I never tip below 15% unless something was grossly wrong on the server’s end -punishing wait staff for a kitchen foul up is plain cruel, and that after a quiet but firm discussion with the manager.

Yes, I worked as both a server, a bartender, and a restaurant manager while working my way through college and some post grad work. It’s very common to be paid less than minimum wage, get taxed on 15% of your sales, pay out to the support staff on 15% of your sales no matter what you actually receive in tips. That’s the reason I’ll almost never tip below 15%…I view it as charging the server.

Today my mother told me I look like a fool when I over tip…bringing to mind the old quote that one looks like an ass when one over tips and a bigger ass when one under tips. She and my father refuse to believe that 15% as standard and 20% for excellence is outdated. She accused me of trying to make myself look more important than others. Not at all the case….I think this is simply an instance of a generational gap, compounded by my first hand experience in the industry.

When I finally broke out in the corporate world, and later in private business, I wasn’t at all certain how much to tip and for which services. I researched travel and business guides, I watched those in business that I wished to emulate, and I made certain I never forgot certain lessons I learned on the other side of the service counter. I follow the Golden Rule.

15% is base wage to a server unless they’ve done something grossly out of line, 20% is appropriate for average to above average service. If a server goes above and beyond and truly enhances my experience, I don’t cringe at going to 25%.

Whether hosting a large group or small, keep that tip in mind when planning which establishment you can afford to patronize, and how many people you can afford to host.

When determining that tip, remember one final tidbit. By and large, people will tolerate mediocre food if they receive excellent personal service. The reverse is not true. The greatest chefs in the world could produce their finest dishes on their best days, if the service is poor, few will return for a second taste.
A good chef, a good owner, a good manager knows that and makes certain their service staff lives it, that staff deserves to be treated as that important part of the dining experience.

the person doing presentations for commission is CHOOSING to pursue this career path. If he is good at the job then eventually he will captivate a buyer and earn more in one sale than a server could make in one year.

you said-”should the company that refused to do business with you be required to compensate you for the time involved in putting your presentation together?”

hmmm…well the diners have actually NOT refused service. They have bought the sales pitch from the server if they are indeed sitting at a table and eating products in the restaurant. So the mere fact that the public is accepting service means that the more they buy, the more they pay. The higher the price of the item, the more they pay.

If someone is angered about leaving 20% then stay at home. Dinner outtings are a luxury for those who understand the obligations it entails.

People are so funny. Making up stories about how they couldn’t exercise their generosity because someone already required them to leave an already less-than-standard tip (18%) and this offends them. Hate to say it but even 18% is a thing of the past. You leave 15-18% if service is bad, 10% if it is horrible-and NEVER talk to a manager about a server unless they are trying to cheat or steal money or cuss or something. And anyone who doesn’t leave 20% for good service is either cheap or very old in age.

Most of the time this 6-or-more party rule is a restaurant policy in which the server has no choice over adding it or not to the bill. ESPECIALLY for important dates like Valentines Day, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving or New Years. If you are a 2 person party on a holiday expect to get an auto-gratuity of 18%(i.e standard). If it wasn’t the new standard rate for good service then restaurants wouldn’t practice it. They are using holidays and large parties to try to make the public see what a normal tip should be.

Although I have to say that any server who changes the automatic gratuity from 18 to 20% is a lying, cheating idiot. Do NOT pay that amount and alert the manager! They need to be fired for taking advantage of the golden opportunity they have been given. They can be assured an average tip rather than a cheap tip but have chosen to abuse this blessing. So, point these cheaters out!

So if you truly are one of those “generous” people, then why feel offended at the auto-grat? Why not leave the extra amount in the “additional gratuity” line-which is WHY it’s there. The server did not add the auto-grat on his own free will-so why punish him for it? Just seems like a selfish way to keep your extra pennies in your own piggy bank at the expense of a starving college student.

The similarity escapes me, as does the point of those sentences. Are you trying to point out that the server did not earn the money? Or is it that they do some things and the customer is entitled to simply not pay?

Have a nice day, CHEAPO.