"You should always tip at LEAST 15%"

[bainsidhe]

On the flip side of the OPs complaint, it's also frustrating when friends declare you're tipping too much. It bugs me because 1) It's my choice and none of your business and 2) Because some of my fellow meal-goers reduce their tip if they think I'm giving too much. We're not talking big, expensive checks either. We're talking a tip difference of one, maybe two bucks.

[Jaden]

On the flip side of the OPs complaint, it's also frustrating when friends declare you're tipping too much. It bugs me because 1) It's my choice and none of your business and 2) Because some of my fellow meal-goers reduce their tip if they think I'm giving too much. We're not talking big, expensive checks either. We're talking a tip difference of one, maybe two bucks.

That bothers me, too. As to our British friends, I have to assume tipping works differently there than in the states. I'm not sure what the current minimum wage is for servers, but it's much lower than minimum wage for other jobs, because tips are expected to make up for it if you're doing a good job. Typically, they do, because in the US at least it's generally considered the height of rudeness to tip below 15% unless the service was bad.

A lot of people nowadays tend to tip 20% as a rule, or at least I certainly do, unless the service is bad. If it's a small check (<$10) and the service was fine, sometimes I'll tip 25 or 30% if I have the money, or I'll do so on larger checks if the service was particularly excellent and the server particularly friendly.

[Giggle Goose]

I'm with the "at least 20% unless service was terrible" crowd. I don't stiff if there was a kitchen screwup either, which was a pet peeve of mine when waiting tables. I would get stiffed a lot when the kitchen messed up an order, but the cooks could give a rat's ass because they didn't work for tips.

I like to say "I tip at least 20% because I worked in the industry." I feel like it gives me some kind of street cred

[Lace Neil Singer]

Going by a mate of mine who used to be a waitress, minimum wage for waitstaff is £5 - £6, depending on how old you are and where you're working. Dunno if that applies to everywhere in the UK, but from what she says, tips are a bonus rather than making up half your pay.

[Zod]

Going by a mate of mine who used to be a waitress, minimum wage for waitstaff is £5 - £6, depending on how old you are and where you're working. Dunno if that applies to everywhere in the UK, but from what she says, tips are a bonus rather than making up half your pay.

£6.08 if they're 21+. There are a few expections to UK minimum wage : but waitsaff are counted as the same as everyone else.

As to our British friends, I have to assume tipping works differently there than in the states.

Over here it's voluntary tip for exceptional service : or if you don't want the change ( a lot of places have coin jars ). I prefer this to "we'll call it voluntary : but you have to do it anyway"

[Nekojin]

My view on tipping isn't really in line with everyone else here, not even Andara. I believe that 10% is suitable for passable service, 15% for good service, and possibly 20% or more for exemplary service or harsh conditions (pizza delivery in the rain, for example).

Part of this stems from the fact that for my entire life, I've lived in areas where there were no exemptions for minimum wage on tipped positions - in California and Nevada, the loopholes that corporations have to jump through to pay less than minimum wage are so onerous, nobody does it. So even the lowliest waitress or busboy gets minimum wage right off the bat, and tips are on top of that.

Note that I say this as having had a tipped job - I was a Blackjack Dealer in Vegas. I absolutely believe in making sure to tip when it's appropriate, and I'll throw extra on for a nice rack good service.

[Racket_Man]

My view on tipping isn't really in line with everyone else here, not even Andara. I believe that 10% is suitable for passable service, 15% for good service, and possibly 20% or more for exemplary service or harsh conditions (pizza delivery in the rain, for example).

Part of this stems from the fact that for my entire life, I've lived in areas where there were no exemptions for minimum wage on tipped positions - in California and Nevada, the loopholes that corporations have to jump through to pay less than minimum wage are so onerous, nobody does it. So even the lowliest waitress or busboy gets minimum wage right off the bat, and tips are on top of that.

Note that I say this as having had a tipped job - I was a Blackjack Dealer in Vegas. I absolutely believe in making sure to tip when it's appropriate, and I'll throw extra on for a nice rack good service.

You are one of the luck ones as there are only 7 states in the US that do NOT allow for tip-credit, or sub-minimum wage for tipped employees. be warned there has been a GREAT effort on the part of the restaurant business to overturn those labor laws.

AND there are only a couple of states that require ANY service charge or delivery charge attached to a bill in a food type situation goes DIRECTLY to the employee NOT the company.