Anonymous wrote:Please also tell them to tip at hotels. DH has been drumming this into our kids for years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:20% pretax for good service and 20% post tax for better service. Easy.

Stop with pretax stuff. How much more is it really for post tax.

Rule #1 teach your kid not be rude to server. Rule #2 teach your kid not to be a cheap annoying teen that servers can’t stand.

I’m a pleasant customer. I also tip pretax. Google it. It’s the standard and appropriate. The tax has nothing to do with the service provided.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:20% pretax for good service and 20% post tax for better service. Easy.

Stop with pretax stuff. How much more is it really for post tax.

Rule #1 teach your kid not be rude to server. Rule #2 teach your kid not to be a cheap annoying teen that servers can’t stand.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Explain to your kid what categories of workers are "tipped employees" whose salary is lower by law because the restaurant lobby convinced the DOL long ago that they make a ton in tips, effectively passing the obligation to pay the employee to the customer directly and enabling the worker to evade taxes more easily.

This is not entirely true. Waiters and other tipped employees must make at least the minimum wage in combined base pay plus tips. If the tips received are not enough to cover this, the employer must make up the difference.

Not that this is an excuse for not tipping, but it is important to understand that no waiter (even the worst one) is actually making $2.something/hour.

Not sure where everyone is getting 20% as a standard tip, though. 15% is standard in the US for average service. 20% for good service. And complain to the manager for bad service.

Counter service is generally not tipped, but I might do it if extra effort is involved in packaging my order or something similar.

Emily Post has a good discussion on tipping on her web site.

And, yes, adolescents should tip the same way as their parents.

You clearly have never worked in a restaurant a day in your life.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You give what you can afford. It is customary but not legally enforceable

Most teens do not eat in restaurants. It is much cheaper to skip lunch, get by with just a chocolate bar and an apple, or to simply eat at home

If your teen can't afford 15-20 percent on top of the meal for tip, he shouldn't eat there.

Anonymous wrote:You give what you can afford. It is customary but not legally enforceable

Most teens do not eat in restaurants. It is much cheaper to skip lunch, get by with just a chocolate bar and an apple, or to simply eat at home

Anonymous wrote:

Explain to your kid what categories of workers are "tipped employees" whose salary is lower by law because the restaurant lobby convinced the DOL long ago that they make a ton in tips, effectively passing the obligation to pay the employee to the customer directly and enabling the worker to evade taxes more easily.

This is not entirely true. Waiters and other tipped employees must make at least the minimum wage in combined base pay plus tips. If the tips received are not enough to cover this, the employer must make up the difference.

Not that this is an excuse for not tipping, but it is important to understand that no waiter (even the worst one) is actually making $2.something/hour.

Not sure where everyone is getting 20% as a standard tip, though. 15% is standard in the US for average service. 20% for good service. And complain to the manager for bad service.

Counter service is generally not tipped, but I might do it if extra effort is involved in packaging my order or something similar.

Emily Post has a good discussion on tipping on her web site.

And, yes, adolescents should tip the same way as their parents.

Anonymous wrote:20% pretax for good service and 20% post tax for better service. Easy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We eat out rarely but always tip at 50% or more. I love to surprise people that may have been having a bad day or have struggles the customer doesn’t see. And no, I don’t wait around for a thank you or do it as some performative act. I was a lowly server once and an extra $20 would make my day. I teach my child the same when they are out with friends. If you can’t afford that, you really can’t afford to eat out. No one knows this is my “thing” I do it for myself with the goal of putting good energy out in the world.

Do you want, but no one is expected or should feel socially obligated to tip 50+%, whether they can afford to or not. Also once a server but this is stupid advice to give a teen on throwing away their money

While I agree no one should feel obligated to tip this amount, telling your kid they are throwing their money away on another working human being is pretty bad. It widens the economic gap and infers the server is lesser and undeserving.

Anonymous wrote:Tipping on the pretax amount is the definition of cheap.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you tell your kids to tip on the total or on the pre-tax amount?

I use the total. Does anyone even look at the pretax amount?

Of course they do. I always tip on the pretax and will have my kids do the same.

If the meal was $22 and tax was 6%, that’s $23.32.

I’ll be paying $4.40 (probably $4.50), or 20% or just over.

If someone pays 20% on post tax, they are leaving $4.60. It’s around the same.