How much to tip?

[susieh]

I've seen threads on forums saying that expected tipping is now 20% for normal service and more for good service.

We've always tipped about 15% - up or down a bit depending on service. 20% seems a lot to me.

Am I being stingy - should we be budgetting for 20%? What do other Brits do?

 

[k-herm]

In October we noticed that a number of restaurants [on and off site] would include a "gratuity guide" along with the bill. This would state that a recommended amount was between 15%-20%.

In reality, we left approx. 15% at buffets, and 20% at table service. Never anything more.

However, the guy serving us at Hollywood and Vine [buffet] was great and got 20%, but the gal at Tony Romas [table service] was offhand so got 10%.

I wouldn't worry too much about whether to give 15% or 20%...do what you feel is right.

 

[gilld]

We tend to tip 20% rounded up or down as appropriate, and more or less depending on service.

 

[alanjones]

We've always tipped around 15% everyone, a little bit less in buffets sometimes unless they've been very good. Once we left a tip of about 23 cents though. The service was the worst I have ever experienced, so we just wanted to show just what we though of it

 

[Goofyish]

We always thought that 15% in table service restaurants was the norm for average service, but for some reason this now seems to have crept up to 20%.
Not quite sure why this has increased - perhaps this new figure has been spread about by the serving staff themselves
I know that tipping is the norm in the US due to the low basic wage and the way income tax is caclulated, but it still annoyes me when a tip becomes more of a service charge than a way of saying thanks for good service

 

[WaT05]

I am a little confused about the whole tipping thing. Sorry if I sound stupid but I presume it works the same way it does here, they bring the bill, you pay either card or cash. They take it away and bring back your change or not and then you leave the tip on the plate before you go is that right?? Also when they bring the bill does this include the 6.5% tax and do you tip based on that added or what the meal is before tax??

Thanks
Hazel

 

[Goofyish]

I tip on the pre-tax amount, but before any discounts are taken off.

 

[mickg7dyd]

Hi,
I usually tip double the tax for "average" service and a little more if it's better. Never tip more than $2 per person at buffets has generally I do most of the work. I have no problem tipping good service but I do have a problem with the % rule as generally I don't think I get any better service for an expensive meal (Rose & Crown for example) than for a cheaper off site meal. Just as side issue do most of you tip valet parkers at drop off and collection or just collection..?

Mick.

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

The waiting staff in the US get taxed before they earn the money, and they do get taxed quite harshly, which is why - in the whole - the service is excellent because they need the tips.

We tend to tip 20% if good service, 15% if mediorce.

As a point of interest, we were advised many years ago by our Floridian friends that if you are eating in a buffet restaurant, you only tip $1 per person, since all they do really is serve your drink. The amount of people the average buffet restaurant (Sizzler, Ponderosa, Golden Corral etc) turn over in the mornings alone probably still nets a reasonable tip per server.

IMHO we, over here, are not used to overly brilliant service which is why it does gall sometimes to pay these tips. However, we ARE happy to pay this since the quality of service is far superior to most on offer over here.

Don't forget you also tip bellboys, car valets (even if free parking), bar servers, chambermaids, and so on . . . .

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I think if you are given friendly quality service then 15-20% is fine.
You do though, not very often in our experience, get the odd occasion where the service has not been particularly good.

Personally I do not think you should feel you have to tip if the service has been poor.

 

[susieh]

Don't forget you also tip bellboys, car valets (even if free parking), bar servers, chambermaids, and so on . . . .

We have never tipped the chambermaids at DVC - should we?

And we dont use bellboys or car valets so no tips there. I also would not tip bar servers - that's just going too far.

I guess we tip in restaurants and coffee shops etc but that's all. Maybe we'll think a bit harder in future.

(Mrs Dazzle - your name cracks me up cos my son's nickname is Mr Dazzle (he was christened that at University))

 

[mikki.young]

Our Floridian friends tell is the tip is on the pre tax amount - we had been doing 15% on the post tax amount for years so being more generous than we intended! We do vary according to the service - great service gets more and poor service gets less. With the DDE tend to bring it back up to what it would have been before the 20% discount or a bit less.

We do tip at DVC but tend to leave something at the end of the trip based on what the service had been like - muh easier than trying to get them on the right day when they come round but you do run the risk of the wrong person getting the tip. DVC gets a lot less than Mousekeepers because they only do a full clean once every 8 days.

 

[gavvy]

You should tip a min of 15% even if you recieve poor service, I was a server in America once, and i got taxed based on the turn over of my table- basically if you dident tip me, id still be taxed as if i was tipped- so losing money, also my wage was $1.50 ph, this was 3 years ago, so i really depended on the tips.

If you dont like tipping for service, dont go to america, as your expected to pay for any service given!

 

[Bellis Belle]

Goofyfish, I completely agree. The employers should start paying these people a decent basic wage rather than relying on us to supplement their income. I do not mind tipping for excellent service and did over tip quite a few times whilst we were away. What annoys me is when you give them a $100 bill for a $60 meal and they ask if you want change. Well hello, yes that would be nice. This is the oly thing that puts me off the states (would never stop me going) I hasten to add but the tipping thing is out of hand. We tipped anywhere between 10% for average service up to 20% if good.

 

[Shooby doo]

We normally tip 10-15 % dependant on the level of sevice,I would have to say that 20% over a whole holiday would be a fair amount tho! I have noticed though that some (not all but alot) locals/americans just leave a "few" dollars on the table & the % rule doesn't seem to apply to them! I would have to say that the level of service has deteriorated from our first trip,you sort of get the impression that "they" know they are going to get 15% anyway so why bother trying! Have to say though that if we recieve bad service we generally don't go back & even at it's worst it's still 100 x better than our service in the UK !!


SD aw:

 

[AlanUK]

We are very much in line with the average here tipping between 15% and 20% depending on the level of service recieved. The 15% gets put down for acceptable service and the 20% goes down for good service.

We also always make sure that we tip the maids, bell boys and valets at all the resorts whether we are using our DVC points or not.

Fortunately I can only remember one instance where we have had bad service and at the time we were with some of our US friends who handled the situation marvellously whilst DW and I hid in the corner of the restaraunt

Alan.

 

[wayneg]

You should tip a min of 15% even if you recieve poor service, I was a server in America once, and i got taxed based on the turn over of my table- basically if you dident tip me, id still be taxed as if i was tipped- so losing money, also my wage was $1.50 ph, this was 3 years ago, so i really depended on the tips.

If you dont like tipping for service, dont go to america, as your expected to pay for any service given!

Don't usually get involved with this subject as everyone as people from different backgrounds and cultures have differing opinions but I just can't believe this statement. has it just been posted to wind people up?
I have been going to Orlando for over 12 years now and 99/100 get v good service and tip appropriately but on the odd occasion I get poor service eg. Golden Corral this Oct, the server either had a very bad case of flu or was on drugs, she was a mess and so was her service, basically had to do everything ourselves. Why should I tip her? staff that give bad service should not be tipped 1 cent They are in the wrong job, they should not be in the service industry.

 

[Kevin Stringer]

I agree with the 15 - 20 % rule. It's usually closer to 15% for us, but then we round up to sensible numbers. For example, if the bill including 15% tip comes to $77.65, we leave $80.

One thing that does annoy me a little is when you have a fairly expensive bottle of wine with your meal and are expected to include this in the tip. There is no more work involved in pouring a glass of expensive wine than a cheap one.

Gavvy - Sorry, can't agree with you. I don't think you should have to tip 15% for poor service. Where is the incentive for the server to do a good job? I thought that was the whole point of tipping.

Kev

 

[AlanUK]

I think I read somewhere before that if you think the service is terrible you should leave 1 cent rather than nothing which might just be seen as you forgetting to leave anything The 1 cent tells the server that you thought their service was bad!

 

[Laurafoster]

I agree - leaving something small like a few cents shows the server that their service was bad - hope***lly they will then be nicer to the next table.

I dont ususally tip 15-20% for poor service - but aslong as this is not down to the waiter...i.e the food was terrible. Sometimes the problem seems to be in the kitchen etc so its not the servers fault.