Tipping

I am a pretty simple guy and I try my best to stay up on everything going on around me. I do need some help on tipping. I usually tip 20% for any meals with a few exceptions. I usually don't take a bad experience out on the waitress/waiter and leave a bad tip, unless something happens in which they may be at fault. We recently had lunch at a large chain restaurant (we try to go to independents as much as possible) and the place was understaffed.....we paid the price by waiting and waiting and not getting the personal attention I think can be expected....not to get into the details but we knew the waitress was not at fault so we tipped her the 20%. It would be nice to tip the waiter and short the restaurant for bad scheduling.

Am I in the ballpark of what proper tipping should be?

Also, I hate using a valet, doorman or bell-hop (not sure who does what)....not because I am cheap but sometimes I feel my car is not nice enough or I can carry my own bags....and I don't know what a proper tip should be. On a recent trip to St. Louis with my wife and kids, we tried to get a luggage cart to haul our belongings up to the room....NO CAN DO....a gentlemen brought one out to the car and help load our bags......I went to park the car.....once inside the building the cart was handed off to another guy (bell-hop??) and he helped bring the stuff up to the room. My wife tipped one but not the other because she did not have the cash. We tried the same thing upon check-out and again was denied a luggage cart. Maybe I just stay at a hotel with no valet.

Do you tip the hotel maid? I typically have not unless I have stayed somewhere and someone helped me personally.

Would love to hear some thoughts on this subject matter....or any links to good sites to help me out.

That's the problem with the tipping culture. There is a lot of uncertanity.
I'm not sure what the exact etiquette is myself, but this is what I usually tip.....
Servers at least 20%.
I often times will throw the kitchen $20 to buy a case of beer after the shift. But that's because I usually know them and what they go through on a day to day basis.
Now that I travel for my job, I almost always make sure I have a fist full of ones for the following.
Valet parkers $3.00
Bell hops $1.00 per bag
Maids $2.00 a day(I'm hard on a hotel room) Pay them every day because the same maid might not be making up your room everyday.

Maids $2.00 a day(I'm hard on a hotel room) Pay them every day because the same maid might not be making up your room everyday.

Agree with Dan across the board. One suggestion: if you're traveling on a Monday/Tuesday and staying in a hotel for a time (so you would be likely to have the same maid every day), give them a $5 the first day, and $2 thereafter. It's amazing the service you'll get for the rest of the stay!

I'm pretty much with Dan as well. I never stay in a place that has a bellhop, so that's never been an issue. I tip servers 20% no matter what, and if I'm dissatisfied I just don't go back. That just stems from having worked in a restaurant for many years and being married to a former server.

I always left a $5 in the hotel room at the end of my stay, but after seeing Dan's reasoning I'm going to switch to the $2 a day system.

[Robin Garr]

Hmm, I don't see a real controversy coming up here.

I do think that most "foodies" and people with friends in the business recognize the ugly reality of the American server-pay system and tend to err on the side of generosity, at least rounding up from 20 percent to the next multiple of $5, in any case, and rounding up significantly at low-price eateries or at lunch. It doesn't hurt to be generous, and because karma.

I don't travel as much as I used to, but I like the idea of tipping the maid $5 the first night and either $2/day or the equivalent, rounded up, at the end of my stay.

Good question, thanks for starting it, Richard.

Thanks for the information and thoughts!

Dude, I had to tip the cat who checked my bag at the airport in NYC. It was clearly not an option. I had no idea what to do, so I gave the man a $10 and ran for my life. He smiled, so I guess it was a good tip and my bag made it back here to Louisville, so I guess it worked.

Apart from tipping at a restaurant I have NO idea how to tip. It's madness.

$10 bucks a night. But it's usually because of the groupies.

Always a solid 20% when being served and 10% on carry out. We tote our own stuff and rarely stay anywhere that is swanky enough for bellhops.

Dude, I had to tip the cat who checked my bag at the airport in NYC. It was clearly not an option. .

I always tip when I do curbside check-in. I grew up in NYC and tipping is much more a part of the local culture than here in flyover land. I tip delivery people, the plumber's helper, the guys who cut down my trees. NJ tips the guy who helps her load her groceries into her car**.The postal worker, trash hauler and UPS guy gets tipped at Xmas.
And as someone mentioned earlier, I always have some singles in my wallet, especially when traveling.

**When we first moved here, NJ tried to give the grocery "kid" a tip and he declined since it was against "company policy". She went back into the store and told the manager it was her $$ and she could do with it as she pleased. She also threatened to take her biz elsewhere if he persisted in their stupid policy. He told her it was OK if she wanted to tip.

Is there a standard in restaurants about how servers share tips? I recently had an experience where I was unhappy with the server but his mistake was fixed by the person who refilled water glasses, who really outdid the server in attentiveness. Can you assume the server is taking care of those people or should you tip those folks directly, or leave a note on the table allocating your tip, or what? I would appreciate some insider perspective here.

Is there a standard in restaurants about how servers share tips? I recently had an experience where I was unhappy with the server but his mistake was fixed by the person who refilled water glasses, who really outdid the server in attentiveness. Can you assume the server is taking care of those people or should you tip those folks directly, or leave a note on the table allocating your tip, or what? I would appreciate some insider perspective here.

I guess it was only a matter of time.

"Tipping out" has been the source of much controversy around these parts lately. My understanding is that in Kentucky it's strictly voluntary, but I would think the peer pressure to do it is pretty strong.

If you feel strongly about it I'd slip the person a few bucks directly. He or she could be one of those rare people with a strong work ethic; it will pay off for them in the long run.

Here's another one.
Do you tip in those lower-mid priced hotels that offer a "free" breakfast? I always leave a couple of bucks on the table, but have noticed that I am in the distinct minority on this.

When I started waiting tables 25 years ago bus persons and bartenders and barbacks and food runners made the standard min wage and were tipped out by the servers and bartenders on top of that then for some reason right around 07 or when the economy collapsed allmost all places dropped there pay and raised the amount we tip out (its is illegal in ky to make us tip out ) but we as servers and bartenders work for tips and will try to tip out are support staff to standards of were we work but yes I would and have as a guest will tip out anyone that goes above and beyond to help serve me

Dude, I had to tip the cat who checked my bag at the airport in NYC. It was clearly not an option. I had no idea what to do, so I gave the man a $10 and ran for my life. He smiled, so I guess it was a good tip and my bag made it back here to Louisville, so I guess it worked.

Apart from tipping at a restaurant I have NO idea how to tip. It's madness.

America and Iceland are the extremes of tipping culture. America leads the world in number of tipped occupations. There are zero in Iceland.

Outside of restaurants I have no clue. I just throw a few bucks at random people. I stiffed a valet at a hotel in Chicago once because I hadnt planned for it and it didnt occur to me to tip him until I was pulling away. If I had been going back, I would have double tipped, but I was leaving for good.

I really wish we could figure out how to change the culture. Maybe not all the way to Iceland (although that would be optimal) but at least eliminate lots of tipping situations.