OH NO Another Tipping question

[monic]

Just asking, pardon my ignorance. I am from Canada and we are not cheap, but I am well aware things are quite different in the States. Our server wages are higher, tipping here is 10-15-20%. Please Canadians, correct me if i am wrong. 10-15 for lunch dinner and 15-20 for a high end restaurant. I was recently in the Netherlands and tip is actually calcuated on the bill with the taxes so if an item on the menu is E6.95 that already has the tax and tip in it. That goes for everything over there. 10 means 10 not 11.50. Just an interesting observation I thought. I read about it before I went so I was prepared.
My question are...
1. When say you order extra towels or coffee or shampoo etc. to be brought up to your room, is it customary to tip that person who delivers it.??

I don't want to appear cheap but I don't have $ coming out of my *** and I want to be fair with everyone.
I am getting my tips ready today a bunch of $1. and $5's.
I am aware of the $1. per bag

2. We are staying at a hotel with shuttle service to parks. Do you tip that driver?

3. Is 15% ok or pretty standard orat some restaurants or is it strictly18%?
I would calculate it before taxes and if a coupon is used, calculate amout of tip WITHOUT coupon.

4. What should I tip at a restuaunt like sweet tomatoes, cicis or golden corral, strictly buffet?

Ok so no flaming allowed. I am asking to better myself and be fair with everyone, especially in these economic times. Just some advice and if you have any that I have missed or care to add to my list I would appreciate that.

I want to have a good vacation.
Thanks alot

 

[DOOM1001]

Tip 15%-18% if you had adequate to good service for lunch or dinner.If it was great you can go up to 20% or more.For bad service 10% makes a point that they didn't live up to expectations.In most major restaurants servers have to tip other staff members like bussers,bartenders and food runners from their tips,which usually comes out to 5% of their sales or 1/3 of an average 15% tip so on an average day if the server made $100 in tips they would only be keeping around $60-$65 of it.Also servers in Florida make like $3-$4 an hour which after declaring how much they made in tips usually means they get paychecks for like $50 for 2 weeks so they are living off their tips,I used to be a server so I know.At buffet restaurants if they kept my table cleared of plates and got me refills then I tip $3 for 2 people,$4 for three people and so on,but a buck a head would be OK.

 

[DSLRuser]

For us...a server starts out at me giving them 15%. They then work up or down the scale based on the quality of service i feel they provide me.

Remember TIPS = To Insure Propper Service

If servers keep getting 20% tips for not even doing the basics, why would they go above and beyond for you.

Also, the cost of the meal should have nothing to do with the % tip.

A $10 breakfast gets the same 15% as a $100 steak.

 

[monic]

thank you

 

[Mysteria]

Monic I grew up in Toronto and now live in the US. Tipping etiquette is the same here as it is there. Whomever you would tip at home do the same here. Of course you will get all kinds of differng answers on this subject from people all over North America just because people have different opinions on tipping etiquette. It won't be a difference based on country though.

For example unless my service was less than it should be I would tip at least 15% even in Canada. That I did even before moving here.

 

[Northstar]

Monic I grew up in Toronto and now live in the US. Tipping etiquette is the same here as it is there. Whomever you would tip at home do the same here. Of course you will get all kinds of differng answers on this subject from people all over North America just because people have different opinions on tipping etiquette. It won't be a difference based on country though.

For example unless my service was less than it should be I would tip at least 15% even in Canada. That I did even before moving here.

Me too. Tipping 10% causes the server to wonder what they did wrong. Though I know lots of folks who just look at the tax and tip that... unfortunately for servers, when the HST in Nova Scotia went from 18% to 15% and then to 13%, many customers continued to tip the same as the tax without considering that it had gone down!