MissPrism

This is an interesting article
http://tinyurl.com/33cxch

Do American staff really expect 25%?

Momliz

I always give about 20% (the math is easier...) depending on the service - but, the waiters are taxed on that and they have to give some of that 20% to the bar staff and the busboys, so they do not get all the 20%. You can argue the system all you want, it is ridiculous, but until it is changed, that's what I do.

lauraallais

I'm pretty sure 25% is not normal. I give between 15 and 20% depending on the service.

When I'm out with friends and we have to figure out the tip as a group, no one ever suggests more that 20%.

Christina

Take what the Guardian says with a grain of salt regarding the US, or the bias of the particular person quoted.

I really don't know what staff "expect", but seriously doubt it is 25%. I think most might be happy if they got a consistent 15%, the traditional level in the US. I have no idea where the 20% stuff started, but I missed that memo. I do not tip 20% in the US, hardly ever (perhaps rarely in the case of really exceptional service, on a low bill). I don't personally know anyone who tips 25% (or even 20% consistently, to be honest).

That quote was really kind of bizarre about some guy who claimed you can't "get away" with less than 25% or something. What's he talking about, that they refuse to allow you to leave? bunch of rubbish. I never tip Starbucks staff, either.

I am not math challenged, so calculated 15% is not difficult for me, and certainly no more difficult than 20%.

ekscrunchy

No!!! Of course this varies between cities and types of restaurants. Here in New York City at a good restaurant 15% is considered a bare minimum. But I have rarely left 25%!!! Although come to think of it, at a cheap place where the service was exceptional in some way, I might leave $3 on a $10 check....

I find the mandatory tip, which in my city is applied almost exclusviely to parties of 6 or more with a few notable exceptions (Per Se is one example), is off-putting.

hlg22

That is an interesting article. I live in a major U.S. city and also always tip 20%, unless the service is blatantly rude or completely incompetent. That's the norm, at least here.

Also re one point the article makes, if there is a service amount included on the bill (many restaurants will automatically include 18% for large parties) you do not also need to leave an additional tip on top of that, as the article suggests.

I thought it was funny that in the comments to this article people suggested that American waiters make in the neighborhood of $120,000/year due to the amount of tips they're raking in. My sister's boyfriend is a waiter at an upscale restaurant, and I assure you, that's not the case!

traveller1959

On my recents trips to the USA, several restaurants added automatically 22% tip to the bill. Of course, these were gourmet restaurants which were pricey enough.

So if Americans complain about the weak dollar and the high prices in Europe, do not forget that there comes nothing on top.

xyz123

As far as I am concerned, the tipping amoun t for adequate service at a restaurant in the USA is 15%, always has been and as far as I am concerned always will be.....at least that was the way I was taught.

If service is poor, they get less down to and including 0.

Also the tip is supposed to be on the amount before taxes...in NYC, there is a poretty stiff 8.375% tax on meals and the tip should be based on the amount of the bill before taxes.

Many restaurants now just show you the total amount including taxes...also I despise when they put the tip on (it's always suggested ) and base the tip on the amount after taxes.

Some restaurants on their menus say they will include a service charge on large parties...in that case they get nothing additional.

Period.

ekscrunchy

I am curious to learn which restaurants added 22% to the bill of a party of less than 8 people. In New York, aside from Per Se I am not aware of any that do this.

ekscrunchy

..sorry, I should have said "less than 6," not "less than 8" diners.

I would be wary of a US restaurant that labeled itself "gourmet." What exactly is a "gourmet" restaurant anyway? As opposed to what..a diner?

traveller1959

22% gratuity automatically added:

I remember for sure that it was Quinones in Atlanta (I admit, it belongs to the Forbes' list of the ten most expensive restaurants in USA - but it is worth it).

We were a party of six and had a eleven-course prix fixe menu with wine pairings.

You can guess what the waitress earned this evening.

hlg22

Interesting...I've never heard of it, but I haven't been to Atlanta in years. Looking at their website, though, I am surprised that a $95 prixe fixe/$175 with wine pairings menu would get them on to a "top 10 most expensive" list, as I can think of several places in my area alone that are in that price range or higher (and also worth it . The 22% charge is strange though, I have never seen an automatic gratuity added that was over 18%, and even then very rarely in upscale restaurants. There was so much debate when Per Se in NYC instituted one, and even theirs is "only" 20%!

hlg22

By the way, I knew I'd read an interesting article on tipping recently in a US paper, and finally remembered that it was in the New York times:

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.c...s-and-tipping/

MissPrism

The British tourists in the article were either mean or possibly thought that the service was bad,
The norm in the UK is 10-15% unless there is a service charge.

ekscrunchy

I never heard of that place either. But then I have not been to Atlanta in ages.

But as I said above, I am aware of only one place that charges an automatic service charge on a party of less than 6 and that is, as noted above, Per Se in NYC. Sad to say but $95 for an 11-course tasting menu would be pretty usual in NY. Odd that it would be on a Forbes list like you describe..

Momliz

I live in a pretty big city and 20% is the norm here - I think the amount depends on where you live and where you eat...

walkinaround

no, it's hardly interesting news to say that the normal tip amount in a US city is 20% when the normal tip amount here in london' top restaurants would come close to that. as ever, exaggeration rules.

however, this article does explain something that is lost on many europeans...the idea that american waiter's pay is low because they make plenty in tips...not the other way around. bizarrely, many europeans look at american waiters like they are making slave wages. seemingly ignorant of the fact that american waiters and bartenders typically make many more times the pay of their european cousins (who earn a 'living wage' as the £6/hour is often described).

the automatically added tip is much more common in london than it is in the US. i don't think it's common in the US except for large parties and world class restaurants. in london it is quite common at restaurants of all levels and applies to all, regardless of party size.

LilyLace

Just my experience:

From a business perspective, most company controllers allow 15 -18% tips. I base my personal tipping on that plus service or lack there of. Many places now simply add 18% service fee onto the bill.

Linda431

I would have agreed with all of you (25% = absurdity) until I sort of overheard a conversation among waiters at a place I frequent. I was totally shocked. I thought 20% was very generous but obviously the times they are a-changing. 25 is the new 20. Guess I'll be on the cheapskate list now.

nibblette

Going out as a group can nudge the tip to 25% just based on ease of splitting the bill, rounding, and tipping on taxes.

I am have seen the automatic 18% (it always seems to be 18%) service charge added on all checks. It was in the tourist area of a couple of US major cities. The notification was in tiny print on the last page or the intro page at the bottom. And we noted the extra charge on the bill at the end, after the taxes. Yes, the charge slip still came with the blank tip line on it which we struck out with guilt.
Is there a way for the restaurant to delete this line when they print the bill? I have also seen the tip line on the charge slip when purchasing items from a restaurant store too.