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Want to really confuse your server? Leave a 15-percent tip.
There's nothing more ambiguous than the 15-percent tip, which could just as well be a "thanks for nothing" grat from a miffed diner who always leaves 20 percent or a sincere show of gratitude from an infrequent restaurantgoer who thinks 15 percent is still the going rate for good service. Only the tipper knows for sure.
Fortunately for servers, fewer customers today seem to fall into the latter category, which is now mostly populated by the very old and very stubborn. Surveys show the vast majority of Americans have transitioned away from the 15-percent standard which ruled the food and beverage industry for decades, with the national average tip rising to 19 percent in 2008.
Restaurant-imposed service charges are a fairly good way to gauge the shift in tipping expectations: When they first showed up on south Florida menus in the early 1980s, they were nearly always set at 15 percent. But by the time a Long Island diner faced charges for skipping out on the mandatory grat at Soprano's Italian and American Grill in 2004, the number had crept up to 18 percent, the figure that appears on most menus today.
According to Zagat, which annually compiles tip averages from across the country, 2000 was the first year tips topped 18 percent nationwide.
So what happened in the last 10 years to justify the change? As many detractors have pointed out, a percentage is automatically adjusted for inflation, so that's not the rationale for the newfound generosity. Rather -- and this is your server talking -- it probably reflects a greater appreciation for the server's work, deepened by the many more meals Americans now eat out.
Just as the public realized that folks who toil on assembly lines and sell costume jewelry at the mall deserve a minimum wage, diners have finally caught on to the real value of service. As we approach Labor Day, your server thanks you for that.
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| Something else (tell us more in comments) |
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9-01-2009 @5:22PM Frodnesor said... I suspect there is some wishful thinking going on here. Either that or you're asking two different questions: what is the baseline tip, and what is the average tip.
Regardless of what restaurants elect to add on to a bill as automatic gratuity, in most people's heads I think 15% is still the baseline for average service; anything above that is for service that is better than merely average. And when people receive mediocre (or worse) service and are automatically charged 18% for it, they still resent it.
I come from South Florida, which as you note was likely one of the first places in the US to start automatically adding gratuity (primarily in response to an influx of European tourists who were unaccustomed to tipping at all). Yes, the percentage of the added gratuity has crept up the past few years; unfortunately, the quality of service has not risen commensurately with it.
I am actually generally a quite generous tipper, and routinely tip 20% (or more) for good service. I'm also keenly aware that often, the best server is the one you notice the least. But I still quite firmly believe that 15% is the baseline, regardless of what restaurants may elect to automatically tack onto the bill.
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9-01-2009 @3:57PM Kara said... This is probably a very lame reason for leaving 20%, but for the math challenged like me, 20% is easy to figure. Take the total before tax, shift the decimal point, and double it. Voila. Tip amount.
Then you can round up or down as you see fit based on the service.
So an $18.72 ticket would be a 1.87 * 2 = $3.70 (about). I'd round that up to $4 for good service, and down $3 if there was a problem.
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9-01-2009 @6:58PM Lis said... I think the reasons for this are twofold, first I believe that now the majority of diners either have worked as a server at some point in their lives, or at the very least have a close friend who has... that makes us more sympathetic to the hard job of being a server. The other reason is really stupid perhaps, but the main reason I ALWAYS tip 20%... it's way easier to figure out 20% then 15% you round up to the dollar amount, then move the decimal point over, and add that number together... voila! I'm that bad at math, so I just always tip 20%. I know it's ridiculous but it's what I do.
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9-01-2009 @6:58PM Lis said... Wow, Kara, we used almost the same exact wording to explain that (Voila included!!) Hilarious!
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9-01-2009 @4:14PM MH said... I absolutely hate the entire concept of tipping. I would much prefer for decent wages to be built into a higher menu price, as it is in many countries, with tipping reserved for service above and beyond the call of duty.
That said, there's no chance of that happening here in the USA, so I go with a default of "15%, rounded up to the nearest $0.50 or $1."
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9-01-2009 @5:32PM auxonic said... I loath where tipping has ended up. 20% ends up as over $25 on my normal meal for two diners. Multiply that by the four or six people at my table and the five or six tables in the section and the server (shared in any number of ways with other staff) are making a fortune...randomly. I wish a reasonable staffing cost was integrated into the food and we could stop with this nonsense. It's even worse for fancy meals out, am I really supposed to leave a $60 tip?
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9-01-2009 @4:36PM Tom said... Unless the service is dismal, I always tip a minimum of 20%. Having been a server for 3 years in college and going on 2 out, I know what they have to go through. Even before I waited tables, I had an understanding that they weren't making much money from wages.
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9-01-2009 @4:33PM whataboob said... As a former server, I tip 20% at a minimum unless service is beyond deplorable. People forget that long waits are often the fault of the kitchen or the bar, not the server. Many people also do not realize that in many states, servers make $2.13/hr because it is assumed that people will tip 15% at a minimum. In states where servers make upwards of $7/hr, I do agree that tipping should be optional at chain establishments or other places where a server's job is more comparable to a carhop than truly waiting on the guest hand and foot.
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9-01-2009 @7:01PM Lorenzo said... 15% is my base, but I really am bothered by tipping, in all industries where it occurs, on so many levels. I could rant for a while, but I agree with MH that I would rather see that 15-20% built into servers' wages.
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9-01-2009 @5:41PM RobynT said... I'm not that old, but I guess I am stubborn. It makes me mad that the base is getting higher! I guess I usually tip 15-20%, depending on how fancy of a place it is, how much the server does.
I am really not a fan of tip jars--do you really need to tip for something that isn't brought to your table? Maybe if the employee is extra helpful...
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9-01-2009 @5:44PM DanGarion said... Growing up I was taught it was 10-15% depending on service. Really bad service is lucky to get anything, below average gets 10%, average service gets 15%, and those places that provide great service get 20%. In addition those places that we frequent we tend to give even more, which bills that are typically around $20 bucks getting a $10 tip.
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9-01-2009 @6:55PM MM said... Maybe it's a regional thing, but I'm not that old (and I don't think that stubborn) and I and those I usually eat out with usually tip from a 15% baseline, always rounding up not down. But until I moved out to the coast I'd never heard of 20% being anything other than a generous tip.
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9-01-2009 @7:46PM Sarah said... Again, tipping is not something you deserve nor should expect as a server unless you work in a business that has mandatory tipping added to the bill. Otherwise you are assuming that you deserve the money just for showing up and breathing! If the state you work in does not have wage laws to at least receive minimum wage you need to start a grass roots campaign to change it! The state I live in the business must pay waitstaff the same as any other occupation for adults.
I tip based on how I perceive the service to have been and as well where I choose to eat. The whole business of putting "tip charts" on credit card receipts is beyond tasteless.
Does the writer complain to the customer when they "only" get 15%? Again, this writer needs to take a hard look at HOW arrogant, self centered and take the whole "I deserve this" down a notch.
I can say if I got that attitude while eating out you'd be lucky to see ANYTHING left behind.
(PS: Why am I so annoyed? Go read the past blog posts by the writer!)
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9-02-2009 @1:37AM Jessica said... This whole issue with tipping and whats required vs. whats complimentary vs. whats deserved. Is one of the best things to happen to me because it is the reason I learned to cook and simply avoid eating out.
I think 15% should be standard, however I am amazed at how someone can say that if I get sub par service, to simply complain to the manager but still leave a tip (not here - on another site).
A tip is just what it states - a tip - a token of appreciation. If your service wasn't appreciated why should I leave a tip.
But make note, when I go out I do tip. But what restaurants should realize is I am less likely to buy other items on the menu if my tab is running too high. I won't buy that $15 dessert, since I know I'll have to pay 15% more for it. Also, in LA the taxes are OUTRAGEOUS. So now I have to pay more for state taxes and another tax (tip) to to server.
It would be nice if a restaurant stood up and said, no tipping !!!! They would get my money and more than likely, way more money since I won't be thinking about having to tip.
P.s. I think the standard is 18% because people figure 15% and just round it up.
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9-02-2009 @5:52AM Lisa said... Yes if $ 60 is 20 % you should . Servers must claim you tip them a certain amount whether you do or not and they may have to pay busboys ect. on top of that. And yes pizza drivers are now considered " servers " which means drivers make less than min. wage .
And to all you cheapskates a dollar is not a TIP unless you are living in 1972 ! And to not tip at all is so wrong . Hope you or your kids must wait tables, live on tips for at least 2 months out of your life ... you would never stiff again !
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9-02-2009 @6:27AM david said... Service that is adequate gets 15%. The server was prompt, told us about the specials, our food arrived at the proper temperature, and so forth. A server who goes beyond adequate gets more and in the restaurants I frequent 18-20% is the norm.
If I'm dropping $100 plus for dinner, not counting wine, I expect a server to tell me the specials without prompting and I appreciate when s/he mentions that one special is particularly good or that diners have been raving about the fish all evening. When a server remembers that I take my coffee black, that I have a fondness for Petite Sirah the tip goes up. But I don't consider 20% to be the base.
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9-02-2009 @7:23AM Richard Ahlquist said... Ok so we are now at 20%? If we leave less than 20% its confusing? Look for me its simple I tip 15%+ for good service if I tip less than that the service was poor. If it truly sucks but the food was acceptable then I will leave a single penny so as not to confuse the poor sot.
That simple enough?
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9-02-2009 @10:12AM Dana said... 15% is the basic for the server has done their job, with nothing exceptional and nothing offensive having happened during the meal. If the server is friendly, and does a little extra, it will go to 20% - so it doesn't take a lot of extra effort for us to bump it up to this, really. If they've been really going an extra mile, the tip will increase from there depending on what has happened.
If, however, the server has done anything during the meal to make the experience less than enjoyable... the tip will go down just as easily.
The base pay is what they get for doing their job. What I am paying for in the tip is how much they have personally enhanced my meal. 15% is a baseline, but everything else is adjusted according to our experience.
(In spite of how this might sound, we usually tip 20%+. If we have an experience that involves less than 15%, we will not return in the future, limiting the lousy tipping potential drastically.)
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9-02-2009 @10:57AM Gobo said... I tip 20% because that's what's expected of me, yes. I personally think that the concept of mandatory tipping -- at 1/5 the cost of your meal -- is outrageous, and like other people here, would much rather see Americans adopt what's been the standard around the world for years: gratuity built into the servers' pay, with any tip as a special 'thank you' for exceptional service. Being forced to tip 15 to 20 percent of my meal for generic, dull service at a chain restaurant is ridiculous.
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9-02-2009 @10:59AM Gary said... Yet another post by someone that obviously does not enjoy being a restaurant server. My baseline has always been and will probably always be 15%. If the service is exceptional I will always leave more, sometimes 20-25%, but if restaurants around here (Long Island) start trying to include a mandatory gratuity, they will most likely lose a TON of business.
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