How much of a tip is too little?

Posted by Altruistic_Look5114@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 51 comments

The reason im posting in this group is because I know tipping culture is really strong in America

Whenever I go out to eat, I like to tip the servers because where I live it’s not very common, or mandatory, and it always makes the servers happy. If I’m with a friend for example, we do 5 5 each, so total 10 (riyals, which equates to almost 3 dollars). That’s the number we always do no matter the service

I was just wondering how much everyone normally tips when they go out, and if what I tip is too little?

(Im 16 so I don’t have a lot of experience with things like this, pls don’t be mean!!)

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AdamOnFirst@reddit

Anything less than 15% at a full service restaurant better have been precipitated by welp below average service.

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sladester66@reddit

At a sit down restaurant: 20% is standard At a bar: $1 or $2 per drink is ok

Any other setting is optional in my opinion. I do not tip at coffee shops, for example, though the touch screen will pressure you to. Tipping culture has gotten out of control.

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G00dSh0tJans0n@reddit

I only do in coffee shops that I frequent because I end up getting to know them and they remember what I want and such.

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MaybeYeaProbForsure@reddit

For sit down food service, I’ve reduced my tipping to 10% Maybe 15% if I feel the person wen really above and beyond.

I wish everyone just got paid their worth- tips should be reserved for something special or above and beyond-not paying to make sure employees have a livable wage.

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Ok-Produce8376@reddit

We used to tip 10% of the bill, since Covid 20% seems expected. Don't tip on tax.

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Cranks_No_Start@reddit

15% is a good tip. If the service is good.

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IMakeOkVideosOk@reddit

20% is pretty much the standard for good service… 15% is minimum… below that and the server had to fuck up and fuck up on something in their own control

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Prestigious-Comb4280@reddit

Where are you located. The mid west?

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Saltpork545@reddit

We often treat it as a percentage.

Anything below 10% is seen as mostly an insult.

So if your meal is 15 dollars, a tip below 1.50 is seen as insulting the service of the person. If they did a great job, 15-20% can be seen as a good tip, so that same meal tipping 3 dollars for the 15 dollar meal is seen as a respectable tip.

The percentage gets argued and obviously the more expensive the meal, the more tip is a factor.

So if you have a 300 dollar dinner between you and 3-4 other people, a 30 dollar tip is an insult where a 60 dollar tip wouldn't be.

So, we base it on percent.

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juanzy@reddit

Counterpoint- I’ll go below 10 if there’s a ton of fees.

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JM3DlCl@reddit

I was once charged an "employee health insurance" fee. All I bought was a Fing burger. I'm sorry but they got no tip after that. Their employer wanted it to go to their health insurance!

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aceam92@reddit

Kind of agree except these days, 15% seems to be bare minimum, 20% more accepted as normal, and anything above 20% for great service.

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Important_Canary6766@reddit

20% not including alcohol

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LadySilvie@reddit

I was always taught 20% of the total bill as a baseline, going up or down for terrible or exceptional service. I usually do a minimum of $5 since most meals are at least $15.

we've tipped as high as 200% when we were having a really good day, got great service, and wanted to make the server's day.

The only time we didn't tip was when the restaurant was almost empty but the server literally forgot us for an hour before apologizing, taking our order a second time, and promising food was on its way... until we, after another half-hour, got the wrong order entirely... but the server disappeared into the back again without checking, and just didn't come back, lol.

If you're living where tipping isn't standard, I don't know that you're tipping too little; if they aren't relying on it for their living wage, then anything is probably a bonus. More is just a nicer gift.

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OttoVonPlittersdorf@reddit

We have an obligation to tip servers for table-service because there's a legal carve-out for restaurants to pay staff less than minimum wage. I don't imagine that's the case where you are, so the rules for you are completely different. If we don't tip, we're cheating someone out of their pay for their work.

In your case, and in the case of your being very young, it seems like you're doing it right. It's a nice gesture, but it doesn't hurt your wallet too much.

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Itchy_Pangolin_394@reddit

10% minimum. Anything less will be taken as an insult. However no tip is required.

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kittenpantzen@reddit

In the United States, tipping is usually based around percentages.

When I worked in food service, 10% for takeout (not at a fast food restaurant but at a place that normally you would sit down to order and eat) and 18-20% for dine-in were seen as normal.

A lot of Silent gen and some older Boomer gen folks were more likely to tip 10-15% dine-in, much to the embarrassment of their kids who often left additional cash, so I always assumed that the expected % range had changed over time.

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juanzy@reddit

Tipping more than $1 or $2 on takeout is fucking wild unless they did something special or the order is large and complex. The whole point of tipping is supposed to be service, not just transacting with them.

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Adventurous-Time5287@reddit

Depends on the bill. In most instances $3 is considered a small tip. Whatever you do, unless it's a tip jar, do not just tip coins. Its generally acceptable to tip from 10%-20%, but not going below a dollar.

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royalhawk345@reddit

Its generally acceptable to tip from 10%-20%

At a sit-down restaurant, if you tip 10% it'll be taken as a pretty harsh statement about the quality of service you received.

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maplesyrupchin@reddit

20% minimum

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Sayaren@reddit

15-20% typically, however if there’s an automatic gratuity tacked on I will not tip as that’s what the gratuity is.

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CrucesSteamer@reddit

I tip 20% across the board

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StupidLemonEater@reddit

In the US it's almost always a percentage of the total cost, not a fixed number of dollars.

20% is considered more or less standard.

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Arleare13@reddit

At a restaurant, very bare minimum that's acceptable is 15% of the bill (and even that is pretty low these days). Anything lower is too little.

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Pretty-In-Scarlet@reddit

Can I ask why does the percentage change over time? I appreciate inflation etc but this should be covered by the increase in the prices on which the % is applied. So why does the convention for % also evolve over time

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mardok69@reddit

Good service— 15-20 percent, mediocre service, 10 percent, bad service nothing

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Effective_Coach7334@reddit

stiffing a waiter is only for extreme situations, otherwise it's a dick move.

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crispyrhetoric1@reddit

In my county, sales tax is 9.75%. I just double the tax and leave that for the server. If it’s for work though, they have an 18% cap on tipping so I will calculate that amount and then use that as the tip.

When I am at the car wash, I tip $6 for the guy who dries my car.

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AmericanCaesar5@reddit

I always do 20%. Imo 15% is outdated

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Prestigious-Comb4280@reddit

If the bill is $15 then a 20% tip is $3 dollars. Most servers and bartenders live only on tips here.

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Syndromia@reddit

I tip 20% or $6, whichever is more.

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RevolutionaryWind249@reddit

15% to 20% of the bill before taxes is the standard for a full service restaurant. But if the service was bad, leaving no tip is fine. Just don't plan on going back to that place with the same server.

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1200multistrada@reddit

As someone who used to wait tables about 30 years ago, "before taxes" was standard for my parents' time, not today. Just tip on the whole bill.

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ghost-church@reddit

I work in fast casual so I’m used to 1 dollar tips. Or just the coins I hand back to you. But if you go out of your way to give me a tip in the cents I’d prefer you just spit in my face.

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improbdrunk@reddit

I tip £3 on every deliveroo order, I'm treated like royalty. I fucking hate it.

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Jub1982@reddit

I normally tip 20%. If service is a little disappointing 15%. If service is downright poor 10%. If service is elite I’ll go quite a bit higher in some situations.

It’s important to know that in the US tips are a big part of the waitstaff’s wages. In other countries, their base salary is much better.

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Effective_Coach7334@reddit

at least 15%

where I live sales tax is 8.75% so we just double the tax and maybe add a $1+

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If it’s a small check, like less than $25, then I’ll just do always do $5

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