How to Tip at a Coffee Shop

These days, it's easy to figure out the tip with our fancy cell phone tip calculators. The tricky part is knowing how, when, where, and how much one should tip. Here's the lowdown on coffee shop tip etiquette.

Instructions

1. Assess the situation and the reason for your visit to the coffee shop. Are you placing an order to go? Will you be there for awhile? The nature of the visit is a big factor when considering the tip. If you plan on ordering a non-fat, no whip, extra light, vanilla flavor, organic, double steamed, double hot triple espresso and staying there while you write your novel, that's a little bit different than a small black coffee to go.

2. Understand that tipping is a voluntary action at coffee shops. In the United States, tipping is a discretionary action. This is especially true at coffee shops, where you are required to do most of the work by yourself (add cream and sugar, clear your own dishes, etc.) Since most coffee shops are now putting out tip jars or placing a gratuity line on the credit card slips, the guidelines have become fuzzy. You are welcome to tip, but by all means, you do not have to!

3. Calculate the tip on the basis of the total bill. At a coffee shop, this is important because your tab may only be $2 or $3.

4. Tip at a coffee shop if you are certain that the employees work solely on gratuity and commissions. If this is the case, a sign should be posted informing patrons of the method in which the employees are paid. This is common knowledge with wait staff at a restaurant, but is not as clear when it comes to coffee shops.

5. Realize that the standard rule of 15% to 20% does not apply to coffee shops. You are not required to tip a certain percentage of the bill. Instead, consider the gratuity as a small contribution, whatever you feel you can afford to give. If your bill is $2, a tip of 50 cents is still appropriate, even though this amount is 25% of the total. If your bill is $10, it is still acceptable to give $1, even though this is only 10%.

6. Measure the value of the service you received. This is more difficult than it would be in a restaurant. In a regular eatery, not tipping is a direct reflection of the service and also directly affects the wait staff (they make less money). In a coffee shop, it can be very circumstantial. Don't misjudge good or bad service. For example, coffee shops often have long lines. Is this because the manager only put on two employees and they are having a tough time keeping up with the crowd? Or, are the employees flirting with the person at the counter instead of trying to service everyone? A long line doesn't mean you shouldn't tip, but obvious disrespect to a patron does.

Tips & Warnings

• Many coffee shops also function as bars that sell alcoholic drinks. If this is the case, consider what you are using the shop for. If your patronage is in the evening for live music and couple of beers, it is a good idea to follow the 10%-15% rule that you would normally follow at a bar or club.