10 worst celebrity tippers
 

10. Rachael Ray shows up on quite a few lists of measly tippers. "Tipped $1 on a $10 tab" according to List of the Day, which also accuses her of "promoting less than a 20% tip on a show that millions of people watch!" Rachael might have to rename her series of $40 a Day books $40 a Day -- Not Including Gratuities.

9. Bill Cosby is ranked #6 on Glamorati's list of 34 notoriously bad tippers, and the Cos makes it onto just about every other list too. He is said to have once left a $3 tip on a $350 order. This from a man who preaches about the importance of setting a good example.

8. Sean Penn and three others had "New Orleans waiters waiting on them hand and foot. The tip left on a $450 tab? Absolutely nothing. There are lots of instances of Sean Penn stiffing waitstaff," Glamorati reports. He takes the number three spot on the Frisky's compilation of measly stars as well. Of course Penn was in N.O. helping out poor people, so let's at least acknowledge he's generous with his time, if not his money

7. Mariah Carey is said to have kept a restaurant open late with a very large party. Glamorati, getting its info from the New York Post, wrote that "Mariah and crew were very diva-ish with their demands. Despite keeping staffers jumping and a high tab, no one left a tip."

6. Usher is consistently cited as one of the worst tippers, including the Stained Apron's 44 tipping "sinners," and the number five spot on the Frisky. "Always tries to get someone else to pick up the bill," reports glamorati.com. More damning is the oft-repeated tale of Usher having once left his autograph as a tip.

5. Jeremy Piven, according to Zimbio, showed up at Nobu in Aspen with a party of 12 -- without a reservation. After being seated and served, Piven reportedly told the manager: "Thanks for nothing," and left a signed Entourage DVD as the tip -- which is at least a bit more generous than an autograph. According to the story, a Nobu employee hurled the box at Piven as he was leaving, and Piven was banned from ever returning to Nobu. Sounds like something Ari Gold, his Entourage character, might do. The act earned Piven the number one "worst tipper" on Zimbio's list of ten worst tippers, number two on thefrisky.com, and at or near the top on most others. We would have placed him higher, but he doesn't make as much money as most folks on this list, and it's just one incident.

4. LeBron James comes in at number four on thefrisky.com's list, and perhaps for good reason. Seems he once made a Cleveland steak house stay open until 4 in the morning so he could finish his feast. The bill: $800. The tip: $10. Obviously LeBron is waiting to win a championship and use the windfall for tipping.

3. Barbra Streisand is mentioned again and again for being a cheap tipper as well as a rude and demanding customer. Glamorati says, "Doesn't always tip." Thefrisky.com notes that at a New York restaurant, Babs once "left a $10 tip for a $457 tab." That's not so funny, girl.

2. Madonna: It's just like the old days: Madonna comes in number one on chart after chart. Glamorati in 2008 named Madonna numero uno in its list of the 34 stingiest celebs. "Doesn't always leave a tip, and when she does it's a cheap one." A year later, List of the Day put her atop its cheapster listing and reported that Madonna and then-husband Guy Ritchie left an $18 tip on a $400 tab (Madonna's worth, incidentally, is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions). Madge is also the cover girl for bad tippers at thefrisky.com, nabbed the number five spot on zimbio.com's list of worst tippers, and also appears LoveToKnow's survey as well.

1. Tiger Woods came in number four on Zimbio's scrooge compilation and was cited on every single list. The reason he doesn't tip: The man worth more than $500 million says it's because he never carries cash. The Frisky reports Tiger dated "a gal in Las Vegas who had to tip for him whenever they went out." And according to List of the Day ,Tiger once "pulled a mulligan on a $5 tip, repocketing the money meant for a waitress after realizing he had tipped her earlier in the evening. He was possibly distracted by the $10,000 hand of blackjack he was playing." Hey, Tiger, we have a tip for you: When it comes to leaving money for those who are serving you, just do it.

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/short...ean_penn_t.php

I'm sorry, there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for these stars to pull this crap. If a "poor" person (i.e. someone who doesn't make millions) can afford to tip a waiter, so can they.

I hope these celebrities get bombarded with negative press, but chances are that won't happen.

This makes me SICK. I tip 20-30% and I clearly dont make anything near what these cheap a-holes make...they should be ashamed honestly...such BS.:mad::mad:

We shared a pool man with Cary Grant. (Cary Grant was a client way before us). Cary Grant not only refused to pay his bill, he (Cary) thought that it was a marketing strategy for the pool man. "Just tell everyone you are Cary Grant's pool guy.:

Our pool man fired Cary Grant.

The part of this that isn't discussed is how was the service? But if you keep a restaurant open late for the customer than it goes without saying that there was good service. If it had been bad enough to not pay, you wouldn't have stayed so late.

And although it may be BETTER to pay tips in cash, if you literally have none I think you can go ahead and add it to your credit card. This falls into the pathetic excuse category.

Here in Dubai people don't tip because the bill says "service charge" so they think they don't have to. Dubai is "tax free" so the city charges a "service charge" (hypocracy you say?). When people I know learn this they are horrified to know they have been scrooges for a year or more. And in some cases, even if you do tip, the money goes to the owner, so it's not doing what you want it to anyway. So it's a crap shoot, but I always tip unless I am super annoyed with the service.

I had a waiter follow me out of a bar in KC once because our entire group didn't tip. First, some did. He apparently wasn't even aware of this because people had to go to the bar to pay. Second, I intentionally didn't tip because this group who went to this bar every month got horrendously bad service and I was sick of it. If I have to beg to get the bill, you're not getting a tip. Sucks to be you.

It hurts me to hear Cary Grant was a douche canoe. I loved him.

I'm a firm believer in the following:
People who don't tip or have the CBS (cheap bastard syndrome) should be sentenced to be a server for a week! It'll give them a whole new appreciation

Really hate lousy tippers. Served two groups yesterday. One group of students who spent about $20 each and one group of very wealty store owners who had $60 meals AND a lot of expensive bottles of wine. The students tipped about 20 %, the others not a penny. I asked them is there was anything wrong with the service and they just told me they don't tip waiting staff as they don't think the job is very demanding. Asshats.

That is the most douchey thing I think I've ever heard. And yes, those people should be made to spend a week as a waiter. And good to know the students were trained right by someone.

I take all of these stories with a grain of salt. Maybe they are accurate. Maybe they are not.

Even if the stories aren't entirely accurate, the reality is that there are some douchey people in the world who don't tip, stars or no stars.
Even if I have incredibly lousy service I tip something, it might only be a buck, but I've never stiffed a waiter. I've never been a server but my brother and SIL were and I know from them about people stiffing them. I try to give the servers a little bit of the benefit of the doubt.
I have also tipped a completely different server, if he/she actually helped me and my original one didn't.

And this should be the point rather than yet another rumor-mill about celebrities.

I don't and I never will. They should consider themselves lucky that I chose not to tip rather than speaking to a manager.

Well my question is why aren't the restaurants adding a gratuity to the bill? A lot of these stars roll with 7 or 8 (or more) people on a tab - in many restaurants they add a gratuity for parties over 6. Add the gratuity and be done with it!

Another reason why this list is a tardparty? The Tiger Woods 'incident' apparently happened at a blackjack table ... where tipping $5 (total) to a server is normal, and tipping generally should NOT be expected to scale with the table max.

Why should he tip a server bringing free drinks more than $1/per (which would be what you would do at a $25 table) simply because he's playing $10k/hand?

Anybody who gambles on an even recreational basis knows that tipping is part of the rake - which also doesn't scale.

I believe high-end restaurants consider this practice gauche.

Shakira doesn't.
BronBron does.

Perhaps. It's more common in Europe, but really, it's way more work to take care of a table of 12 than it is to take care of 3 tables of 4.

I would have lost it!!!!!!!! (and then probably lost my job) That is absolutely sickening to me.

This. Articles like these are really just a way for people to feel superior to "celebrities."

You mean more than the negative press to which you linked, and to which that article referred?

Just curious -- why do you tip up to 30%? I mean, that's great if you want to do that, but that's quite above the standard, and I hardly think someone should be criticized for leaving a standard tip.

I leave something, but it's a token something so that the terrible server can't just say "well, he forgot." And I speak to the manager.

Personally, I wish Americans would just do away with the tipping system -- I'd much rather restaurants just increase the price of the meal to cover it or include a service charge -- but it'll never happen.

Cary Grant gave his entire salary from The Philadelphia Story ($150,000 in 1940 dollars - probably around $15,000,000 today) to the Red Cross. Yeah, real douchecanoe. :rolleyes:

I'm not going to do a he/she said on this. I had no reason to doubt my pool man (or a few others who have similar stories about Cary Grant and others). I commend that donation. Just a bit to think about: there is public and then there is private behavior.

It's clear that I didn't forget because I put a line through the tip area or I tell the server.

You also speak to the manager so the tip you left is balanced out. LOL.

Tipping is the be-all and end-all of life. Our life contributions and accomplishments all boil down to whether we tip and how much. Cary Grant is NOTHINGNESS. NOTHINGNESS, I SAY.

That applies to everyone. Imagine how much we (in general) would dislike each other if we (in general) could follow each other around all day and everyday and see what each other does or does not do that we agree or disagree with.

Some people's deal breaker is tipping and they swear volcanoes errupt because of it. I have different deal breakers than tipping, some of which those who consider tipping a deal breaker may not have. Life keeps moving.

OH no I dont criticize people that leave 18% at all! I have a problem with people leaving less than that for great service lol. My minimum is ALWAYS 20%. If they REALLLLLLLYY suck, then 18%..but thats rare. The 30% tip is reserved for people I know personally, servers or bartenders that really bust their ass for me if me or my friends are being picky or demanding, servers or bartenders that have "hooked you up" (giving you a couple beers free or not charging you for a soda, something like that), and usually during happy hour..if your check is $15, but due to 241 drinks should have been more like $30, then I tip on the original amount (the $30.. in which case Ill leave $8-9 or so).

I worked as a server and bartender all through college and it is hard work. Right now am bartending a few days a week for extra cash for my wedding in November. Trust me, I come across some really cheap people who just dont get that I only get paid $4.25 an hour and rely on their tips. I could go on and on about this subject so Ill shut it for now lol.

Most people who work in restaurants tip big.

For the rest of us, 15% is fair market for average service, no tip for bad service and a great tip depends on the service.

$1 for a $10 meal, what does the person expect $5, $10???

she may not have had 50 cents.

Your generosity should never be confused with a standard. ;)

I leave 15% unless the person did something more awesome than the average server. I have high expectations in life and expect great things so someone has to be greater than great to be above average. Or I have to be feeling superdupergenerous which occasionally happens especially after a couple of glasses of red wine. I hope there is still a place for me in Heaven. :)

I don't think this has expired:
http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/tipping/

This. I might round it up if it makes the math easier/rounds out the dollar.

And LOL on drawing a line where you'd write the tip. I'm so old I still automatically think of leaving cash in the table, but you're exactly right.

Oh yes, I also do that.

I will also round down if need be. LOL.

I'm horrible at carrying cash. I'm getting better. :o

When I am carrying cash, I still leave a line where the tip would be and either leave the cash tip on the table, give it to the server (preferred method), or give it to the front desk. Whatever lets the server know that she/he has a tip...or doesn't have a tip.

I thought it was more common in mid-range American restaurants, since in many European countries, service charges are added to the cost of a meal. An extra two or three Euros can be added if the service is exceptional.

It strikes me as pretty funny that most of the "bad tippers" haven't had the best publicity of late...Tiger Woods? Others might just be the victims of beef...LeBron James? Did a disgruntled Cleveland native write this article? These articles are silly...as is most anything related to "The Frisky."

I dont understand why people think 15% is still the "minimum" now-a-days. Prices on everything have gone up, minimum wage has gone up,so why is the old-fashioned 15% minimum still standard? In any restaurant you'll notice the automatic grat is minimum 18%....but I digress.

PS..$1 on $10 is 10%..thats pretty low for someone who had to go to the kitchen 4-5 times and has to share there tips with the bartender, hostess and busboy..just sayin''..even rounding up to the next buck helps a ton (unless they sucked at service, in which case my argument is irrelevant.)

Based on this argument, at some point the tip will be 100%. Although I do believe in tipping, and do so, it is also true that it is not my responsibility if the waiter lives comfortably, has a car, has a coke problem to support, whatever.

And if you're a waiter at a place where the total bill might be $10, you're gonna be in a world of hurt. That's 2 people eating dinner at McDonalds, and you don't have to tip there.

Being a waiter is a sucky job at least partly because of the way they receive their income, but it's not my job to fix that. While in the US, I tip what I consider standard - 20% on the total not including the tax. I don't tip on tax.

Depends on what country you visit. In some counties servers just get paid more because tipping isn't the standard. But in most servers make the minimum and rely on tips. Adding a service charge is not "what they do in Europe" but what they do in some European counties and it's usually mentioned on the menu.

I make minimum wage, and work my ass off (in my personality,huge perfectionist) and it sucks that people rake up a huge bill and just leave a few euros.
In The Netherlands the minimum wage for servers is a bit higher than in the US, so the standard is 10% for average service, more if it was really good and nothing if it sucked or if you're cheap. Also, we have to share the tip with the other servers, the kitchen staff and the bartenders so I only get to keep about 5% of what I get tipped.

I usually tip 10-15% here (15-20% when back in the U.S.) and always compliment a server if the service was good, tell the manager when it was exceptional.

ETA.
One huge difference, I've noticed the Dutch only tip in Bars/Restaurants and maybe Hotels. Not for hairdressers/coatchecking/gasstation. First time I went to the salon here I tried to leave a tip but the came after me, thinking I forgot my money :o.

Isn't that what I said..."in some European countries?" :confused:

I tend to tip more than 15% because I rarely go to sit-down restaurants and when I do, it's usually for special occasions or large groups. Also, I would really prefer to avoid certain stereotypes about some groups not tipping...:rolleyes:

I know you did, just adding my experience with tipping in Europe. :)

I've travelled most of the continent and it's very confusing. In some countries adding a service charge on top of the bill is mandatory, in some service is included in the price of the food.

Here is what loses this argument. If the meal costs more "nowadays" than 15% is automatically going to be a higher dollar amount. Logic fail.

An interesting thing is happening as well with the advent of Groupon/LivingSocial. I went to a restaurant and used one, and they added an automatic 18% to the bill before the coupon. Apparently, they'd had problems with people using a $30 coupon on a $40 check and then tipping based on the $10 left to pay. The server did give me advanced notice of this policy, and I was perfectly fine with it. Too bad people are jerks and they had to have the policy in the first place.


I loved waitressing, and will probably end up doing it again in NYC to supplement the acting income after I'm done with school.

Exactly, they are getting paid a percentage, not a flat dollar amount. Therefore if food prices go up, guess what your tip goes up.

And I stand by 15% minimum.

Like I said, the people most passionate about this are the ones that work it.

I don't believe in being cheap, but I also don't believe in being bullied to satisfy your personal view of what should and should not be.

LOL. Stereotypes persist regardless of what some people do. You will simply be considered an exception to the "Blacks don't tip" rule.

Ditto!

I've always tipped generously. I usually give 20%, and up to 30% for really good service. I will also tip bartenders up to 30% if I'm a regular and they throw some free drinks/appetizers my way.

I think I'm inclined to tip generously because the places I usually go won't run my meal+drinks above $25. So what's the difference between 15% and 20%? A little more than a dollar? I know from once being a server myself, that an extra dollar can mean everything.. especially when you're a broke college student.

Only once did I not leave a tip, and that's because the server was extremely rude. I went out with two of my friends in Boston for dinner. I asked for a burger, and said that I'd like onion rings instead of fries (a $1 charge according to the menu). My one friend said, "I'll have the same." When the meal came, the server brought us each a burger with fries and an extra order of onion rings on the side. We both stared at the huge plates of food in front of us, and I nicely said to the server, "I'm sorry, but we actually wanted to substitute the onion rings for the fries." She snapped at us and said, "You never told me THAT." We, again, very nicely said that what we wanted was the onion rings instead, but then said she could just box the food we had left over.. No big deal. Then she flipped and said, "No I'll take it back. And by the way, this is coming out of my pay.. I hope you're happy." She ignored us for the rest of the night, and if we wanted anything from her, including the check, we had to yell for her or track her down. What we left for her instead of a tip: a note, which basically said that if she had been nice to us and simply apologized, we would have covered the cost of the extra sides of rings in her tip.

First, as AlphaFrog pointed out, since 15% is a percentage, it's going to increase as the prices go up.

Second, maybe restaurants do sometimes put an automatic gratuity (an oxymoron if ever there was one) at 18%. (But not always -- I've seen restauarants set the automatic gratuity at 15%). That doesn't change the standard.

Which brings me to: Third, I wouldn't say 15% is the "miminum." I would say that, per most sources in this country (like the one Dr. Phil posted), 15% is the standard for average service. There's a difference between a standard and a minimum. That chart actually lists the minimum as 10% (for poor service).

Sidenote: I am a little amused that the chart Dr. Phil posted says it should be 15% of the bill "excluding tax." We have a co-worker who tips on a pre-tax basis and we all deride him for his stinginess. Now I have a moral quandry over whether to admit that he may be "correct" after all.

No joke, there are some bars where we tip ASTRONOMICAL percentages. 50 up to 60% sometimes. For bars where we're regulars, it's worth it to us for the servers to remember us and we often get a number of freebies. If my group of friends is out doing a LONG night of drinking, it's not unusual for us to tip almost the amount on the tab (if we get a lot of free appetizers/drinks/etc. because we have a history with the bartender/servers). Of course, we try to tip as we go so they know they're not going to get stiffed at the end of the night. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that we'd accidentally tipped MORE than the tab because of that method, though.

We always get super excellent service at these places, though, obviously, or we wouldn't be going back. For new places or places where it's not one of our regular haunts, we'll do the typical 15-20%. As an aside, I do NOT like when they add a gratuity to a big group when you're at a bar, since we may open a tab on a card but typically tip with cash as we go. Most of our favorite places don't do that, though.

ETA: You can also tell that we go out with folks who are a little farther in their careers than us. Just reading that back seems "moneybags" to me, but we don't go out that often, and everyone pays their share, so it's not like live-in and I are just partying it up by ourselves. LOL

It would technically exclude tax because that is the price for the actual service. However, I tip based on the final total because that's what my eyes see and my mind wants to do. It has nothing to do with wanting to pay the server more. LOL.

A friend of mine worked at a restaurant that was frequented by celebs. She said Usher is an awful tipper, and supposedly a huge douche IRL. I hate hearing that because I love his music. Eddie Vedder is an amazing tipper - upwards of 50-75% on the bill. He also almost always will engage in friendly conversation with the wait staff. Class act. She also said Johnny Depp is a great tipper (and I think I read that somewhere too).

ETA:
I remembered a few more from the conversation I had with her a while back...

Ben Affleck is a good tipper. She described Ryan Seacrest as a "saint" and super down-to-earth which surprised me. She said he's a great tipper. She said Gwyneth Paltrow is a "hateful person" and will always shortchange the wait staff.