[bLue_oNioN]

Hello,

Since I come from a different country, I'd like to get a better feel for tipping and hope this thread will be of some use to others like myself. I would prefer that we keep currencies in US Dollars. Similarly, please note in the thread where you are from (City, Country) so we can see if there are some trends with tipping in large cities versus smaller cities versus international cities.

I currently live in Urbana, Illinois, United States. It's a pretty small college town. When school is out, the area pretty much empties out. I remember somebody telling me that our school composes over 1/3 of the Champaign-Urbana population.

If I order for delivery, the order typically comes out to somewhere around $10. Unless there is a very specific reason for me to do otherwise, I will tip $1.

I used to be worse. When the orders came out to be $7.55 for example, I would just round up to the next dollar and tip $8. It was mainly because I came from a country where tipping does not exist, PERIOD. Suddenly forking out money on top of what I had to pay for the food and tax seemed a little strange.

I don't eat out very much, but when I do, the amount I tip won't deviate TOO much from what was described above -- perhaps just a tad more ($1 to $2). In other words, I don't give $20 tips. Then again, as a student, I don't go to very expensive restaurants and eat hundred dollar meals unless it's a gathering/reunion of family/friends, or something of the like, in which case the bill is always either split, or handled by somebody else entirely.

To be honest (and I feel a little embarassed saying this) I would like to tip as little as possible if the service is just average. When service is exemplary (and there have been instances where I truly wanted to tip as much as I could afford to), I don't hesitate to tip up to 20-30%, but sometimes, delivery boys will act as if significant tipping is a requirement, which makes me a little mad.

One time, I ordered delivery from this restaurant where a $1 "delivery fee" was charged. Apparently, the "delivery fee" didn't go to the delivery driver though, it went to the restaurant. Whether the fee was there to cover gas or whatnot, I can't be sure. I wound up tipping $0.50 on top of the $1. I figured, well, the meal is only $9 with tax. If I spend $1.50 total on delivery, at 15% that already seems a bit much, there's no reason to go higher and tip $2-$3.

The delivery boy yelled at me and threatened to not bring my food the next time. I remember standing at the door a little unsure of myself while he screamed "do you not get the whole gratuity thing?!" I was informed that I was "the worst tipper ever." The incident upset me, and everybody on my floor said I should tip even less next time, but I could never really figure out if I should have tipped more, or if the amount was reasonable.

[size=xx-small]EDIT: Not to justify my previous tipping, as I am learning very much from this thread, but to be clear, the source of delivery was less than three minute's drive away, down Green Street.[/size]

So... what are your thoughts?

Hope nobody starts thinking I have poor character because of my tips

 

[strohmie]

At a restaurant, usually 20%...when I get delivery, at least $1.50 (ie. if the food cost $9.25, I pay $11, but if it was $9.75, I pay $12). Most people say that's more than I need to give (in both restaurants and to drivers), but I always have figured that those two are a couple of the worst jobs out there. When I'm going out for drinks, I actually tend to tip more like 50% to offset the number of cheap college kids who pay for their drinks and nothing more.

Probably excessively giving considering how broke I am.

 

[Imyourzero]

I always try to tip at least the standard 15% in restaurants, but often I end up tipping more than that (especially if I feel the server did better than an "average" job, thus the need for a higher-than-average tip).

However, for deliveries I usually make it a point to try to tip the driver well. In your case, I don't know how far that delivery boy had to come but if it was me I'd be pretty ticked off if I was only tipped $0.50. That's almost an insult, especially when you consider the rising costs of gas and the fact that he probably has to use his own car (wear and tear) as well as the fact that many of those people aren't even paid minimum wage and therefore rely on tips for the majority of their income from that job. I usually tip no less than $3 for a delivery, and more if it's a bigger order or I know they had to drive a bit far. I would probably only tip less if the order was really really late or if the place was right next to me, but if it was right next to me I wouldn't need to have it delivered.

 

[Born2bwire]

The common rule is 15%. For restaurants, you should charge 15% usually, reserving 20% for good service with 10% reserved for when you wish to express a degree of disapproval. Taxis are usually around 15% as are barbers. For deliveries, usually you do 10% with a minimum of $1.

Personally, I tip 15% at restaurants and deliveries. I used to tip when I got my haircut, but the place I goto now has raised their prices by $2 and have gotten rid of their free haircut deal. It's getting rather expensive for my budget to pay someone to cut my hair so I tip occasionally to allow for my budget.

My brother delivered pizzas for years and these kind of jobs pay very little. Many employers take into consideration that a portion of the employee's income is derived by tips. As such, it is usually in poor taste not to tip and it can be even worse to undertip.

In regards to the deliveryman who railed you about tipping, screw him. While tipping is pretty much a socially required act, it isn't something that the employee should comment to you about. If he's going to blow up on you about something as little as 50 cents then I would consider giving the guy a smaller tip the next time around. I'm not to sure on the specifics of the delivery fee but I always figured it was there to make the delivery worthwhile to the restaurant. The restaurant has to pay someone to make the deliveries and it costs them just as much to pay the deliveryman to make a $50 delivery or a $5 delivery so I assume that the minimum order requirement is to help offset the costs of delivering when you make a low profit order.

 

[Salt Peanuts]

Restaurants, I usually tip 15%, though it has ranged from 10% to 25% depending on service. Actually at one place, my ex and I ended up leaving a $1 tip because our waitress was just plain terrible.

I don't order delivery all that often anymore, but when I used to on regular basis (i.e., when I was in school) my roommate and I always gave the driver $2 tip, which may seem high. The reason? Any driver will eventually figure out who you are and will remember if you are not a good tipper - there's nothing stopping them from spitting on my food while it's being delivered.

 

[minya]

Remember JMT's thread a while back? A bunch of "life tips" written by Dave Barry, I think? One of them was "people who yell at waiters are always bad people."

So are people who tip poorly.

 

[dhwilkin]

Decent service gets 15%, excellent service 20-25%, poor service gets nothing (or a complaint filed w/ the manager, if it puts me in a bad mood). This is for eating in restraunts or delivery, I ignore any tip jars or the like at places in food courts, coffee shops, etc...

The delivery charge thing seems like a rip-off to me, if it's not taking the place of the tip. Don't have any of those around here, I'd probably just try to avoid those places. You probably should've just tipped a dollar in that case, generally giving under a dollar is sometimes seen as almost worse than not giving anything at all. That said, if the delivery guy yelled at me if I didn't give him a nice tip, I'd yell right back and file a complaint w/ the manager.

edit:
Quote:

Salt Peanuts said... Any driver will eventually figure out who you are and will remember if you are not a good tipper - there's nothing stopping them from spitting on my food while it's being delivered.

Any driver/waiter/whoever who spits in a customer's food is scum, highly unprofessional, and deserves to be fired on the spot.

 

[john_jcb]

We rarely have food delivered, pizza a couple times a year perhaps. I usually tip the delivery person a few dollars. At restaurants I vary the amount based on service. I have gone as low as 10% to 25%. On some occasions I have also tipped higher when I have been demanding or had special requirements.

 

[Wmcmanus]

I'm pretty much like Born2bwire as far as restaurants. The rule of thumb is 15%, but I'll normally give 20% if the service is excellent and 10% if it's poor but that's just a rule of thumb.

But in truth, the "15 percent thing" causes a rather odd and uneasy feeling for me at times. Examples:

1. The pizza guy drives 5 miles to make a delivery to my door in his own vehicle, and I know for a fact that he's not reimbursed for his gas. The bill is $12. I give him $20 and tell him to keep the change.

2. There is a little "hole in the wall" Thai restaurant where the food is great, the service is excellent (and with a smile) and no matter how many times you go there, they make you feel good. Lunch for 2 is about $16. I'll pay with a $25 bill, and leave before the waitress comes back insisting that I take some of my change. She even ran down the street after me once, saying, "Sir, sir, you forgot your change!!!" True story. Of course, she probably went back in the kitchen afterwards and said, "I tell the American, 'Tip too big' and now he tips me more!"

3. I've recently had lunch at a "fancy" place with high prices. The bill was $150 for 2 people! We did have a bottle of wine which was about $30, but no desert, no coffee, just lunch! The food was adequate, as was the service, but nothing great. A 15% tip would have $22.50, but for what? They were slow in seating us, confused the food order with a nearby table, and didn't pay much attention to detail, in general. I think I added $10 to the bill and paid by credit card. In terms of service, that was still too much of a tip relative to the $9 tip at the Thai place.

This is why I think the "15 percent" rule is often a bad guideline, but if you asked anyone in the food service business, they would tell you that 15% is intended as a "mimimum" for average-to-good service.

 

[terrymx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by minya Remember JMT's thread a while back? A bunch of "life tips" written by Dave Barry, I think? One of them was "people who yell at waiters are always bad people." So are people who tip poorly.

haha

i think it just varies between people. although my bro told me that people do not tip in japan, and if you leave money at the table in the restaurant they would run after you and give back the money.

i rarely eat out or get deliver, but i generally tip $3-5. why not, they did put effort into getting the food to me.

 

[BANGPOD]

blue_onion --

33%. Why? It is easy (I divide by three and add that amount to the original).
I tip like this because the more you do so, the better that you are treated.
This is in my experience, as I only frequent top-tier restaurants in my area.
I get the chance to try a restaurant's new dishes (usually complementary).
This is before the dish is on the menu and they like to hear my opinions.

Reservations are easier for me and I am usually seated at the mainstay table.
This makes ordering, entering, leaving, and eating more enjoyable for me.

Your mileage may vary, but nevertheless...

BANGTRIPOD

 

[BRBJackson]

My average tip in a restaurant is 20%, unless I get really bad service... then it's more like 10%, but this is very rare for me. Foodservers get paid peanuts by their employers, and would not be able to survive without tips. I just mentally add 20% to anything I'm looking at on a menu. No suprises or begrudging the tip that way.

The only exception for me is when I get room service at a hotel, as there are generally 2-3 service charges already added on.

 

[myself, aka me]

You don't tip in NZ, and it's non existant in Japan. There is a service charge added in Japan. Maybe it's the same sort of thing.

I find tipping a strange custom. Don't you get paid to do the job? If you're always going to be expecting 10% or whatever for service, why don't you just tack that onto the bill in the first place as a service fee?

I'm so going to get my dishes spat on if I go to America

 

[meat01]

Myself aka me, I am not sure how much food servers get paid now, but it used to be $2.01 an hour + tips. It is not right for them to spit on your food or complain if they get a bad tip, but they do make their living on tips, so in the US, 15% is pretty much the standard if you get good service.

I always tip at least 15%, unless the service is horrible and I usually tip 20% if the service is great.

 

[Salt Peanuts]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhwilkin Any driver/waiter/whoever who spits in a customer's food is scum, highly unprofessional, and deserves to be fired on the spot.

I agree with you, but keep in mind that the driver is the only person in the car while the food is being delivered. My college roommate and I knew of far too many stories ever to take chances - and it helped that places we ordered from were never late with any of our orders.