Kim DeStratisMy Thoughts on Tipping
August 28th 2008 16:50
Listening on the radio this morning I learned that the 2008 Zagat guide named my own city, Philadelphia, as having the best tippers in the country. We tend to tip .6% over the national average of 19% which was enough to put us at the top. The City of Brotherly love actually did something to earn the title! So naturally, this discussion got me thinking of the way I tip when I'm out at a restaurant.
I used to be a waitress when I was in college and I think anyone who has been a server before tends to tip better then someone who is naive to what a tough job it can be. To be a good waitress, you need to be happy-go-lucky, friendly, not overly talkative yet engaging, and have a somewhat organized mind to keep everyone in your section straight. I also know that 85% of a server's income comes from their tips which means things like the size of the bill and the amount of time you linger should factor into your tip. For example, I'll tip $5 or more on a $2 cup of coffee in a diner when I've sat there for an hour catching up with a friend since I've commandeered a table that otherwise would have garnered a little more income for my waitress.
Anyone have any interesting thoughts/observations/rules when it comes to leaving a tip? Some others that come to my mind are:
The 18% gratuity that gets added to larger parties. While I understand that it's necessary for some people, I don't like that they do it for me since usually I'd tip more then that. However, I don't think I've ever left more then that when it's calculated for me which is something mentioned on the radio that they'd do if the service was exceptional. I think I'll have to do this next time.
You'd pretty much have to be a total jerk to me to get less then 18% to 20% tip from me.
Servers share their tips! Bartenders, bussers, and hostesses among others all get a cut at the end of the night. The nicer the restaurant, the more people who share the tip.
It is never OK to let a gift certificate cover the tip too. And always tip on the original bill amount, not the balance left after the gift certificate was used.
Things happen, orders get delivered wrong, servers have bad days too, other people bring their screaming kids to dinner because the kids have to eat too (just not at Ruth's Chris, please!). I've found that when I'm pleasant, even when my server seems to be at the end of his/her rope, I tend to get treated with the same amount of courtesy. I am always willing to let a mistake be apologized for or corrected instead of adding to a problem and being a jerk myself.
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