Tipping in CA?
 

Please give me an idea how much tip I should leave in restaurants in CA?

I usually tip twice the sales tax which amounts to slightly over 15 per cent. Unless the service is excellent and then I tip more. Why would tipping in California differ from other states?

"<i>twice the sales tax which amounts to slightly over 15 per cent.</i>" That's a good general rule of thumb -- but it does mean you are tipping more in places like SF than in say, Sacramento since the city sales tax is higher. But that is an easy way to figure and will be adequate most places.

But it does partly depend on the type of restaurant - casual places 10%/12%, up to maybe 15% if service was special. For fine dining - about 20%, or even more for exceptional food/service.

Well if you tip twice the tax in California you're tipping 20% these days. Love that Governator!

"<i>Well if you tip twice the tax in California you're tipping 20% these days. Love that Governator!</i>"

Well- for one thing, the Governor doesn't set state sales tax rates. That's the legislature. He doesn't set municipal sales tax rates. That's city councils.

and for another - even SF's tax is "only" 9.5% including the 8.75% state portion

So is it 10% of the total bill?

Someone must be math challenged. But here's another idea. As long as the service was good, just leave 20% of the bill (before taxes if you feel a little conservative -- after taxes if you feel you really got great service).

NeoPatrick does it again!

What a guy!

Thanks alot!

We usually tip between 15 and 20% but do not include tax or liquor.

"We usually tip between 15 and 20% but do not include tax or liquor."

Why not liquor? That makes no sense

Maybe they go to the bar and mix their own drinks, pull their own drafts, open their own bottles of wine, carry their own glasses to the table. Oh, and then bus their own table.

UGH!!! I am so glad I am not a waitress anymore. What a cheap ^&*Y*(!!!

>>We usually tip between 15 and 20% but do not include tax or liquor.<<

So - if the waiter brings you wine glasses, gets the wine from the "celler", decants it for you if it needs it, pours the wine for "tasting", pours it for others in the group, and fills up your glass when it's low - you don't tip for that service???

We leave 15% of the total bill for simple & "Chain" restaurants (not many where we live), and 17 to 20% for "better" places. Our friends do the same. We dine out in San Francisco about once a week - and have been doing so for 35 years.

Stu Dudley

Just to add more mud to an already cloudy discussion:

The IRS assumes that servers receive tips based on their pre-tax sales. In other words, a server who handled a $200 meal in Delaware (no sales tax) is assumed by the IRS to have been tipped the same amount as one who handled a $200 (pre-tax) meal in New York City (quite a bit of sales tax). That's why I always tip based on the pre-tax amount.

To give you an idea - the restaurants in San Francisco charge 18% parties of 6 or more.

SF tax are 9.5% so doubling them is about right.

By the way, in shops you don't pay the displayed price, you add sales tax.

"We usually tip between 15 and 20% but do not include tax or liquor."

Seriously? Believe me, waiters think that you are stiffing them.

>>Well- for one thing, the Governor doesn't set state sales tax rates. That's the legislature. He doesn't set municipal sales tax rates. That's city councils.<<

and voters can add a portion through local or state initiatives. Several restaurants in San Francisco add a % to the bill to cover city mandated health insurance.

Stu Dudley

""We usually tip between 15 and 20% but do not include tax or liquor."

I don't know if you realize this, but more often than not, the server has to give a portion of his/her tips to the bartender or service bartender.

20% of the bill is not typical in San Francisco -- I think NYC is probably the only place in the US that it is. We (and everyone we know) tip between 15% and 20% depending on the quality of the service (never ever below 15% -- and if I'm having breakfast at a diner, I usually just leave a couple of dollars, which is usually something like 30%, because I can't bring myself to just leave $1.00)