I got your TIP right here!!

[WDisnut]

Just a thought... I know everyone thinks they know where tip amounts come from. I understand at disney they post on your bill what 18% and what 20% becomes. But before that how did the amounts and % start? I never cared about the exact % of tax on a reciept when I traveled. I know everyone think their way is different or has their own way of doing tip amounts. The tip for most places was just take the tax and double it for me. But when I went to a small town in IL near Chicago recently I did the math. The tax was over 9% for the food (18 to 20% tip). I live in upstate NY and the tax is 7.5 %... Which got me to thinking where does everyones amount for tipping really come from? So at home I was tipping 15 % (take tax and double it)... and while I was on vacation near Chicago I was tipping 18 tp 20% without even knowing it .. I thought I was tipping 15 % like always. SO what is the tax % in Florida at restaurants. Do people just believe that its like at their homestown weather it be a 7.5 or 10% tax? I have my tip amounts set and I'm not going to worry and I now believe no one else should and lets all have a nice Vacation.. :}

 

[Metsoskil]

I would hope that most people would simply take the percentage they wish to tip and multiply it by the price of the meal. Tax is different in each state, and sometimes it varies from city to city. Tax in PA is 6%. You'd be giving your server the shaft if you used your logic on a trip to Philadelphia or Pittsburgh (or Scranton).

 

[skier_pete]

If you double the tax in FL of 6 %, you are only leaving a 12 % tip, making you one cheap S.O.B. (Just goshing...please don't get all up in arms.)

Where in Upstate NY is tax only 7.5 %? We pay 8.75% here, and I thought 8.5 % was standard across the state.

SkierPete

 

[WDisnut]

I live in glens falls 20 mins north of saratoga NY.. So the tax in Florida at dining locations is only 6%? wow I didn't know so many places had such low taxes. And yes I am A Cheap SOB :} but I always thought I was leaving 15% no matter where I was. YOu can't mad at someone for being ignorant of all state taxes. lol

 

[tmonferdini]

Really, how hard is it to take the total due and figure 10% and then, depending on the service, either multiply that amount by 2 for 20% or split that amount and add to it for 15%. Or a happy medium between the two of 18%?

I'm not a genius, by any means, but as I teach my DD13 how important math is for shopping (how much am I going to save with 10 or 25% off of something), I can calculate how much to tip a fair or excellent server when we go out to eat.

 

[WDisnut]

yes, Very good, as I pointed out there are a number of ways to calculate tip. but I was taught take the tax and double it. People have thier own way of doing it, again. Even my phone has a program called a tip calculator which uses 15 %. This article when I started it was to try to understand why some people say they always leave 20 % and then their are some who say 15 %. And because Of my vacation I thought there was a direct relationship between the areas tax and the amount of base tip not including or excluding an amount for good or bad service.

 

[Wildflowerz]

I've never heard of the tax thing. I can't tell you why some people think one thing and some think another, but here's what we generally do: 15% is generally the minimum. We usually tip 20% unless something was really wrong or really lackluster. And we always tip 20% or more during the holidays.

 

[MKOATEYW]

Carefull Florida's Taxes are different depending on which county you are in!
COUNTY ACCOMMODATIONS OTHER TRANSACTIONS
11 ALACHUA 9.25% 6.25%
12 BAKER 9% 7%
13 BAY 9.5% 6.5%
14 BRADFORD 11% 7%
15 BREVARD 11% 6%
16 BROWARD 11% 6%
17 CALHOUN 7% 7%
18 CHARLOTTE 12% 7%
19 CITRUS 9% 6%
20 CLAY 10% 7%
21 COLLIER 10% 6%
22 COLUMBIA 9% 7%
23 DADE 14% 7%
24 DE SOTO 7% 7%
25 DIXIE 7% 7%
26 DUVAL 13% 7%
27 ESCAMBIA 11.5% 7.5%
28 FLAGLER 10% 7%
29 FRANKLIN 9% 6%
30 GADSDEN 9% 7%
31 GILCHRIST 9% 7%
32 GLADES 7% 7%
33 GULF 11% 7%
34 HAMILTON 10% 7%
35 HARDEE 7% 7%
36 HENDRY 10% 7%
37 HERNANDO 9.5% 6.5%
38 HIGHLANDS 9% 7%
39 HILLSBOROUGH 12% 7%
40 HOLMES 9% 7%
41 INDIAN RIVER 11% 7%
42 JACKSON 11.5% 7.5%
43 JEFFERSON 9% 7%
44 LAFAYETTE 7% 7%
45 LAKE 11% 7%
46 LEE 11% 6%
47 LEON 11.5% 7.5%
48 LEVY 9% 7%
49 LIBERTY 7% 7%
50 MADISON 10.5% 7.5%
51 MANATEE 10.5% 6.5%
52 MARION 8.5% 6.5%
53 MARTIN 8.5% 6.5%
54 MONROE 11.5% 7.5%
55 NASSAU 9% 7%
56 OKALOOSA 11% 6%
57 OKEECHOBEE 10% 7%
58 ORANGE 12.5% 6.5%
59 OSCEOLA 13% 7%
60 PALM BEACH 11.5% 6.5%
61 PASCO 9% 7%
62 PINELLAS 12% 7%
63 POLK 12% 7%
64 PUTNAM 9% 7%
65 ST. JOHNS 9% 6%
66 ST. LUCIE 11.5% 6.5%
67 SANTA ROSA 10.5% 6.5%
68 SARASOTA 11% 7%
69 SEMINOLE 10% 7%
70 SUMTER 9% 7%
71 SUWANNEE 9% 7%
72 TAYLOR 10% 7%
73 UNION 7% 7%
74 VOLUSIA 12.5% 6.5%
75 WAKULLA 10% 7%
76 WALTON 11% 7%
77 WASHINGTON 10% 7%

 

[Metsoskil]

Carefull Florida's Taxes are different depending on which county you are in!

All the more reason to simply figure the tip independently of the tax. They really don't have anything to do with each other. If multiplying decimals is too tough, simply leave $2 for every $10 spent (round to the nearest $10).

 

[Disneychix]

I'm from NY also and we always "doubled the tax" as our sales tax used to be 8% although over the last few years it's gone up. So I see where you're coming from. BUT we are conscious that this doesn't always work when you are in different areas. So in Disney we use the 10%, 20% rule and usually add or subtract from there. (also be aware of using the % rules on the meals only. I don't tip on tax!)

 

[skier_pete]

"Double the tax" is a fairly Northeastern standard...it's what we used in Mass. too. There are states that have sales tax as low as 4 % though. And as I said, in Erie (and Niagara) county our sales tax is 8.5 %, so I Still use doubling the tax, but might take off a little if I didn't think much of the service.

I also don't agree with the "you're at Disney, you should give the servers 20 %" modus operandi. The prices at WDW are so high, that the server there is making more on a 15 % tip on a meal than the local Applebee's waitress gets at 20 % for the same amount of work. I tip the same there is at home. 15 % is adequate service, if server is extremely attentive, then I may leave as high as 20 %. If service is poor, (wrong food, forget to bring things repeatedly, or really slow when I explain that we need to eat quickly for example), I will lower my tipping. (Though, you gotta be pretty bad to get less than 15% from me.)

Oh, how'd you rope me into this thread...I usually avoid these!

SkierPete

 

[kimgof]

"Double the tax" is a fairly Northeastern standard...it's what we used in Mass. too. There are states that have sales tax as low as 4 % though. And as I said, in Erie (and Niagara) county our sales tax is 8.5 %, so I Still use doubling the tax, but might take off a little if I didn't think much of the service.

I also don't agree with the "you're at Disney, you should give the servers 20 %" modus operandi. The prices at WDW are so high, that the server there is making more on a 15 % tip on a meal than the local Applebee's waitress gets at 20 % for the same amount of work. I tip the same there is at home. 15 % is adequate service, if server is extremely attentive, then I may leave as high as 20 %. If service is poor, (wrong food, forget to bring things repeatedly, or really slow when I explain that we need to eat quickly for example), I will lower my tipping. (Though, you gotta be pretty bad to get less than 15% from me.)

Oh, how'd you rope me into this thread...I usually avoid these!

SkierPete

Yes, I agree that the double the tax thing is definitely a Northeastern thing. I grew up(and waitressed) in NY and I remember the double the tax calculation. Of course, when I was waitressing the average tip was not 20%. I think it was more like 15% for dinner and less if it was breakfast- like 12%. I did waitress quite a few years ago, maybe people like to tip better now . I never thought of the fact that the wait staff at WDW would be making more on the bill because the prices are so much higher. Hmmmmmm. skier pete-- you've got me thinking.....

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Our tax is 8.25%, but the tax in FL is 6.5%.

I tip 20%, unless the service is just abysmal.

 

[jcc0621]

I would hope that most people would simply take the percentage they wish to tip and multiply it by the price of the meal. Tax is different in each state, and sometimes it varies from city to city. Tax in PA is 6%. You'd be giving your server the shaft if you used your logic on a trip to Philadelphia or Pittsburgh (or Scranton).

ANd in Philly (not sure about Pitt) but tax is 7%, not 6%. For tip usually take the total bill and figure out the tip % using that figure and whether the tip will be, 15-20% depending on the service.

 

[dopeyfanatic]

I'm in CA and I grew up with the double the tax thing too. However, I prefer a straight amount for service and not an amount based on how much the food cost. I have never understood why the waiter in WDW who serves a $40 steak should get more than the waitress at Applebees serving the same steak that costs $20 (using the same comparisons as a pp). I've been to very fancy restaurants that had poorer service than Denny's so the price of the food isn't what matters to me. It's whether or not the server paid attention to me. Did they fill my drinks before I asked, clear my plates quickly, check on me......We recently went to Applebees and spent about $30, but I left an $8 tip because the waitress was AWESOME. That's far more than 20%. If I had only done 20% her tip would have been $4.50. Again, I prefer an amount, not a percent.

 

[Katiebell]

I'm in CA and I grew up with the double the tax thing too. However, I prefer a straight amount for service and not an amount based on how much the food cost. I have never understood why the waiter in WDW who serves a $40 steak should get more than the waitress at Applebees serving the same steak that costs $20 (using the same comparisons as a pp). I've been to very fancy restaurants that had poorer service than Denny's so the price of the food isn't what matters to me. It's whether or not the server paid attention to me. Did they fill my drinks before I asked, clear my plates quickly, check on me......We recently went to Applebees and spent about $30, but I left an $8 tip because the waitress was AWESOME. That's far more than 20%. If I had only done 20% her tip would have been $4.50. Again, I prefer an amount, not a percent.

I understand your logic, and agree. Why should the breakfast waitress who keeps our coffee mugs full and makes sure our meal is just the way we want it get less of a tip just because the breakfast menu is cheaper? However...servers are taxed on their tips, and the way the IRS figures it out is based on the cost of the food they serve. So, your logic works and is fair as long as the amount you tip is at least the appropriate amount (15-20% for good to great service) based on the cost of the meal. If you want to tip more than that percentage because your meal was cheap but the service was great, then I can't see that any server would be unhappy about that

 

[Willow1213]

Here in Atlanta area with 6% tax I use a round about approach. I take tax and triple it. If service was great or awful, I round up or down as I see appropriate (to the nearest dollar or two for most meals I eat). I know this is not an exact science, but it is one that I can understand!

For example, I was at a local chain eatery and our total bill was under $30. It was our first time at that restaurant (which they asked when we sat down) and he went way out of his way to make sure we knew about the food and made great reccomendations. He got way more than 20% (around 7.50) since he paid special attention and was truly great service! I used the tax times 3 and rounded by the amount of change I had, haha.

 

[kaytieeldr]

"Double the tax" is a fairly Northeastern standard...it's what we used in Mass. too.

Really? In Massachusetts, that'd only be a 10% tip.

 

[NMW]

I grew up in the northeast and I have never heard about doubling the tax. I have only ever heard to tip on a % of the meal.

 

[carone0318]

From NJ here and never heard of the double the tax theory either.

What we do is take the total before taxes and then, basically because we are lazy, take 20% and that is the tip.

Now not in Disney, but locally if we use a coupon or something we take the total before coupon and taxes and then take the 20%. Don't want to shaft the server because we used a coupon.

Basically planning to do the same down in Disney....