What are your criteria for leaving a tip at a restaurant?

I'm curious about how people tip, here and elsewhere. So tell me what country you're in, because I know some places have different tipping procedures than others.

I'm in the US, and I usually start a baseline 15%. To me, good service is someone filling up my drink to such a degree that I don't find myself thirsty. Most of the rest of the experience besides basic niceness is outside of the waiter's control.

If they fill up my drink when I need it, I usually go up 5 or 10%, depending on how nice they were overall. But if they were rude and brunt or pushy, that's when I start going below 15%.

What are your tipping criteria?

same as you

Servers get paid less than minimum wage in Utah so I think it's important to tip a lot. I start at a base of 5 bucks.

I go with a minimum of 20% unless they are notably bad or rude, then none.

By bad or rude, I don't mean things like being busy. If I need a drink refilled and they haven't come by because they are off talking with the other waiters (this happens way too often) then I get a little frustrated. If the drinks are late because he/she has a ton of tables, then it is probably the managers fault, so don't take it out on waiter. If the food is late, not waiters fault.

If the waiter is mean to me I wouldn't tip, but they have normally been either nice or unresponsive.

It really doesn't take much to get a good tip from me, If you try at all you get 20% rounded up.

for instance food = 43.23
20% = 8.65 round to 9.00
9.00 plus 43.23 = 52.23 round up again
53.00.
tip equals 9.73 approx 22.5%

Not too much extra because the rounding, but it is a lot higher percentage if you are at a cheaper restaurant then the previous.

I do this rounding to force myself to tip more BTW. :) It is higher than rounding once.

This is my system. Sorry it is so long. Takes like 3 seconds when actually tipping.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BrandonBoss

I go with a minimum of 20% unless they are notably bad or rude, then none.

By bad or rude, I don't mean things like being busy. If I need a drink refilled and they haven't come by because they are off talking with the other waiters (this happens way too often) then I get a little frustrated. If the drinks are late because he/she has a ton of tables, then it is probably the managers fault, so don't take it out on waiter. If the food is late, not waiters fault.

If the waiter is mean to me I wouldn't tip, but they have normally been either nice or unresponsive.

It really doesn't take much to get a good tip from me, If you try at all you get 20% rounded up.

for instance food = 43.23
20% = 8.65 round to 9.00
9.00 plus 43.23 = 52.23 round up again
53.00.
tip equals 9.73 approx 22.5%

Not too much extra because the rounding, but it is a lot higher percentage if you are at a cheaper restaurant then the previous.

I do this rounding to force myself to tip more BTW. :) It is higher than rounding once.

This is my system. Sorry it is so long. Takes like 3 seconds when actually tipping.

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thats what I do, exactly

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CloudlessSky

thats what I do, exactly

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Haha. That is funny. I thought I was alone. :)

15% is a standard tip for me. If the service is good, that's what I give. If the service is exceptionally good, I might tip more, and if it's exceptionally bad I won't tip at all. Tips are meant to be earned.

Basic things that intice me to tip at a restaurant are the pleasantness of the server, the quickness of being served, and the regularity of their returning to check on things. If they go above and beyond that to accomodate me then I will tip extra.

I always leave a tip, even if its a little because they're shitty. Usually around 15% though, maybe a bit more if they're really good (or cute).

I can't think of a time I've left less than a 15% tip ... I wouldn't unless a server was extremely rude, but that's never happened to me as far as I can remember. I'm extra sympathetic towards waiters since my dad has been supporting our family by being a waiter for pretty much my whole life, and I know how rough it can be.

Also, I always remember this time my friends and I went out to eat and had a waitress who seemed kind of grouchy ... but we still left a good tip for her. And as we were leaving, she actually came running out of the restaurant after us to thank us because we were the only people who had tipped her all day long. So, you never know ...