I had to post a new message because so much foolishness occurred during the original 'Tipping in NYC' posting. The point of this forum is for travellers to ask questions and hope to get a helpful answers, not become ignored due to an ongoing barrage of disagreements. My original question was answered very well, but when I followed up with another questioned it was ignored due to bickering.

Again I will ask, and forgive me for not already knowing this information...

What's a sommelier or captain? And, what extra fees go on your restaurant bill? What is the sales tax in NYC? That's a mouthful of questions, but it's best to ask rather than not know...

The Sommelier is a wine captain, and helps with the wine selection. The Captain is the head of the waiters and helps with anything you might need. This is the simple explanation, I am sure others will go on and on. The Sommelier gets a tip on the wine selection, the Captain gets a little something something for a better table and or help with service. The wait staff gets tipped on their service.

Not sure of the sales tax in NYC now as I live one county away.

There is a subsection in the New York section of this website called Tipping in New York City

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...&feature=30013

Sales tax in NY is almost 9%.

Sales tax in NYC actually went down a few years ago and is now 8.375%.

The only charges that should be on a restauarant bill are the charges for the food and drink you ordered, and the sales tax.

If you go to a restaurant with a large group (usually 6 or more) the restaurant may add the tip, If so ,it should be CLEARLY noted on the menu and told to you in advance.
If you order wine, you may encounter a sommelier to assist you, but there are NO charges added to the bill for this. Tip as you choose on the wine portion of your meal

All answers from your other post -

We tip double the tax (comes out to around around 17%.)

Tax is over 8% here on most items including meals, so doubling it brings the tip to around 17% as mentioned previously. You can then add to it from there if the service was worth it, or subtract to bring it down to 15%.

sommelier (wine expert)

double the tax (approx. 8.5% is the tax in NYC).

nearly 9% sheesh..no wonder we can't drive in Delaware without seeing NY tour busses at the "outlets"... tax free shopping.

HaHa! Actually in NYC they eliminated the tax on clothing under, I think $100. But an outlet is an outlet so I think the deals are irresistible! Do you not have sales tax on anything, or just not on clothing?

Sales tax is 8.25% and is added to the pice listed on the menu of any food you buy in a restaurant and any prepared food (ie cooked chicken versus raw, or sandwiches from the deli counter) that you buy in a supermarket.

It's not a big deal I guess, but note that the sales tax in NYC (for purchases , except clothing under $110 per item,as well as on all restaurant meals) is 8.375%--not 8.25%, not 9%...
It has changed in the past few years, so I do understand the confusion, but we don't need to keep guessing on this !
http://home2.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/b...es.shtml#rates

Thanks much for your help...apologies for the abrasive nature of the post...just excited about our trip!

Google "tipping wikipedia" for an excellent article on this topic. It includes the following:

Tipping is considered by some to be a social obligation in restaurants having traditional table service. Many consider tipping to be an added reward if the service is good/excellent. Unfortunately, many servers have lost sight of the fact that a tip is a gratuity that needs to be earned. It is not "a given". The customary tip for a restaurant meal in the United States has traditionally ranged from 10 to 15 percent of the total bill (before tax) for "good" to "superior" service, respectively. A recent trend has developed, with restaurant establishments themselves recommending 15-20 percent of the total bill (after tax), which means you would also be tipping on the amount of the tax. However according to Tipping.org, a discussion based tipping website, this is not the standard. Note that many chat sites on tipping include advocates for 20% or greater tipping on the total bill, including alcohol and tax. They typically describe those tipping under 20% as "cheap", or say they should stay home if they "can't afford" to eat out.