In a recent article in the New York Times, restaurant critic Frank Bruni discusses yet another quandary facing restaurants during the recession. Not only are people dining out less frequently and reducing spending, but they're also tipping less. This puts servers in a particularly vulnerable position. The trend doesn't surprise me at all; however, the recession has actually inversely affected my tipping habits. Even though I eat out less, I tip more than I used to, knowing that my favorite places may be on the verge of collapse.
Tell me: Have you been less generous with the bill lately?
Diesel
Puma
Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti
i always used to tip a little on the high end, but now i'm not doing that anymore. i'm actually calculating the exact amount and leaving that since every penny saved will help me out.
1I wish I could tip more - I really do because I know they need the money as much as anyone - but times are tough and unfortunately I have to think of myself first... let the guilt ensue.
2I've always tipped at least 20%. I've worked as a server before and I know how difficult it is to pull in a good haul at the end of the night, even when working at a "high end" place. For terrible service, I leave at least 10% and a brief note as to why I didn't leave more. I don't know if the servers even read them, but I feel if I'm going to leave less, I should explain why. Thankfully, that's only happened 4 times in the past 3 years.
3No , If you can't tip 15% you should not be going out in the first place.
4I don't tip less, I just eat out less.
5I am a server. The tips that I give have not changed.
However, it does feel like tips have been decreasing. Lower sales and a lower percentage.
Not too long ago I had a table stiff me on the tip (well, that happens enough) but this particular table waited to tell me they were going to do so. Their exact words were... "It's not that you don't deserve it because you do. You were wonderful. It's just a lot of money."
It took everything I had in me not to walk out the door at that moment.
6I've always been a generous tipper and I haven't changed those habits.
7miss kylie - that is terrible! I don't know if it would be worse if they had just left without saying that to you or not. To clear things up, when I leave a note to the server explaining why I left less money, it's usually to inform them that he/she ignored my table the entire time we were there, was inexcusably rude, or something to that effect. I agree with dana18, don't go out to eat if you can't afford to tip! The servers depend on tips for their money, it's not like they get minimum wage or anything.
8If you can't afford to tip well, then you can't afford to eat out. Pretty freaking simple idea. Eating out is not your right, so don't treat it as such. Its a treat.
Miss Kylie, that was a sorry excuse they gave you. They should have kept better track of what they ate if they had limited funds. Awful, rude, tacky and utterly disrespectful of them.
I'm with Yum, I eat out much less now but I don't undertip.
9I'm a server and I used to live in San Antonio and work in a low-income area. I usually felt blessed to get $5 on a $40 check. I made more month there because we were a busy restaurant. Now, I live and work in a higher income and the tips were consistently 20% until right before christmas. Now it seems like i get about 15% So many people don't realize that not only do tips make up all of a server's income, but we need to tip out the bus boys, hostesses and bartenders. I work in a restaurant that I won't name (but it has an Austrailian theme and sells steaks and rhymes with Shoutpack.) and it's corporate policy is to take away 3% of tips from the servers and use it to "tip out" the bus boys, bartenders and hostesses. But, these employees don't get paid a minimum wage like at other restaurants. They get paid $2.13 like the rst of the servers. So when I get a 15% tip, it's really only a 12% tip. And when someone doesn't tip at all, I actually pay to wait on them out of my own pocket.
10I simply don't go out to eat if leaving at least a 20% tip for good service would be too painful.
11Mostly 20%, unless if he or she is friendly and/or enthusiastic, then the tip will be much more.
12It's only fair to leave 20% if you received good service... if you can't afford to leave that, then don't go out and eat in the first place. If you desperately want the food, but don't want to tip, then just get it to go. And yes, I always leave the "correct" amount.
13I actually find myself tipping more now. I used to give around 20% minimum if the service was at least OK. I generally still stick around there, but if I notice that a restaurant isn't very busy, I always feel bad and leave more.
14I still give at least 20%, especially at my regular places and the service reflects that when I show up. Even if I just get one beer ($4.50) I would never leave less than $1. If I pay my bill with a credit card I will still make sure I leave a cash tip. If the tip goes on the credit card the server will be taxed on the full tip. If the tip is in cash, the server can hide some of it and thus take home more.
15I also pay on my credit card. I don't like to aid in tax evasion.
16I meant always, not also.
17I don't think I could go to a restaurant again if I left a bad tip; I would be too mortified. One time after a night out my friend and I realized we had tipped our bartender poorly so we went back to give a better tip.
18Depending on the kind of restaurant I'm visiting; that's how I tip. If I'm at a sit down where my glass is going to be refilled, I will tip around 15-18 percent. If I'm somewhere that it's polite to tip, but the waiter/waitress/hostess isn't going to come to my table, and I'm ordering at the counter. I tip slightly less than 15%.
19Now I'm reading that everyone's tipping 20%... wow I guess I have to up the ante here! I can change, I can change!!
20I usually tip at least 20% and haven't changed that but if the service is lousy it will be less and for great service, I'll tip more.
2120% minimum. More if it's a place where I'm a regular. If you can't afford it, you shouldn't be there in the first place. And, if you're at a restaurant that has a special (a favorite of mine does a half-price pasta night once a week) - you're really supposed to tip on the full price of what you had. Treating your servers well results in them treating you well. I always get freebies at places where I'm a regular b/c I bend over backwards to show them how much I appreciate their hard work and delicious food/drinks.
22I tip the same. I just don't eat out as much these days.
23I don't really eat out anymore (if I go out now it's usually to diners hahaha), but I do try and throw an extra dollar or two down from the normal 15% - 20% when possible. I also try and leave a cash tip instead of putting it on my charge card.
If you can't afford to tip, then you can't afford to eat out. I don't get why some people can't grasp that concept.
24We don't really eat out very much at the moment, but when we do we have been tipping more generously than usual - 20% for okay service, 25% for great service.
25I think it's funny that I must have trained myself over time to think that you can't tip under 20% unless the service was awful! I didn't know 15% was even allowed anymore - if I can't pay at least 20% I don't go out.
26I live in a town where the restaurants are busy here every single night - I always hope that diners are tipping well around here. My fiance and I always tip 20-30% just because we've had such great service... and it's usually on the low end if it's bad service, but I just cannot leave a place and not leave a tip.
27We tip the same. However, personally, I've eaten out less. It's not because of the economy. I'm a really healthy eater (and more so lately), and most restaurant food don't pass my criteria.
28I always tip 25%. I know that waiters/waitresses/busboys need the cash, i do as well but I'm eating at their restaurant and they are serving me... they deserve it (unless they are horrible and rude.) Although recently i haven't eaten out in over a month, because I live alone and I don't really know anyone... and i'm a loner.
29i dont eat out much, but i make sure i tip wherever i go. but it does depend on where i go.. i think i may tip slightly more at a nicer restaurant vs like, ihop or chilis.
30If you can't afford to tip your server what they deserve, then you shouldn't be eating out. Since tips go directly to the server tipping more what keep the restaurant open, buying more will!
31We eat out a lot less but I still tip 20% or more...
32There is no excuse for not tipping properly. If you can't afford to tip, don't get out to eat. It's that simple.
33don't even got out to eat...but i always at least give a 15% tip, most of the time 20% even though i'm known to be the cheap one
34We don't go out to eat much (we don't like many of the town eateries), but I certainly don't tip less when we do. I've always been inclined to tip 20% if the service is good.
35I used to be a server and have always tipped more than 20% if the server is good. Now that times are hard I'm inclined to tip more. The economy hasn't affected my finances, the least I can do is throw a few extra bucks someone's way.
36no way! i'm a firm believer that if you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out/order in etc... it's just plain good manners and it's selfish to eat out and not tip because you can't "afford" it. just a pathetic excuse IMO...
37I work at an amazing celebrity chef restaurant, and I have one thing to get off my chest: If you are seriously deciding to tip less, please do not go out to eat. If you can't comprehend that multiple people are making a living from what diners leave as gratuity, please stop wasting our time.
38and PS: the standard minimum is 20%. Not 15%. If you can't afford it, stay home.
39I have tipped less at certain places like coffee shops or sandwich shops were the hourly wage is higher than what a waiter or waitress is making at a restaurant. Since I do only go to restaurants occasionally, I can still tip at least 20%. I was a waitress for too long and I feel too bad for them. But all of my service industry friends are still making more money than I am.
40Shellper (just because I'm curious) isn't it better for someone to come out, order food and drinks and tip you 15% then for that person to stay home and you and the restaurant make no money?
41It's just not right. Gratuity should be factored into your total if you are on a budget. If you can't afford the proper gratuity, then don't have that second glass of wine. The couple extra dollars may not seem like much to the diner, but it means a lot to the server if they are working hard to enhance your dining experience. It is insulting to receive a poor tip. Factor that 20% into your budget.
42LoneWolf, as a server, I'd much rather have someone come in and give me 15% than not come in at all. Shellper didn't really answer your question, but that's my stance on it. In Arizona, the base for tipping was still 15%, according to most of my server friends. Yes, it's an insult to receive a poor tip, but 15% isn't exactly an insult, it usually means you weren't a great server, but you didn't specifically anger your table.
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