A Tip About Restaurant Tipping

October 14, 2010, By 398 comments

A Tip About Restaurant Tipping

So we’ve all been there. You were just handed the check at a restaurant and you find yourself having an internal debate on what to tip your waiter. Before you end your night in a blank stare reverting back to your days of calculus and algebra, don’t sweat it. Tipping shouldn’t be this complicated. It doesn’t have to be about decimal points or carrying the one, it’s really just knowing what services deserve a tip and what percentage to tip.

“T.I.P.”?

Believe it or not, tipping did not originate for the mere act of being a gentleman and impressing women, but it dates back to 16th century England. There is great debate about exactly where the word came from, but there is an obvious connection to the acronym, “To Insure Promptitude.” In between the 16th and 17th century, brass urns were placed in local bars and coffee houses for customers to put in spare change before being served. This was important for future service, as well as getting that beer in hand, a little quicker.

In this day and age, giving someone an extra few bucks, is more about showing your gratitude for their services. It may be saying thank you for serving you the best steak you’ve ever had or never letting your fountain soda go empty. No matter the reason, it has become a growing and expected trend in the United States. In the U.S., nearly $26 billion is spent on tips in restaurants. So the next time you find yourself at the barber, favorite restaurant or just ordered a delivery style pizza, take an extra few minutes to account for their services, question if they went above and beyond typical service and realize what the going tip percentage is for that particular service.

How much to tip?

So if you have ever waited tables, you realize that the majority of what you make comes from tips. Whether or not this makes you more likely to tip better, you need to know how much to tip in the following most common situations.

Page 1 of 3

Comments (398):

Mark S. I tip. Its right or stay home. However as a server in my youth most servers hav no clue how to properly do the job. My peeves. I hav been seated given a menu. Not had time to look at it. And asked to order. How dumb. Wait till I order get my drink and put the menu down on the table. How easy to understand. Servers hav not been taught this and its common knowledge in the past. Next I hav my meal just got it. The server leaves comes back to another table and on the way ask, How is everything? How would I know. I have not had time to taste anything. Thats just dumb. These things need to be taught at training. The first question after serving should be, can I get you anything else? Then next trip several minutes later, no hurry. Ask is everything satisfactory? These are basics. Its easy. If you are a server are you doing it right? If so I will be happy. And tip you well. - 10/13/2011
Dominic C. I never tip unless I am in a situation with a client or others where it would make me look bad. Call me cheap- I am. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, and you won't get ahead by feeling guilty and having an existential crisis about leaving someone extra money. - 10/09/2011
Me M. Nice research - I won't even read past the first line. - 10/07/2011
Mike F. Bob C., with that sparkling personality you expect me to believe you were able to convince a woman to dine with you? I'm not buying it bud. And you're right, asking if you need change is all part of a server conspiracy. It certainly isn't a questioned designed to save your server the unnecessary step of bringing you change if they don't have to. I mean you're probably the only thing your server has going on and with your charm why wouldn't they want to pay you an extra visit if they didn't have to, man? - 09/26/2011
Mike F. Hey Chris D., thanks for letting everyone know you're not only cheap but stupid as well. "Where you come from" it's the salon that charges $15 per haircut, not the barber, unless he is also the owner. The person that cuts your hair doesn't get to keep the $15 you pay for a haircut. They get a percentage of it. That's like going to a restaurant and saying, "I'm not tipping because the bill was $100 and the server had 3 tables an hour so they must make $300 per hour. You're dumb. You should tip extra just because the barber has to deal with your stupidity. - 09/26/2011
Chris D. I do not tip hairdressers/barbers. They charge on average $15 for a 10 min haircut where I'm from, and usually have a line waiting so they are making $60 per hour or more. Also, I think that tipping should be for good service, not just because its expected. It should be a gratuity for going beyond typical service. - 09/25/2011
Bob C. I really get po'd when I'm asked "Do you want change?" when my two $20 are sticking out of the leather folder and my tab is only 30 bucks. Tastes like a scam: to get me to impress my date that I'm a Big Spender; or take advantage of my having had a drink; or trying to embarrass me as being a cheapskate. Please don't retort that I need to cut them some slack per "Well, sometimes they get busy and might forget your tab amount!" BS, it is part of the service to remember and I'll bet you pesos to tortillas that if they espied just one twenty sticking out, they'd call me on being short!!! Separately, let's do away with "Awesome" or "Perfect" or "Excellent!" regarding my selections, along with "No Problemo(a)!" when I ask for silverware when you drop off my salad. In exchange for "I'll have that right out!", just tell me your putting my order in right now. By the way, I'm not a "Bud" and "Hi Man!' is dated. Similarly, my date does not fall in the category of being a "Guy", altho there is nothing wrong with that. So when you drop off the tab, genuinely ask if everything was satisfactory, (besides inquiring during the meal) and when you pick up my payment, quietly tell me "I'll have your change back in a moment." Of course "We appreciate your have dined with us this evening." never hurts as I leave. "Chow!" - 09/19/2011
John M. Also remember that business owners are required to report tips on credit cards to the IRS so do the waiter/waitress a favor and tip in cash. - 09/09/2011
Suzanne E. I also try and tip in cash so the credit card compaines don't get a thing they didn't earn. - 09/02/2011
Jen U. i tip on how hot the waitress is. - 08/30/2011
Mark M. "There is great debate about exactly where the word came from, but there is an obvious connection to the acronym, “To Insure Promptitude.”" As obvious as sunrise... and as wrong, since the sun does not *rise* in the east, *set* in the west, and travel under the earth overnight. See http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp. --- Oh, I see that Jack P. already said this on 07/26/2011. :-) - 08/28/2011
Barbarella B. How many of you could live off of $2.65/hr as servers do in Michigan? Would you be surprised to learn that that wage does NOT even cover state or federal taxes? Or that our paychecks are $0.0 each week and we actually OWE tax every year? Or that we have to buy our own pants, shirts, ties, shoes, socks, aprons, check presenters, paper and pens (that many of you take with you)? Or that we have to tip out 30% of what we do make in tips to the bussers, bartenders and kitchen staff? Yes, you are paying for more than just "food" when dining out – the atmosphere, the experience, as well as good service. So if you can't afford the social obligation of tipping, I too, suggest you stay in the drive-through lane only. - 08/27/2011
Earl G. Wow! Lots of angry people trying to find an excuse for not tipping. While it is true that there are countries where tipping is never expected, such as Japan, where we were always given excellent service and we felt weird not tipping, in the US, it's the norm and expected. Don't be a jerk. Tip. - 08/23/2011
P S. Is the "tip on the total bill" supposed to include the tax? Why should I tip on something the waiter provided no service for? - 08/22/2011
Jane D. Tips while not mandatory, are indicative of good service. its not a matter of being able to afford a tip, its a matter of did the service warrant a tip. Did the waitress simply ask for a drink order, bring drinks, get a food order, bring food and neglect the other aspects of restraunt service? Not only do I not feel obligated to tip that person, I will complain to their manager and not frequent that establishment again. Same with delivery food. Delivery drivers usually do get minimum wage plus mileage for their wear and tear. and gas. Do they arrive promptly? Is the food they deliver cold/hot? Did they bother to smile or at least be pleasant when delivering? They are customer service just like any other role. Deliver exceptional serviice and you'll receive a gratuity. Deliver substandard service and you wont just not get a gratuity, you'll also get a complaint to your manager. I dont care how stressed out you are. I have a stressful job as well, and when I deal with the public, I put on a smile for my customers to deliver the best possible customer service. And I dont get a gratuity for it! - 08/21/2011
C. G. Like I said--you're just cheap. Don't try to justify it or hide it--own up to it and let the waiter know at the beginning of the evening so you can experience the service you're paying for. But you won't :) - 08/16/2011
Eric C. By law, if a server's wage + tips don't surpass minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference. This is the main reason I don't feel obligated to tip; the majority of these articles I've seen on the subject have been written by current or former wait staff. If you do a good job, I'll tip you well. If you do the bare minimum, I'll tip the bare minimum - 0.00. If you show poor service, I just won't come back and/or complain to the manager. To those of you who say, "If you can't pay for a tip, stay home," I say: If you aren't making enough money as wait staff, get a new job. (That's how you sound. Sucks, doesn't it?) In the end, the power is with the customer, so wait staff should heed the lesson and just provide proper service. You have nothing to worry about if you do your job and earn the tip. I worry most of the complainers here who demand tips feel entitled to them, simply because they're waiting tables. Here's a tip: you're only entitled to your wage. The rest is extra. - 08/16/2011
C. G. And I love all the elaborate justifications for not tipping, like you actually think you're sticking it to The Man and making some kind of systemic statement by stiffing the poor guy or girl who waits on you. You're just cheap. You're not some kind of Dickensian truth-teller--you're just cheap and your friends are embarrassed to go out with you. - 08/16/2011
C. G. "Tip a pizza delivery driver less than 5 bucks more than once..... and I would suggest that you NOT order from there again. You have no idea how much trouble it is to deliver pizza's. Wear and tear, gas, traffic, etc. etc..... I will spit in your pizza the next time you order if you tip me a dollar. 5 dollar minimum regardless of what this bimbo behind a desk in an air conditioned building says. She knows nothing." Complete nonsense. I used to deliver pizzas--$2/3 per pizza is sufficient. Take a Xanax and chill out. Furthermore spitting in food is illegal--it's pretty easy to spot in a pizza. - 08/16/2011
James M. as a former waiter my restaurant used to be audited every year by the IRS. We waiters were responsible for our share of 17% of total sales whether we were tipped correctly or not. - 08/16/2011
Not A. C. Reading these comments reminds me how immature and spoiled most people are. Thanks for the reminders. As a few adults here have said: All of you who brag about not tipping, or justify it, DO tell your server up front next time. Grow some guts and do it! Everyone's got a mouth as an anonymous Internet commenter - that doesn't impress anyone. Tell your server you don't believe in tipping, then order your meal. - 08/15/2011
Ben Y. As a former pizza delivery person, 15% is way high. I averaged between $2 and $3 per delivery (this was about 10%). I still made a lot more than the people inside making the pizza! - 08/15/2011
You're C. Tip a pizza delivery driver less than 5 bucks more than once..... and I would suggest that you NOT order from there again. You have no idea how much trouble it is to deliver pizza's. Wear and tear, gas, traffic, etc. etc..... I will spit in your pizza the next time you order if you tip me a dollar. 5 dollar minimum regardless of what this bimbo behind a desk in an air conditioned building says. She knows nothing. - 08/10/2011

© 2012 Man of the House, Barefoot Proximity, P&G Productions