How to Tip in a Restaurant

Our society dines in restaurants – a lot. The proper way to tip waiters and waitresses is an important part of our civilized culture. As with everything in life, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Good manners
• Social graces
• Kindness
• Understanding

1. When dining in any kind of restaurant, do not take the attitude that you will economize by leaving an inadequate tip. This is a bad idea for a couple of reasons. Your waiter/waitress and restaurant staff work for modest pay and depend upon tip money as a major source of income. Another reason is that a chintzy tipper will be remembered. If you frequent a favorite restaurant often, do not set yourself up for poor service.

2. 15-18% of the total bill is the current recommendation for an acceptable tip. Some people do not believe that tax should be included when figuring a tip, but this writer disagrees. Restaurant staff pay taxes also and you purchase a lot of goodwill by tipping appropriately.

3. There is room for personal judgment in tipping. If the service is good to excellent, especially if in an establishment you frequent often, tip well but not too well. Over- tipping is nice but take care not to overdo it. If the service is fair to full blown bad, leave a modest tip but be certain to inform the management of your displeasure.

4. Over-tipping by too much sends the wrong message. So does not leaving a tip at all. You are wise to take the poker player’s attitude of leaving the person at the other end of the table with something.

Tips & Warnings

• Step 1. Many restaurants pay a ridiculously low wage, expecting the customer to make up for it in tips. This is not a commendable practice but it is what it is.
• Step 4. Tipping greatly impacts your reputation as a lady or gentleman. Do not purposefully damage it by trying to save a small amount of tip money.
• Not leaving a tip can foster full blown animosity from restaurant staff. If you give in to the urge to not leave a tip, be certain not to frequent that restaurant again anytime soon.

[teleburst]

on 6/21/2009 Sorry for screwing up your 5 star rating. I was trying to give you another 5 star rating but I hit the wrong star. It should still be 5 stars as your article was correct on all levels, including the part about overtipping.