Tipping - educate a brit ;)

[PoohBears#1fan]

As you're probably aware we're not big on tipping in the UK (we're not particularly big on good service either in comparison to the US!!!) 10% here is really all that's expected.

Now I know that in the US at least a 15% tip is expected in restaurants, what about tipping for valet parking, room service, pizza delivery & maid service, what would you say was an acceptable amount?

Really don't want to offend anyone by under tipping!

Thanks

 

[BuzzLightYear3]

Tipping really varies by person, but here are some general guidelines that I think are common:

Full-Service Restaurants -- 15% for avg service; 20% for good service

Room Service -- This one varies widely....for daily maid service, some people tip $1/person/day; some tip daily; others leave the tip at the end of their stay. For a DVC stay for a Family of 5 with nothing more than Trash/Towel service, I usually leave $10 at the end of the stay.

Room Service -- This varies depending on what they do.....bringing up a requested item, e.g. blender, side rails for a toddler's bed, etc., I usually tip $3. Coming up to fix something IMHO doesn't really deserve a tip as it shouldn't have been broken in the first place and most good service people wouldn't accept a tip. Bringing up food I think earns 15-20% just as a waiter/watress would do, but I'm not really sure about that one as I rarely order room service.

Bell Hops -- General policy is $1/bag. This gets pretty high though if you've gone to a grocery store and they packed your items in plastic bags which each hold 2-3 items, so in cases like that, I do some downward rounding. I'd go $1/bag if they were each large heavy bags or if they stored the frozen/cold items or if they did anything else 'above and beyond the call of duty.'

Pizza Delivery -- For a more expensive order (e.g. $30+), I'd probably tip 10%....for a less expensive order I might tip 15%. That's what I tip for relatively easy delivery....e.g., Pizza delivered to my front door at home which is within close driving distance of the Pizza place. If there were bad weather or if the delivery person had to make a long walk through a hotel, I'd tip more.

Valet Parking -- Seems some people tip $2 in and $2 out; others just tip about $2 when the car is retrieved. If it's a really nice car that you want well taken care of, a more significant tip is probably warranted.

Hope that helps! I'm sure you'll get lots of varying opinions!

 

[EastCoast]

Hi PoohBears#1fan,

Great question. Unfortunately, I think that you may not get as many responses to your question as you might hope. I believe this is because not everyone tips the same way regardless of the guidelines. Some posters might feel that it is too risky to post a response, exposing themselves as being cheap or different.

That said, I thing BuzzLightYear3 has given you an excellent set of guidelines. While I know that Buzz is suggesting 15-20% tips at full service restaurants, I usually feel that 20% is slightly on the high side. In some restaurants, the guideline they provide when asked is 15 to 17.5% (as if someone would pull out a calculator to compute 17.5%.... LOL).

Further, while I do not often see this mentioned, I was taught that the (restaurant) tip should be based upon the meal without liquor and obviously before taxes. Let's take an example and see what affect his has on a tip.... using 17.5% for the heck of it:

Assuming a $65 meal with a $30 bar bill = $95 bill
I believe the state sales tax in Florida is 6% or $5.70 = $100.70

Rounded to the nearest half-dollar, a 17.5% tip on only the meal = $11.50
Rounded to the nearest half-dollar, a 17.5% tip on the full bill before tax = $16.50
Rounded to the nearest half-dollar, a 17.5% tip on the full bill including the tax = $17.50

My son tells me that he calculates his tips as three times the tax ($5.70 * 3) or approximately $17 while personally, I would have kicked in about $14 or 15 (15-16% on the meal and bar before tax)

Did that help or make it worse?
EC

 

[Lhargus]

I am speaking as a father who has had daughters work their way through college as wait staff. Also I travel extensivlely worldwide (including the UK).

In the USA 15% is considered the minimum for OK service. 20% is considered standard for good service and up to 25% is ok for exceptional service ( certainly not expected ). I know in the UK tipping is much less ( our close friends from the UK have a problem with tipping in the US ).

Servers in the US make very!!! little money in hourly wages. They are expected to make their money in tips. There is nothing more demoralizing than a poor tip after a job well done!

 

[Dean]

Tipping guidelines Here on DIS Another tip page . There are many pages of info out there on the web, just do a search. Just to touch on some of the issues already addressed. While many do tip both ways with valet parking, the standard is to tip $1-2 on pickup, I'd say $2. If one decides to tip both ways, that is certaily their right. To me, 15% is standard for restaurants with a decuction for below par service and an addition for exceedingly good service or special requests. If one has a coupon or other discounted situation, I'd tip based on what it would have been, before taxes.

 

[SamSam]

Gratuity is often already added on to room service so additional tipping is not necessary.

Good luck with determining the proper amount to tip, it can be difficult even when you live here.

 

[Mary Ellen]

tip should be based upon the meal without liquor and obviously before taxes

This seems a little confusing as the above statement doesn't agree with his (her??)example.

I would have kicked in about $14 or 15 (15-16% on the meal and bar before tax)

While I can understand not tipping on the amount of the taxes, I do believe it is standard to tip on the amount including the liquor - someone is taking that drink order and bringing them to the table.

 

[nezy]

poohbrit

I commend you for inquiring and realizing the difference in tipping customs.

Many of the service jobs, such as waiters are paid primarily from their tips w/ a very very low hourly wage. In general, 15% to 20% on the bill pre-tax is customary. The tip should include the liquor portion of the bill as bartenders are also often tipped-out by the waiters( as well as any runners or bus boys that may work to clear tables and bring food/drinks to the table).
To base your tip on the tax is not a a good idea as tax rates vary across the country. For example, to double the tax as a tip in a state w/ a tax rate of 8% would be very different than in a state w/ the tax rate of 5%. ($16, compared to $10).

As a side note, the BEST service I have had ever was from a Brit atthe Rose&Crown in EPCOT!! He got a 25% tip from our party--and deserved it.

 

[EastCoast]

Let's clear up two points from my earlier post.

I said that I was taught to tip on the meal w/o liquor. That's not what I practice. In practice I tip on the meal AND the liquor as shown in the example.

As for tipping based on tax, I was merely illustrating that in a state with a 6% tax rate, three times the tax (18%) puts one into the accaptable range for a reasonable tip. It is easier to calculate the tip using this method instead of trying to calculate a percentage of a number. Would you rather multiply by three or by 0.18?

Make better sense?

EC

 

[nezy]

EC-

It is fine to tip based on the tax, as long as you are aware of the tax rate. For travelers from other countries who may not be aware of the tax rate using the bill as a tip basis is the safest way to go.

When I traveled in other countries after graduating college I was very surprised when we did not get "buy backs" at any of the pubs and clubs we visited.

 

[Cruelladeville]

While you all have been helpful--or maybe made the Brit regret asking in the first place no one addressed buffet restaurants, which I think we all agree merits different treatment than full service restaurants. At any normal buffet (such as Pizza Hut or Big Boy) I tip 10% provided the waitress didn't forget me once she waited on me, and returned to clear the plates (and for cleanliness sake, a new plate is required every time you return to the buffet table). At a Disney buffet, where service is customarily better than average, I tip 15%. In America, it's OK to return to the buffet as much as you want, and if you don't like the food, it's permissable to leave it on your plate--my trip to Great Britain was eye-opening for me. British wait staff were rude, by American standards, so make sure you are aware of what the standard for politeness is before you reduce the tip.

 

[EastCoast]

First of all, since the practice of "tipping" originated in England, perhaps PoohBears#1fan should be teaching us the proper way to tip.
(see second paragraph under the heading "Tea Gardens and Tipping"... www.english.com.br/test/reading/Tea History.htm


That aside, let's stir the pot a bit.... Here are some thoughts to ponder:

(1) Tipping was once a practice instituted to improve service during a meal that has evolved into a practice of rating the service after the meal.

(2) Excellent service in the opinion of a poor waiter and an excellent waiter is likely to be far different but it is the opinion of the patron that really counts.

(3) Good waiters/waitresses who work for tips that are pooled and then divided evenly among all waiters/waitresses may lose the incentive to provide good service. This is similar to the plight of the office worker whose employer gives the same "across-the-board" salary adjustment to all workers regardless of performance.

(4) Regardless of how they are compensated by their employer, those that provide a service have no right to a larger or smaller tip, or any tip at all for that matter. The practice of tipping is a custom, not a law. Said another way, just because an employer pays wages so low that the employee comes to rely (and expect) tips of a certain amount, that is an arrangement that the employee has entered into with his employer, not the patron.

(5) Often, tips are reduced due to the quality of the food. Since this is generally out of the control of the waiter, penalizing the waiter for the poor effort of the chef is somewhat unfair.

EC

 

[PoohBears#1fan]

Thanks for all your help and the links, hopefully we'll feel like we know what we're doing next time we go!

H reminded me also that last time we tried to tip a bell hop in the All stars, he actually refused the tip - not sure whether it was insultingly low, or ridiculously high!!! LOL

Oh and CruellaDeVille - the fact that you managed to get served here is good in itself, it's not uncommon to have to go and physically fetch your waitor cos you're fed up of waiting!!!

Thanks again.