When did 20% become the new tipping standard?

[tokie]

No arguing about the merits of the tipping system in this thread.

I was born in the 80s and I always understood the standard tip to be 15%. Since it is percentage based, it should not need to be modified for inflation.

Now I understand the standard tip in society is 20%. When did this change happen? The 2000s?

 

[SandEagle]

i can tip 5 to 10% or nothing at all. it is expected of asians.

 

[SaurusX]

Fight the power. I calculate out 15% whenever I'm waited on and round up to the nearest dollar if it's close. If the calculation comes out to $3.15, then they're getting $3. Delivery people get $2-$3 only.

I have a buddy who used to be a waiter and he tips around 25% consistently. F that.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I have a buddy who used to be a waiter and he tips around 25% consistently. F that.

I tip 20% because my wife was a waitress for years so I am sympathetic. I also always tip a buck or two at places where you are only partially waited on (Starbucks, Chipotle, etc.).

 

[brianmanahan]

i can tip 5 to 10% or nothing at all. it is expected of asians.

wait, are you asian too?

i usually give %20 for low-price meals and %10-%15 for high-price meals (20$+).

 

[Schfifty Five]

wait, are you asian too?

i usually give %20 for low-price meals and %10-%15 for high-price meals (20$+).

What did you think he was?

 

[Exterous]

I never tip more than 10% If they don't like it they should find a better job

 

[brianmanahan]

What did you think he was?

angry white guy from kentucky with a beer gut

i should have known though, this is atot! %87 asian.

i have often wondered if i am at least a little bit asian... i want to get a DNA test to see.

 

[Kaido]

Completely depends on the service. If I go someplace often and they take care of me, they always get a good tip. I always hook my sushi guy up with a good tip, and he always hooks me up with first-class service, even when it's busy. It's an awesome business relationship that I wish I had at more places :thumbsup:

It blows my mind how some waiters & waitresses cannot understand that good service equal good tips. I've had a lot of bad service, especially since I have food allergies and I have to be picky about what I order. Like when I tell the waitress three times I'm allergic to dairy, write down "no cheese" on the order, and write a note to the cook that I have a food allergy, and then she comes back with a burger smothered in cheese and wonders why I can't just scrape it off? Terrible.

The entire job is to deliver food and make tip money. There's only like two metrics, too: don't ignore the customer, and don't be annoying by visiting too often. Just swing by at regular intervals to check if we need anything. That's it! That's the whole job! I will give you a full tip if you do that and you're not rude!

 

[MarkXIX]

Just what we needed around here, another tipping thread that will turn into a doucheathon about the merits of tipping and about the haves and have nots of the world.

 

[Zee]

i can tip 5 to 10% or nothing at all. it is expected of asians.

asians is expected to tip exact percentage. white is more than exact. other minorities are less.

 

[olds]

What did you think he was?

I assumed he was from the middle east.

 

[Tweak155]

I tip 15%-35% depending. You have to really make me mad to get less than 15%. I'd say on average I'm near 20%-25%. The person is providing me a direct service, they earned a few dollars.

 

[Kaido]

I tip 20% because my wife was a waitress for years so I am sympathetic. I also always tip a buck or two at places where you are only partially waited on (Starbucks, Chipotle, etc.).

Yeah if someone helps you out, it's nice to give them something. I just snagged a grill at Home Depot and the giant box wouldn't fit in my car, so the kid wheeled it out and helped me disassemble everything into my trunk, so I gave him a few bucks and told him to buy a soda. He was super happy and it was win/win. I don't think we need to turn into a tip-crazy society, but hook people up a bit if they do a good job or they're doing you a favor.

I once read a good quote that said if a performing street artist makes you stop and watch, you owe them a buck :biggrin:

 

[lxskllr]

I tip 20% because I think it's usually worth 20%. I add or subtract according to the service and price.

 

[slippysoup]

20% because the math is easier

 

[tokie]

I assumed he was from the middle east.

I thought Persian.

 

[Kaido]

Just what we needed around here, another tipping thread that will turn into a doucheathon about the merits of tipping and about the haves and have nots of the world.

Depends on where you live too. My buddy in NYC said you have to tip everyone like mad if you live in the nice areas - doormen, drivers, etc. It can get ridiculous though, just look at this list:

http://manhattan.about.com/od/newyorkcityholidayguide/tp/New-York-City-Holiday-Tipping-Guide.htm

I've worked in the food industry, so my point of view is, if you're stuck waiting on people, life is probably not easy for you (unless you specifically want that job). You're not making good money and the tips make a big difference in your weekly income, like whether you have the funds to party with your friends on the weekend or not. So if you do an acceptable job, you get a standard tip. If you do a great job, I'll round up or be generous. If you do a terrible job, no tip.

Or the latest thing I heard was just to leave change, like a few pennies, which is a method to sink in the idea that "hey, your service was so lousy that this is all you get." Which really means that if they don't understand that giving you good service usually equals a good tip, then leaving change will probably result in them complaining that you're a bad tipper & not realizing that they're doing a bad job at serving

 

[Kaido]

Just what we needed around here, another tipping thread that will turn into a doucheathon about the merits of tipping and about the haves and have nots of the world.

Also on the topic of tipping & service...what does everyone think about a restaurant concept where you order your food, add custom notes, have the chef cook it, and have it delivered to your table via automation? I saw that on a food show a couple years back, where they had a little tray that came down from the ceiling or something with your order. You'd place your order on a touchscreen, write in any specific requests like food allergies or "hold the onions", and then the food would come down to you on an automatic dumbwaiter type of thing.

I actually think this would be great. While I'm all for giving people jobs in stuff like waiting on people, from a consumer perspective, I'd love to go and just "get food" in the same vein as doing a drive-through, but with a better meal. not have to cook it, but also not have to interact with someone prone to mistakes & a grouchy attitude. Obviously that's not the case everywhere, all the time, but it would be pretty cool to have kind of a dine-in restaurant with a drive-through mentality. I think I've also seen the same idea on TV over in Japan or something where the entire store was a vending machine - you could buy everything from candy bars to iPods, but not have to wait in a checkout line or anything, so no delays!

 

[nehalem256]

20% because the math is easier

I think this is the real answer to the OP. People started sucking more at math and it was easier to calculate 20% than 15%.

 

[lxskllr]

I think this is the real answer to the OP. People started sucking more at math and it was easier to calculate 20% than 15%.

It's only marginally easier. If someone can calculate 20%, 15% isn't any more difficult. It just requires another step. The 1337 tippers calculate exactly 17.43%

 

[MarkXIX]

Also on the topic of tipping & service...what does everyone think about a restaurant concept where you order your food, add custom notes, have the chef cook it, and have it delivered to your table via automation? I saw that on a food show a couple years back, where they had a little tray that came down from the ceiling or something with your order. You'd place your order on a touchscreen, write in any specific requests like food allergies or "hold the onions", and then the food would come down to you on an automatic dumbwaiter type of thing.

I actually think this would be great. While I'm all for giving people jobs in stuff like waiting on people, from a consumer perspective, I'd love to go and just "get food" in the same vein as doing a drive-through, but with a better meal. not have to cook it, but also not have to interact with someone prone to mistakes & a grouchy attitude. Obviously that's not the case everywhere, all the time, but it would be pretty cool to have kind of a dine-in restaurant with a drive-through mentality. I think I've also seen the same idea on TV over in Japan or something where the entire store was a vending machine - you could buy everything from candy bars to iPods, but not have to wait in a checkout line or anything, so no delays!

Kinda like the conveyor belt sushi places in Japan I see from time to time on TV?

 

[ponyo]

What's the standard tip in Europe? I thought Europeans didn't tip?

 

[tokie]

What's the standard tip in Europe? I thought Europeans didn't tip?

We don't tip per se.

Often you will round up though. So if a meal costs €18.92, you will often leave the 20 and not take the spare change.

 

[Puppies04]

What's the standard tip in Europe? I thought Europeans didn't tip?

It isn't required, for cheaper meals most people don't tip. I always tip if I have recieved decent or excellent service usually around 10-15%. Any restaurant that adds a gratuity at the end of the meal automatically or tries to force me to tip gets fuck all.

By the way Europe is a big place with many different customs you really can't ask about somthing like tipping and expect a decent answer unless you want to narrow your target a bit.

P.S

Yay another tipping thread.