tipping etiquette questions

Shit! $8 is high. They're about $6 on post.

 

It's 2009, and I still don't get why people don't know this.

You tip the people that work for tips. You tip the people that allow you to get better deals on food and drink because the price of the service is not included in the food or drink.

At Starbuck's, the price of the service is included in the drink. Same with McDonald's ... you think those Chicken McNuggets cost that much to make?

At a bar? At a restaurant? At a place where a person's paycheck is almost completely wiped out by taxes, so they live off of tips only? You tip.

That isn't to say I don't tip some at Starbucks and the like, but not to the extent that I tip bartenders and servers (and I tip well). These baristas at Starbucks are sometimes making over four times as much per hour as your typical tips-only server or bartender. Seriously.

 

With the to-go orders?

Remember, that for every to-go order that the bartender has to put together, he's losing possible tips at the front of the bar. So, for your covienence, he or she is taking the order, running the order, going to the line to finish off the order after it's plated (your sides, your celery, your sauces, whatever), putting it in to-go containers, putting the condiments and plastic stuff in the bag, readying it for you, putting it together for your.

No, they didn't cook it. But that's about it.

Meanwhile, they're losing money at the bar because they're readying your order, money that usually ends up in the hands of the server.

The restaurant/bar asks them to do this for free, so your $8.95 wings don't turn into $13 wings.

(Now, in Europe, you don't tip, but the cost of the service is included in the meal, so the prices are sky high. That's not just the cost to produce the product.)

So, I tip. 20 percent. What's three dollars and change on a 16-buck order? Nothing. Tip.

 

The only restaurant I do carryout at, the bartender has nothing to do with it. So don't make that assumption.

 

I'm sorry but if I order carry-out, it's no different than going to a fast food joint. No different. Whatsoever.

I am paying for the meal and the meal only. If you want to factor in some extra money for the person serving the food, fine, but add it to the price of the meal. Then, if I still want it, I'll pay for it.

 

One oft-ignored rule I learned from my daughter, who's managed several restaurants/pubs...

If you buy a regular menu item that's on special for a discounted price (for example, half-price wings on a certain night), you tip based on the full price.

 

I ran into a tipping conundrum last week. I bought an elliptical machine and had it delivered and assembled. The guys did a fantastic job, quick and efficient, and they were gone in 1/2 hour. I felt like because they did a great job, I should tip them. But then I wondered how often they get tipped and if it would be weird.

Eventually, I just offered them each a bottle of water, which they accepted. I guess I'm in the mind that you should tip everyone who does a good job, even though it is just that, their job. (Newspaper people excluded).

 

I had a similar situation where the guy delivered a flatscreen to my mom's house and then proceeded to hang it for her on the wall, which we had no expectation would happen, but we were very grateful that he did.

I said, "Hey, we really appreciate everything you did." and handed him a $10 and he gave me this incredulous look and said, "I can't take this from you." and tossed it on the table. He was kind of a dick about it.

It wouldn't have been that hard to say, "I'm sorry, but I can't accept tips."

 

When I call ahead and order food to go, I always tip a dollar or two, just because they still had to prepare my meal in a method different than normal. However, if I pick up pizza from a delivery place, I don't tip. There was no extra work done.

For situations 1 and 3, if I pay cash, sometimes I'll drop some coins in there, but these employees aren't working off of tips like a server at a normal restaurant.

 

Read in Esquire or the newspaper the other day that George Clooney tips twice the check.

 

If I had two hit movies out this year and was up for an Oscar, I'd tip twice the check, too.