To tip or not to tip

[Quintus 6,495]

What's the tipping situation like in your part of the world? In England there is no 'automatic' tipping, we only tip for very specific services and even that can be based on whether or not we were satisfied with it. The only people we tend to tip are taxi drivers, bar staff, barbers/hairdressers and waiters/waitresses - who in particular can be reliant on good service before we express our pleasure and gratitude with the gift of money, and it's often preferable that it's that particular member of staff who keep it to themselves; I personally don't like it when the money goes into a pot and is later shared out between the rest of the staff. Some eateries will offer you the option of adding the tip to the bill when paying on your card, which for many (including myself) is an instant refusal.

America is well known here for its heavy tipping culture. I've never been to the country, but I think I'd probably find it all a bit irritating to be honest. Why tip by default anyway? I'm with Mr Pink on that one, 100%. It's just a shame I think that people who don't tip for average service are considered 'tight', because that's not really true at all. Tipping should be a reward. Is tipping there really as bad as it's made out to be?

I heard an anecdote on the radio yesterday where an English celeb said they left a diner in the states and just completely forgot to leave a tip. As they walked down the street they were suddenly apprehended and accosted by the manager (or owner) and literally marched back into the premises whereby a tip was demanded on the spot! I thought it sounded unbelievable, and yet he was completely serious! That simply would not happen in the UK.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,110]

It's not just about quality of service in the US. Waiters and waitresses in America make below minimum wage. A figure like $2.25/hr is not an uncommon wage in restaurant service. By not tipping you are being an utter and complete asshole in the U.S.

I always a tip a minimum 15%, unless you are really a stinking pile of dung. Then I leave you a big fat $0.01, no matter what. You know...for showing up at least.

If you do a great job, I'm a fantastic tipper. I might give you a nice big 25-30% tip (more if the check is small), and ask to see your manager to whom I will in excited detail explain how fandamntastic you are.

[Quintus 6,495]

Why isn't the minimum wage legally enforced there? I'd feel uncomfortable subsidising the state's failure to be fair and competent at stamping out unscrupulous employers.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,110]

It is, in a round about way. If after your tips, you are not at minimum wage, your employer has to provide a tip credit to get you to the ~$7 hr (depending on the state).

But then you're still just at minimum wage. Which is shitty.

[Quintus 6,495]

So? That's not your fault. It's also quite shitty to be homeless.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

Like with the UK, we have no real tipping culture.

I've tipped in restaurants if the food or service is good, but usually a few euro, nothing much.

Minimum wage is enforced here.

I tip the take away delivery guys is they brings the food fast, except the one who works for the pizza place on the other end of my street.

I guess in Europe tipping really is an extra, in the US you actually gotta budget for it.. I mean a dinner for two with drinks in a swanky place can run up to a 100 buck's. that's a 20 dollar tip right there!

Must remember that when I goto Boston this summer....

But then you're still just at minimum wage. Which is shitty.

In my current situation. People with minimum wage are elitist fat cats gorging on warm dinners every night!

[BLUMENKOHL 1,110]

So? That's not your fault. It's also quite shitty to be homeless.

Yeah, but I'm doing well enough that I can and should help someone else, especially when they are providing me a service. Even if it is their job and they get minimum wage. I believe they deserve more.

Usually. If they suck, I'm giving a penny.

[Quintus 6,495]

I appreciate you're just being generous, but I do wonder if it's purely the result of - as a nation - tipping being a way of life there. It's just become second nature.

We give to, but usually for very specific reasons and even have set days on the calendar for doing so.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

I guess for Americans they feel it's their obligation to tip. In most other countries getting a tip is a privilege.

Blume, so you guys tip in every place except a fast food restaurant?

It's just become second nature.

Parting with mo money will never become second nature!

I'm Dutch!

[Quintus 6,495]

It's the obligation side of it which feels terribly crass to outsiders looking in.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

In Holland, I'd only willingly tip 20 to 25% if my food came with a great lapdance!

America, You gotta pay 15 Euro's to even be allowed in the bloody country....

I'll be camping out in KFC I guess....

[Quintus 6,495]

Do even kfc employees get tipped over in America?

Here I'd be more inclined to spit in their face.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

Why would I tip the person who hands me my chicken from behind the counter?

I've done what Blume described too. For really shitty service, just give a single cent.

It's even more grating here, because the one Euro cent coin is mostly out of circulation here.

I've kept a bunch back.

[Quintus 6,495]

Rather than insult them with a deliberately shit tip I just don't tip at all. It gets the message across, usually because they've already noticed your displeasure during the course of the evening and even feel undeserving themselves.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

Well, you are a more gentle and dainty soul then I'll ever be.

I only reserve that cent for really shitty service though.

[Quintus 6,495]

Heh, spiteful tipping is something I've never heard of till now actually. Just goes to show the culture of tipping is pretty diverse

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

I've once seen a person tear a 5 Euro bill in half and leaving only one part as a tip.

[Quintus 6,495]

I'd have saved it and put it towards Con Air on Blu ray instead.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,110]

Every once in a while if I get bad service at a really southern place, instead of leaving a penny I leave $6.66.

One time I checked my statements later and the tip was actually not taken!

[Quintus 6,495]

Creative tipping? Yep, it's a national obsession. Thank fuck we are free of that nonsense here!

[Trent B 354]

Fast food restaurants IE: McDonald's, Wendy's, etc..I don't tip at. However, places like Pizza Hut (if you go in and eat) I will tip the waiter / waitress, especially if it's delivery. With delivery I'll always tip them about $5-7, especially when they show up in the allotted time it says the pizza will be delivered or if they're even early.

At more formal sit down restaurants like Denny's, Applebees, Famous Dave's, Olive Garden, Chili's, etc...I definitely leave about a $5-7 tip. As Blume said that those type of waitress / waiters generally need the tips since they make below minimum wage. Well unless the food wasn't that good then I won't give them a usual tip I leave and or the waiter / waitress was rude as hell and sucked big time. However, I've rarely had that encounter so I'm pretty good with that.

There's been times when I've gone to Subway and if they have a tip jug or jar I'll generally leave $2 for tip if I'm paying with cash.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

The weird thing is, people don't tip the waiter if the food isn't good. Even though they didn't cook it...

[JoeinAR 1,957]

I do not tip at fast food places. I will give the person who brings my food 50cents or a dollar at Sonic, but they do make minimum wage.

Lee, don't feel sorry for waiters and waitresses, At some places they score big time. I tip 15% on the total bill, which provides the wait staff a slightly larger tip. You're supposed to tip on the pretax bill.

I would never tip 5 to 7 dollars on a pizza, that's insane, especially at pizza hut or dominoes where the pizza is always around 10 bucks. Course I don't like delivery service, hell I'm 5 minutes from 7 pizza places and one chinese take out. its an opportunity for the dogs to go for a ride in the car.

of course a tip is a gratuity based on performance. Rarely do they do a poor job, but if they do I leave a tip to the manager, telling them how poor the service was, it's a verbal tip, not financial.

I usually pay with my debit card, I rarely carry much cash but I do like to leave a cash tip to the wait staff because I don't think it's the employers or gov't business what I tip. if I know I'm going to use a credit card I make sure specifically that I have enough cash because it's a pricey meal.

I do not tip maid service at a hotel if I'm there one night. I don't ever ride in a cab....what's a cab in rural country?

On a side note, Hey Blume, I once was on vacation headed to the redneck riviera, James and I stopped at McDonalds, whatever I ordered came to 6.66 and the little black girl that waited on me got all holy roller and preachy and hell fire and brimestone, like she was preaching at her church, I ordered an apple pie so the bill price change to appease her, and why risk my vacation on such a "superstition".

[Quintus 6,495]

We just got back from Pizza Hut where the service wasn't great, we were waited on by numerous members of staff and they mucked up an order so we had to wait a bit. But there was one girl who smiled during service, gave my daughter a balloon... and was pretty. So I asked her when paying if she's allowed to keep her tips - which she was, so I tipped her.

Anyone else admit to being swayed by smiling prettiness?

[Trent B 354]

Well if that one waitress went out of her way to help make the experience a bit more pleasant than she deserved the tip.

However, a tip to anyone else is rather ridiculous at best. The fact that multiple staff members saw how things were and even got your order fucked up is not acceptable by any means.

The only reason why I leave at $5-7 for delivery is because the orders we get generally go up into the $20 range. Our Pizza Hut here in Cedar City is a bit out of the way so the delivery person has to go out of their way to get here. The only time I really had a bit of a late delivery was because it was dark and the driver was new to Cedar City and was not really her fault, since you can easily get lost in this town at night. Also the street address for our complex is fucked up they put the main number on the wrong street so it always throws people off if they use GPS.

[Quintus 6,495]

Gotta say, after tonight I far, far prefer Domino's anyway

[KK 3,313]

I hate Pizza Hut. Way too greasy for me.

[Jay 46,243]

Dominos is way better than Pizza Hut!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

whatever I ordered came to 6.66 and the little black girl that waited on me got all holy roller and preachy and hell fire and brimestone, like she was preaching at her church, I ordered an apple pie so the bill price change to appease her, and why risk my vacation on such a "superstition".

I'd leave it at that and would have payed exactly that amount, just to be an asshole!

FYI, The earliest fragment of Revelations found to date lists the Beasts number to be 616 not 666.

[Wycket 36]

Papa John's all the way baby.

As for the tipping situation, I actually work part time at a bar. Now, its just an Elks lodge not a big trendy bar or anything, but I do expect something for service. Now guys who just get beer or whatever, if they leave anything more than a couple of bucks I am more than grateful and will usually take care of them the next time they're down. But when guys want food and other stuff from the back which I have to do I expect a little more gratuity. Usually if a person is there for multiple hours I go by the dollar and hour rule. Of course, when some guys want to be more generous that's always nice.

[publicist 4,650]

Must one go to places like Pizza Hut and McJunk, anyway? With all the eating-habit-related illnesses vs. the limitless alternatives, there's no need to willfully maximize the burden on your body system.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

Sometimes nothing goes down better then a double Whopper with bacon and a large coke!

[Quintus 6,495]

It is my daughter's birthday and she LOVES pizza, so...

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

Happy birthday!

3 years old?

[publicist 4,650]

Sometimes nothing goes down better then a double Whopper with bacon and a large coke!

If that "sometimes" includes large doses of substance abuse i am willing to agree. Minus bacon and coke, though...

[Brónach 1,330]

I don't go around tipping because it's not required of me and I don't have the money for it.

Must one go to places like Pizza Hut and McJunk, anyway? With all the eating-habit-related illnesses vs. the limitless alternatives, there's no need to willfully maximize the burden on your body system.

I've only ever liked the pizza places and I'm getting tired of these and preferring homemade pizzas in any case. Meaning I actually hardly ever eat pizza, although I love it.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,110]

I love flirty waitresses with personality. Doesn't matter if they are pretty or 60 years old. The older Southern ones are the best. Flirting back is quite fun.

LUCKILY, the wife finds it too entertaining to be mad at me about.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

Your wife used to be a waitress at your local dinner, right?

[BLUMENKOHL 1,110]

Nope, she was the pretty girl in college I thought was a lesbian.

[JoeinAR 1,957]

Dominos is way better than Pizza Hut!

Uh, NO, in what universe, dominoes is pretty bad pizza even with the complete overhaul, the only national brand worse is papa johns.

Must one go to places like Pizza Hut and McJunk, anyway? With all the eating-habit-related illnesses vs. the limitless alternatives, there's no need to willfully maximize the burden on your body system.

please leave your David Zinczenko preaching for someone who gives a damn.

Pizza Hut's thin crust, light sauce Pepperoni Lovers pizza is the bomb. As I said in another thread Papa John's doesn't even know how to construct a pizza.

Crust, sauce, Cheese then toppings, not crust sauce toppings cheese, unless you want a pizza with steamed veggies which no one I knows do not.

blume is correct, flirting is fun, especially when your waiter has a bubble butt.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,110]

Must one go to places like Pizza Hut and McJunk, anyway? With all the eating-habit-related illnesses vs. the limitless alternatives, there's no need to willfully maximize the burden on your body system.

Why are all the Germans on this board like this?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

Dominos here is average but cheap.

Hardly better then a frozen pizza though.

A couple of local places in Hoorn do a decent pizza. One does a specifically American style. But I'm not a fan of the thick pizza pie crust.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,110]

Mellow Mushroom is my favorite chain Pizza.

[JoeinAR 1,957]

I've been eating McDonalds before anyone here was born, it doesn't make you fat, it makes you gay,

extra portions and or portion control make you fat.

I tipped the waiter at Vino's the other day 6 bucks on 34.00 ticket. He made sure Dave and I had enough to drink at all times. Was prompt and courteous. Someone said people don't tip if the food is bad. I have tipped for bad food, however I doubt I actually paid for the food itself. Even a comped meal deserves a tip

Not a fan of thick pizza either, it has it's place at times.

by the way there is some sort of cosmic formula that says the more expensive a frozen pizza is the more gross it becomes.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

I've been eating McDonalds before anyone here was born, it doesn't make you fat, it makes you gay.

I thought lusting after cock did that?

[BLUMENKOHL 1,110]

What do you think the McRib is made from?

[Quintus 6,495]

Joey I liked your post just because I enjoyed its randomness

@Steef

2 she is and thanks

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

What do you think the McRib is made from?

We never had the McRib here.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,110]

What do you think the McRib is made from?

We never had the McRib here.

If you come to Boston and it's on the menu...EAT ONE.

McRib..not cock.

[Ollie 1,375]

Papa Johns all the way for me. I used to love Dominos until they fucked up their recipes.

Of course I miss the old Pizza Inn, the good one from 30 years ago.

I never tip at buffets or fast food places. When I tip I do the tax x 2 and round up to the next dollar. If the service is truly outstanding I'll add some more.