Anonymous wrote:For valet service, why would you tip the person who takes your car? You tip when the car is returned in good condition, not when someone takes it away (before the service has been provided).

I tip the person who takes the car because I want them to park it in a good spot where the car won't get dinged or under a tree where it will get pooped on or in a spot where it will be accessible to thieves. I figure if I give them money then that makes my desired outcome (of a "good" spot) more likely.

For valet service, why would you tip the person who takes your car? You tip when the car is returned in good condition, not when someone takes it away (before the service has been provided).

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I agree that for table service 20% is appropriate in most cases. To me counter service is the gray area.

Counter service, I also do 20%.

The tipping I haven't seen addressed here is valet service: at the car repair, I give $2 to the shop attendant who returns my car; at a restaurant, I give $2 to the attendant who takes my car and $3 to the attendant who returns it; at a hotel, I give $2 base plus $1 a bag to the car attendant and then the same to the bell hop. Am I on or off?

You leave $20 for your entire stay or $20/day? If the latter, that's insane. A hotel maid spends about thirty minutes cleaning a room. How is that job worth $40/hour ($80k/year) in addition to whatever she is being paid by the hotel? I realize that these jobs are often poorly paid and that the people who do them appreciate the money, but tipping is not charity and I fail to see how over-tipping is the solution to poor wages.

Anonymous wrote:So, how much do people tip hotel maids? I would normally figure on about $2/day or so, left on the night stand at checkout, but there seems to be a wide varity of opinions on this, ranging from not tipping at all to $5 or more per day.

A minimum of $5 a day, we usually just leave a $20.

Anonymous wrote:

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

For what?

Decent people leave a tip for the housekeeper when they check out.

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

+1000, so petty.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Please tell me you would round up to $5.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you advise your teens/tweens about how to tip? Is your advice the same as how. you tip, or is it different?

20% if they show up at the table and take your order. If you have an issue, talk to the manager, don't cut the tip. If they don't show up at the table, no tip. If they do more, tip more.

So if they show up, take your order, fail to check on you, fail to bring the condiments you asked for, fail to refill water, fail to clear dishes, fail to bring menus, etc...20%? How is talking to the manager helping the server?

I’d tip this person 15% pretax.

Because the tip is split between the cook, bussers and wait staff (frequently pooled so everyone splits the same big pot), I'm not going to penalize everyone. I'm gong to speak strongly to the manager, and with a list of written comments, the manager will teach them. Or they'll be fired because they did a piss poor job for the second/third/fourth time, and they've been warned/taught before, but didn't try to fix it.

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

This

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you advise your teens/tweens about how to tip? Is your advice the same as how. you tip, or is it different?

20% if they show up at the table and take your order. If you have an issue, talk to the manager, don't cut the tip. If they don't show up at the table, no tip. If they do more, tip more.

So if they show up, take your order, fail to check on you, fail to bring the condiments you asked for, fail to refill water, fail to clear dishes, fail to bring menus, etc...20%? How is talking to the manager helping the server?

I’d tip this person 15% pretax.

Anonymous wrote:How do you advise your teens/tweens about how to tip? Is your advice the same as how. you tip, or is it different?

20% if they show up at the table and take your order. If you have an issue, talk to the manager, don't cut the tip. If they don't show up at the table, no tip. If they do more, tip more.

20% of total, post-tax.

Although for pick-up, usually 10%

20% across the board at sit down restaurant. If they are with their friends and they were loud, messy etc leave more.
Also don’t nickel and dime splitting the check with friends (it’s petty behavior that always drove me nuts), just split the check.
DC’s friends parents seem to have taught them similarly from what I’ve observed and been told by DC... they all just thrown down a 10 or whatever when the bill comes.

Anonymous wrote:Always round up and if you can't afford to tip then you can't afford to eat there.

This is always such a stupid comment when applied broadly. 15% is standard on the untaxed total on sit down service. You don’t tip on carry out. Guilting people for not tipping on carry out would result in less business and that helps no one.