I also think a good rule is to never tip less than $5 at a sit down place. Working the lunch shift (and it's $10 entrees with no alcohol) SUCKS. It's the same amount of work, but instead of making $10 a table easily, you can make only $4 a table.

Once I worked enough lunch shifts, I never tipped less than $5 on a sit down meal again.

I've coached my teen to always tip 20% and to text me if she can't figure it out on her own. This thread reminds me of the time we went out to Cafe Deluxe in Bethesda (must have been in 2012/2013) and Malia Obama, who was probably 14 or 15 at the time, was at the table right next to us with a bunch of her friends and at the end of their meal she had to ask her secret service guy how to do the tip lol it was cute and he helped her and her friends out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

A fool and his money...

You're welcome to your opinion, as I'm welcome to mine.

I find a restaurant I like, then I stick to it. I go during off hours, and the managers know me (they may not see me when I walk in, but they stop by my table sometime while I'm there). The waitstaff gets to know me over time, but I have no issue in someone new. The kitchen recognizes the way I special order within 4 times, especially since I only have 2-3 orders that I rotate.

I have NEVER spoken to a manager who didn't take my comments seriously. I have had managers approach me three times to see if I would be willing to take notes during my meal, and in exchange, my meal would be comped, no questions if I ordered more food or more extravagantly than my normal.

I build relationships, rather than just treating people like interchangeable cogs. But you do you, and you're welcome to think I'm a fool too...

Something is very bizarre if this has been offered to you, let alone by more than one manager. Which restaurants ...or it’s not happening?

I never said approaching the manager won’t help YOU. I said it won’t help the server. His boss now knows he’s messing up and a customer is unhappy.

Anonymous wrote:Money paid in advance, with the expectation of achieving a specific outcome, is a "bribe" and not a "tip."

Who is requiring you to tip on front end?

Anonymous wrote:

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

I don’t tip on counter service or coffee.

Yup. Same here. The price is the price, and the only justification for tipping normally is that their wages are customarily lower. If you're not in that class of employee, I'm not tipping.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

A fool and his money...

You're welcome to your opinion, as I'm welcome to mine.

I find a restaurant I like, then I stick to it. I go during off hours, and the managers know me (they may not see me when I walk in, but they stop by my table sometime while I'm there). The waitstaff gets to know me over time, but I have no issue in someone new. The kitchen recognizes the way I special order within 4 times, especially since I only have 2-3 orders that I rotate.

I have NEVER spoken to a manager who didn't take my comments seriously. I have had managers approach me three times to see if I would be willing to take notes during my meal, and in exchange, my meal would be comped, no questions if I ordered more food or more extravagantly than my normal.

I build relationships, rather than just treating people like interchangeable cogs. But you do you, and you're welcome to think I'm a fool too...

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

I don’t tip on counter service or coffee.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

A fool and his money...

Anonymous wrote:

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?

I would tell my teen to park their own car, as I do.

Money paid in advance, with the expectation of achieving a specific outcome, is a "bribe" and not a "tip."