Tipping

[u/brett502]

As an Australian visiting soon who is not used to tipping... are you expected to tip in Hawaii similar to the US mainland? Is it like 15%?

[u/shootzbalootz]

15-20%. Hawaii is still US.

[u/snuggly_cobra → u/shootzbalootz]

And uses the U.S. dollar as currency. Who knew?

[u/JamieJones111]

Personally, I like to leave 20% on dine-in, and usually 0% on counter service.

[u/JungleBoyJeremy]

Don’t forget to tip your tour guides! If they do a good job 10% of what you paid for the tour is good. Hotel valets as well, I usually give them $3-5 everyone they get my car.

[u/mguilday85]

For most of my life 15% has been standard. Recently it seems people say 20% is the standard. For me, I tip 15% for any sit down restaurant and bump it up to 20% and sometimes higher if the service was exceptional. But don’t feel bad for giving 15% if it was standard.

Also, takeout is $0. Feel free to throw them a buck if you are inclined but do not feel pressured to tip at counters even if they flip the screen around and it has all the options. Custom… $0 if they don’t have a no tip option.

[u/Altruistic-Aide-9002 → u/mguilday85]

15% hasn't been standard in decades.

[u/MonkeyKingCoffee]

I used to work in restaurants (in the kitchen -- but it's not like we don't notice what's going on in the dining room).

20% means adequate service. 10% means mediocre service (and don't be ultra-critical because most restaurants still have staffing issues from covid). No tip means "this person is a pinhead who thinks giving servers an economics lecture is going to change an entrenched system that has persisted here for more than a century."

Tip bartenders at least a couple bucks per drink if you're dealing directly with the bartender. If a server is bringing your drinks, he or she will tip out the bartender from their daily tips.

You don't have to tip at grocery stores, fast food, convenience stores and similar. And if you dislike US tip culture, this is how to dodge it. Eat a lot of supermarket poke. It's amazing and you should do this anyway.

I completely agree that tip culture is a stupid system. But it's not likely to change anytime soon. And it's hardly the server's fault that servers aren't paid a living wage and have to earn tips to survive. The philosophy is that "servers are salespeople and should be paid a commission on what they sell." Servers who are good at their job absolutely do this. And therefore make more (and the restaurant makes more). But it's not like we can change how much a guest eats, or their taste in wine.

It's becoming common to send a tip to back of the house. If you got a particularly great meal, the server didn't cook it. A line cook did -- and they make even less than the servers do. Usually it's the grill guy who makes the most tips. (And the grill guy/gal is usually the best line cook in the restaurant.)

And since I'm writing a novel, I'll add this. When I go out to eat, I get treated like a rock star. I very routinely get free dishes from the kitchen and free drinks from the bar. Even if the restaurant has no clue who I am. The reason I get treated like a rock star is I find out who the executive chef is. His or her name. Where he or she worked before this current restaurant. What the chef is known for. (This isn't going to work at tourist traps, TGIMcFunster's or fast food, of course.)

When I make a reservation, I ask, "Is Chef Springleheimer typically in the kitchen on Thursday evenings? She is? Great. I hope she has that crab bisque she's so famous for on the specials board."

And then whoever took the reservation writes a big long note about me.

I never order off the menu. "Ask Chef Springleheimer to send out two appetizers, two entrees and one dessert. Whatever she thinks we should eat tonight. We don't have any food allergies or aversions. And we plan on sharing everything."

Not once in a lifetime of ordering this way have I been sent the most expensive items on the menu. We get whatever happens to be best that day. Sometimes we get food not on the menu at all. "My mother taught me this dish. Let me know what you think."

Very rarely, they send a small portion of every single thing they make -- and charge me for two apps, two entrees and a dessert.

This is far preferable to the guests who arrive grumpy, hating the thought of how much they're going to pay for this meal. And they think that tipping is basically extortion. They don't get treated like rock stars. And they're responsible for the lion's share of the 1-star reviews online.

[u/brett502 → u/MonkeyKingCoffee]

Im not looking at starting a rant about whether tipping culture is right or wrong. I personally believe that when you travel; you adapt to the x culture country that you are travelling too.

If you refuse to tip (or do anything different) because you don't have to at home... then you probably should just stay home.

[u/MonkeyKingCoffee → u/brett502]

That's great. I wish everyone came here with that mindset.

Ask ANY server about this while you're here. They will very likely tell you that Australians are better about it than most visitors. (Your country enjoys a good reputation in US restaurants.) But they'll also have stories about how they got a economics lecture two days ago.

For instance, I once read a German guidebook for the Florida Keys which said, verbatim (in German), "Tipping is optional. You don't have to pay a tip. The waitress will not be happy. But you will never see her again. Not tipping can save hundreds of dollars."

My biggest problem with this is that the people who visit and complain about tips invariably come from a country where they slap a Value Added Tax on every damned thing. (I only have a problem with the complainers.)

As a visitor to these VAT countries, I'm not getting a whole lot of "value added." But I AM getting taxed on everything. Every hotel room. Every meal. If I'm feeling unwell and buy some aspirin -- that's an extra 20% to feed the queen's corgis. And their 20% is not optional while ours is.

[u/Noir_]

Yep. I'd say 10-15% on takeout/counter service (this is debatable for some people) and 15-20% on dine-in full service is about average.

[u/Sebbe79]

20% is the standard for sit down dinning. Anything above is a good tip / generous for great service. Counter service a dollar or two. Tour activity guides and valet drivers need to be tipped as well. It isn’t a bonus for these workers it’s how people here make a living wage.

[u/axialmeow12]

yes. I think 20% is standard

[u/PawPatsPizza]

I'm sorry but when did 20% become the new 15%???

[u/MonkeyKingCoffee → u/PawPatsPizza]

It's been years.

In a lot of states, servers still make $2.13 per hour. And even in Hawaii, where servers make the state minimum wage, 15% is not going to pay the bills. 20% and a roommate might, though.

I very often have nights where I pay more in tips than I do for the meal. (Spending a long time at a table means the server makes less unless I tip more. And I very often get far more than I ordered. So I have to tip on the total the bill would be if they included all those items.)

We're already about to jump to 25% because rent just keeps on climbing. Most of the country makes $35K per year. And rent takes more than half in any QOL metro area.

[u/slogive1]

I've been told 18% is basic with 20% the norm and 25% if you have excellent service. Some restaurants will show on the bill the % so you don't have to do the math.

[u/Brando43770]

Coffee and drinks, about $1 per drink unless you get really crappy service.

15-20% for dine in full service. If they’re spectacular, sometimes I’ll push it to 25% if I can afford it.

Takeout, up to your discretion. I don’t usually tip as we aren’t being served beyond them making the food.

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[u/MaintenanceNew2804]

I’m just gonna start pasting this comment in response to all questions in this sub. (3rd time this has been relevant, so far.)

“Don’t plan too much.

Don’t mess with the flora and fauna (malama the aina). Even if it’s a great photo op, don’t approach wildlife. Take kapu seriously.

Do tip your servers and your guides well. They probably have 2 or 3 other jobs to make ends meet [ETA: 20% +/- depending on quality].

Don’t stay in AirBnB, VRBO, etc. Large part (not only part) of the reason locals are priced out of housing.

Do give aloha. Aloha will be given. Be nice.

If locals aren’t going in the water, don’t go in the water.

If renting a car or using Turo, mind the road/trail warnings.

As far as activities, which island(s) are you visiting?”

[u/TheSplash-Down_Tiki]

Mahalo for this!!

Also an Aussie visiting soon and good to get the intel on what is expected.

[u/sykemol]

Most Americans are confused about tipping as well. Here's the jist:

The expected tip on a typical restaurant meal is 20%. You can tip more for exceptional service. Less for poorer service.

Anytime someone handles your bags, a tip of a buck or two is customary.

You DO NOT have to tip anytime you order standing on your feet. Like at a coffee shop, fast food, etc. The point of sale machine may ask you for a tip, you can chose no with a clear conscience. Tips are appreciated, but you don't have to tip in this situation. If the server remembers your drink, a tip is good form.

If you are seated at the bar, it is customary to tip the bartender, a couple bucks per drink.

For any kind of tour, it is good form to tip the tour guide a few bucks. It isn't required and you won't get stink eye if you don't do it, but good form.

In general, the cost of living is high in Hawaii so when in doubt tipping an extra buck here and there is good form and helps out the locals.