Tips?
 

You know that there is an assumption that "WE" do not tip, and if "we" do, it is not sufficient. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/rolleyes.gif

Do you tip for services rendered? And if so, how much do you typically give?

I tip based on SERVICE, not on how much it's supposed to be. I understand that waitpeople really depend on tips, but if they want a GOOD tip ($5 or more) from me, then they need to do a GREAT job! That to me, is the bottomline. I usually tip $2-3. I will always give at least that. For me, the service has to be superb if they want more than that. They should be friendly, come by the table (at least twice while I'm eating my meal) to check on things, ask if I'd like dessert or anything else, before asking if I'd like the check (there have been SO many times I've been out to dinner and the waitress/er did NOT ask if I wanted dessert, etc...they just brought the check! Ugh! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/rolleyes.gif ) So I tip based on service. I know that's not right, but I'm low on funds these days. A sista can't be shelling out money just because. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/rolleyes.gif

[This message has been edited by ZChi4Life (edited June 24, 2001).]

While on the topic, I have always considered myself a generous tipper. My friends and I always get into the "debate" on if it's appropiate to "tip" the car-hops at SONIC, I always do ( a dollar of two) A friend that worked there said that "WE" usally don't but "OTHERS" always did. Hmmm, does anyone else tip at SONIC?

I tip according to the service that I'm given. If the service I receive is not adequate, then I leave what I feel it was worth. However, I usually tip between 15 and 20 percent. I know someone who will actually leave a list of written "tips" on a napkin for the waiter/waitress if they feel as though the service was less than acceptable.

As far as Sonic is concerned, my mother told me I should tip them. I disagree. However, if I'm feeling "generous" I will, but never more than a dollar.

Sheeeet, I don't tip unless they desrve it.
Like Home Alone 2, a stick of gum will do them. I don't how to take 15% out of my bill even if I wanted to, let alone add up my bill right. Yeah, I know I am dumbass byatch, in a 4 year university maintaining around a 3.0 gpa, it's Bush's fault for failing schools.

*cough, cough, cough* I better quit now, that stuff is tearing my lungs up and I think it is killing my brain cells! *Passes it to grandma*

[This message has been edited by SH80 (edited June 24, 2001).]

You took the words right outta my mouth! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif

I have a friend that does this too! (maybe they now each other! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif(j/k)). I just sit there and laugh and hope that they listen and do what she wrote!! I'm not used to really "tipping" b/c I go out a lot in large groups, where the tip is usually included. When I do tip 15% of what the bill is--I'll give more if they deserve it!!

I have a tipping protocol that I use:

Eating Establishments (with wait/bar services): when the place is REALLY BUSY/POPULAR 15-18% standard...
20-25% for above average/excellent service
If it's a visibly slow day, or I never see the place packed I may tip even more.
My rationalization here is that these folks generaly make a little over $2 or $3/hour... and IMHO it's the right thing to do.

Other Services (cabs, hair stylists, shoe shines, etc.): 15-20% standard... 25%-30% above average/excellent service
My rationalzation here is that these people don't necessarily make tips and it makes me feel good b/c they take special care of me if/when I return. IMHO, it's the "proper" thing to do.

People in professions of these sorts (and people in general) should be treated courteously and I feel obligated to be a WONDERFUL patron. If more people felt good about their jobs, EVERYONE would get better service. I take ownership for that, and when I leave a restaurant maybe I made it better for the next person taking my seat... Karma is an byyyatch. You get what you give. Waiters/waitresses DO spit in food, even if you didn't do anything in particular to them. So for me, be nice, tip, be courteous. I do it for you too, not just that waitress and her kids. And if you can't afford to tip, well, just be REALLY REALLY nice, you never know. People don't like to be stepped on.


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"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it."
Henry David Thoreau

While we're on the subject.....what's up with the tip cups in the coffee shops and dunkin' donuts and ice cream stores?

Also, my co-worker mentioned to me today the her daughter "worked" a wedding reception over the weekend and one of the other waitstaff (?) explained to her how to get tips. WTF????

Has anyone else heard of this? I mean when I go to an event (catered) such as a wedding reception, I can't imagine tipping the folsk there. I thought that was taken care of by the hosts. How would you determine the appropriate tip anyway?

My friends are always stating, "I'm a college student and I'm too broke to tip". My thing is these are mostly college students trying to make money.

I'd say that I'm a big tipper. Why because I have worked in the food service industry and I know how things can be sometimes. I've seen how it is to be a customer and a worker. True there are occasions where the server is just bad, but most of the time it's beyond their control. I can tell many stories of how dirty people can get in the kitchen.

I usually give around 20%. If the service wasn't to my liking, I give 15%. However, I never give anything lower, because they are already getting a minimal hourly wage.

I worked in the food industry too, let me tell you, most servers make less than $2 an hour so they live off tips...i guess i only give 15% if the service was poor...i tend not to tip cab drivers well though since i feel that they're ripping me off anyway

I was a waitress at Bennigans a long time ago, and a group of African American women, in those days, was considered the worst table you could get. Most of the wait staff firmly believed that we didn't tip! And most times, we didn't! I rarely had any issues with sisters tipping me, I felt that everyone deserved great service, afterall, that was my job.
It is true, waitresses make less than minimum wage and pay taxes on their tips. 15% of what I grossed was the amount of taxes I paid. I think that is how it is done at most or all resturants.


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Smooches

I've always tipped 15% at a restaurant. I have never understood the point of the tip cups in some take out places. What are they for?

I hate the stereotype that BLACK people don't tip or don't tip accordingly. I hate it more when an establishment try to put a mandatory tip on my bill. For years I over tipped, trying to cancel out the myth that "WE" don't tip. But the past 5 years, I tip according to service. I tip any where from 15-20%. I keep a tip card in my wallet which shows me the amount to leave.
But if you are a wait person, don't automactically expect a tip, and you know you delivered lousy srvice. No water, don't checking in, having to ask for a clean fork twice, etc. I will also ask for a manager if service really stinks. It's been several occassions when I didn't tip at all, but told wait person why. They usually have an attitude, but oh well, maybe they will do better next time.

My friend does that...but she leaves crazy tips like "don't run with scissors" http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif That's WRONG. I tip according to service. I've been known to leave a quarter (yes 25 cents) on a table. That's if the service is REAL bad and it's worse than leaving nothing.

Hair and nail salon's...I'm a good tipper but don't burn me with a curling iron http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/mad.gif or cut me with the cuticle remover http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/mad.gif

I know good service when I see it. I tip based on services rendered. If the professional offering the service is not responsive, then my tip is not responsive.

However, I generaly give a standard $2 tip for "okay" service. For good to exceptional service, $5 and over.

I was a waitress for a few years back in the day...

I understand that people may not have a lot of money but I would never go out to a restuarant and sit down and expect for someone to serve me if I could not afford to tip them. If I cannot afford a tip or don't want to- I get take out...

- I feel 15% should be the minimum. I ALWAYS leave good tips when I go out because I know there are people who have no clue what a tip should be. My friends always say I tip too much- My motto " I am making up for the cheap skates that don't leave tips".

If you don't tip- I would caution you not to go back to that restuarant.. I have worked with people who are not so happy about it when you come back.... I would ignore people who did not tip me IF they were crazy enough to come back.... but some are not as forgiving...

Just something to think about!

I'm a college student, and I still tip. I feel if I have enough money to eat in the restaurant, I should have enough money for a tip. I used to work in TGI Fridays, and I know all about the tipping thing. I personally, don't think it's a black thing. I've gotten great tips, and 25 cent tips from all types of people. I think the worst tips were at the first of the month, when people would get their "govmen" checks, and would bring in eryone and they mama, order a whole lotta food, and then barely ahve enough for the tip. This is not just with black folks. Tips were also bad in the smoking section.

For great service, I tip 15-20%. If service wasn't so great, I'd tip 10%. I have many friends who are servers, so I see it as helping them with cash, like they did with me when I was a server.

And yes, if you are a frequent and good tipping patron, you will get the hook up...we don't forget who you are. Same goes for the not so great tippers... http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif



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"I am not yet the author of my life; I am still it's unenlightened protagonist"
---Unknown

Oh, here's a little story about tipping.... http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

Two Nickles and Five Pennies
by: Unknown


When an ice cream sundae cost much less, a boy entered a coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?"

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. "How much is a dish of plain ice cream?" he inquired.

Some people were now waiting for a table, and the waitress was impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she said angrily.

The little boy again counted the coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream."

The waitress brought the ice cream and walked away. The boy finished, paid the cashier, and departed. When the waitress came back, she swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies--her tip.

I have been known to tip as much as $20 for a 15 dollar meal depending on the service. But the MIn I give is 5 dollars the max is unlimited(depending on the service, situation and waiter/waitress attitude) For Taxi Drivers no more than 7 dollars!

Sphinxpoet

i might be the reason for the stereotype. i tip according to the service, but i have a philosophical problem with tipping. i have a masters degree and i do good work and i don't get any tips at all. i don;t buy the whole they live off of tips thing. they knew going in how much they were going to make. don;t complain after the fact. get a job with a fixed rate of pay and you won;t have to depend on the kindness of strangers for you livlihood. i hate that like i hate rude customer service workers. if you don;t like people then don;t take a job where you are supposed to be nice to people!

I couldn't wait to get to the end of this thread and reply!!!!! I have been a waitress for almost four years and encountered thousands of customers. I have received some outstanding tips and some terrible ones (rarely).
To answer the original "assumption" about "us" and tipping. I would say that in general Blacks are some of the worst customers. I hate to say it but in the world of food service their is no dispute. Since I am Black I go out of my way to give Black people the BEST service becuase I know when I go places I often get poor service becuase the servers assumes because I am Black I will not leave a decent tip. Even my college educated friends believe leaving two dollars is acceptable. First of all I truly beleive that as a whole many Black people were not taught that leaving 15% is proper protocol. Then they are often demanding, want a thousand "free" substituions, and are often unfriendly. It bothers me so much than when I go out I usually tip atleast 20% to make up for the last one. I know it sounds terrible, But I am going to take the time to say it:

If you nothing to complain about leave your server ATLEAST 15%!!!!!! Please!!!!!!!

[This message has been edited by Wonderful1908 (edited June 25, 2001).]

Now in NYC b/c of people who don't tip, most restaurants add the gratuity directly on the bill. Usually that adds up to over $20 especially if we had drinks. Now if the service was extremely poor I will request that they remove the charge and tip what I deem appropriate...none the less I always tip.
Unfortunatley I usually get stuck with the entire tip. Just to avoid the bull-losh b/c some of my girlfriends are really cheap and petty. One has actually whipped out a calculator at the dinner table to count her share of the bill and tip! Can you say ghetto http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/redface.gif
To avoid this I usually pay the whole tip or ask for a seperate check all together. I shouldn't have to do this, but it avoids lots of arguments and when the check comes I pay mine, tip the waiter/waitress directly and bounce!!!! I prefer to watch these fools make a$$es of themselves from afar!!!

Now when I am on a date, if a man doesn't tip.. that is definately the last date for us. I recall one night this guy and I went for a late meal after catching the last movie. So it's about 2 a.m. We ate at a diner so the bill was only $22. Would you believe he had the nerve to ask me for $2 and still didn't tip the waiter. He was just plain cheap... he owned his own business was driving a GS400 and could tip!!!! That was the last date for us.
Was I too harsh? Brothas & Sistahs please let me know....what would you do?

[This message has been edited by OhSoPrettyNikki (edited June 25, 2001).]

Oh and the two people I really tip well:
My Nail technician and Beautician. I have been going to both since I was 18. They always take care of me, especially in emergencies. I send flowers on Mother's day and something extra during the Holidays. These are my girls and I don't ever want them to feel slighted, they might take it out on a sistah and jack my hair and nails up!!!! No seriously, they keep me looking tight..... I have to show 'em love.
And now my son's Barber! Don't want him to make a mistake and zeek my baby!!!!!

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"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful"

When da EAST is in da house....Oh my GOD!!!! DANGER!

[This message has been edited by OhSoPrettyNikki (edited June 25, 2001).]

I worked as a waitress in high school and I can verify that Black people are some non-tipping mofo's. I always tip well unless the service was really bad.

I agree with you ohsoprettynikki, if a brother doesn't leave a tip on our date, that will be the last date.

As the daughter of a man who would buy over $120 worth of food for four people and leave $1 worth of quarters on the table, I have always made it a point to tip.

I usually tip %20 for good service and %25-%30 for exceptional service. I try to be understanding and will sometimes give a %10- %15 tip if I get less than good service. I have had one or two incidents where the waiter/waitress was downright rude (maybe because they assumed because I was black I was not a good tip), and they got nada, but they had to show their *ss not to get a tip.

Most of my friends are good tippers, but there are some of us who are just trifling when it comes to spending money that we aren't forced to.

The first thing I wanted to add about my last post was that when I worked hard as a server- most people when get upset and say OH SHT! when they got a group of black people who were young dressed in the lastest fads- Most figured they would not get a tip- and guess what the standard was you guessed it $2.00...

We always treated out people cool but just as it was said earlier- people wanted free food, and to change the menu but did not want to leave a tip!

Like I said before- if you don't tip- don't go back- I use to make it a point to remember faces of non-tippers or rude people!

Servers work hard and deal with a lot of bull for only about 2-3 dollars an hour. Those who say they don't deserve it- You try working as server for a week!

Sweetie,
I have been a victim of this TOO many times. Sistas always have to whip out a calculator! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/redface.gif When brothas go out they split the check down the middle, over tip, and bounce.

like i said, i was a waitress in high school too, and it is one of THE MOST mentally and physically challenging jobs out there...imagine being on your feet running around for eight hours with one ten minute break(if you're lucky) then imaigne dealing with all of the rude customers who feel they can speak to you any way they want and who confuse the word "server" with "slave" (yes servers do wear uniforms, but people can still say "please" and "thank you")... only to get a paycheck for about 50 bucks.
in my experience, black people weren't exceptionally poor tippers...it was usually elderly people and big groups of church people...go figure

TRAVEL INSIDER
'Crash' question: Do blacks tip less?

By Jane Engle
Tribune Newspapers: Los Angeles Times
Published April 16, 2006

"That waitress sized us up in two seconds. We're black, and black people
don't tip," says Anthony, a character complaining about restaurant
service in a scene from "Crash," winner of this year's best-picture
Oscar.

That's not just Hollywood talking, a Cornell University associate
professor says: Research indicates that African-Americans, on average,
leave smaller tips for servers than whites do and that they're more
likely to leave nothing.

Professor Michael Lynn's latest report on this topic, "Race Differences
in Tipping: Questions and Answers for the Restaurant Industry," issued
in January, cites more than 12 studies by himself and others, most done
since 2002.

Discriminatory service may be a factor, but there appear to be many
others.

Poor tips, Lynn says, may contribute to black diners getting poorer
service and to companies' reluctance to open restaurants in
predominantly black communities, not to mention angering servers and
customers alike. And it fuels yet another debate about tipping, always a
hot-button topic for travelers.

Lynn doesn't discount the role of anti-black bias in any of these
problems. But he mainly sees this cycle at work:

Expecting skimpy gratuities, waiters resist serving African-Americans,
or they provide poorer service, which discourages blacks from
patronizing table-service restaurants. Low tips also make it hard for
restaurants in black neighborhoods to attract and retain staff, causing
turnover and decreasing profits.

Six years after Lynn, a respected expert on tipping at Cornell's Center
for Hospitality Research in Ithaca, N.Y., began to study the racial gap
in gratuities, the topic remains taboo, he says.

"It's a problem the industry knows about," says Lynn, who is white. "But
the big players with money are afraid to address the issue. They're
afraid of being labeled racist."

In an e-mail response, the National Restaurant Association, an industry
trade group in Washington, issued a statement saying it "commends"
Cornell "for addressing disparities in consumer tipping behavior," but
it did not specifically address the question of race.

Sue Hensley, spokeswoman for the restaurant association, said the group
hadn't researched this issue.

But she said it offers cards to restaurants, for distribution to
customers, that calculate 15 and 20 percent tips for bills of various
sizes. When that range became customary is not clear, but it was
recommended by travel magazines as early as the 1950s, according to the
association.

Gerry Fernandez, president of the Multicultural Foodservice &
Hospitality Alliance, a non-profit group in Providence, R.I., that
promotes diversity, finds merit in Lynn's findings.

"There absolutely is a perception that certain groups, African-Americans
in particular, do not tip as well as whites," says Fernandez, an
African-American whose grandparents hailed from Cape Verde, an island
republic off Africa.

Why black people may tip less is not clear.

Income disparities and discriminatory service may play roles, Lynn says.

But even when black and white customers are in the same socioeconomic
class or rate the quality of service equally, he says, several studies
by himself and others found that they tip differently. Black diners
average 10.9 to 14.7 percent of the bill, and white diners average 16.6
to 19.4 percent, depending on the study. The server's race didn't
matter.

Black subjects are also more likely than whites to say they never tip
servers (6 versus 2 percent, in one study) and to leave tips as
flat-dollar amounts instead of percentages of the bill (50.7 percent
versus 19.4 percent, in one study).

Lynn thinks the main reason that African-Americans tip servers less is
that most aren't aware that the usual guideline is 15 to 20 percent of
the bill. In one study, 35.9 percent of African-Americans identified
that range as the norm, versus 72.4 percent of whites.

Research data don't show why African-Americans may be less aware of the
15 to 20 percent guideline, Lynn added. But Fernandez and several black
and mixed-raced diners I spoke with recently had no shortage of thoughts
on this topic. They often cited economics.

Median household income for blacks in 2004 was 61 percent of that for
non-Hispanic whites, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And nearly a
quarter of blacks lived in poverty in 2004, compared with 8.6 percent of
non-Hispanic whites.

If you grow up poor, Fernandez said, you don't eat out at fancy
places--or at all.

"If you're not exposed, how do you know the tip rules?" Kacey Towe, an
image consultant of Creole descent, said between bites of peach cobbler
at Harold & Belle's in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles.

She and her black dining companion tipped their waiter--an acquaintance
of Towe's--$20 on their $80 dinner bill, 25 percent, at the upscale
Creole restaurant.

Not far away, in the Ladera Heights area, Stephaney Bell, dining with
her son Steven, 14, at T.G.I. Friday's, echoed the sentiments of several
diners when she said, "A lot of black people can't afford to tip as
well."

She also sounded another common theme: Some African-Americans base
gratuities strictly on how they're treated.

"Our expectations of service may be higher," she said.

Bell, who travels and eats out frequently as sales auditor for an auto
manufacturer, later tipped less than 15 percent because she was unhappy
with the service.

A few tables away, Renee Davis, a black graphic designer, said, "A lot
of white guys try to impress the table with a big tip. I'm not
interested in impressing the table." Contending that restaurateurs
should pay more so servers don't rely on gratuities, she said, "I have
problems with 20 percent for a tip. I'm doing 15 percent."

Fernandez sees other factors affecting tips too.

Some African-Americans may be "extremely sensitive" about service
glitches, he said, such as getting their food late, after other tables
are served, or being seated in the back. Such actions, whatever their
intent, may be perceived as racial slights.

"Remember the back of the bus?" he said.

In addition, poor service motivated by bigotry may occur "way more than
anybody wants to admit," Fernandez said.

Not everyone, of course, agrees that African-Americans tip less. Several
black diners I interviewed, in my unscientific sampling, said they
thought they tipped the same as or sometimes more than whites.

Rip Rahman, service manager at T.G.I. Friday's, who is of Bangladeshi
descent, dismissed race as a factor in gratuities, saying, "As far as I
can tell, it's all about the service."

----------

jane.engle@latimes.com

Copyright (c) 2006, Chicago Tribune

I always tip unless I get horrific service. I ALWAYS tip my hairdresser. Believe me, it helps me get out the door quicker.



I also try to get the same service person, that way I always get good service.

I personally tip according to service. Not saying that you need to cater to my every whim, but if a waiter/tress gives me good, courteous service, then they will receive the 20% (sometimes more). Less than courteous services deserves less than 20% (if anything) IMO.

I do tip my nail lady (and anyone else that may work on me). So for example, if Lady A does my nails and and Lady B does my pedicure, then I tip each of them seperately (and accordingly).

I too, tip according to service. Which means that if you come by and check on me, don't let my glass get empty before refilling it, and I don't have to ask for things more than once, then I will tip you well.

I only tip at Sonic (like $1-2) if they roller-skate my order to my car. Yes, some of them still skate out to your car! It's so cool!

As for hair/nail stylists, I always tip 15% and give a little extra if they worked me in on a crowded schedule. And I always give gifts at Christmas.

Now for the ones with kids, does anyone give their child's teacher(s) gifts? I usually do at Christmas and at the end of the year and I also donate snacks and books and supplies from time to time.

Ummmm hell no, I can barely scrape up enough money to eat out. IF the server is fine I *might* leave them a quarter. Otherwise, I just leave behind a pocket sized new testament book.

CCCCCCCCCTFU!!!!

Working in the restaurant industry previously, I know how hard servers work. I try to tip 20% so I won't look niggardly .

Now see......

Why not say cheap?

I always tip at least 15% at restaurants. The quality of service will warrant greater amounts. Even if the service is piss poor, I still give 15% and take it as a lesson learned. I prefer not to be in the company of those that do not tip or take tips from the table. There are other settings to hang for those type of people. I always tip my hairdresser. As for delivery people, tip cups, Sonic, etc, if the service is good, they get to keep the change. Most African-Americans that I hang with tip very well. I can actually see where a survey may show differently on AfAm as a whole or even from a particular area. After all, stereotypes have to stem from somewhere.

My stories, from both sides...
 

Well, my first (and most embarassing) tipping experience was when my senior class after graduation rehearsals went to Bob Evans for breakfast. I was always broke and/or cash strapped in high school. Well, anyway I had $5 with me for breakfast and I barely had enough to pay for the meal. My tip to the server: a dime.

After that, I resolved to tip better and I have kept my word to this day.

As a rule, at restaurants I always pay a minimum of 10% in tips, and 15% on average. 15% represents average, decent service, 10% represents "a'ight" service (read: not impressive, but not piss poor either). One time myself and some frat bruhs was at a restaurant where this server IMHO gave us some rather mediocre service and several of us, myself included, was tempted to leave this server little or no tip, but an older bruh (read: crossed in '89) said, "Naw, frats. Alpha Phi Omegas ain't cheap". So we dug deep in our pockets and came up with some cash, and from the volume of cash I saw on the table, I know this server got a least a 20% tip despite her below par service.

I also tip 10% on take-out service at sit-down restaurants, which I do all too often. I don't know what the protocol is for tipping under those circumstances, but IMHO I think 10% is reasonable (Emily Post, Jr., where ya' at?).

Anything over 15% represents a server doing ABCD (Above and Beyond the Call of Duty) service for me. Once I tipped a server 40-45% because I had a food stain on my good shirt and I went to the restroom to clean it off. She observed what I was trying to do and took the initiative to give me a glass of club soda to help clean off the stain (which did work, btw). So in gratitude, I hooked the sista up with a generous tip for extra personal service.

Now I was a night auditor (read: 3rd shift desk clerk) at a hotel for about a year while I was in college and I got some of the best tips during that shift (drunk guests will hook you up every time). I also looked forward to driving the hotel shuttle van for that reason--and I love driving to begin with. I know my uniform jacket had at one time $500-600 in CASH in the inside pocket. I was hustlin' like Ralph the Doorman on The Jeffersons.

My most memorable tip came from comedian Don Rickles as I helped put his luggage on his limo bus. He said to me when I was done (and he hooked a brotha' up, btw), "You're a good man, [Rain Man]". I didn't even care about the tip. I just loved what I did on my job.

In short, always strive to give great service, and while you might not always get a great tip immediately, you will make up for it later on.

To the cheapskate tippers: Do better.

Oh crap, I mean 15%, I only tip 20% if the service was really good.