Restaurant Tipping Etiquette

[taal]

Tipping in Japan is also not the norm ... thinking about it logically this is the way things should work ... and sure if there's expectational service feel free to leave a tip (but this applies to everything in life not just eating out).

But I do get the argument on the other side; That is they're paid minimum (and in many cases below) wages and rely on this.

 

[nfitz]

This virtual mandatory tipping we have here is just ludicrous. There are many countries where not tipping is the norm.

That being said though, it is the norm here. Server's wages are based on tips. So just do it already ... unless there's some very serious problem. And quite frankly, I can't remember ever not giving a tip, and of at least 15% or so (not including tax). When PST+GST = 15%, I simply would add the tax back in and round up to the next dollar. A bit higher on small meals. Though I'm sure I've blown the math at least once ...

 

[CDL.TO]

Exactly. I always tip 15% but only because it's the norm, and I would come off as stingy if I didn't. It's an absolutely ridiculous practice though. To all the self righteous posters complaining about others who choose not to tip, I ask you this: did you ever tip your professors? Yeah, sorry, but I'm not buying the whole concept of tips. Education is much more important than having someone carry my food for me, and yet educators are not tipped. I could provide more examples as well (ex. do people ever tip their surgeons? etc).

We've got a real life Dwight here!

 

[bleu]

Tipping in Japan is also not the norm ... thinking about it logically this is the way things should work ... and sure if there's expectational service feel free to leave a tip (but this applies to everything in life not just eating out).

.

In Korea, if your meal is $19 and you leave $20, the server will thank you like you are the saint. In China, if you tip, the waiter will undoubtedly think you made a mistake.
Nobody takes it for granted that anything below 15% is "stingy".
To be blunt, waiters are waiters because they can't find better jobs due to their lack of employable skills. Low salary is their own fault.

 

[TOareaFan]

Option A
- Tip because you begrudingly accept the rules of society and you aren't interested in ingesting secret sauce.

Option B
- Apply a naive and rigidly principled world-view and don't tip, all the while acting as a toilet for servers everywhere.


Hmmm...

Option C....

Tip because you enjoyed good service, recognize the person/team providing that service are paid a special minimum wage that is lower than the rest of the province's worker's minimum wage and that this is done partially to encourage the good service you were provided and, so, you tip but don't do it begrudgingly at all.

 

[bleu]

Option C....

Tip because you enjoyed good service, recognize the person/team providing that service are paid a special minimum wage that is lower than the rest of the province's worker's minimum wage and that this is done partially to encourage the good service you were provided and, so, you tip but don't do it begrudgingly at all.

I don't see the correlation between low wage and tipping.
People earn low wages because it is their skills are worth. Plus, there is nothing special about waiters. Cashiers at the banks and Tim Hortons, department stores are paid "special minimum wage that is lower than the rest of the province" too. DO you tip them? They provide services too.

This "because their wage is so low so we should give them good tips" logic is heavily flawed.

 

[nfitz]

Nobody takes it for granted that anything below 15% is "stingy".

Perhaps true in other cultures ... but it doesn't really matter what other cultures do. Here in Toronto, tipping in a sit-down restaurant less than 15% ... or at least 10-12%, is grossly unacceptable, unless there has been a really horrific service problem.

I was reminded last night, by one of those annoying new hand-held card payment units, that simply switching to a new screen, and asking you to enter the tip as a $ amount, is really poor, as it no longer shows you what your total$ was ... making extra thought required in getting the tip right.

 

[TOareaFan]

I don't see the correlation between low wage and tipping.
People earn low wages because it is their skills are worth. Plus, there is nothing special about waiters. Cashiers at the banks and Tim Hortons, department stores are paid "special minimum wage that is lower than the rest of the province" too. DO you tip them? They provide services too.

This "because their wage is so low so we should give them good tips" logic is heavily flawed.

I believe cashiers at a bank and servers at Tim Horton's make more per hour than a waitress/waiter in a restaurant (assuming there is a license to sell alcohol at the restaurant).

https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/guide/minwage.php

 

[James]

Keeping in line with the Ontario Ministry of Labour's guidelines, I've always wondered why we couldn't just abolish the liquor server minimum wage, simply categorize those workers under the standard minimum wage category and, in turn, eliminate the need for consumers to tip in order to make up for the wage deficiency.

In theory, the argument that waiters earn a lower minimum wage and thereby need the huge tip is out the window since their wages will now be on par with any other job. Now I can almost guarantee that any server you propose this to will not accept this scenario. Why? Simply because with the tip they are getting, they will earn more than the standard minimum wage rate.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

To be blunt, waiters are waiters because they can't find better jobs due to their lack of employable skills. Low salary is their own fault.

Most wait staff are not career wait staff, it's often their first job where they are learning how to deal with customers, new skills and how to take directions from their employer or students who are trying to make money while they get through school and until they get into a career job. They are making below the standard Ontario minimum wage and for those who do tip, in many cases the tips they earn are being split with runners, host/hostess, dishwashers etc. I wouldn't think of not tipping unless I got a server who was a total write-off, that said if I see a place is busy, understaffed and I'm not getting the best service but I see the servers doing their best I still leave them at least 15% because I see that they are busting their butts under less than optimal circumstances. I don't tip for takeaway food if I pickup, but I do tip for deliveries. I don't tip cab drivers but if my fare comes to $9.50 I'll give a $10 bill and leave the change.

 

[NorthYorkEd]

I don't tip cab drivers but if my fare comes to $9.50 I'll give a $10 bill and leave the change.

Do cabbies in TO expect a tip? I can see if they go out of their way to make your trip special or provide above and beyond service that you might want to acknowledge it with a token gratuity, but is it standard for them to automatically expect it?

 

[someMidTowner]

To be blunt, waiters are waiters because they can't find better jobs due to their lack of employable skills. Low salary is their own fault.

Do you ever learn bal-eu? How many accounts will it take before you figure out some basic social skills?

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Here's a timely article on some tipping suggestions not only for servers, but cabbies and hair salons - http://www.thegridto.com/life/finance/the-tipping-point/

 

[bleu]

Here's a timely article on some tipping suggestions not only for servers, but cabbies and hair salons - http://www.thegridto.com/life/finance/the-tipping-point/

for me, restaurants, 15% for good service. 20% for great service. No chance for above 20% tip. money doesn't grow on trees. 10% if service is bad. I however never tip less than 10%. I think tip is solely based on service and has absolutely nothing to do with how much they make or how many kids they have. It is not for me to worry about. I pay what their service is worth. It is like you don't tip the sales person for selling you a dress just because she has trouble paying her son's tuition.

cab driver, if I have big luggage and they help me carry it, then 10%. Otherwise (if the driver did nothing more than driving to the destination), a simply rounding up is fine (for example, pay $30 for a $28-29 ride) or nothing. I don't feel bad about not tipping cab drivers at all. They earn good money, are unionized and have solid job security.

hair dressers, I often go to this Chinese place which charges $8 after tax for cut only. I find their skills and service way more superior to Top Cuts and other generic chains where nothing but a clipper is used ($15 +tax) to the extent that I think they charge too little, so I pay them $12. 90% of the time I am happy with the quality. You don't really get much by visiting expensive salons unless you want to feel expensive.

 

[bleu]

Most wait staff are not career wait staff, it's often their first job where they are learning how to deal with customers, new skills and how to take directions from their employer or students who are trying to make money while they get through school and until they get into a career job.

I understand the rationale and have no issue with it.
However, such rationale is not applied consistently. I have asked before and I am asking again, why don't we tip store salespeople? Often they bust their ass getting this and that for their customers all day, who often end up buying nothing. They make very low wages too and are usually just starting their career. Why don't we tip them?

I agree with you cab drivers normally shouldn't expect tips as it simply makes zero sense. We shouldn't just follow arbitrary social rules blindly. I tip them only when they go out of their way to help me.