Tipping at a restaurant where the food is expensive, but the service is just normal

[marius97]

This is vaguely budget related and people here tend to have good thoughts, so I wanted to run something by you guys. I've known enough waiters through the years that I've always considered myself an above average tipper. Average service gets 20%, higher for exemplary service. I will rarely go bellow 20%, though I had to last night. My family of five generally sticks to Applebees or Bob Evans type restaurants. Between the cost of feeding five people, plus worrying about taking three kids under age 10 to somewhere nice, it is just too much to handle. Normally we spend about $40-50 at a restaurant and tip 20%. This week we went to T-Rex in DTD and spent $100 before tip. The service was just fine, no problems at all. But my problem was that the Trex waitress didn't work any harder than a normal Applebees waitress. The food was so expensive because we were paying for the atmosphere, not extra service. It seemed a bit unfair to the Applebees servers of the world that the people at Trex basically got double the tip just because they work in a pretty restaurant. I still ened up tipping my 20%, but felt dirty doing it. It just didn't seem earned. What are other's thoughts?

 

[MarilIncredible]

You could have left 15% if the service was just average, you know.

 

[eliza61]

Tips are based on a % generally, not a dollar amount so very simply the more expensive place will get the larger tip. If you normally tip 20% it seems you are penalizing the server in TRex because the menu prices are higher, something they have absolutely no control of.

The problem I have with your argument is that, you go into a restaurant knowing the prices were higher,or at least having some idea that it is.
You can't say "I want the waitress at Trex to do some thing extra" in order to make the tip worth it. That's not fair. If you're method is to tip 20% for standard service then that should be the method regardless to where you eat.

 

[Kriii]

I have to agree with Eliza1...20% should be the minimum as the OP states but it shouldn't be reduced because the restaurant is expensive. Don't forget, in many restaurants the waitresses share tips with the bartenders and busboys plus they are taxed on a percentage of the sales (whether they actually received tips in that amount or not). I waitressed my way through college at an expensive restaurant. My regulars generally tipped appropriately but there were many times that people who stated that they could only afford to come for a "special occasion" really shorted my on my tips. I'm glad the OP tipped appropriately and there is nothing wrong with asking the question so no flames here!

 

[punkin]

I have to agree with Eliza1...20% should be the minimum as the OP states but it shouldn't be reduced because the restaurant is expensive. Don't forget, in many restaurants the waitresses share tips with the bartenders and busboys plus they are taxed on a percentage of the sales (whether they actually received tips in that amount or not). I waitressed my way through college at an expensive restaurant. My regulars generally tipped appropriately but there were many times that people who stated that they could only afford to come for a "special occasion" really shorted my on my tips. I'm glad the OP tipped appropriately and there is nothing wrong with asking the question so no flames here!

20% is not the minimum. There is no minimum. If the service was truly horrendous, it deserves no tip.

I generally tip 15% for average, 10% for sub-par and 20% for good. I have been known to tip as much as 30% for amazing, exceptional, over the top service, but that is rare.

OP, you are right that it is not fair, but that's the convention and people take service jobs knowing that.

 

[jagafen]

Average service gets 20%QUOTE]

I've never had anything above average service in an Applebee's restaurant. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I've had barely acceptable service in an Applebee's. Applebee's is not the milestone by what I determine "good" service to be. If you equate your server at T rex to an "applebee's level of service", then, by your own standards, you should have tipped 20%. It's not fine dining, where one might expect over the top service. It's a high priced tourist trap, and the tip should match the level of service, regardless of the check amount. If you regularly tip 20% at applebee's, then that standard should follow you regardless of where you choose to eat.

 

[christinec68]

I don't think it matters how expensive or inexpensive a restaurant is, the tip is still based on a percentage of the bill. The average is actually 15%, not 20%, but the percentage is a personal decision everyone makes.

It's been my experience the more expensive the restaurant the more attentive the service becomes - maybe there will be a head waiter, someone that brings the food/beverages, some one that clears the table & swipes it for crumbs, etc.

 

[DOOM1001]

Servers at most major restaurants like T-Rex have to share their tips with other staff members(bussers,bartenders,food runners).The amount they tip them in total comes out to usually at least like 5% of their SALES,so for a busy shift they may end up tipping out $50+ dollars of their tips.Some smaller restaurants like a Bob Evans this may not be the case,they may only tip out the bussers and possibly hostesses as there is no bartenders and possibly no food runners as well.This is just a reason why even though it seems you may be leaving a huge tip the server itself will not be keeping all of it.If you thought the service at T-Rex was adequate but not amazing you could have left 15%-17% instead of 20%.

 

[VAN]

15%-18% is the "norm" .... no problem if you stay within that range for good service.

If the service was poor, then by all means tip lower.

You state the service was good ... so it would have been appropriate to tip 15% or more regardless of the high cost of the menu items. We will eliminate ordering anything but ice water for a beverage if we are trying to economize on a restaurant bill. Also skipping the appetizer and dessert helps the bottom line.

 

[branv]

Let me put it to you from the standpoint of any other industry:

Two people are in the same job. One has 10 years of experience, the other is fresh out of college. The person with the extra experience will generally have a higher salary than the new person even doing the same job. Why? It's experience on reserve should it be needed, it's being rewarded for the time you've put in, etc. And it's the same in the restaurant industry. Typically you won't get new servers at restaurants with higher tickets -- unless there's an employment crunch or the manager is an idiot. People who get hired for the restaurants like this tend to have more experience and know-how than the server you can find at your lower-end places. And as a result they make more on tips because their experience deserves it.

To clarify, let's imagine tipping wasn't the norm in the United States, and waiters made a salary. So you wouldn't add a tip to your bill anymore, but food prices would rise accordingly. At a lower-end restaurant, where salaries would be lower due to the hiring of servers with less experience, the rise in prices would be less. At a higher-end restaurant, with servers with more experience, salaries would be higher and food prices would rise higher than at the low-end place. It's the SAME THING as waiters getting a higher tip due to food costs at a more expensive restaurant.

Now you may get the same service...but you're more likely to get more professional, better timed service, with less flubs than at the restaurant where servers have more experience. Again, it's not a promise...anymore than engineer Bob with 10 years of experience necessarily being a better, smarter worker than 25 year old new engineer Betty. But it's more likely.

Also, how do you know your server didn't work harder at T-Rex? Perhaps lots of things went haywire behind the scenes with the kitchen, etc, another table gave her/him a lot of grief, he/she was oversat, but you NEVER KNEW IT. With a good server you won't, with a less experienced server, you will know pretty quickly. And are you honestly comparing a restaurant like T-Rex at DTD to your local Applebees? The servers at DTD T-Rex are going to deal with a lot more demand for turn-over, little room to breathe or make a mistake, people in "it's my vacation, make it happen!" mentality, and general cheapness from people who are already thinking about how much they've just spent on their vacation, are irritated at the higher prices charged at touristy restaurants, and looking for ways to stiff the servers as a result. It's called grace under pressure, and those with experience tend to roll with the punches better.

If that isn't enough, in short...you knew what it cost before you went in. If you don't want to pay the normal 15-20% tip because the place costs more, then by all means, go to Applebees instead.

 

[mistysue]

Honestly, I think tipping by percentage is one of the stupidest traditions our society has. That T-rex waitress has no business making twice what your other server makes if they do the same exact job with the same level of service. It makes no sense whatsoever. That applebees waitress has to tip out coworkers too.

If my bowl of soup costs $8, the server did no more work than if it cost $2, why why do they make four times as much to hand it to me?

Furthermore, if I go out to eat for an hour with the four of us and we don't ask for anything special and don't leave a mess, I feel it is fair to leave in the $5-$10 range for average service. If you figure four tables, that means your server is making $20/hour if everybody tips low. I feel like it is a huge scam on society's part that anybody feels like they need to leave more than that for a server who did not do anything spectacular. I'm sorry, but if their average table was tipping $20, what does an average server really do that is worth $80/hour? It isn't the best job, but in no way does your average every day server earn an income like that.

I tip based on service and what that person earned, not on this crazy system of "two pancakes cost more than one, so I am worth more"

 

[mb_uh]

I completely agree with you. I tip what I want to period. I know that many here do not agree but not sure why my waiter deserves more because they brought be a lobster tail instead of hambuger. A mixed drink can cost 5 times as much as a soft drink and they have to refill my soft drink 2-3 time but if I get a second mixed drink they deserve more? It does not make sense. I tip what I figure is reasonable for the service provided. I do agree that if the restaurant has more service persons then it would make sense that you are tipping more people but again that is only if you actually received a better experience from those persons. I almost never do not leave a tip however, if the service is that bad then I contact a manager and I also consider what the issue was and who's fault it was. Food takes forever- was it cold or hot- if the food takes forever to be cooked but is served at the right temperature then that is the cooks fault not the waiter. If it sat waiting to be served while your waiter chatted with a friend or was texting- waiter's fault. Wait to be seater- not waiter's fault.

Most major problems with experience and food turn out to be someone's fault and I tend to leave a tip even if the entire meal is comped.

 

[TJA]

I have a perfect example of how we base our tips: Last trip, we ate at both Jiko and California Grill. Both meals were excellent and the cost was similar at both places. However, our particular servers were opposite. We had a very poor server at Jiko and very top-notch excellent server at CG. Therefore, we tipped about 25/30% in CG and 10/15% in Jiko. We did not base our tip on the cost of the meal, but more the level of service we received. Just how we feel....

 

[kaytieeldr]

Respectfully, since everybody knows tipping by percentage is the norm in table service restaurants, by patronizing such restaurants and especially by knowing the cost range of the food in a given restaurant, one tacitly agrees to pay the percentage tip based on the prices THAT venue charges.

Normal/average/typical/whatever you want to call it tip for a restaurant server is 15% - and that tip is usually shared with (tipped out to) other workers in the restaurant as well. Your $5 tip on a $25 check? Some goes to the busperson, some goes to the bartender, some may go to the host/ess. YOUR server doesn't necessarily get to keep the whole $5 to supplement her/his $3.15 hourly wage.

 

[shan136]

Food service providers choose to work in a specific restaurants for several different reasons, "check averages" are one of the top reasons that a server would choose to work at a T-Rex, where the check averages are higher than an Applebees or a Ruby Tuesday. The average tip is 15-18% for good service and 20% for exceptional service in almost every area of the US, regardless of the cost of the food.

If your server at Bob Evans wants to make more money for serving the same food, it's his/her responsibility to seek out a restaurant that has higher check averages. I always tip what I think is fair and can afford.

If you really really like your server and you want to show them how much you appreciate their service, leave 15% of your tip in cash and put 3-5% on your CC that way they only have to claim the CC amount on their taxes. If you pay all in cash they need to claim the average tip for that check on their income taxes (in our state anyway).

 

[MEM]

I have a perfect example of how we base our tips: Last trip, we ate at both Jiko and California Grill. Both meals were excellent and the cost was similar at both places. However, our particular servers were opposite. We had a very poor server at Jiko and very top-notch excellent server at CG. Therefore, we tipped about 25/30% in CG and 10/15% in Jiko. We did not base our tip on the cost of the meal, but more the level of service we received. Just how we feel....

That really surprises me - I bet they don't last long in that position - in my experience Jiko has some of the best servers at WDW.

To get back on topic, there is no way that "20% is the minimum". We tip 15% for acceptable, 18% for good, 20% for very good and up to 25% for exceptional. For poor service we have asked to speak to the manager.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

When did the "normal" tip amount climb to 20%? It used to be 15%, more for better service, and less for poor service.

 

[Justsyd2]

When did the "normal" tip amount climb to 20%? It used to be 15%, more for better service, and less for poor service.

According to CNN rotfl 15% is for average service, where 20% is for good service. It's been that way for quite a few years. I consider the tip as part of the cost of eating out, and if I can't afford it, I don't go.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I have a perfect example of how we base our tips: Last trip, we ate at both Jiko and California Grill. Both meals were excellent and the cost was similar at both places. However, our particular servers were opposite. We had a very poor server at Jiko and very top-notch excellent server at CG. Therefore, we tipped about 25/30% in CG and 10/15% in Jiko. We did not base our tip on the cost of the meal, but more the level of service we received. Just how we feel....

See now to me you are doing both. You are looking at the QUALITY of service to decide on the tip percentage and that percentage is based on the COST of the meal.
I do what you do (when in the US). We tip about 20-25% for good service and 10-15% for poor service (I have once not tipped and complained to the manager about why when we had atrocious service and we have tipped higher than 25% at times for outstanding service).

I agree with others that you know going into an expensive place that the tip will need to be higher and if you cannot/will not tip appropriately you should choose to eat elsewhere. When we were young and poor (in college) we would occasionally go to nicer places and order just appetizers and a dessert to share. We would then tip 35-40% because we figured we were taking up just as much of the server's time and attention as people ordering full meals and cocktails--so I guess I think totally the opposite of the OP (BTW the one atrocious service was from a new waiter at one of those establishments who seemed to assume we would not tip well and was own right rude. We did explain to the owner/manager why we wer not tipping. We were regulars there--he was appalled and sent a gift certificate to DH the next day We were loyal customers there for years after that and even had our rehearsal dinner there).

 

[Kriii]

20% tip for good service has been the standard for a long time, or so I thought. Mabey different regions of the country have different standards? I'll continue to tip 20% unless the service is abysmal. Waiting tables is a hard job and for every good tipper there is another person who shorts the waitperson. I wish everyone who shorts a waitperson could walk a mile in their shoes.