I tend to give ~20% unless the delivery was really slow (I delivered food when I was in school, so I hate to short-change these guys)

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When I delivered pizzas a few years ago, I was happy with $2 and $3 or more was great. A dollar is almost an insult and no tip meant that the next time, the pizza might take 90 minutes to reach you. If everyone tipped $3 I could have made $20 extra an hour, or $25 an hour, plus I was paid 30 cents a mile, too. But there are too many cheapskates out there. -TB

Double the tax ,,,, even sloshed on margaritas ,you can figure it.

It depends. If the waiter gives me valuable information or is particularly courteous, helpful and animated, the sky is the limit.

In the restaurant I frequent most I tip pretty heavily to maintain my favorite table and a good parking space. I always get my table even when there is a wait. Two of my friends, Rasa and Glenn, don't even have to use the front door anymore- they have the "stealth" entrance in the back. I don't rate that yet though.

In general I think you should start at 20%. Again, if the waiter is good and useful, he gets paid for it. A waiter at a restaurant in France hailed me a cab to the heliport from Nice to Monaco and even knew the schedule the helicopters run on. I gave him $20. A concierge in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic rated a hefty tip this summer for a similar service.

Often times when I go out to dinner with the guys from the shop I just pay for dinner becasue I don't want the waiter getting short changed. It pays to keep the waitstaff in the places you eat most often happy.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

At bars $1-$2 a drink

At a restaurant: 20%, less if they really sucked...but they would have to be pretty bad and basically downright rude. If they do an exceptional job I tip more than $20...I used to wait tables in college so I tend to sympathize if they do poorly but want to reward the people who really busted ass with quick service, timing the meal etc...

With delivery-if I only buy $10 worth of food I feel like an ass only giving $1.50-$2.00 so at a minimum I will usually tip between $3-$5...if it is that 3AM pizza call after a night of fun I will tip at least $5 for a pizza and more if it is more expensive.

Here's another tip question:

Do you put money in the tip jar if you are getting take out?

Here's another tip question:

Do you put money in the tip jar if you are getting take out?



Nada. Nothing. Zip. It's like tipping those kids at Starbucks, for those of you who actually buy their coffee.

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but I can deal with the angels, cause it ain’t me they’re here to claim. it’s a good night for blowing ‘em off til some other day

Yeah, I agree....

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If it is someplace I visit regularly, yup, I give them the payola. If the person behind the counter is doing a nice job, is courteous, efficient, professional and speaks clearly- then yes, I will leave something in the tip jar.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I double the tax (9%) and round up to the nearest dollar.

I eat out often, and in some cheap places, so I have minimums. In a restaurant I'll give a minimum of $3.00. For delivery I would give a minimum of $2.00.

I tended bar in Seattle and trust me men working at bars will treat you very well if you tip them at all.

I usually tip about 20% and am very courteous to the staff. I dated a girl in San Fransico who worked at the russian tea room and let me tell you even though it is an expensive restaurant the things that they did to rude or obnoxious peoples food were horrifying. I learned my lesson, be nice to people who are alone with thing you plan on eating.

Only one pizza place delivers to my house (Hey, Pappa John would one more block kill you?) so I tip those guys $5 - 7 just for showing up.

"I eat out often, and in some cheap places, so I have minimums. In a restaurant I'll give a minimum of $3.00. "

Thank god for you. That is my theory. I go to lunch with my wife and her friends a lot and watching women figure out the bill and tip make me want to vomit. It's like a bunch of hens going after some feed.

If their lunch is $8 they will 15% ($1.20) even though they ran that poor waiter ragged and made stupid requests to get there lunch "just right" and can't make the tip an even $2? You have a better chance of getting them to kill their own children.



Ladies this is how you do it. Get one check. Ball park how much each person should pay then everyone at the table leave 2 or 3 bucks. Easy, fast and good for the waiters sanety.

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

Usually 20% across the board, for me. If the service is particularly good, they'll get more. If the service is particularly bad, they'll get much less.

I try to recognize that waiters/waitresses/delivery-persons must live on shitty wages, and that anything extra I can give is much appreciated. However, I refuse to recognize service for service's sake. If I have a few cents left over at the local Star-schmucks, I'll toss it in the "tip" jar... but they don't get 20% of my $4.00 latte. Same with other "take out" type places. If you want the tip, I gotta see some real service.

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Steve Perkins

I agree with the starbucks thing. I don't know why but the whole tip jar thing at a coffee shop irritates me. Its one thing if I am at a diner and someone waits on me and we only get coffee because I am just studying...then I will definitely tip, I figure I am renting the table space.

I second the starbucks tip jar. The starting wage at a starbucks is $7.25-$7.75 an hour. I think that's plenty for serving coffee and mixing drinks. You don't tip McD's workers do you?

I tip anywhere from 10% to 20%. All depends on service attitude, type of restraunt, and how much I spend vs. how much service I receive.

Definitely agree - have had a couple places where I'd give the bartender 20-30 bucks and then drink for free the rest of the night. Everyone wins (except the bar owner I guess). But even aside from those extreme cases, if you want a strong cocktail or quick service in a crowded bar, it really pays to be known as a regular customer/good tipper.

However I've had some drinks made so strong (bartender doing me a favor) that I didn't like to drink them!

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I just server beer (110 on tap and ~500 under the bar you need two people who know where your beer is). I gave away literally kegs of beer; remember hempen ale (yeah I'm sorry), I used to make a black and tan with it and zig zag and give away free joints just to get rid of that crap.

For a dine-in restaurant, 20% is a good place to start, and I generally "normalize" somewhere between 25% and 30%. I've gone much higher, and much lower depending on the service - once I even left a "negative tip" when the (horrible) waiter was too lazy to make correct change, assuming that I'd just leave it all (he only lost 15c, but I hope my point was made).

One thing that drives me nuts is people who scale back the percentage when the bill gets high. You know - they don't mind leaving 15% on a $30 tab, but if the group bill is $200, they ain't leaving a $30 tip! Those people drive me nuts. I figure if I can't afford to leave a decent tip, then I can't afford to be eating out.

For delivery guys and takeout, I'll usually go 15-20% as the service is typically less - but if it has been excellent, they will be rewarded. One pizza guy included his own tip when he told me the price (it was different than what the bill he handed me said) so he got no tip, and a stern warning about ethics and the possible ramifications he might face from his manager if he ever tried that again.

I agree wholeheartedly with TomD and others who have said that you should always tip well and be extra courteous to places that you frequent regularly. I don't have a local watering hole any more, but I still recieve excellent service and a warm welcome when I go back to the pool hall/jazz lounge I used to hang out at.

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
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