Are you a bad tipper?

[Styleman]

I remember reading (probably in GQ) about how George Hamilton suggested to handle tipping. He would find a restaurant he liked, and introduce himself to the manager and say, "I'm going to be eating here a lot; put my card number on file and add 25% to the bill - don't even bring the bill to the table." Of course he is a famous person, but I imagine anyone who did this could expect superior service, plus the impressiveness of being recognized, served quickly and then just leaving when finished. "What about the check?" "Oh, they know me here."

I thoroughly intend to do this somewhere, when I have the cashflow.

Actually it is quite common in London society to leave ones card with the staff prior to the meal (you don't need to be a regualr), so that there is not the usual discussion after the meal, as to who will pay, this is especially common with buisness meals.

 

[PHV]

I accept the way things are in the US, I assume most Americans expect service to be as it is in most places, and I typically tip 15%, or more if service is exceptional.  However, I must say that I feel stressed upon entering a restaurant.  I know I will feel rushed 9 times out of 10.  I know a server will be lurking behind a pillar, ready to take away my plate as soon as I put my fork down.  I know that, as soon as someone at my table is done, his plate will be removed, leaving me to feel as though I need to catch up.  Not to mention the constant interruptions by the server in the midst of my conversations with those at my table.  As a result, we eat out less and less.  I only go under business circumstances, or when a relative is in town and wants to "do us a favor".

A meal's significance is different in the US compared to that in most of Europe, although I suppose one might say it is changing?  It doesn't seem to be valued as a place to socialize, or at least not for more than 45 minutes, if that.  I have this letter written by a Frenchman in 1835.  He was visiting Philadelphia for the first time, and commented on the food (not appetizing, mostly boiled meat and starches, served with buckwheat pancakes), and on the fact that people ate fast and in silence.

With all due respect, it seems that you are getting what you pay for. I really enjoy going out to eat, and generally at more exclusive restaurants. I never feel rushed, and most of the time my dinners last several hours.

If you dine at Outback steak house, then you really cannot expect much. However if you are speaking of decent places, then I am certainly very sorry to hear that. Come up to Montreal and try the Cafe Paris at the Ritz, and the Que De Cheval.

I need a keyboard with accents.

 

[arrogant]

This PHV character is quite sad....He attempts to give suggestions of French restaurants and fails badly to spell them correctly. ex:Que de cheval..more like Queue de cheval

 

[PHV]

This PHV character is quite sad....He attempts to give suggestions of French restaurants and fails badly to spell them correctly. ex:Que de cheval..more like Queue de cheval

So what. I'm not French.

How's your 3rd language comming?

Go dig a ditch and get me another manhattan.

O, and next time you try to diss someone, at least have the decency of not being so childishly anonymous.

 

[Drew]

I accept the way things are in the US, I assume most Americans expect service to be as it is in most places, and I typically tip 15%, or more if service is exceptional. However, I must say that I feel stressed upon entering a restaurant. I know I will feel rushed 9 times out of 10. I know a server will be lurking behind a pillar, ready to take away my plate as soon as I put my fork down. I know that, as soon as someone at my table is done, his plate will be removed, leaving me to feel as though I need to catch up. Not to mention the constant interruptions by the server in the midst of my conversations with those at my table. As a result, we eat out less and less. I only go under business circumstances, or when a relative is in town and wants to "do us a favor".

A meal's significance is different in the US compared to that in most of Europe, although I suppose one might say it is changing? It doesn't seem to be valued as a place to socialize, or at least not for more than 45 minutes, if that. I have this letter written by a Frenchman in 1835. He was visiting Philadelphia for the first time, and commented on the food (not appetizing, mostly boiled meat and starches, served with buckwheat pancakes), and on the fact that people ate fast and in silence.

As someone who serves at a chain restaurant and an armchair pop culture philosopher, the event of dining out has evolved from an event in and of itself to a very commonplace one. When I was growing up, people drove through McDonald's for dinner, and now those people have graduated to sit-down restaurants.

I waited on a family of four tonight who stayed long after the bill was paid helping their gradeschool daughters with their math homework. In a lot of ways, for better and worse, many people who we serve use our tables as their dining room. It is very common for me to serve people who use mealtimes this way.

Regarding the servers themselves, because of the overall homogeneity of the cuisine at same or similar price points offered by many of these restaurants--Chili's, Applebee's, Friday's, Bennigan's, Houlihan's, and the like--these chains feel that the biggest way they can compete and differentiate themselves from the next guy is with the service they offer.

The training programs many of these restaurants use to equip servers with the skills they need are designed to be (overly) attentive to guests. They are designed to suggest the most expensive thing on the menu, to always suggest specific things. And most of the time, the people serving often times have very little experience and don't know any better, in which case they can't be faulted for doing what they're told.

Most people would rather not look at dirty dishes with remnants of food on them, so we take them away, and most people appreciate this. Of course, a server worth his/her salt will always ask first, and there are some people who would rather sit at a table full of dirty crockery.

Personally when I go out to eat, I prefer to not eat at chains because I go for the food. However, chain or not, just like my own workplace, service depends ultimately on who is presiding over the section you're sitting in.

 

[drizzt3117]

I use a formula to calculate tips at US restaurants that are nicer than quick casual.

I start with 15% and add or subtract based on certain events and guidelines.

Generally if I ask for something, and it isn't done promptly, I will subtract 2-5% from the tip. If they attempt to remove plates w/o being asked or it being obvious that I want them removed (I will generally place them outside my eating area) then I will subtract 2-3%, I may also subtract 1-2% if my water (or wine) isn't refilled when it's obvious it needs to be. I always subtract 5% if I am brought my check before I ask for it, that is one of my biggest pet peeves.

I will add 2-5% for good service and 5-10% for exceptional service.

 

[Nonk]

I waited on a family of four tonight who stayed long after the bill was paid helping their gradeschool daughters with their math homework

I have no idea what age "gradeschool" refers to, but anyone who takes young children to a restaurant should not only tip the staff well, but should also visit every table to apologise to the other patrons for ruining their evening and compensate them accordingly.

 

[ViroBono]

I have no idea what age "gradeschool" refers to, but anyone who takes young children to a restaurant should not only tip the staff well, but should also visit every table to apologise to the other patrons for ruining their evening and compensate them accordingly.

Absolutely. I recently went out for dinner to a restaurant in an affluent area. There appeared to be children at almost every table; that is, when they were not running about. The noise was incredible. Going to the lavatory involved negotiating an assault course of pushchairs and yet more children. The staff made no attempt to ask parents to control their ill-mannered spawn.

Just as restaurants have no-smoking tables, perhaps they should also have no-children tables.

Some parents I know claim that they have to take their children because they cannot get babysitters - I imagine that they have neither cellar or lockable garden shed, then.

 

[hopkins_student]

I get a little tired of hearing people ***** about children at restaurants. I understand they can cause a disturbance, but I'm sure we all, at some point, disturbed others as well.

 

[imageWIS]

I have had extraordinary waiters at chain restaurants before and my tipping reflected this. However, I have been in fantastically expensive (as compared to Boca Raton's average prices) restaurants, and whilst the food was excellent, the service was merely service, nothing to warrant a lack or gain of attention towards the server. Granted, the food is the most important part of the meal, but without service, you should just order takeout and eat at home.

Jon.

 

[uriahheep]

How much is one expected to tip when ordering carryout?

 

[drizzt3117]

I typically don't tip when ordering carryout... how much do they expect to get for just handing you a bag?

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

I typically don't tip when ordering carryout... how much do they expect to get for just handing you a bag?

Agreed.  I consider carryout to be the equivalent of fast food.

 

[hopkins_student]

Since carryout is usually under $20, I add a dollar and round up the change to the next dollar.

 

[hopkins_student]

What do you tip for delivery?