Have your (cash) tipping practices changed during the pandemic?

[Ronnie]

Server in california will be paid minimum wage (not a living wage) because they get tipped. So if you stiff them, then they won't earn a living wage.

Thanks for the clarification.
I don’t define not leaving a standard tip of X% or leaving nothing at all as stiffing them if I truly believe they didn’t earn and/or they know they didn’t earn it.

this going to come off as cold but should also be clear, their ability to earn a living wage is not my problem. I can’t change society’s expectations where tipping is concerned but I don’t have to meet them either.

income is essential to all employees and businesses not just servers and restaurants.

 

[Julian]

Thanks for the clarification.
I don’t define not leaving a standard tip of X% or leaving nothing at all as stiffing them if I truly believe they didn’t earn and/or they know they didn’t earn it.

this going to come off as cold but should also be clear, their ability to earn a living wage is not my problem. I can’t change society’s expectations where tipping is concerned but I don’t have to meet them either.

income is essential to all employees and businesses not just servers and restaurants.

Totally agree. A bad server will either learn what that means or quit for a different job. The whole point of the tipping system is to incent good service. I tip based on service quality. I will rarely go below 10-15% .... they have to do a horrible job to get a really low tip. A great job might get 25%!

Having worked for tips....I would remember those that stiffed me, and that cycle would continue....I'd give them average service for a crappy tip. The people who tipped me well....I'd bend over backwards to ensure they were delighted. Probably bad of me....but I was young...

 

[adrianp89]

@Ronnie

just curious what you would tip if sever keeps your drinks full, was quick on all your requests and made sure everything was good. Bonus question how does that change if they don’t charge for your soda/tea or extra sauces?

 

[Ronnie]

Previously asked and answered:

the amount I tip does not change based on whether the fountain drink is free or not.

currently I start with the intention of tipping 15% plus the change to round up to the nearest dollar. I give the server one freebie (e.g. they don’t bring me a refill even though they walked by and saw my drink was empty or they don’t walk by at all until I’ve eaten half or more of the entree). After that I cut the tip 5% for every miss. Rarely will I leave less than 5% but sometimes, when I feel justified I will leave the change to the nearest dollar in coin or card.

If the service is exceptional (e.g. they bring me a or several refills before my drink is empty) i increase the tip in 5% increments up to 25% or 30%. This rarely happens either since most of the servers I’ve encountered pre and post pandemic / lock downs seem to expect a tip (now 18%) whether they refill my soda (which is usually premium priced o assume because it’s refillable).

all this back and forth has me reconsidering how I will tip going forward. Right now I’m thinking simplify. If my server gives me McDonald’s level service I will leave them what I leave McDonald’s servers.

 

[adrianp89]

@Ronnie I wasn't referring to the drink being free exactly. More so when it should be charged I.E $2.99 or whatever it is and the server doesn't charge you for it. In this scenario I always add that $3 to their tip. Same idea for sauces, like extra Blue Cheese. Not a direct 1 for 1 on the tip but it certainty helps the % go up when I don't get charged for them.

On the flip side if I ask for extra sauce and it's an absurd price and you don't warn me, the tip is going down significantly. We were in Salem a few months ago, I ordered a sandwich with pickles and honey mustard. Almost none on either when it came out, so I asked for more. What gave me wasn't much more. When the bill came... $2.50 for each ($5 total). The sandwich was $12. Guess who didn't get a tip. That place also got a 1 star review - I was hot lol.

At Taco Bell last night and they had a cup taped outside the window that said tips. I would never tip fast food. Especially this Taco Bell. My order is wrong 100% of the time, it never fails.

 

[Ronnie]

When I don’t get charged but should have been and. The failure to charge had been identified but waived by the server I usually add the amount that would have been charged to the servers tip.

my best example is the Napa valley wine trip train my wife and I took a year or two ago. It works out to about $125 per person for two hour trip on a train where lunch is served along with house wine photographs are extras and there is a $15 corking fee for every bottle of wine you bring with you. This Activity is almost always sold out weeks in advance. The server noticed that one of my two bottles had a screw of cap instead of a cork so she didn’t charge me the corking fee, I ended up adding $15 to the 20%tip we left on the $250 trip fee. So she took in $65.

when they forget to bring things we asked for or our food isnt prepared the way we ordered it (e.g. no onions) and they don’t try to correct it or even confirm their mistake, I reduce the tip in 5% increments as described above.

the more I type About this the more I think this pity party / money grab for food servers is over for me in CA.

 

[WhalerMax]

Two of us full-time working with 3 kids, all in sports and school clubs- Our family has not prepared a single home cooked meal in a year other than traditional eating holidays. No exaggeration, not 1 meal. Yesterday alone we ate out at restaurants for 2 meals and coffee.

Since covid, I rarely use a set percent other than to check the math to be sure I didn't cut anyone short when rounding. Anyone working customer service through a pandemic while they could make more sitting home deserves more than the typical 20% IMO. Their willingness to show up is keeping an owner's doors open and allowing us to eat without any preparation or cleanup. At our regular spots, we have gone out of our way to tip the staff that doesn't normally get tips too. The other day we went out for pizza, 3 tables in the restaurant with 3 servers. The waitress (college aged during finals) drove 1 hr to get to work to make tips for 2 tables in a night. We gave her 55 dollars on a 45 dollar bill to keep it round and help her for Xmas.

 

[four_the_kids]

We continue to tip accordingly to service received, to include the presentation of the meal when delivered (the server should have the insight of knowing what the order should look like prior to presenting it to the table, where corrections should/are to be made prior to delivery).
Crappy service receives crappy tip, while good to great service is rewarded with up 40% + in gratuity.

 

[shnknapp]

I will preface the following by stating that both my wife and I have worked the service industry so we are probably a bit biased in our tipping practices.

Pre pandemic, I would start off at 20% for any in-person dining and would go up or down depending on service. A departure from the 20% was always based on the server's actions. Basically if the kitchen messed up or food took a bit longer, I know that is typically a back of the house issue and not much that the server can do about that. If we decide to eat out in Wisconsin my base percentage jumps to 30%. Reason being is that in MN, tipped employees are paid at least the federal or state minimum wage rate whereas in Wisconsin, the base minimum wage rate is $2.33. For anyone wondering if this issue comes up a lot, I should note that we live in Minnesota are about 10 minutes away from the MN/WI border so it's not uncommon for us to eat in Wisconsin.

Since things have opened up in Minnesota, I still start off with the same percentage but my increase/decrease reasons have changed. If I can tell that a restaurant is short staffed, the chance of me lowering the tip decreases and if my server is kicking ass, I'm more likely to bump up the tip. A few weeks ago, we had a server in a packed restaurant rocking a 12 table section and we tipped her the total of our bill. For those that have not worked the service industry, a 5-6 table section is typically average so to handle double that is impressive.

As far as Christmas, we typically go out to breakfast/brunch on Christmas Eve day or Christmas day and always tip the amount of our bill. If having to work on either of those days is offset by generous customers, hopefully it makes the day a bit better for them.

As far as tipping for takeout service, I never used to tip pre pandemic. However, once restaurants started shutting down to take out service only, we started tipping 15%. Restaurants have since gone back to normal operations in Minnesota so I have stopped tipping. Reason being is that the host staff handle the take out orders and the places we frequent and tend to make a few dollars more per hour which is why they are typically excluded from the end of shift tip outs (Bartenders, barbacks, busssers)

We are also now a bit more observant of other tables around us. If the table next to us is being a pain to the server and they have worked their ass off, I have no problem asking them what they were tipped. If they tell me and I don't think it was appropriate, we will also leave that person cash to make up for what I feel the tip should have been.

Having worked in this industry, I have come to learn that the people that complain the most, have never worked a day in their life in this industry. Between the service industry and retail, these employees deal with some of the most entitled individuals and come back day after day knowing what they may have to deal with. If I can tip a bit more and help them forget about the person that stiffed them, I'm all for it. It may not be the most glorious job but it's a job and that individual is doing what they can to make a living so they can support themselves and their family.

 

[Ronnie]

I ate lunch at an Olive Garden yesterday with my wife and son. It wasn’t extremely busy but we still had to wait 15 minutes to be seated. Our server was older and very attentive for the first half of our meal. She didn’t come back during the second half so we paid via the tablet on our table. Afterwards we waited 15 minutes for her to return to the area so we could ask her for to go boxes. The whole time the red call light on the tablet on our table was blinking. Before we got to speak with our server we heard her BSing about her personal life with the patrons in the next booth for at least 5 minutes which in the end only resulted in their drinks being ordered. If I hadn’t already tipped her though the tablet I would have reduced her tip drastically.

at first my son objected when I told him that, as we waited another 5 or 10 minutes for the to go boxes. At 19 years old all of his jobs to date were subject to tipping. He asked me why I never had a job in which tips were involved/expected, my response, “I never wanted a job where I am dependent on the generousity of strangers to determine my income, especially if I need that income to support my family not just myself. if I did choose such a job I would do everything I could to justify bigger tips. Stingy people are going to be stingy tippers but at least they wouldn’t be able to honestly say that my service was lacking to try and justify a small tip or no tip at all. So if you are considering making a career out of door dashing and such keep this in mind. I just red an article that stated that all door dash employees, even the CEO, must make food deliveries at least east one day per month or shadow a door dash delivery person for one day per month. This person was bitching about it saying it wasn’t in the job description. This person also said that their current door dash salary is $400k per year. I would gladly deliver food for one day a month if I had a salaried position that paid about $35k per month and I would not think twice about donating all the money I made on delivery day to charity or a door dasher of my choice.

My son and I share everything with each other so I know what i told him got through. He went on to confirm the same by saying he understood, nodding his head and STFU afterwards except to share a recent door dash transaction he experienced near in Carlsbad CA (where the Karsahians live).

he goes to college nearby and made an impromptu delivery by bike instead of car. By the time he got to the destination more than half of the drink had spilled out of the cup. He left the order on the porch, rang the doorbell and rode away as fast as he could. Damn the tip he said, he just didn’t want to / was too embarrassed to face the recipient in person and he is glad the person didn’t pre-tip him. I bet that pre-tipped amounts can be reduced in situations like this. On a semi related note if a door dash recipient refuses a food / meal delivery the delivery person gets to keep the food.

 

[Rowdie]

I'd say I've always been a healthy tipper. My habits haven't changed but the price of going out to eat has skyrocketed.

 

[Ronnie]

Just came across this story.

At first I thought this guy must be the sexiest man on earth to do what he did, especially if he left his real phone number.

Waitress calls out ‘audacious’ customer who left his phone number after giving a $0 tip: ‘That ain’t right’

A waitress is sparking a debate on TikTok after sharing her frustrating run-in with a customer.

currently.att.yahoo.com

 

[Maduro]

I’ve always tipped 20%, but, if all the server does is take my order, bring my food and check at the same time and they don‘t come back to check on how the meal is, keep the beverages topped off etc.. they get zero. I do not tip for any meals that a server doesn’t bring. That’s like giving a tip when buying a up of coffee...ridiculous.

They (servers) act like they deserve it now without any extra service. Seem to get offended if you don’t go above 20%. It’s gotten ridiculous!!!

 

[Ronnie]

I just read this article online and don’t know yet how I feel about it.

Americans have tipping fatigue. Domino’s thinks it has the answer

Americans are being asked to tip on digital screens for everything from a cup of coffee to self-checkout at grocery stores, and many are frustrated with the new tipping culture.

finance.yahoo.com

Related note:
now that CAs minimum wage for most fast food workers is $20 an hour, I’ve started eating at non chains / dine-in restaurants as the total cost is often the same. As such I feel more compelled to tip but last night as the waitress brought me the check along with my debit card she said, “if you are going to tip, leave it in cash”, not a “please” to be heard. That had me scratching my head but I left a 10% tip in cash. As we left she came running out. I thought she was going to say something about the tip (and I was ready to go off on her), instead she ran out with my wife’s glasses which my wife forgot on the table. I’d like to think she would have done the same had I left a smaller tip or none at all, so maybe I should have tipped her again but I didn’t, in part because I only had $20 bills left in my wallet and because my wife was already looking in her purse for her glasses as we walked to the car.

 

[BlkGS]

Dominos ran a similar promotion months ago. It was something more like "for carry out you're the delivery driver so we tip you" and gave your a takeout discount. Probably backfired when you got there and they asked for a tip anyways.

I don't leave cash tips. Cash tips means they don't have to pay taxes. If I have to pay taxes, so do they. I don't get to take a sizeable portion of my income and hide it in cash to not pay tax on it, even when I was making a but above minimum wage as a college kid.

I'm over tips. I have no shame in giving 0% for stuff I'm picking up. Fast casual restaurants, get real. Crumble cookies? Not a chance.

We have also been eating out a lot less. Two toddlers doesn't help that, but when we do eat out it's usually drive thru pickup. Pricing has gone insane, there's places we don't really go to anymore because they've gotten too expensive. I'm not gonna spend $40 for lunch at Wendy's, especially when chick fil a, Zaxby's, etc are all cheaper and better quality and the employees aren't cracked out meth heads.

I think a lot of these businesses are gonna fall apart as consumers reach their breaking point. Businesses think they can push and.oush and push and then just pull back when they need to. That's not how it works, you lush too far and everyone goes away and doesn't come back. Finding that limit is a very dangerous thing.

 

[adrianp89]

Dominos ran a similar promotion months ago. It was something more like "for carry out you're the delivery driver so we tip you" and gave your a takeout discount. Probably backfired when you got there and they asked for a tip anyways.

I don't leave cash tips. Cash tips means they don't have to pay taxes. If I have to pay taxes, so do they. I don't get to take a sizeable portion of my income and hide it in cash to not pay tax on it, even when I was making a but above minimum wage as a college kid.

I'm over tips. I have no shame in giving 0% for stuff I'm picking up. Fast casual restaurants, get real. Crumble cookies? Not a chance.

We have also been eating out a lot less. Two toddlers doesn't help that, but when we do eat out it's usually drive thru pickup. Pricing has gone insane, there's places we don't really go to anymore because they've gotten too expensive. I'm not gonna spend $40 for lunch at Wendy's, especially when chick fil a, Zaxby's, etc are all cheaper and better quality and the employees aren't cracked out meth heads.

I think a lot of these businesses are gonna fall apart as consumers reach their breaking point. Businesses think they can push and.oush and push and then just pull back when they need to. That's not how it works, you lush too far and everyone goes away and doesn't come back. Finding that limit is a very dangerous thing.

I agree with almost everything here minus cash tips. Besides screw taxes, there are a lot of perks to cash tips to servers.

 

[BlkGS]

I agree with almost everything here minus cash tips. Besides screw taxes, there are a lot of perks to cash tips to servers.

Good for them. I don't care, lol. Firstly, I don't carry cash. Secondly, they can pay their taxes and get their tips paid out to them in their check like anyone else gets paid. My only exception is for honest to God tips. Like a "you did above and beyond what I expected and I want to thank you".

Franky, I think we should eliminate tipped positions in general. Eliminate the tipped minimum wage and put all these people on standard wages.

Here's one that really grinds my gears. Our dog boarding place is a small business run by a husband and wife. They own and operate it 100%, I don't think they even have employees. They have a tip question. That pisses me off, set your prices to what you think they should be and don't ask me for more money out of the kindness of my heart or whatever. Also, don't do that when you have your brand new lucid or ram limited longhorn parked right out front. You clearly don't need my tip and I'm clearly paying too much for your boarding.

 

[MrBubbaGump]

Not sure if this was touched on I kind of skimmed through the 2nd and 3rd page but I think the tipping culture has gotten out of control. I consider myself a pretty good tipper at most places, I will admit I tend to tip extremely well at bars, but I learned a long time ago from a friend that if you tip well you never have to wait. Typically my first drink I order whether I open a tab or not will have a $20 cash tip on it. From there I will throw anywhere from $10 - $20 every few drinks depending on how many people I'm ordering for. That said when it comes to food places this is where I start to raise an eyebrow. Too many fast food type places are asking for tips now, especially burrito and sandwich shops, my feeling is I never tipped at McDonalds, Subway, or Taco bell why are these new places expecting tips when they don't offer anything different other than making the food in front of you. Which btw subway has always done. As far as your typical restaurant servers, I think they should be tipped well but based off their service. As others have stated especially for the things in the server's control, if my drink stays full, they are attentive and bring my the condiments right away when food comes out they are getting at a minimum 20%. If I don't get refills without asking and I have to wait for things within their control the tip goes down. 15% is my bottom for a tip, however I can remember twice in my life I have stiffed a server. I felt so guilty even though those were two of my worst dinning experiences of my life. I truly felt I should have been compensated for having to deal with them. My final thought is restaurants that put a gratuity automatically on bill, that will be their tip... Not one penny more strictly out of principle too many times I feel like they try and sneak it on there and I have been burned in the past not catching a 18% gratuity and tipping another 20% on top after I got in the car and looked closer.

 

[adrianp89]

Good for them. I don't care, lol. Firstly, I don't carry cash. Secondly, they can pay their taxes and get their tips paid out to them in their check like anyone else gets paid. My only exception is for honest to God tips. Like a "you did above and beyond what I expected and I want to thank you".

Franky, I think we should eliminate tipped positions in general. Eliminate the tipped minimum wage and put all these people on standard wages.

Here's one that really grinds my gears. Our dog boarding place is a small business run by a husband and wife. They own and operate it 100%, I don't think they even have employees. They have a tip question. That pisses me off, set your prices to what you think they should be and don't ask me for more money out of the kindness of my heart or whatever. Also, don't do that when you have your brand new lucid or ram limited longhorn parked right out front. You clearly don't need my tip and I'm clearly paying too much for your boarding.

I don’t get the small business ones at all. I don’t ask for tips when I run rentals or charters, the money is straight in my pocket. People still tip me though. Had a guy tip $100 me on a bareboat. I literally do nothing except explain how not to wreck my boat lol

 

[BlkGS]

I don’t get the small business ones at all. I don’t ask for tips when I run rentals or charters, the money is straight in my pocket. People still tip me though. Had a guy tip $100 me on a bareboat. I literally do nothing except explain how not to wreck my boat lol

I think Boomers like to tip. It makes them feel powerful and rich. It's the "I'll take care of the help" ego thing. I saw it from my parents a lot when I was younger, they loved to go to the same restaurant, get the same waitress, hear her complain about her life, and then tip her and feel better about themselves.