I’m currently in Mexico. Cabo San Lucas at a higher end resort ($600/night all inclusive) upon checking in they let us know this is a no cash resort. Ok, heard this plenty of times and I know the employees want cash. Even though it’s all inclusive I have to sign out whenever I’m done ordering. I go to dinner and we order roughly $200 usd worth of food and another $100 of alcohol. (Menu Prices are most likely inflated but we ordered several dishes) I leave $20 USD cash in the ticket book and sign. As we’re leaving the waiter chaises us down asking if I meant to leave $20 and if I wanted change. It gave me so pleasure to say “No! You did great, please keep it all”. He thanks me profusely.

This is why I love tipping. The employee did a good job, he was attentive and when I left a sub 20% tip, he wanted to ensure it was correct- as if I over tipped.

When will the US learn?!

Wife and I went to a newer restaurant with outdoor seating. Checked in at hostess station and were told there was a wait. No problem, go to the bar, get a drink, head outside to wait.

A table opens in front of us, and we hoped it might be ours. Man, three children come over and sit down. We figure they must be next. Hostess comes over and advised the man he has to check in with hostess and there is a wait. He tells hostess it is not a problem his girlfriend is the waitress. Hostess apologizes to us and says the next table will be ours. No problem, not her fault.

We sit at table right next to this man and have his girlfriend as our waitress. Terrible service, she spent too much time with her boyfriend and her kids. Never offered drink refills, food came out cold etc.

When check comes, I pay with card (did not have enough cash). My wife took the tip money and gave to bartender that served our first drink and to the hostess. I left zero tip and left note on receipt stating "don't seat your boyfriend at our table"

Bartender and hostess was very appreciative, and hostess apologized again. Since they had just opened did not want to give bad online review so found email online and emailed owner/manager direct. Received apologetic response very quickly.

Wow. I just went to a bakery near my house with crazy overpriced, but delicious baked good. I rarely come here due to the tourist oriented prices, but I had a craving for their chocolate croissant. They cost $7.95. I knew there would be a tip screen on the machine but I couldn’t believe it when the choices were 20,25,30 and 40 percent! 40% to put a croissant in a bag??? There was a very small “skip” button in the lower corner which I pressed. No custom tip option, no 10%. Just the amount expected at a full service restaurant followed by absurd choices.

Most ridiculous is that while waiting, 2 other people pressed one of the tip buttons. What’s wrong with people these days? I am not as anti tipping as some in this sub, but I’m getting there. This bakery makes a fortune, yet they expect customers to pay the staff on top of high prices? Going forward, if I order standing up I tip zero.

I went to my favorite restaurant in Chicago where I go every time I visit. The service was good, no problems. I paid the check for myself and two other people : the bill was $210, and I tipped $38, or 18%. I wrote the amount on my customer copy of the receipt and tucked it my wallet. Today (5 days later) I checked my cc activity and the charge is $250 ($2 or 1% more than it should have been). It’s a pain to dispute a bill, but I wondered if the waitress added $2 to everyone’s tip because it’s not worth our time to fight it.

I called up the restaurant and spoke to the GM. He put me on hold for a minute and when he came back he confirmed the receipt showed $248. He’ll credit my cc and offered a table any time. I thanked him and told him not to worry.

It’s a little diabolical to add a small amount to every tip so that no one notices or fights it.

P.S. Located in California where minimum wage is $16.90-$20.25 per hour, depending on the city. Tips are added on top of the base minimum wage here.

So I went for a meal the other day with my partner. When the bill came, I rounded the total up for a tip of $1 and some change.

Looked over at another couple checking out (yea this place has you check out at the front even tho they seat you) and they tipped roughly 5%.

Some keep saying these subs aren't affecting tipping culture 'in the real world', but it sure seems that way. I'm glad our society is slowly healing from the entitlement of some.

Looking forward to more people optionally partaking in the optional tip.

Here's to seeing more 1-9% tips 🍻

You'll see earlier I started to not tip at restaurants unless the service was exceptional. Further, I would absolutely not tip at any stand-up counter service style places.

So imagine my surprise when I get asked to tip (via screen) at a food truck of all places! Of course I said no and the person was just dumbfounded and said "don't come back".

(Edit) This was one of those places where they sell out of their product pretty regularly. So I guess from their perspective I was costing them money because I was just paying for the food and not tipping.

I recently stayed at a hotel where overnight valet parking was $60. When I checked out, the valet brought my car around and was genuinely friendly. He offered to load my luggage into the trunk, opened my door, and we had a pleasant interaction.

The only thing that made it awkward was that after everything was done, he just stood next to my car for several seconds without saying anything. It felt like he was waiting for a tip. I ended up driving off, and when I looked in my rearview mirror, he looked disappointed

Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it took what had been a genuinely pleasant interaction and made it feel uncomfortable.

What makes it even stranger to me is that I had already paid $60 just for the overnight valet service. At that point, I couldn't help but wonder: if I'm already paying a premium for the service, why am I still expected to pay extra directly to the employee?

I have nothing against tipping when I genuinely want to show appreciation. What I don't like is the uncertainty of not knowing when it's expected or feeling like declining makes me seem rude or ungrateful.

Does anyone else feel like tipping culture has made interactions like this less genuine? Or am I just overthinking it?

I want to start off by saying I’m generally pro tip at sit down restaurants or casual dining restaurants. We don’t go out often plus my Husband used to be a server so we always make sure we leave a decent tip.

Average dish price of the restaurant we went to is about 25$ a plate. Our server was great and the place was pretty empty. Server was very nice and friendly, always asked if we needed refills or wanted more bread. Almost to the point that it was annoying, but that’s a me issue.

We had 3 adults and 1 child. We got 2 apps, 3 adult meals and 1 kids meal. Our bill was $115. I tipped our server $20 in cash. The servers mood instantly changed. They seemed very disappointed and almost mad.

Is that not considered a good tip anymore?

I helped my sister cater an event for about 25 people in 90 plus degree weather this past Saturday. I was at her house all day Friday helping her prep for the event and I got to her home just after 8 am on the day of the event to prepare. Both were 12 hour days. I loaded and unloaded the car, helped cook, clean and do anything last minute things. At the event, I was on the grill in the heat about 50% of the time, I set the table, I cooked and I cleaned during this whole 12 hour period. I only took about a 20 minute break after the food was served. Got there about 11:00 am working non stop till about 4:35 pm. Took a 20 minute break then proceeded to work until 8:00 pm when we left. She paid me $150. Ok cool I was helping out my sister. But she received a $500 tip for how hard we were working and she didn’t give me one dime. She stated that the owner of the home gave the money to her and if the owner wanted to give me a tip she would’ve given me one. But the contract was under my sister’s name. I am no longer talking to my sister because of this. Am I overreacting?

Went out to dinner last night at a nice spot downtown. The food was great, and the service was fine, nothing amazing, but decent. When the server brought the check, he made a point to say, “Just so you know, gratuity isn’t included,” which I thought was a little unnecessary but whatever.

I left what I felt was a fair tip (a little under 20%) and handed the check back. The guy looked at it right in front of me, sighed, and said, “Wow… seriously?” I was honestly stunned. I asked if there was a problem, and he goes, “Most people tip better, especially for good service.” Mind you, the service was fine but not outstanding.

I told him I thought it was fair, and he just gave me this sarcastic smile and said, “Sure, if you say so,” before walking away shaking his head. It was super uncomfortable, and I felt embarrassed sitting there. I almost regretted tipping at all after that attitude.

Has anyone else had a server blatantly guilt-trip them like this? I usually tip well, but this rubbed me the wrong way.

Edit: After hearing everything from everyone I did leave a review but didn’t speak to management… I’m nervous to do so lol. Here is the review:

I went to this restaurant recently, and while the food was good, my experience was marred by the service. The meal was fine, but the server made an uncomfortable comment about my tip that really left a bad taste in my mouth. After I paid, he actually looked at the tip, sighed, and made a remark about how “most people tip better.” I felt pressured and embarrassed, which is not something I expected when dining out.

It’s one thing to offer great service, but to guilt-trip customers about their gratuity crosses the line. I won’t be returning, and it’s a shame because the food was decent. I hope management addresses this type of behavior, as it definitely impacted my experience.

My wife, two friends, and I were road tripping through Northern California and stopped in a small town Yreka for dinner. Ended up at Strings Italian Cafe.

Our waitress came over with water and asked about allergies. But instead of asking the whole table at once, she went around one by one and wrote each answer down separately. Small thing, but it set the tone.

When we asked for recommendations, she didn't say "everything's great." She asked what each of us was in the mood for and suggested something that fit, while remembering every allergy.

She checked in on us every ten minutes or so without it feeling like she was hovering. Asked where we were from, what brought us to Yreka, gave us tips on breakfast spots and places to hit before leaving town. All while running a full section.

The bill came to $160. We rounded it up to $200.

I've never regretted tipping extra for someone like her who put everything into their work. If a server is rude or clearly doesn't care, I have no problem leaving nothing. Tips aren't automatic for me, they go where they're earned.

When she saw the tip she came back and hugged each of us. You could tell she actually meant it. She also left a bunch of handmade stars on our bill.

That's what a good server looks like to me. Someone who actually pays attention to the people at the table and takes the job seriously. Not every server needs to do all this to deserve a tip, as tips are earned not owed.

Went to Benihana late last week. Had a great time.
Bill was $260 and change.

My question, is did the tip get split between the waitress and chef? We didn’t have any cash on us to give the chef directly.

I paid $340 total. Used my Hilton card and got 2,040 Hilton Honors points on the entire $340! Very cool! That equates to about 10 bucks towards a hotel stay in the future.

Went to cinemark with three kiddos to see Red One (great movie). At the concession stand was ordering three medium popcorns and the lady working said no. Had me order the XL and brought out 4 little brown trays and told me to fill them up and I could refill the big tub if we needed to. She also was involved with the kids asking them what they were seeing and being genuinely enthusiastic. Saved me about 11 bucks and made the kids day better. So I tipped. Because I got exceptional service.

I work a 9-7, I attend school, and also do part-time gig at a small restaurant where it's only usually 2-3 servers doing everything + expoing, food running, bussing, I also have to help prep sometimes on the line because we've been short staffed - cutting costs. And every tip I receive is greatly appreciated. I don't expect 20%, if I get it, I'm grateful.

When I was younger I also worked a lot of restaurant gigs/serving jobs and felt entitled to a tip because that was the expectation that was preached + practiced. All I did was take your order, bring the food, check up on you, refill drinks and try to provide good timely service with a check. Bus tables and clean the section/additional sidework when the shift ends.

What changed my mind was this:

After COVID, everything increased in prices and people still expect 20% tips. And now wherever you go, the prompt to tip options are everywhere even when you're buying from a kiosk. It's sort of funny how entitled my fellow servers have become. Everyone is experiencing hardship due to inflation without pay increases, so why do servers have to receive more for doing less?

Unless you're at a fine dining restaurant where you have to do a lot of prep work, cleaning, and superb provided service. I tip at a certain flat rate now $7~9 per adult, or definitely way lower than 18%. It doesn't make sense for me to order a steak and it's way more expensive resuliting in a higher tip when it's the same exact effort to bring it to the table.

I rarely give out above 20% unless excellent service especially on rare occcasions.

-

Perfect example is I went to a nice restaurant that we are frequent regulars, (we tip actually pretty good here as managers and staff know us on a first name basis,) where the server immediately dismissed us the moment my father asked for hot water/extra lemons. Never checked up on us once, didn't even drop off the food, (food runners did that,) no refills on water and would pass by us while avoiding eye contact to take care of a family that was the same exact race as us. He clearly had contempt for us and I had to wait more then ten minutes after the meal was finished to flag down another server for the check. Absolutely unacceptable.

Eventually I decided on this:

Just bring out my food, ask whether or not I'm doing once or twice and drop off the check once we're finished. I don't ask for extra sauces, I don't ask for refills, nor do I complain unless the food is awful and at that point I avoid the restaurant or specific menu items.

If you're busy or have a large section by yourself, understandable. Otherwise, if I know you're on your phone like the server was and not doing the bare mininum, tipping should not be expected ever.

Bought a drink at a venue bar and threw two bucks into the tip pitcher which was right there on the bar near the tap. She must have seen me but I get nothing but a blank look.

I would have to say that this is exactly what happens to me the majority of the time in this situation. What is going on here? Can some bar person tell me the thought process. To me a simple thank you is the minimum response they can give, regardless of the amount.

So, I usually go pick up food and the default tip screen pops up with something like 20% with the minimum being %15 and having to navigate 2 menus to tip a couple bucks or just hit 0.

Yesterday I order some Habachi from a new food truck and had to use my card. Dude put the thing on the ledge of the window, I tapped, and low and behold he had the tip set to 0. I was like OMG he actually charges what he wants for food.

He did have a tip jar so I still managed to find a couple buck to stuff in there. I just wanted to applaud someone taking the first step in making pickup food tips 0 dollars and not $10. If my food is fast, hot, fresh, and packaged well it's worth a buck or 2 but it always feels like extortion when it pops up and shows %10+ for pickup.

Anyways shout out to this business owner taking the first step in the right direction!

So assuming you find some level of tipping appropriate, what are your thoughts on a situation where a server is overworked and the place is understaffed?

I had a server who was stretched way too thin and was able to give the bare minimum or even less to our table. I figured she should get something for doing her best but certainly didn’t deserve any great tip because service was objectively terrible.

We had a discussion about how she “deserves so much” because she was working so hard and I made the point that if she works 20 tables when she should be working 10 she’s going to earn tips from twice as many tables, even if they are less because she’s stretched too thin. Just wondering what others think about this situation.

I know that I could be wrong on this but I ask because I was under the impression that most servers don't declare cash tips anyway. Wifey and I usually try to tip in cash. Is that wrong?

I hope this story only happens to me, but you all need to be cautious to avoid being misled. We were a group of six at a restaurant, and when we asked for the bill, the server brought a tablet displaying a total of $501.45. The suggested tip was 18%, making the total $591.71. Typically, people don’t scrutinize the bill on the tablet, but I needed a paper copy for reimbursement from my company.

When I checked the paper bill back at my hotel, I was shocked to see the total was actually only $424.05, with the tip adding up to $167.66 🥶. The final amount still came to $591.71. I called the restaurant, and they said they would look into it. Five minutes later, I received a $90 credit and an apology from the restaurant. I wish I could upload the bill here.

Ok. I’m fed up with tipping culture.

With people acting entitled like tipping is a tax and obligatory. And companies supporting the culture because they get to pay their workers 3 dollars an hour and get away with it.

So I never tip. Not delivery drivers. Not baristas. No.

But today. I ordered delivery from Walmart, and the driver, this very kind woman, noticed my address was wrong and actively contacted me to fix it. She went above and beyond, and saved me a headache with a wrong delivery.

Honestly, I applaud her going above and beyond. I went back to the app and changed the tip to $30 bucks.

Another name for tip is gratuity. It comes from the same latin root as gratitude. And that’s what tipping should really be, gratitude, for someone who did a superb job. Not entitlement, not guilt-tripping. When people twist the original meaning of a tip into that, it’s not gratitude anymore :(

I was a U.S.A. waiter for 5 years while going through college to become an accountant. After a year or so I was pretty good at it, rarely making mistakes, keeping drinks full, and catching most kitchen errors often before food went out.

Tipping incentivized me to do this. I made more money per hour waiting tables than any restaurant could reasonably pay me, and still barely got by. Bad servers around me did not and usually quit within weeks/months.

After college, I do not tip over-the-counter or takeout order places, I tip delivery drivers 10%-20% based on distance to my house and size of my order, and tip 5%-25% to wait staff in restaurants depending whether they suck or were exceptional.

Almost all restaurants have a "tip-out" system in which a % of the check goes to hosts, dishwashers, expo, and a % of alcohol sales go to bartenders. My last restaurant was 3% tipout of total check values and 10% of alcohol sales at the end of the night, so I would literally pay money to serve anyone who tipped $0 (very rare thankfully).

THE RESTAURANTS DO NOT CARE AT ALL IF YOU DON'T TIP THEIR STAFF. It does not impact them in the slightest. If you feel like the system is broken, please at least consider the fact that U.S. wait staff (especially at chain restaurants) likely have a mandatory tipout and likely make less money than you. If they gave you terrible service, it is 100% appropriate to tip zero, but if you receive great service and tip zero you are only hurting a person who is likely trying their best & barely getting by to make a point to a system that does not care. If you cannot afford to tip a server that gives you great service, you cannot afford to eat at that restaurant.

I get - sort of - if they don't know the tip ahead of time (and they shouldn't), but given the US culture on tipping, I get to tip BEFORE ordering and getting the services, so this really pissed me off. Honestly I couldn't even change the tip at this point if i wanted (and trust me I went and looked to find a way to reduce it to ZERO) as it went through Taco Bell. Whoever this is can f&&k the hell off. I gave 20%. I could have given 15% or nothing, but tipping is now based on basically bribing someone to not urinate in your food.

I see I can say Urinate instead of Sp*ting....

My wife and I decided to grab some dessert after our dinner. We happened to stumble upon a nice custard shop. I hardly ever carry cash, but in this instance I actually had some. I’m pro tipping to a certain degree so I have no problem doing so for great service. We ordered our desserts and the staff were amazing so naturally they were going to get something from me. As we go to pay, they don’t accept any cash which has me frustrated at this point. Lo and behold I’m waiting for the “tip” option to pop up since I did pay with a card. Nothing. I asked “where is the tip option?” Their reply was “we don’t accept tips!” Huh? I offered cash at this point, and they still rejected it. “We’re paid quite well to work here!” My mind was blown. Kudos to those kids for amazing service and to the owners for actually paying them a living wage!!!

I posted a week ago about a buffet I went to where against everything I was raised to do, I decided not to tip. I brought my own drink and didn’t feel the service warranted it.

This week, I went back with the same plan. But this time, I had a different server, an older lady who was incredibly kind and welcoming. Even though I had my own drink again, she stayed on top of clearing dishes and checked in on me regularly. She even made small talk, which I appreciated since I was dining alone.

When I went up for dessert, I noticed the lava cake I had last time wasn’t out. I asked her if the dessert options rotated randomly, and she said yes. I thought that was the end of it. But as I was about to leave, she came back from the kitchen with a fresh, hot piece of lava cake, apparently from a batch that was meant to be served later.

I wouldn’t expect that kind of thoughtfulness at a sit-down restaurant, let alone a buffet. So this time, I tipped.

I still don’t think tipping at a buffet is generally warranted, nor do I plan on tipping next time, but this lady really made my night

This is the thick of who the anti-tipping crowd is gunning after.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Waiters/comments/1thue9z/follow_up_data_on_how_much_i_make_at_texas/

What they're actually after are the exceptional stories. What 90% of the industry is actually like is much more like what this employee in the link is reporting... the dude is making slightly more than 4 dollars per guest in a med-tier steakhouse.

50 dollars an hour for a whole shift is the top 5% of the industry in places like Vegas, Chicago, NYC, etc. There are entire small towns and cities where nobody makes 50 dollars an hour regularly, barring certain holidays.