Greg

Would like to be sure to tip appropriately in Manhattan next month and not offend anyone. Is it 15-20% of TOTAL bill(drinks and food) or just on the food portion of the bill?

Geoff

Both. But if they present you with different bills like some places have a separate bar then you may want to separate the tips as well so the waiter/waitress gets their tip and the bar tender gets theirs.

nyer

same as any other state.
15-20% of your bill (not including the tax)

Tipper

15%=average to mediocre service in NYC, (or restaurants in the midwest or rural US).
20%=expected decent service in NYC.
>20%=very good service in NYC.

Ted

15-25% of total bill. In all my life I've never heard of or seen anyone deduct the tax -- sounds "senior moment" to me. Not to mention cheap.

What I usually do is just take 10% and double it, so if the bill is $85, 10% is $8.50, tip is $17. Better than average service would get an even $20.

Enjoy Manhattan!

acountant

Ted, you never should tip on tax. The servers do not pay tax on tax - only on the subtotal.

Gigi

People tip higher in NYC than in the rest of the country. The cost of living is much higher and the waitstaff need the money. That's why most people consider 15% a minimum tip whereas in many cities that's a good tip. I agree with Ted's method -- just move the decimal to the left and double it. Add a little or substract a little if necessary. When in doubt over a buck or two, think about who needs the money more. Bon appetit.

Get Real

Hey, I didn't choose to be a waiter or waitress, so when you pick the profession you should know what little it pays.

Go to school or something already!

Gigi

Just read the post of "acountant", who can't spell but apparently is a big enough nerd to carry a calculator with him to restaurants to subtract tax. I too have never met anyone who subtracts the tax, but then again I'm not Morty Seinfeld (and I'm not like 80 years old). And I'm not a cheapo.
See my post above -- who needs the extra buck more? Be kind & generous.

Ted

I know I shouldn't respond to the "get real" troll, but the level of ignorance demands a reply.

You obviously have never been to Manhattan. Last week at Tribeca Grill, my party's server was a grad student at Columbia saving money for a summer at La Bourse. At lunch yesterday in midtown the server was a med student who was working from midnight to 8 at Bellevue. He was really busy, but do you think I stiffed him? Did I subtract the tax? No way.

Get a clue, get real, it ain't all Denny's here in the big city.

Thanks for the support, Gigi. You're right of course about being kind & generous. Especially after 9/11 when so many restaurants are struggling.

New Yorker

A rule-of-thumb many New Yorkers follow is to double the tax. Tax in NYC is 8.25% and when you double it you are tipping 16.5% of the food and drinks. Real simple and appropriate.

x

Accountant and New Yorker are right. I do not tip on tax amounts either.

money

If you want to tip more, great!!! but you really should base it off the subtotal of the bill. If it is an expense account many companies will have rules for tipping on the subtotal.

New Englander

Another person who doesn't tip on tax - and I know lots of people who don't.
I do, however, tip generously for good service.

Ted

All righty then, we'll just agree to disagree. Those of us who don't subtract the tax would hate to cheat you people out of that extra dollar.

So, Greg, it's your choice. You can be cheap or kind & generous.

Gigi

Wow, what a bunch of cheapskates! A slew of Morty Seinfelds!

Seriously, this must be a generational thing. How old are you people who worry about the tax? I didn't realize they're were so many elderly living on fixed incomes in Manhattan!

I'm 33 and have lived on the UWS since graduating from college. I eat out just about every lunch & dinner (typical in Manhattan), but, admittedly, almost exclusively with people under 40. I've never seen someone worry about the tax. Like I said, different generations have different priorities.

URidiots

Ted, Gigi and the like,
You don't get it. You can tip as much as you want on the subtotal but the subtotal is the only amount servers are taxed on! It has nothing to do with being cheap or generous! Get a clue!!!

x

well said! thank you

Ray M.

Ted, Gigi, and the like, you are absolutely correct. Some people on this board just have to accept the fact that they are cheap. If they worry and calculate long enough to save those few extra pennies, that is the very definition of cheap. So please don't insult us with the "it has nothing to do with being cheap" garbage. Accept the fact and the label, doesn't necessarily make you a bad person, just a cheap one. Would your prefer frugal? Get a thesaurus and pick a word you're comfortable with.

forRay

Ray I always tip VERY generously but I do it on the subtotal for my own record keeping. I suggest you do to. It has nothing to do with being cheap, frugal or anything else along that lines. I also was once a server and as a result probably tip more then I should sometimes but I have never been cheap.