Restaurant Tipping

Old May 8th, 2007, 06:44 AM
  #21  
 
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BTW, one of the reasons I avoid chain restaurants, besides the food, is that the help seems consistently inept. Must have something to do with turnover, I guess.
The last time I ate at one of those TGI/Bennigans/Tuesdays/Whatever, the server placed our meals in front of us and said, "Would you like dessert?" I'm assuming she was instructed to move people in and out as quickly as possible, but she took the instructions a little too literally.
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Old May 8th, 2007, 06:55 AM
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Our sales tax is 8.25%, so I generally just double the tax when I figure out the tip, then round up the the nearest dollar (or higher or lower if the service warrants it). Most people I know around here do that because it is easy. So technically we are not tipping on the tax since the method is based on a pre-tax amount, but the calculation comes out to 16.5% rather than 15%, plus any round up. I think it call comes out in the wash.
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Old May 8th, 2007, 07:26 AM
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I tip 20% across the board unless service was awful not including the taxes.

If something is really wrong, I send it back or tell them. If you don't tell them there is a problem, they don't have a chance to fix it. You need to tell them about it.

This will typically lead to a discount, a coupon or something to make up for their mistake, bad service or a problem with the food.

No excuse for the meals to come out before the salads. That person was new or didn't care.
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Old May 8th, 2007, 08:42 AM
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Well stated, TxTravelPro:

non-issue
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Old May 8th, 2007, 10:57 AM
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Better not even get us started on how to tip on expensive bottles of wine!
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Old May 8th, 2007, 12:21 PM
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iceeu2
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suze, since you brought it up!

It really aggravates me to pay 3-4 times more for a bottle of wine in a restaurant than the price at the store, but to then add a 20% tip on top of that really gets me.

Forget tax and simple math.....my meal is $100....I usually will tip 20%...so total is $120

Now, I add a $40 bottle of wine to the meal...the same wine I could have purchased at the wine store for $12-$15.

So now my bill is $140 and if I add 20% tip and round off my check is $170.

So in essence, a $15 bottle of wine has increased my check by $50!!!!

Does not compute to me, does it you?

Dinner-$100+$20grat=$120
Dinner & wine-$140+$30grat=$170

I just don't get an extra $10 bucks for a gratuity on a bottle of wine.

Call me cheap.
 
Old May 8th, 2007, 12:22 PM
  #27  
iceeu2
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And, before you say anything, I have waited my share of tables in the lifetime.
 
Old May 8th, 2007, 12:44 PM
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iceeu2,

I'm pleased to read your analysis and to learn that at least one person on this forum doesn't check his or her brain at the door when paying checks, tipping, and otherwise disbursing hard earned funds.

When tipping is the topic, I notice that those who have been brainwashed into tipping 20% on tax want to browbeat or belittle others into similar foolishness.

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Old May 8th, 2007, 02:15 PM
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Wow, a tad defensive. Just admit you're cheap and be done with it.

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Old May 8th, 2007, 02:20 PM
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iceeu2- i agree and yes i have waited tables in my time as well.

go ahead & make that a couple $100 bottles of wine and the point is even more painfully clear. it is just as easy to open a $100 bottle as a $40 one. i don't think either deserves 20% of the price (but that is what i tip for good service on the food and drinks).


i never bothered to even think about the pre- or post-tax debate, but the wine can kill ya.
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Old May 8th, 2007, 02:37 PM
  #31  
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Gekko, you are always so respectful to me. I did say, call me cheap, so I had already admitted it before you so kindly brought it to my attention.

 
Old May 8th, 2007, 02:47 PM
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So what do you all tip on that $40 bottle of wine? And should the tip be more if it's a $60 bottle? The one I've yet to figure out is what to tip when you bring your own bottle. Do you leave something more than the corkage?
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Old May 8th, 2007, 03:25 PM
  #33  
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what do you do beachbum? And, what is the difference in opening a $40, $60, $80 or $100 bottle????
 
Old May 8th, 2007, 04:41 PM
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Interesting how discussions of tipping bring out verbal abuse: Just admit you're cheap and be done with it.
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Old May 8th, 2007, 04:42 PM
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My husband's argument is that a server in PA (which has sales tax) should not get more than a server in Delaware (no sales tax). That makes sense to me!
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Old May 8th, 2007, 05:53 PM
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Good point, Kerry.

It clarifies why tipping on tax is illogical and only for those who are concerned about a waiter's opinion of them.

In other words--the hopelessly insecure.
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Old May 8th, 2007, 06:08 PM
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We tip on the total, we don't exclude tax, I have some friends who do and I have some who exclude the tax and the alcohol - i don't argue with them, b/c I could probably argue both ways - but I have two questions -

If you are at a bar and have a drink, or a glass of wine - do you tip ? so why exclude tipping on the alcohol or wine at a table?

I understand you can buy a bottle of wine for x amount and feel frustrated paying doulbe for it in a restaurant -

but why doesn't this apply to food as well?
Tonight be grilled a steak from an excellent local organic butcher that cost me $14 - in a restaurant, they would have likely charged us somewhere between $ 30-40 for that steak - and it wasn't rocket science to put a rub on it and grill it for 12 minutes -

I pay ridiculously more for every meal I order than what I could make it for -

when I go out I pay for the pleasure - of them choosing and purchasing the food, storing the food, cooking the food, presenting the food - washing the dishes -

and for them researching wines, choosing and purchasing them, storing them properly, serving them properly, etc -


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Old May 9th, 2007, 05:29 AM
  #38  
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escargot, so back to the part of tipping on the wines.....and, yes, you are correct, I do tip when I have a drink..

But, the wine is anywhere from $40-$100. Same cork...same screw off top!!!! Do you tip $9 on the $40 bottle and $20 on the $100 bottle????

Just interested...

 
Old May 9th, 2007, 05:42 AM
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iceeu2 -
yes, when we have a meal with a bottle of wine, we tip on the total bill including tax and alcohol/wine -
I am not saying this is right, or that I even get it -
like I said, I'm not sure which is right or that either is wrong - my sister in law and I go around and around on this since she does not tip on tax or alcohol/wine -

but if you are tipping (whether food, a drink at the bar, or a bottle of wine) and say you get an $8 drink at a bar, do people leave $9 or $10 dollars for the bartender? so if they do, what is the difference on leaving it for a waiter or wine steward and if you leave for them, why wouldn't it be calculated at the same 15, 20 or 30% depending on the service -

Truthfully,I don't think it is a matter of being cheap or lavish depending on whether you base tip on tax/alcohol or not - I think it is just personal preference and could be based on a lot of things, from someone's financial situation to someone just thinking one way is the sensible way and the other is not, to all the reasons listed above -

I don't think someone is cheap or rude when they do not include the tax/alcohol when calculating a tip, I just think it is the way they do it - and I have had waitresses tell me you don't have to include the tax/alcohol and I remember whem my daughter was waitressing in NYC and she was young and would get all excited when she had a big table and they tipped on the total including the alcohol, so I think she would tell you it is 50/50 but when she gets home from her vacation I am going to ask her out of curiousity -

probably I do it on the total because my father always did it that way, -
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Old May 9th, 2007, 06:21 AM
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escargot- well actually I don't exclude wine or cocktails from the amount I tip on, or tax for that matter. I tip the entire total of the bill somewhere in the 15-18% range.

That said... I really don't order $100 bottles of wine myself!! But if I did, I think it is unreasonable to tip 20% on $100 for gettin' the cork out of the bottle and pouring a round...
;-)
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