Tip Generously!

[sororitygirl2]

Okay, I have to vent for a second...

I HATE, HATE, HATE people who are bad tippers or who are just cheap in general. When I graduated, I thought the days of haggling over the bill were over, as everyone got real jobs and made decent money.

Well, tonight, a group of us go out and get drinks. First of all, this girl that was there starts arguing with the waiter telling him that he overcharged us. He didn't... she was just being dumb. Then, she doesn't even put in enough money to cover her drinks... and gets mad when we say we need more tip. She's like "I already put it in but I guess I'll give three more dollars." Meanwhile, I had tipped $5 on one drink, and someone else had left a $10 tip on her $14 tab... to cover the people who were being cheap!

I just want to tell you all to tip well, please! It really makes your friends mad when you are cheap, and it totally sucks for the servers that work their asses off for almost nothing-hourly wages.

OKay, thanks for listening!

[bethany1982]

Great message.... some people have no class. Hope your good manners rub off on the freeloaders. Good service deserves a proper gratuity. On the other hand, bad service demands...

[swissmiss04]

Yes, tip well! You never know whose friend your waiter/waitress is. Or when you might be serving them in some capacity. Bad karma bites you in the ass like a rabid dog.

[Lady Pi Phi]

I'd also have to add, stop going out with the freeloaders. You don't need that kind of embarrassment, and it doesn't say much about their character if they are going to haggle over a few dollars.

[AlphaSigOU]

Having lived in Las Vegas and having a younger brother who works in the gaming industry (he's been in the grind 13 years, started off as a craps dealer and now is a boxman/floorman at a casino off the Strip) I've been used to making sure to tip generously whenever possible. (Dealers call good tippers 'Georges' in their lingo. A 'Big George' tips the 'boys' very well.)

My general rule is start at 20% and then it drops down based on the service. Most times it pretty much stays at 20%, sometimes for very special service I might tip 25%. It's rare for me to go below 15%, and only once have I walked out of a restaurant and did not tip the waiter/waitress.

I also dislike people who tip cheaply... c'mon, it ain't that hard to calculate a tip in your head... just round up the total bill to the nearest dollar, take 10% of that (move the decimal point), and add half of that 10% figure for a 15% tip or double it for a 20% tip. And if the service is outstanding I'll take the tip total and round up to the nearest dollar or two. Pinching off pocket change and leaving it as a tip ain't a very good way to treat the wait staff.

Some good tipping rules of thumb if you're playing in Vegas (or other casinos):

Craps: Place a bet for the dealers behind or to the side of your pass line bet and be sure to let the stickman know you have a bet for the dealers by saying 'Boys play the pass line' (I know there are many craps dealers that are women, but 'boys' has remained in the casino lingo for ages.) Likewise, you can also bet for them on the field (say: 'Boys play the field') or the prop bets (hardways, C and E (any craps, any 11) -- dont waste your money on 'Any Seven' -- say 'Boys play the hard (4, 6, 8, 10)' or 'Boys play the C and E'). If they win the bet, the stickman will tap his stick nearest your spot on the table to thank you for the bet.

21: Next to or in front of your bet, let the dealer know that the bet is for the dealer.

Slots/video poker: If you're lucky to hit a jackpot that requires the change person to hand-pay you the jackpot, it's traditional that you tip generously; $50 if the jackpot is between $500 and $1000, $100 if it's over $1000. This is more of an unwritten tradition in the locals bars.

[Betarulz!]

I think it should be mandatory for everyone to be a server once in their lives...then they might realize the importance of tipping to servers.

I swear, sometimes I don't think people know that servers only get around 2.13 an hour, and that they are counting on tips to make up the rest of the difference to get minimum wage.

The other thing is: if you are getting bad service, tell your server!!! I've had one table tell me that they weren't happy with the service I was giving them (which was the same as I was giving everyone else I though), and the NICELY said that they weren't happy...let me tell you I up my effort on everything for that table and in the end they thanked me and gave me a nice 19% tip. As long as you are nice about it, and aren't making demands that can't be met, I don't know of any server who isnt' going to change what they can to make you happy.

Finally, I can't believe that people haggle over a couple dollars. I have one friend who is like that and I simply won't go any where with him that might require us to split the check b/c of the way he acts. All my other friends...it's such a non issue. We keep general idea of what is what over the course of several months and if one is way ahead than the other guy will buy his dinner and everything will be settled...In the grand scheme of things it just doens't make sense to haggle over a couple bucks unless you simply don't have the money.

[KSigkid]

I've always tipped well. Had a bunch of friends who've depended on tips, and I can't think of screwing someone over like that.

There are exceptions (if the person is extremely rude, etc.), but most of the time I will tip very well.

[aephi alum]

It's sad that there are so many people that rely on tips - which are supposed to be a reward for good service - to be able to put food on the table or pay the rent.

I generally tip 15%-20% unless the service is really horrible. I also usually add a couple of bucks if I'm picking up a takeout order - which I think is unusual around here, because I always get thanked profusely!

I once dated a guy who refused to tip. We went out to dinner one evening... I didn't see the check, so I don't know if he tipped at the restaurant, but we took taxis, and I know he didn't tip either driver.

[Munchkin03]

It's sad that a tip is almost required in order to help the server break even. I grew up in a pretty tourist-heavy environment, and I have lots of friends who took jobs waiting tables so I know the kind of work they have to do for such little pay. I like to tip 20% as a basis.

I think most people don't tip because they're stingy bastards. If you can't afford it, don't go out to eat.

[James]

Sororitygirl2! Good to see you again

I won't go out with those cheap people again or make them get seperate checks.

Last time i went out with a fraternity brother and his sorority girl friend it cost me 30 dollars plus to cover their "oops didn't bring enough money" as well as the fact that they wouldn't have tipped anyway. I know them. Keep in mind they both work.

I tend to overtip. 40-50 percent is not uncommon for me at all. And I despise people that give the appearance of quibbling. You can quibble, but don't let it show lol.

There is one place that I go to regularly where 50% would be the norm but I have gone as high as a 100% before because I will sometimes get generous freebies, like comp drinks and food.

In any restaraunt I go to where I get recognized, I get incredible service.

[sororitygirl2]

Hey, James!

Yeah, I agree with you all. My standard on food is usually 25% or so, and more on just drinks. And if the bartender hooks me up... I usually give about 50%. I mean, if a drink costs $5+tip normally, and he gives it to me for $1, I usually tip $3 because that brings the total to $4, still a dollar less than what I should of been paying to begin with. Smart bartenders totally know this trick and screw their bar so they can clean up, but whatever...

I don't know why people don't get it! Anyway, I won't be going out with that girl again... she was just a friend of a friend, and I don't enjoy her company anyway.

I'm glad to hear there are so many classy people here on GC who know etiquette!

[KSigkid]

Originally posted by James

In any restaraunt I go to where I get recognized, I get incredible service.

That's another part of it, more so at bars for me - if you give a good tip at the beginning of the night, you usually get quicker drink service, better drinks, and sometimes even free drinks.

Not the only reason I tip well, but a nice reward for doing so.

[James]

Yeah, and another trick at bars. I try to get the same bartended. tipping is also about establishing a relationship.

So if you tip well and keep hitting the same bartended you get better all around service.

Originally posted by KSigkid
That's another part of it, more so at bars for me - if you give a good tip at the beginning of the night, you usually get quicker drink service, better drinks, and sometimes even free drinks.

Not the only reason I tip well, but a nice reward for doing so.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

I went to a restaurant to celebrate my sister's birthday. The check came. I added in the tip and divided it by the number of people there. I told them it was $30 each since we were paying for my sister's birthday dinner. Everyone was surprised the bill was so little. A few days later, same restaurant, different people, I get the check, add the tip divide by the number of people. I told them it was $25 each. Everyone looked shocked as if I had said it was $125. The quibbling began. (Thanks for the word, James.) Now for me a $25 or $30 check is not a big deal, but I guess everyone's situation is different. This is a restaurant in Manhattan so I wasn't too surprised. People started with, "I didn't drink alcohol so I am only paying $20." An alcoholic drink is $7 and a soda, Coke, pop whatever you call it is $5. What is the big freaking deal?! It was very tacky!

[ThetaGirl1997]

I waited tables for almost 5 years. I tend to overtip now - I remember how great it felt to get a really good tip!!