bucks you will certainly go over a larger bill with a magnifying glass, no?

I generally just look at the total amount and if it is in the ballpark of what I expected, don't bother looking at the details.
Danmar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2016, 10:58 AM   #49
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: The Great Wide Open
Posts: 3,789
Quote:
Originally Posted by mpeirce View Post
If the service is bad, I pretty much just don't go back to that place. I still tip them some (they aren't bad people - I hope - and need to feed themselves).

Otherwise, I don't sweat the details. Roughly calculate 20% and round up to a full dollar amount.

It's easy to do in your head - move the decimal point over giving 10%. Double this giving 20%. Round up to an even dollar.

Done.
+1
Winemaker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2016, 11:48 AM   #50
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Huntsville, AL/Helen, GA
Posts: 6,002
Quote:
Originally Posted by retirementguy1 View Post
For most people the difference between pre tax and after tax is minuscule. If your bill is $100 you might have $8 in tax so an extra $2 to the server. How much are you spending per meal that this really matters?
We're retired. We don't eat in $100 restaurants.

We seldom eat out more than 1x per week, and even then it's Krystal or Captain D's.

We travel internationally once yearly on the money we didn't spend in restaurants.
Bamaman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2016, 12:30 PM   #51
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
kcowan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Pacific latitude 20/49
Posts: 7,677
Send a message via Skype™ to kcowan
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bestwifeever View Post
I've noticed that a lot of restaurant checks that sometimes include the gratuity (like for a large table) figure it at 18 percent on the whole check, including the tax. I wonder if that's meant to come to about 20 percent not including tax.
We first noticed this at South Beach and we asked. They said that large groups often chip in and mostly forget some items or shave the tip so that the bill comes up short.

(Of course we have also noticed restaurants that have this policy printed in tiny type on the menu than also have a tip line on credit machines. Imagine tipping 18% on top of the previously included 18%!)
__________________
For the fun of it...Keith
kcowan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2016, 07:12 AM   #52
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Koolau's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Leeward Oahu
Posts: 17,794
Quote:
Originally Posted by kcowan View Post
We first noticed this at South Beach and we asked. They said that large groups often chip in and mostly forget some items or shave the tip so that the bill comes up short.

(Of course we have also noticed restaurants that have this policy printed in tiny type on the menu than also have a tip line on credit machines. Imagine tipping 18% on top of the previously included 18%!)
Yep, this always made me angry - much more than calculating the tip with the tax. It got to the place where, if I didn't see the policy listed on the menu ("We add 18% gratuity to all meals with 8 or more patrons...") I would ask whenever there was a significant sized group. Back in the day, I bounced a couple of managers about the "tip on the tip" and they gave the excuse that they couldn't suppress the tip line (since most of their meals were smaller groups - not subject to the "forced" gratuity.) Then I would ask why they did not point out the potential "double tip" to patrons upon presenting the bill - at which point they would blame the wait staff. I no longer have to worry about "big" groups as that only happened back when I was w*rking. Yet another advantage of ER, heh, heh - no staff "get-togethers."

Since we often visit restaurants offering "specials" (pie on Thursdays - $1, etc.) I have noticed that the "suggested gratuity" always includes the full price of the special when figuring it. I have no problem with this - especially since it's only suggested and not forced.

I have gotten much more generous to wait staff in my old age. I'm much more tolerant of "bad" service as well. I leave at least 20% on anything less than $50. Beyond that, I require "average-good" service to get the full 20%. Just my thing. Now, DW seems to think 15% is plenty, even if the bill is $9. I will often slip an extra dollar on the the table - even alerting the wait staff that "DW shorted them on their tip" if she pays by CC instead of cash. So far, she hasn't caught me at it.
__________________
Ko'olau's Law -

Anything which can be used can be misused. Anything which can be misused will be.
Koolau is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2016, 07:36 AM   #53
Full time employment: Posting here.
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 723
Honestly I've never put that much thought into it... regarding the taxes. It's such a little difference. It's pretty rare that'll we'll tip under 15% unless the service is so bad we'd never return to the restaurant. Most of the time we tip 20% rounded up to the nearest dollar and if we really like the server we'll go closer to 25%. And like some others here, we'll tip much higher on a really small bill. I also like over-tipping on a really slow night (25%-100% depending on the size of the bill). I'm sure it makes a difference that DW and I both have restaurant experience from our college years.
panacea is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2016, 09:53 AM   #54
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Dawg52's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Central MS/Orange Beach, AL
Posts: 9,067
When I was younger I pretty much stuck to 15% pretax. But now that I'm older and a high roller, I've bumped it up to 20%. At the local pub where I meet friends, I usually leave around 30% for the bartender. But she's hot and deserving of it.
__________________
Retired 3/31/2007@52
Investing style: Full time wuss.
Dawg52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2016, 10:35 AM   #55
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Sunset's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spending the Kids Inheritance and living in Chicago
Posts: 17,010
I am being picky about tipping the taxman, and I know it doesn't really go to the taxman.
But it is like tipping on top of the gratuity charge, just another way restaurants mislead folks.

Perhaps it's because I don't like tipping.
I think tipping is an archaic practice possibly left over from when only Elitists could travel and dine or when every tavern was owner family run.
Restaurants could pay normal wages and have no tipping like in some other countries.
We do it for lots of other jobs like the grocery cashier.
Sunset is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2016, 10:41 AM   #56
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
pb4uski's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,264
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaliKid View Post
I didn't read every reply but dang there are some cheap people here. ...
It took you 4 months and 146 posts to figure that out?
__________________
If something cannot endure laughter.... it cannot endure.
Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.
Slow and steady wins the race.

Retired Jan 2012 at age 56
pb4uski is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2016, 10:44 AM   #57
Moderator Emeritus
W2R's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,473
It's not that tough, folks. Computing the tax and tip in my head, adding everything up, rounding to the nearest dollar, and then figuring out how much each of us needs to chip in, is part of the math fun that I insist on doing every day at lunch since we eat lunch at a restaurant every day. F does it too, and we doublecheck ourselves that way.

Got to keep our minds active, use it or lose it! We prefer to use it.

__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.

Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
W2R is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2016, 10:48 AM   #58
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: the prairies
Posts: 5,027
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunset View Post
Restaurants could pay normal wages and have no tipping like in some other countries.
We do it for lots of other jobs like the grocery cashier.
But, instead they don't pay a normal wage and then the customer is the "cheap" one for not tipping enough.
Music Lover is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2016, 10:49 AM   #59
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 17,203
Quote:
Originally Posted by retirementguy1 View Post
There is no set rule when it comes to pre tax and the after tax amount. This is just a social convention. I worked in several fine dining restaurants over the last ten years. Most people tip on the after tax amount. I really don't care. People are going to tip what they tip. Often times without regard to the quality of service. With regards to this forum, most are LBYM and aren't spending more than $30-50 per meal for a couple. The tax is negligible. When I go out to eat by myself and the bill is $10-15 I will always leave $4-5.

Often times people have to tip out the people they work with. I remember I had one check for three people. It was $450. They stiffed me (no tip) and I still had to tip out $45 to my busser/runners. I actually lost money when I offered very good service.

Well, paying someone when you got nothing is not right IMO... and mgmt should not be allowing it... they are not your employees and if you got nothing they should get nothing...
Texas Proud is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2016, 10:54 AM   #60
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 17,203
Just as a point of reference... out tax is 8.25%... which is on the meal...


SO, look at the tax... double it and you are at 16.5%.... adjust accordingly...


I will say that from the little I know that most people who worked in food services tip more than the normal person... I was one of two siblings that did not work as a server and we are 'low' tippers according to the ones who did... even though we are 16% ish...
Texas Proud is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
TIP ETF vs Vanguard TIP Fund 2B FIRE and Money 1 07-15-2008 10:32 AM
Restaurant Tip Fraud maddythebeagle Other topics 13 06-18-2008 05:25 PM
Work as a prep cook in a restaurant during time-off? soupcxan Other topics 16 10-15-2006 09:00 AM
Restaurant Gift Certificates MJ Life after FIRE 9 02-26-2006 07:36 PM
Favorite Restaurant and Favorite Dish Eagle43 Other topics 71 02-19-2006 12:39 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:01 PM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.