I went out to lunch with my friend the other day, and she asked for the amount to chip in. I did some quick math and said: is that 15%?
She shook her head.. “No, 30%. I multiply the 10% of the bill by 3..”
And proceeded to put in her share of the 30% tip.
It was only a buck or two extra, but my brain was reeling… 30%!?!?!?!?
I thought my tipping 20% for excellent service was generous, and at minimum 15%, but 5%-10% for truly awful service that was unwarranted. Even 0%. It depends on how awful the service was but it’s a rare day that I tip 0%. I always leave SOMETHING because I feel bad.
I put in 20% because it is easier to calculate than 15%, so that makes sense to me. I don’t want to give 10%, and I want to give at least 15%, so 20% is just the double of 10% and much easier to figure out with my brain of a monkey…… 🙂
But 30%!?
Is this the new norm?… anyone? *totally confused* Soon I’ll be tipping 50%!!! 😐
That’s when I’ll decide to eat ramen noodles at home for cheap and start waitressing for a living at some chic restaurant 😛
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Comments by the author that I found to be both outrageous and ignorant:
“The service wasn’t fabulous, in fact the lady pretty much ignored us, the food was pretty moderate, if not “crappy” (could do better at home), and there wasn’t enough of it… ”
”
I thought my tipping 20% for excellent service was generous, and at minimum 15%, but 5%-10% for truly awful service that was unwarranted. Even 0%. It depends on how awful the service was but it’s a rare day that I tip 0%. I always leave SOMETHING because I feel bad. “I have been a server for seven years while working through college and now graduate school, and 15 to 20 percent is the norm. 30% or higher is to show appreciation for exemplary service. Tipping 20% does not make you generous. It is the accepted custom and the price you pay for choosing to have someone bring your food and drink to a table. Tipping based on service is expected, but tipping less than 10% for any reason besides absolute rudeness and impropriety from the server just makes you heartless. Furthermore, a little fun fact for you is that your server has absolutely NO control over the portion size or taste of your food, and therefore I can’t understand why you bothered bringing up that you could have done better at home. Your server isn’t responsible for this and it should not have an effect (negative or positive) on your tipping practices.
Juicefairy: 😉 Great minds think alike!!!!
Don’t worry I think that is overtipping. I do 20% just like you because I am bad at the math. LOL. It takes me five minutes to figure that out!
Bamboo: I’m sticking with the 20% rule.. I find that pretty generous to begin with.. 🙁
Living:.. I agree with you. Just raise the damn wages, raise the prices and let us “TIP” when we want “To Insure Prompt Service” (T.I.P.S.)….. instead of having it be EXPECTED..
20% is the new 15%. For sure! Where we are, all of our friends do 25-30%. So in major metros it’s becoming more standard. I asked my friends in SF and LA, and definitely it’s minimum 20%, 25% good, and 30% great, with most doing 25%. Also same with friends in DC and NY.
Sorry all, but it’s definitely trending higher, and I hate it. I wish they would just raise prices and be done with it so we don’t have to sit there figuring out tips.
Don’t worry, 15-20% is the norm…she was being way generous
General Note: Wow, tipping is a hot point for many readers.. ! 🙂
I read all of your comments and it seems to me that the general rule is 15%-20% unless the bill is quite small (under $20 maybe?)
So I wasn’t going crazy then.. she just likes to overtip.
The service wasn’t fabulous, in fact the lady pretty much ignored us, the food was pretty moderate, if not “crappy” (could do better at home), and there wasn’t enough of it….
THAT is why I freaked out at 30%.. I was thinking of 15%….
Unless it was completely, utterly outstanding service, 30% is most definitely NOT the norm.
I tend to go by 20% for good service, 15% for mediocre/average.
Also, in states (I’m in the U.S.) where waitstaff have to be paid a minimum wage, period, not counting tips, I think 15-20% is plenty for good service. It’s not like in other areas where tips count towards the minimum wage.
Um, yeah, 30% seems a bit much – UNLESS the service was absolutely superb. I’m with everyone else on 20% being the norm.
Oooh yeah. Love living in Australia. Most people would leave the change or let the bill round up to the next $5 or $10.
When my husband and I tip:
15% is for standard service.
20% is for very good service.
30% is a lot unless we’re talking absolutely stellar service with some freebies — and only if the meal was pretty cheap.
It’s not really customary to tip here in Aus basically because the staff get paid a LOT. I only tip for exceptional service. 30% seems too high – I better make a note of this when I visit overseas.
I tip 20% generally. 15% for decent but not very good service. 20% for good. Sometimes I’ll go for a lot more if I budgeted more for the food or if it was really excellent.
20-30% tip seems average to me. My husband is a generous tipper, gives more than that and sometimes over 50% if the bill is very small :/
I usually tip 20%, but only if I was with a large group. 30% is way too much, I would have had to love the service and the food to tip that much!
No, 30% is not the new 15%. I have worked as a food server and the norm is still 15%. If someone tipped me 20% I would assume they were extremely pleased with the service. I’ve never heard of anyone leaving a 30% tip, either when I was a server or as a customer either.
Personally when splitting bills with friends at restaurants, we always just divide the total listed price as necessary and then we each figure out our own tip – that way everyone tips according to their own standards. Works well for us.
I usually tip around 20%. However, I have tipped 50% when I’ve received excellent service AND freebies (free dessert, free drinks, etc)….however, usually the large tip wouldn’t even cover the freebies we had…
No, it’s not the norm, & curse her generous but lazy soul for starting it. Eating out busts my budget as it is, and while I cheerfully go 20% for good service, 30% is just too much. Get a grip.
And, yes, I’ve worked for tips before.