The new way of calculating a restaurant tip

[braumeister]

I tried to tip a cop once.

I will never forget once when I was about ten years old and riding with my grandfather (this was in the 1950s).

He was pulled over by a cop (in NYC). The cop asked for his license and registration, which he handed over. Then my GF did something unexpected. He said "I'm going to walk across the street to that newsstand and buy a paper. I'll hand you the paper when I get back.

A minute later, he returned to the car and handed the cop the newspaper. The cop examined it, put it under his arm, and handed my GF a "warning" (not a ticket).

As we pulled away, I said "What was that all about?"

My GF replied "Pretty normal thing. I put a $20 bill between the first two pages of the paper."

 

[Koolau]

I tried to tip a cop once. Not only did it not help my case, the guy said it was a crime?? Bribery or something? So confusing, because CrimeStoppers is always advertising saying "all tips are appreciated". This whole tipping culture in the US confounds me all the time.

Reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw in Old Town Chicago ca. 1967

Support your local police - Bribe a cop today

 

[Texas Proud]

This article on tipping came out the other day. Apparently if you order a $10,000 bottle of wine, you should be tipping 15%-20% on it...plus the meal tip.

Tipping On Wine - Tipping Etiquette

"....Lizzie Post, who runs the Emily Post Institute named for her great-great grandmother...says anyone who can afford to order an expensive bottle of wine should be able to afford the tip that goes along with it—and that tip should be in the customary 15 to 20 percent range..."

and:
"..."It would be like saying, 'This steak is $50 and there is no way I'm going to leave $10 tip on that. I'll leave $3 because the rest is too much.' My thought for people like this is that they should stay at home and cook for themselves and serve themselves...."

I do not know why someone buying that costly of wine would NOT tip 15 to 20 pct....

I was never with him, but the top exec of the dept when I was working was someone who would buy expensive wine... and I was told that he would peel off a few hundred cash and hand to the waiter.... then again, he also made them decant the wine....

 

[Sunset]

This article on tipping came out the other day. Apparently if you order a $10,000 bottle of wine, you should be tipping 15%-20% on it...plus the meal tip.

Tipping On Wine - Tipping Etiquette

"....Lizzie Post, who runs the Emily Post Institute named for her great-great grandmother...says anyone who can afford to order an expensive bottle of wine should be able to afford the tip that goes along with it—and that tip should be in the customary 15 to 20 percent range..."

and:
"..."It would be like saying, 'This steak is $50 and there is no way I'm going to leave $10 tip on that. I'll leave $3 because the rest is too much.' My thought for people like this is that they should stay at home and cook for themselves and serve themselves...."

Everyone knows that pouring a $10,000 bottle of wine is much harder than pouring a $100 bottle of wine and therefore deserves a tip of: $2,000

Since it's the same amount of work, we should all tip $2,000 when ordering any wine

 

[FUEGO]

Everyone knows that pouring a $10,000 bottle of wine is much harder than pouring a $100 bottle of wine and therefore deserves a tip of: $2,000

Since it's the same amount of work, we should all tip $2,000 when ordering any wine

If you can afford a $10,000 bottle of wine, you can afford a $10,000 tip. Don't buy $10,000 bottles of wine if you can't afford a $10,000 tip. Don't even eat in restaurants if you can't afford this.

 

[Milton]

I noticed this too. It is either very sloppy accounting on their part or intentional fee inflation.

This ^^^

They rely upon customers not checking the bill; or being too lazy to work out the appropriate tip themselves; or feeling guilty about not forking over an extra couple of bucks. As many of the previous posts show, lots of customers will let them get away with it.

It puts me in a mood of trying to be cheated so I compensate by rounding down.

Yes, agreed. 10% of the pre-tax bill is more than enough tip at restaurants that engage in this shady practice.

 

[Milton]

If you can afford a $10,000 bottle of wine, you can afford a $10,000 tip.

You (and Lizzie Post) are confusing affordability with value.

I have the good fortune to be able to afford an occasional $10,000 bottle of wine. I can also afford a $100,000 car, a $250,000 boat, a $3,000,000 house, etc. But because I know that I can be well satisfied with options costing far less, the odds of me actually paying that much for such items are miniscule.

Don't buy $10,000 bottles of wine if you can't afford a $10,000 tip. Don't even eat in restaurants if you can't afford this.

If everyone followed this advice, you are successful in persuading society that that is the standard, a lot of restaurants will soon being going out of business …

BTW, do you always tip 100%? If not, why not (presumably you can well afford it)?

 

[doneat54]

Going to a lower cost restaurant is frugal; going to a higher cost restaurant, but tipping less because they did the same work as a person working serving lower cost dinners is cheap.

Sorry but it is not. It is about tipping an amount that is reflective of the service you get. An amount, not a percentage of the bill.

 

[Sunset]

If you can afford a $10,000 bottle of wine, you can afford a $10,000 tip. Don't buy $10,000 bottles of wine if you can't afford a $10,000 tip. Don't even eat in restaurants if you can't afford this.

A tip should be based on the effort and work involved in the job, not on what the server is carrying or the price of it. The cost of the meal has zero relationship to the effort of the waiter.

So the tip for a $10,000 bottle of wine should be the same as a $25 dollar bottle of wine.
There is no more effort involved at all. In fact water has the same amount of effort.

Now, the restaurant presumably has up-charged the wine enough whether is it $25 or $2,000 to account for; droppage, spoilage, theft, etc. So the actual value is not an issue to the server.

I believe if we are going to succumb to the tradition of tipping, we should tip the service, not the cost of the meal.

 

[doneat54]

A tip should be based on the effort and work involved in the job, not on what the server is carrying or the price of it. The cost of the meal has zero relationship to the effort of the waiter.

So the tip for a $10,000 bottle of wine should be the same as a $25 dollar bottle of wine.
There is no more effort involved at all. In fact water has the same amount of effort.

Now, the restaurant presumably has up-charged the wine enough whether is it $25 or $2,000 to account for; droppage, spoilage, theft, etc. So the actual value is not an issue to the server.

I believe if we are going to succumb to the tradition of tipping, we should tip the service, not the cost of the meal.

AMEN!!!

 

[FUEGO]

If everyone followed this advice, you are successful in persuading society that that is the standard, a lot of restaurants will soon being going out of business …

BTW, do you always tip 100%? If not, why not (presumably you can well afford it)?

Every time I order a $10,000 bottle of wine, I always leave a 100% tip. And I'll continue this practice into the future!

By the way, I forgot my /sarcasm tag in my earlier post.

 

[Danmar]

When we take guided bike trips to Europe, we generally tip the guides (usually 3) about 150 euros each for each of us. So for 3 guides we give each guide 300euros which covers both of us. If there were 5 couples on the trip, each guide would get about 1,500 euros for the trip which is 6 days of biking plus prep. Simply view this as part of the cost of the trip. The guides always try very hard to please us.

 

[kcowan]

We did 150 per guide per couple and 100 euros for the staff, based on advice from travelling buddies who have done 6 bike/barge tours. VBT states: "We recommend the local currency equivalent of $10-$12 per person for each day of your trip for each Trip Leader.” so that would have been $150 per leader for the 2 of us. I guess 150 euros was even better.

 

[Milton]

VBT states: "We recommend the local currency equivalent of $10-$12 per person for each day of your trip for each Trip Leader..

While I'm cool with you tipping if you want, in any amount you want, I think it's ridiculous and tacky of VBT to expressly suggest this. They are not a cut-rate outfit and can certainly afford to pay their staff decent wages, rather than trying to increase their margins by passing on such expenses as additional costs to their customers.

 

[sengsational]

Location by location, tipping is just backwards. In a low-dollar transaction, I'd be fine with having the burden of service assessment and tip calculation...just give them the benefit of the doubt...not much at stake. So where it would be easy, like at fast food places, we don't customarily tip the servers. In a high-dollar transaction, I'd really like to enjoy the dang wine, not be rating the employee pouring it. I'd like to be enjoying the hotel suite, not wondering if I'm giving the bellboy too much (being a sucker), too little (being a cheapskate). I really don't want to waste my mental energy on those who are there to serve me. Being polite and respectful is easy and natural. Providing compliments is easy and natural. Calculating an amount of money, sometimes with lack of good information (local customs, local currency, expectations of the server, etc) and then forking over some specifically selected amount money is stilted and unnatural. And here I am asked to do this when I'm supposed to be enjoying myself the most, treating myself to something fancy. Tipping has become a RPITA.

 

[FUEGO]

While I'm cool with you tipping if you want, in any amount you want, I think it's ridiculous and tacky of VBT to expressly suggest this. They are not a cut-rate outfit and can certainly afford to pay their staff decent wages, rather than trying to increase their margins by passing on such expenses as additional costs to their customers.

I would actually appreciate guidance on tipping if I was a complete newbie to their services. It might be tacky but would reduce my anxiety over appropriate tipping. I suppose I could always ask my riding mates but I'd have to poll 3-4 and take the average to make sure I get a good sample (and not accidentally only talk to the insane tipper - on the high side or the low side).

 

[FUEGO]

Location by location, tipping is just backwards. In a low-dollar transaction, I'd be fine with having the burden of service assessment and tip calculation...just give them the benefit of the doubt...not much at stake. So where it would be easy, like at fast food places, we don't customarily tip the servers. In a high-dollar transaction, I'd really like to enjoy the dang wine, not be rating the employee pouring it. I'd like to be enjoying the hotel suite, not wondering if I'm giving the bellboy too much (being a sucker), too little (being a cheapskate). I really don't want to waste my mental energy on those who are there to serve me. Being polite and respectful is easy and natural. Providing compliments is easy and natural. Calculating an amount of money, sometimes with lack of good information (local customs, local currency, expectations of the server, etc) and then forking over some specifically selected amount money is stilted and unnatural. And here I am asked to do this when I'm supposed to be enjoying myself the most, treating myself to something fancy. Tipping has become a RPITA.

This is one reason why I like cruises and enjoy dining more while aboard. There's a somewhat mandatory tip that's usually automatic unless you argue it (or it's included in the price of your cruise on some lines). It's around $12/day for most cruises out of the US. If you buy upcharge products or services like a cocktail at the bar or a massage at the spa they tack on another 18% gratuity (charged to your shipboard account).

You enjoy a whole week of wining and dining without thinking about gratuities.

 

[Sunset]

This is one reason why I like cruises and enjoy dining more while aboard. There's a somewhat mandatory tip that's usually automatic unless you argue it (or it's included in the price of your cruise on some lines). It's around $12/day for most cruises out of the US. If you buy upcharge products or services like a cocktail at the bar or a massage at the spa they tack on another 18% gratuity (charged to your shipboard account).

You enjoy a whole week of wining and dining without thinking about gratuities.

We went on a cruise, and the staff were good, even staff that we only encountered in the hallway who gave us unasked for advice.
All done without the expectation of a palm grease immediately, and it was pleasant.

The stupid thing about the cruise mandatory tipping per day, is it is pretty nearly just like raising the price of the cruise as I bet 99% of people pay it.

I guess it makes a cruise look cheaper initially, and therefore sell more cruises. They could raise it higher, not pay their staff anything except the daily tip and post cruises as even cheaper. Maybe it already covers 100 % of the staff salary

 

[Bestwifeever]

We did 150 per guide per couple and 100 euros for the staff, based on advice from travelling buddies who have done 6 bike/barge tours. VBT states: "We recommend the local currency equivalent of $10-$12 per person for each day of your trip for each Trip Leader.” so that would have been $150 per leader for the 2 of us. I guess 150 euros was even better.

That's interesting--we are taking our first VBT trip this fall as a sort of one-time bucket list experience so I am very glad you mentioned this. We've never done a real group tour like this before and most likely won't do it again. The VBT FAQ (and other VBT literature) first stresses that everything is included but then buried several questions later down in the FAQ says all gratuities are included except optional tipping of the VBT people and that the welcome packet would explain tipping guidelines for these "optional" gratuities (my unread welcome packet is still residing in the email where it was sent to me--I guess we should read it!). "Recommended" and "guidelines" sound quite a bit stronger than "optional" imo. I searched Google for more information and read an article by a tour guide telling how to double one's tips. Now I'm going to really aware if we're being primed for tips beyond the "recommended guidelines." I'm generally an overtipper, but for some reason this surprised me.

 

[Milton]

I would actually appreciate guidance on tipping if I was a complete newbie to their services. It might be tacky but would reduce my anxiety over appropriate tipping. I suppose I could always ask my riding mates but I'd have to poll 3-4 and take the average to make sure I get a good sample (and not accidentally only talk to the insane tipper - on the high side or the low side).

A 'no tipping' policy would reduce your anxiety even more.

 

[gayl]

I'm too lazy to do the math so I just leave dbl tax (9%) & round up

 

[Lsbcal]

I'm too lazy to do the math so I just leave dbl tax (9%) & round up

Sounds like a good idea and I might borrow it. Hey wait ... there is still some math in there!

Or if the numbers are there for the various percentages, one could just deduct 10% from those numbers to remove tax. Still some math involved unfortunately.

I have a little cheat sheet in my wallet but I'm too lazy to pull it out most of the time.

 

[kcowan]

That's interesting--we are taking our first VBT trip this fall as a sort of one-time bucket list experience so I am very glad you mentioned this. ..Now I'm going to really aware if we're being primed for tips beyond the "recommended guidelines." I'm generally an overtipper, but for some reason this surprised me.

Yes it was our bucket list item too and I did not read the fine print. I asked several fellow trippers and they all referenced the welcome package that was as well-read as yours! Fortunately, were were travelling with a seasoned biker who was on his 7th trip and he provided guidance.

(I must admit that the biking leaders did provide more value added than most cruise ship staff.)

 

[sengsational]

I'm too lazy to do the math so I just leave dbl tax (9%) & round up

First, I write down the amount of the bill, pre-tax, but after adding-in any discounts. This adding-in the free stuff is important if you're doing groupons and things like that. Or we have places with loyalty credits. So if the bill was $45 and we got two half-priced beers (a $5 value), I'd write down 50, then write down half of that, so I'd write 25, and add the two (in my head) to get 75. So that's the least tip I'd give: $7.50. If you leave the receipt, the server might see those two numbers (50 and 25) and might not even know what you were doing. It's easy to do 2*50 or 3*50 (in my head) if the service was great, or if it's a place we come back to often, or they ask me how my kids are doing, lol!