tipping etiquette questions

If someone waits on me, I tip. At the local chinese buffet, where all they do is refill my drink every now and then, I leave a dollar.

If I'm getting something to go... no tips. But that's just me.

 

1. No, no, no. While the baristas certainly appreciate the tips, it's definitely not necessary at Starbucks. I worked there for about six months last year, and even while I was an employee, I never saw the point of tips. The only time I ever tip at Starbucks is coin change I get back. Most baristas make at least $7/hour and shift supervisors get close to $9/hour. They don't need no stinkin' tips, although I do understand it much more for Starbucks than any other fast food-esque type joint. I laugh at places like Chipotle and the pizza place you mentioned that expect tips. Completely stupid.

The only one I might consider is the to-go order at the restaurant. And it might be a dollar or two. Certainly not 20 percent.

I have a personal rule that I tip people who rely on those tips as their main source of income -- waiters, bartenders, etc ... and I am a very good tipper. Places like Sonic, and usually barbershops ... never.

 

wings and fried cheese sticks ...

you need to tip your wife for enduring the ramifications of that combo.

 

I wouldn't have tipped in any of those three occasions. Standard sit-down restaurant, I'm between 15-20, but I don't typically tip for counter service.

Another posit: Big-chain pizza place charges a $1.50 delivery fee for pizza. How much do you tip the delivery guy? I figure I'm already paying extra for the delivery, so I'll add a buck for a single pizza as the tip. Add in the $1.50 and it's more than 15 percent on top of the bill. What do you guys do?

 

That delivery charge doesn't go to the driver, in most cases. So if you're counting that as part of the tip, you're screwing your guy.

 

I am such a stickler when it comes to tips. You do me right, I take care of you; you don't and I don't. Period.

I've left as much as $5 on a $7 meal and as little as $2 on a $50-plus ... you can't be a complete nozzle and just expect a tip. But 15 percent for being snotty, getting my order wrong and never re-filling my drink? Go to hell.

Also gave the stylist who cut my 2-year-old son's hair a $10 tip ... and she earned every bit of it.

 

Most of Europe is like that. It's one of the things that they lead us in.

 

1. No.
2. No.
3. No.

I imagine the workers can survive on the wages they make so long as they don't get sick. Unfortunately, the same goes for me.

 

I had lunch at an Olive Garden three weeks back where I waited 12 minutes to get a menu, 10 minutes after I was finished to receive the check and another 10 minutes to get the server to pick it up.

Found out afterward she was going outside to take breaks when I was leaving the place.

The check came to $37.90 or so. The only reason I left her the $2 and change was to round my credit card charge up to $40.

Needless to say, I'm very specific with my tops. And it goes the other way, too - tonight for dinner I had a guy who checked in all the time and made sure we were taken care of. He got $8 on a $30 meal.

 

I tip based on what the person has done for me and/or the number of people in the party, never a certain percentage of the bill. Did it require more physical exertion to carry out a plate with a $16 steak vs. one with a $6 burger on it? I don't think so.

As someone said earlier, I have been known to leave tips nearly equal to the bill if the person working did something to deserve it and I have been known to leave next to nothing if the person was a dick.

I generally tip bartenders very well. Yeah, all the guy/gal is doing is pulling a beer and handing it to me ... but that karma shit mentioned earlier goes a long way.

 

Always tip the barber/stylist well when they do what i ask. people with sharp objects near my ear get my attention quickly.

and it can't be said enough: Bartender karma.

 

I might drop 50 cents in the jar at Starbucks. Otherwise, no dice at the to-go places. I'm already making the effort to drive there and go in to get the order. I'm not adding to the bill unless something spectacular happens.

Most I've ever tipped was about $100 for our wedding rehearsal dinner. The bill was around $300 or so, and the waiter was terrific. Plus it was an after-hours party, so I figured he deserved a nice tip for working late.

Least I ever tipped was about a week later on our honeymoon. Place called "Cheeseburger" (a chain restaurant) in Key West. The service was dreadful. Lunchtime, it was a little busy, and the waitress had to cover the bar plus a few tables. But we still had to wait forever for our food and the check, might have gotten one refill (when she brought the check), and just didn't seem important to her. The table of six next door that was ordering drinks, meanwhile, got plenty of attention.
Our bill was $33.66. I tipped her 34 cents to round it up and send a message.