Tip For 32 Dollars? The 7 Latest Answer

Is a 20 percent tip still considered a “good” tip, or has the bar been raised? – Lauren F., Crestwood

There is a wide range of tipping in this country for restaurant services provided: 10 percent tips were the standard for years, then 15 percent became the norm, then 20 percent.

Some people choose not to leave anything at all, and others break their tipping line by preaching that restaurant owners should simply pay the service staff a living wage and be done with it. Some tip on the pre-tax amount, others less when serving expensive bottles of wine. There are those who prepay by tipping 100 percent, a magnanimous gesture known as “tipping the bill.” Tips are often disguised as service charges, an excuse to impose a mandatory fee, usually for, you saw it… “groups of six or more”.

Tipping is a popular and controversial topic in this column, and not just because the percentage changes all the time. And no guest wants to be labeled as a tip jewel.

In 2012 I wrote, “20 percent is now the norm, the standard ridge for good service, pretty much across the country.” It’s time to take your pulse again.

In current foodie circles, 20 percent is still considered a respectable tip in full-service situations, but not a top tip. The short answer is that 25 percent will become the new 20 — and don’t hesitate to hold onto your wallets. Service levels haven’t increased, but tipping percentages have. When you factor in the cost of a meal served at the table, the experience now costs a third more than the price of food and drink alone.

We polled several people in the industry who watch and monitor tips to see if they agree with it

Qui Tran (Mai Lee, Nudo House) classifies the numbers as follows: “15 percent is a fair guess, 20 percent is really good, anything above that is considered great.”

Derek Deaver (Three Kings Public House) generally agrees: “15 percent used to be the low end of the norm and 20 percent was considered good. Now 20 percent is the low end of the norm and good tips are 25-30 percent.”

Matt McGuire (Louie) says, “That percentage is still considered good advice… but more fundamentally. If it’s less than 20, I suspect the server might feel like they let the guest down in some way, but over 20 percent is still perceived as outstanding.

Mark Hinkle (Olive + Oak, The Clover and the Bee) says 20 percent is the new 15. It’s also his baseline, “and very easy to calculate.”

SLM caught up with Brant Baldanza (OG Hospitality Group) on the way back from Kansas City with a group of employees. Everyone agreed that “20 percent is still very much appreciated by waiters and bartenders,” but interestingly, people in the industry typically tip 25-30 percent when dining out, regardless of the level of service.

(He mentioned in passing that the younger generation still tips 20 to 30 percent for fast casual and home delivery, although he and his partner tend to base the number on “how fast we were in and out or how fast they were at the house. Typically, counter and/or delivery services pay a higher hourly rate of $8-$10 per hour, so we thought the percentage should be lower.’)

Chris Sommers (Pi Pizzeria, ‘ZZA Pizza + Salad, Gringo) still thinks, “20 percent is a good tip, especially when it’s added after tax. Either way, every waiter should be happy.” Adam Tilford (Mission Taco Joint) still thinks 20 percent is a good tip and also weighed in on the pre-tax/post-tax debate. “What I’ve always found fascinating,” he says, “is that when most people calculate tips—guests and waiters alike—base it on the total bill, which includes 10-12 percent sales tax. So actually, that 20 percent grater on the total bill is about 22 percent of the food and beverage total, which is technically how it should be calculated. I always refer to this nugget when I hear a waiter complain about a “poor” tip.”

Elmwood’s Chris Kelling was most succinct: “Anyone who says 20% isn’t a ‘good’ tip is crazy.”

If you have a question for George, email him at [email protected]. You can also follow him on Twitter @stlmag_dining. To get more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

It is common practice to say thank you for a service with a tip. But since the pandemic wreaked havoc on the service industry, tipping is no longer just an act of courtesy — it’s critical to workers’ livelihoods. Here’s how much you should tip in certain situations.

How much to tip in restaurants

The amount of a tip in a restaurant depends on how well you are served, including whether your order is correct and whether your waiter checks you after you receive your food. Even if the service is bad, it is recommended to leave something. Check your bill carefully as some places add a tip to the bill. You can add it or not.

For waiters in sit-down restaurants, the tip should be 15 to 20 percent of the pre-tax bill. Tipping is not required when picking up your order or at fast food restaurants.

How much do you tip delivery drivers?

Whether you use Instacart, Shipt, or another delivery service, 10 to 15 percent of the bill is a standard tip. But if they’re doing everything they can to get you essential supplies during a tough time, you can tip 20 or 30 percent or more. For takeaway food deliveries, it should be at least 10 percent of the bill.

How much to tip in hotels

Expect to pay a variety of tips at hotels, and the larger and more luxurious the property, the larger the amount.

Hotel porter carries your luggage: $2-3 per bag in a basic hotel/motel; $5 a bag in a posh hotel.

$2-3 per bag at a basic hotel/motel; $5 a bag in a posh hotel. Room service with a tip included in the bill: 10% on the tip added to the bill.

10 percent on the tip added to the bill. Room service without tip included: 20 percent of the meal price.

20 percent of the meal price. Delivery of toiletries/towels: $3-$5 at a basic hotel; $5-$10 at a fancy hotel.

$3-$5 at a basic hotel; $5-$10 at a fancy hotel. Porter to hail your cab: $5 to $10, even more in inclement weather.

$5 to $10, even more if the weather is bad. Concierge to fulfill guest requests: $5 or more depending on the difficulty of the request. Grabbing hard-to-get tickets to a popular show or sporting event deserves a bigger tip than suggesting a good place to eat.

$5 or more depending on the difficulty of the request. Grabbing hard-to-get tickets to a popular show or sporting event deserves a bigger tip than suggesting a good place to eat. Housekeeping: $3-5 per day for 1-3 people in the room; $10 per day based on 6 people sharing; $10 a day in a luxury hotel. Leave money for cleaning staff every day as it rotates. Make sure you don’t leave the tip on the bedside table as it has sexual connotations. Place it on a desk or counter.

How much to tip when traveling

If you are traveling abroad, do some research on tipping at customs before you leave. For example, tipping is expected in Canada, but not in Japan. And tip always in cash and in the currency of the travel country.

Cruise Lines: Tipping policies vary by cruise line, but each will tell you what’s appropriate when you board.

Tipping policies vary by cruise line, but each will tell you what’s appropriate when you board. Curbside airport check-in: $5 per bag, slightly more for giant suitcases.

$5 per bag, slightly more for huge suitcases. Airport shuttle bus driver: $3-5, more if the driver helps you with your luggage.

$3-$5, more if the driver helps you with your luggage. Limousine drivers: 10 to 20 percent of the fare.

10 to 20 percent of the fare. Taxi drivers: 15 to 20 percent of the fare.

15 to 20 percent of the fare. Ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft: 10 to 20 percent of the fare. Even if ridesharing apps don’t give you a way to leave a tip, tip the driver anyway.

How much to tip at weddings

The size and scope of the wedding will determine the size of the tips. Read the contract for the wedding and reception venues carefully before deciding on gratuities as they may be included in the price. Also, if you’re the host, make sure the waitstaff doesn’t leave out tip glasses at the party, as you don’t want to burden your guests with leaving tips.

Waiters: $20 to $50 per waiter for a seated meal, more for the captain depending on how sumptuous it is.

$20-$50 per server for a sit down meal, even more for the captain depending on how lavish it is. Bartender: About $20 an hour.

About $20 an hour. Cloakroom attendant: $2-3 per guest.

$2-$3 per guest. Lifeguard: $2 per guest.

$2 per guest. DJ: $50 to $150. Read the contract.

$50 to $150. Read the contract. Minister or other presiding officer: $50 to $100, but some prefer a donation to their house of worship and others have a suggested fee.

$50-100 but some prefer a donation to their house of worship and others have a suggested fee. Acolytes: Check with the church, sometimes they tip, sometimes they don’t. A gift card or other small gift might be appropriate.

Check with the place of worship as sometimes they get tips, sometimes they don’t. A gift card or other small gift might be appropriate. Wedding Planners: Up to 20 percent of their cost, but even better for referring new clients to them.

How much do you tip at salons and spas?

For manicurists, barbers, or barbers and spa services, the appropriate tip varies from 20 to 25 percent of the total bill.

How much to tip for funerals

Depending on the type of funeral home or religious institution, you should always ask before tipping as some places may find it offensive. If there is no set fee, you can tip the chairperson anywhere from $50 to $250. Gratuities for funeral home staff are often listed on the bill or are included in the total cost paid by the family.

Basic rules for tipping

Use common sense when tipping. The more difficult the task, the larger the tip should be. The following are some additional guidelines for tipping:

FAQ

Even if I only ordered $8 worth of food? That’s a 62 percent tip!

Yes. Even if your order is less than $25, tip at least $5.

Even if the pizzeria is ten feet from my door? They hardly had to work!

You are paying for the privilege of not leaving your home and you are not directly compensating the delivery driver for the minimum wage commensurate with his or her work. The absolute minimum you should put on it is $5, which you should tip.

Even if I order from the same restaurant six times a week? These tips work!

Who is actually doing this? Tip at least $5 every time you get food delivered.

Related The Definitive Guide to Tipping at Any Restaurant in America

Even if I’m broke and can’t afford a €5 tip?

The mere notion that spending an extra two dollars — the cost of increasing your inhumane tip from $3 to an acceptable $5 — will affect your quality of life in a way that outweighs the comparable value those two dollars are likely to contribute An underpaid, uninsured, family supporter bringing you a chirashi bowl is absolutely ridiculous. However! If those two bucks are unlikely to actually hurt you more than they would help someone else, maybe consider whether spending zero bucks would hurt you even less, in which case you should just let your fart lie -filled apartment and get your own food.

When we have friends and we order $80 worth of Lao food – because Lao food can be really expensive! — do I have to tip $16?

I do not know! Percent based tips lose a lot of their logic when we talk about what essentially is commodity service! But as long as you don’t tip a hot penny less than $5, you’re not violating the code of ethics around which this article is built. (Also, yes, you should tip $16.)

What if I think tipping is an illogical practice and I refuse to engage in it?

Chances are pretty good that at least one person in your life — someone you really care about, someone you rely on and appreciate and love — loathes you more and more every day, especially because you put out this crap have and act on opinion.

What if the restaurant also charges a delivery fee?

This is not a tip. Tip at least $5.

What if it rains really hard or a snowstorm comes up?

Tip $20. Or maybe $40. Or cook, you lazy monster.

· Coverage of all delivery weeks [E]

The argument against tipping, explained

My brother and I have been tipping the same way since we got our first velcro bowl cut wallets, using the method our dad taught us about 20 years ago. But after watching enough friends fill out their restaurant bills, everything I once thought I knew about tips came crashing down on me. I realized that maybe I had been typing wrong all my life. Maybe you have too. Of course, “wrong” is a subjective term when it comes to a cultural norm like tipping, which largely involves individual customers choosing what amount feels “right.” But when I realized that my co-workers had been tipping differently and potentially saving over $400 a year, I realized I had to rethink my strategy. Before we get into that, it’s important to remember that in many cases, servers make the majority of their income from tips. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act allows restaurants in certain states to pay tipped employees less than minimum wage. In New Jersey, for example, a restaurant can only pay a waiter $2.13 an hour.

Map via United States Department of Labor And while there are no hard and fast rules about tipping, tipping of about 15 to 20 percent is generally expected, according to etiquette experts at the Emily Post Institute. That range is supported by a CreditCards.com survey, which puts the US median at 18 percent. “You’re really entering into what we loosely call a social contract, that you’re basically tipping this server, which helps make their salary,” says Lizzie Post, host of Emily Post’s Awesome Etiquette podcast. With this understanding, I looked at how people calculate their tips and came up with two schools of thought. The first is the group my brother and I joined after being indoctrinated by our father. We use what’s called the “decimal trick,” where we simply shift the decimal place in the sum one place to the left to calculate 10 percent. If we double that, we end up with a 20 percent tip.

The second group uses the information on their bill to double the tax (8.875 percent in a place like New York City) and end up tipping nearly 18 percent. In a state like Maryland, where the tax is 6 percent, they triple the tax instead. And in a state like Delaware that doesn’t have a sales tax, I guess they’re at a loss. Both methods result in tips that are in the acceptable 15 to 20 percent range. But they differ in one respect that’s not often mentioned when discussing how to tip: whether the calculation is based on the cost of the meal before or after tax is added. By definition, the tax method is applied to a pre-tax sum. But the “decimal trick” uses the after-tax total, in large part because of the way receipts are printed when you pay with a credit card. Even the recommended “20 percent” calculations printed on receipts for your convenience are generally calculated on the after-tax total. It might seem like a negligible difference, but over time the savings can be anything but trivial. Take a $100 bill, for example. Tipping by doubling the tax amount to get an 18 percent tip would save a customer $4 by tipping 20 percent by using the decimal trick on an after-tax bill. Eating out a second time that week would increase the savings to $8. Continuing the trend for the year and just making the one simple change would translate to a total saving of over $400.

Something about that might not be right, especially if you’ve been tipping after taxes your entire life. Technically, however, tipping pre-tax is not improper. “From an etiquette standpoint, tipping before taxes is perfectly fine,” says Post. “As a former waiter, I can tell you that it’s always nice when someone tips the full amount, but most people didn’t really feel comfortable with the idea of ​​having to tip their taxes.” used to tipping after taxes did not overwhelmingly support the idea during an interview in New York’s Times Square. “Now that I think about it, it feels a little dirty,” one woman who uses the decimal trick on after-tax totals told CNBC Make It. “It just feels like you’re putting in the effort to look at the number that clearly makes a person less money just because.” But in the discussion of tips, less money is a very relative term. And tipping less is inevitably more money saved. Finding a middle ground that respects both servers and the fact that more and more millennials have nothing stored at all might be ideal.

A change in tipping strategies could save someone who frequently dines out over $400. CNBC | Richard Washington

Should you still tip if the service is bad?

mediaphotos/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Eating out can be one of the most enjoyable experiences as it removes the burden of cooking and immerses you in delightful surroundings. It’s a luxury many people have mourned during the worst days of the pandemic. Poor service can spoil a great dining experience, but before you withhold your tip, consider the various factors that go on behind the scenes.

See: Rude Money Habits You Need to Break Now

Find out: how much should you tip when traveling to these 25 countries?

For starters, the federal minimum wage is only $7.25 an hour, not a living wage in today’s economy. Worse, under federal law, some employers, depending on the state, can claim what’s called a “tip credit,” which allows them to pay restaurant workers or bartenders as little as $2.13 an hour, with their tips making up the difference $7 .25 per hour. That means many waiters and bartenders rely on her tips to make ends meet. Before you decide not to leave a tip, consider the following considerations.

Make your money work better for you

Workers rely on tips to survive

Because of the way the restaurant and beverage industry is structured, waiters rely on tipping, not as a bonus, just to make a living. “These workers are being paid well below minimum wage,” said Scott Hasting, CFA and co-founder of BetWorthy LLC. “Therefore, tipping is a social responsibility for customers. Tipping even if you have experienced poor service is just an act of goodwill in the hope that the service will be improved next time.”

Get it right: etiquette rules you need to know when ordering gifts online

Waiters often pay their tips to other employees

If you’re not happy with your server and are considering withholding a tip, remember an important point: your tip goes to more than one person. “Specifically for the restaurant industry, tips are often given to other employees,” said Brian Howard, owner of BarSight Restaurants Systems. “That means the kitchen, the bus drivers, the host, all get a portion of whatever tip you give. Even if the service is bad or the food isn’t right, not tipping hurts everyone.”

Make your money work better for you

He recommends speaking to a manager about your concerns and leaving a small tip instead of leaving none at all.

Since servers are often required to pay out a certain percentage of their revenue to their support staff at the end of each shift, they could incur a loss if you don’t tip them, said Brooke Frederick, blogger at Minimalist Mama and a former waitress, bartender, and hostess personal trainer

“While the restaurant, bar or hotel sets their own tipping percentage, this generally varies between 4% and 10% of sales. This means if you go to a restaurant and your meal is $100 and you choose not to tip, the person serving you will have to pay $10 out of their own pocket to fund your dining experience. ”

Servers could just be having a bad day

Waiters are only human and many of them have a bad day – working in restaurants and bars can be exhausting. During the pandemic, many workers have felt frustrated by increased demands and poor treatment from customers and management, while being told to put their health on the line.

Make your money work better for you

The difference between other jobs and the hospitality industry is that waiters are punished financially for their bad days, said Yarooms CEO Dragos Badea. “Think of all the times you didn’t do an excellent job yourself at work. Have you been deducted part of your salary for each mistake? It’s a high-pressure environment to be a waiter, so some compassion and understanding should be in order.”

Also See: How Much Should You Tip Your Delivery Driver?

Servers may not be responsible for the poor service

Your waiter is often the person who bears the brunt of difficulties in the kitchen and beyond, even when it’s not their fault; So don’t rush to punish your server for what you perceive as bad service.

Frederick points out, “Often what someone interprets as poor service is beyond the server’s control.” For example, “Maybe the hostess didn’t let the waiter know she seated you, so she had to wait too long to be greeted. Maybe the bartender didn’t refill the pineapple juice on the previous shift and now there’s a delay in your cocktail.”

Helpful: Do you have a terrible tipper in your life? how to deal with them

You should always tip some, even if not 20%

While 20% is the gold standard for a good tip, you can leave less if you need to, as long as you leave something, Badea said. He suggests that tipping is just the cost of doing business when going to a restaurant, regardless of the service. “It should be factored into your bill when dining out, although you can still go above and beyond for exceptional service.”

Robert Johnson, founder of Sawinery, suggests that you could use a rule of thumb to leave “15% to 20% for good service, 10% for acceptable service, and between 5% and 10% for bad service.”

Given the myriad of reasons why poor service can occur, James Diel, Textel Founder and CEO and financial expert, suggests: “Put your server first and look at the environment around you. Is the restaurant understaffed? Does your server seem stressed? Have some compassion and keep them at least 18% might even be enough to improve their mood and change their day.

Find Out: How much do you pay or tip a house sitter?

Consider speaking to the server or management

Remember that many issues can be resolved through simple communication. Michael Outar, owner of Savebly.com, a personal finance website, suggests: “The best thing you can do is talk to the server first and voice your concerns about the service you’re getting, to see if they can improve the level of service, if not, then take it up to a supervisor or manager. You can always request a new server if the service doesn’t improve. These are all things you must do before you skip the top.”

On the rare occasion that a server is hostile or harassing, youtip co-founder Doug Miles suggests it might be okay not to tip, although he rarely finds such situations. Even in those cases, a discussion with management might resolve the issue, and your tip still benefits the other staff behind that server.

More from GOBankingRates

Last updated: Oct 13, 2021

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Is it always assumed I’ll throw in a few bucks? We asked the experts about the tipping protocol for takeout, delivery, and coffee shop orders.

Tipping can be a touchy subject. Across Canada, it’s pretty much a given that you tip a waiter at a sit-down restaurant anywhere from 15 to 25 percent for good service, depending on the city. But what’s the protocol at your local coffee shop – do you have to put it in the tip jar? What if you get take away food? Or if you have dinner delivered?

Toronto-based etiquette expert Lisa Orr, who often comments on tipping standards, says it all depends on the type of service being provided and whether you feel tipping is warranted. Here, Orr and food industry insiders weigh up when to tip, how much to leave, and when it’s okay to avoid the tip jar altogether.

Do I have to tip in the café?

What the etiquette expert says: Most independent cafes have tip jars at the register, and if you’re paying with a credit or debit card, the card reader will often ask you to tip. “Anywhere there’s a tip jar, if there’s extra loose change [after paying], you feel like you’re leaving something,” says Orr. However, according to Orr, tipping at the coffee shop is entirely optional. If you’re getting exceptional service (or an unreal Americano), you might want to consider throwing in your change. Just don’t expect your weirdos and toonies to go straight to your favorite barista. Most of the time, employees split the money equally.

Four Restaurant Waiters on How Much You Should Really Tip What the Baristas Say: Mikayla, who works at a Starbucks in downtown Montreal, agrees that tipping is optional but greatly appreciated. She says most customers put their change in the tip jar, usually leaving about 15 to 20 cents and rarely more than a dollar or two. Brendan, an indie cafe manager in Dartmouth, N.S., says tipping is part of East Coast coffee shop culture. Tips, he explains, make all the difference for full-time baristas who work for minimum wage. Working behind the counter in his small shop, he collects enough tips to significantly improve his paycheck. Customers usually leave their change and occasionally larger coins, which he expects, but would never snub someone who doesn’t leave a tip.

Do I have to tip when taking out?

What the etiquette expert says: Just like in coffee shops, tipping is optional for takeout orders, says Orr. “You are not expected to tip as you [received no service].” If paying with cash, you can always round up or leave some change as a gesture of goodwill, but that’s entirely up to you.

What one diner guy says: Jim Vesal is the director of culinary and business development at Vancouver’s popular counter-service-only vegan pizzeria Virtuous Pie. Vesal agrees that tipping is optional on takeout orders, although it’s always appreciated by staff and estimates that 80 percent of customers tip. Those who do usually leave 15 percent.

Do I have to tip for the delivery?

Here’s what the etiquette expert says: In recent years, food delivery services have exploded across Canada, making it easy to get food from your favorite restaurants to your doorstep. “Adding a few extra bucks for the person that comes into your house, especially in the middle of the Canadian winter, is a decent thing,” says Orr. A few dollars on top of the total (usually around 10 percent) would be reasonable for this type of service. Consider leaving more for large orders.

Here’s what the delivery guy says: Charles, who works part-time as a bike courier for Toronto-based delivery service Foodora, estimates he gets a tip on half of his deliveries. He’s hoping to get $2 to $3 per shipment and more for larger orders. However, he says: “I think I should get closer to 15 percent, like a server. We end up cycling across town.”

Workers in the hospitality industry have faced many hardships during the pandemic. Some have had to choose to risk their health or sacrifice their livelihoods. Others lost their jobs when the pandemic forced their employers to close or lay off large sections of their workforce, or suffered financially from reduced hours and fewer customers during the crisis.

Some Americans began tipping extra for al fresco burgers or take-out cocktails in recognition of the hardships workers were facing. The average tip in New York City peaked at around 25% during the first shutdowns in spring 2020 and rose again to around 22% around Christmas last year, according to a New York Times analysis of data from payments app Square.

Now vaccine launches in the US are assuaging concerns about Covid-19, prompting restaurants to reopen and making customers feel more comfortable eating out. Tips are also returning to pre-pandemic levels. According to the Times, the average tip in New York City is about 18-20% for personal food.

But last year’s discourse has raised public awareness of many other issues with waitstaff working conditions, from legitimate patrons with unreliable tipping behavior to a lack of basic benefits like health insurance, vacation and sick days. As author Alicia Kennedy, herself a former hospitality worker, said in a recent newsletter, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the power imbalance in the establishment of “service workers who offer hospitality with no expectation of anything in return, other than the opportunity, but not guaranteed by tips.”

In this regard, some customers may still feel pressure (whether internal or external) to tip more generously than they did in the pre-pandemic days.

But do you have to? What is the difference between a generous tip and a satisfactory tip? And how should guests balance their desire to eat out and their support for local restaurants and the people who work for them with the reality of their own budgets?

Quartz tried to clarify the complicated world of tipping etiquette after the pandemic with the help of some experts.

How much is a standard tip?

Tipping in the US is a touchy subject. There are many places and people to tip, from manicurists to valets, but waiters and bartenders are some of the most common people encounter.

Many people agree that restaurant tips, in their current form (which make up the majority of workers’ wages above a measly $2.13 an hour minimum wage), shouldn’t exist at all. But the upscale restaurants that have attempted to lead a tipless revolution in recent years have received such strong opposition from front-of-house workers (who made less money that way) and patrons (who rebelled against higher menu prices) that they were forced to trace back. “Ultimately, it’s a political issue,” food writer Kennedy told Quartz. “A living wage must be mandated by the state.”

Do you get paid if you have a day off? When you’re not at your best? When you’re in a bad mood?

To understand what it means to tip generously, within the system that Americans currently adhere to, it is first necessary to establish the minimum acceptable rate. In restaurants with table service, it’s 20%, according to Kennedy and New York food writer Helen Rosner, as well as most other sources.

This number should not be revised downwards even if a dish comes out cold or an order gets mixed up. It can’t be the servers’ fault, and regardless, in the US system, tips are not a sign of appreciation, but rather the wages people need to pay rent and pay their bills. As Washington Post reporter Tim Carman explains, the rest of us don’t get our salaries cut for every mishap – “Are you getting paid when you have a day off? When you’re not at your best? When you’re in a bad mood?” — and neither should waiters.

“I wouldn’t say tipping is morally good — it just fulfills your basic obligations as a person within that system,” says Rosner. “But it’s definitely immoral not to leave or intentionally undertipping.”

What counts as a “generous” tip?

During the pandemic, according to Rosner, 20% remained the minimum. “But if you were insulated from the immediate economic impact of the pandemic – if your income was uninterrupted, if you didn’t have to leave home to go to work, if you had health insurance, if you didn’t have to worry about childcare, etc. – I think it’s a matter of decency to tip as much as possible to share his (relative) ease,” she explains. “For a meal worth several hundred dollars, that was maybe 30% or 50%, for a $10 cocktail to go, maybe 100% or 150%.”

As a rule of thumb, a generous tip of 25% or more can be defined. That was true even before the pandemic: George Mahe, editor of St. Louis Magazine, stated back in 2018 that “25 percent will be the new 20,” with 20 percent being perceived as “respectable” but not “great.” A 2019 New York Times column by David Brooks suggests tipping 30-50% as “a small but direct way of redistributing money to those who work hard to make a living.”

Kennedy says she’s increased her own tip to 25-30% of the bill during the pandemic. Grub Street’s Chris Crowley, meanwhile, last summer advocated a standard tipping of 50%, arguing that if you’re financially secure enough to eat out, you can still afford to tip heavily.

Ofer Azar is an economics professor at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University in the Negev and researches tipping. His previous research into the reasons for tipping in Israel and the US shows that gratitude and understanding the need for tips are both popular motivations. He suggests that people who dug deeper into their wallets during the pandemic may have been even more grateful for their servers and keenly aware of the waiters’ financial precarious position. “Perhaps customers have become more generous because the feeling of being vulnerable themselves has changed their preferences,” he adds.

What about delivery and collection?

Rosner wrote a few years ago that the minimum tip for a meal delivery is $5, regardless of the cost of the total order. Etiquette expert Diane Gottsman offered The Kitchn a variation on this rule in January 2020, suggesting that one should generally pay either $5 or 20% of the delivery bill, whichever is greater.

Some recommended tipping delivery drivers to 25% during the pandemic, while MarketWatch’s Moneyist column suggested tipping 5% more than normal.

Before the pandemic, many people skipped tipping on takeout altogether, while others skipped about 10%. But Mike Lynn, a professor in Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration who studies tipping and the restaurant industry, says we’re in a new era. “Covid has caused people to start tipping and I think that might change your mind about the whole concept,” Lynn tells The Wall Street Journal. A generous tip on takeout means tipping like eating out.

The future of tipping

While US Covid-19 cases have fallen dramatically and 65% of the adult population is at least partially vaccinated, the pandemic is not over – and its impact is still being felt very strongly by restaurant workers. With that in mind, a recent article by Grub Street’s Crowley suggests that guests may want to continue tipping above the standard 20% rate.

But what should a person with a limited restaurant budget do? After all, we’ve all heard a lot during the pandemic about the importance of supporting local restaurants, cafes and other small businesses. If tipping more generously means eating out less often, some may worry they are failing in efforts to channel money to struggling establishments.

According to Rosner, this is the wrong view. “I think a lot of us unquestioningly accept this very capitalist idea that every expense is also an act of moral goodness because it’s good to support corporations,” she says. “Obviously that’s not true: consumer spending keeps the machine running, but it’s a pretty terrible machine.”

It’s all well and good trying to make ethical purchasing decisions, but the solutions to many of the world’s problems require systemic change, not our individual dollars. Plus, Rosner said, you don’t have to spend money in restaurants to support the companies and their workers. “You can support them materially by voting for elected officials who care about support for small businesses and workers’ rights.”

Conclusion: 20% tip is still okay, but more is welcome

Even with the added public awareness of the difficulties restaurant workers face, a 20% tip remains a perfectly acceptable choice. But if you can afford to spend a little more money, by all means do it.

“I wish these power play guys could understand that their dates, their business clients, and their golf foes would all be a lot more impressed by a casual 50 percent tip than by putting $5 on a $400 check together.” with a lukewarm remix of Reservoir Dogs’ anti-tipping monologue,” says Rosner. “Abundance is such a feat.”

If you’re up to date on your tipping etiquette, you probably already realize (and respect) that tipping is a must in many situations. It’s absolutely necessary when eating out, given that many restaurant workers are paid less than minimum wage with tips making up the difference, but there are other situations when you really want to tip – think tipping for a massage therapist or your hairdresser – to receive a tip Relationship with a professional you know and trust.

Understanding every situation where you should tip can be a minefield; The only thing that’s more difficult (for many people) is knowing when to tip with cash or a credit card. When paying with a credit card, in many situations you can add a tip to your bill by writing the charge on your card along with the fee for the meal or service, but tipping with a credit card isn’t always the best option for consumers Service worker or the person receiving the tip.

First, there may be a delay in processing credit card tips, so workers may have to wait until the next payday to receive the money. If they are struggling to make ends meet, not receiving a daily tip can take a huge toll on their finances. Second, restaurants or employers must pay credit card companies a percentage of each transaction, and US Department of Labor regulations allow employers to deduct that percentage from employee tips. Third, if you always rely on a credit (or debit) card for tipping, you may miss an opportunity to tip workers where no credit card transaction takes place — think movers or valets.

If you’re committed to tipping well and want to make sure your tips end up in the right pockets, read on for situations when it’s best to tip cash — and situations when it’s better not to Giving a tip with a card.

When to tip cash

restaurants and eating out

If you’re in the habit of paying for expensive meals at high-end restaurants, this may not be the case – it’s not reasonable to expect someone to carry enough cash to cover the sizable tip on a bill , which is a few hundred dollars. However, if your restaurant tips are typically $30 or less — and unless you spend $150 or more on each meal, they should be — you can certainly carry enough cash to cover that 15 to 20 percent (or more !) to cover tips.

According to The Takeout advice columnist The Salty Waitress, most waiters in the food industry prefer tipping in cash. You get that money instantly instead of potentially having to wait until the next payday for credit card tips. (There are also some tax benefits for them having unreported cash tips instead of taxable credit card tips, but going that route is a personal choice.) Plus, they’ll pocket more money: remember the fees that Employers have to pay credit card companies? You can account for up to three percent of each transaction and reduce your happy tip from a 20 percent tip to a 17 percent tip. If you have the cash, try to leave your tip on the table after using your credit card to pay the bill.

Cafes (or any counter service only eateries)

Traditionally, if your meal is not served to you, no tip is expected. Still, baristas and other employees at bakeries, coffee shops, and more often set out a tip jar, and it’s the right thing to contribute a little to their bucks, especially if you’re a regular customer — and especially if they’re earning minimum wage (and they probably are ).

These establishments usually give you the option of adding a dollar or two to your bill as a tip if you use plastic to pay. Every little bit adds up, but when a percentage is taken from that little bit — we’re back to the transaction fees employers have to pay on credit card bills — it’s even smaller than you might think. If you want to treat your favorite barista or sandwich shop employee right instead, save a few dollars (or even loose change) to throw in the tip jar every time you visit.

Nail Salons (or any place that says tips are appreciated)

Does it need to be said? If an establishment asks you to tip in cash, you really should tip in cash. It’s impossible to know what politics or dynamics are going on behind the scenes at each salon, and you should trust that there’s a reason they ask for tips. Some employers may not even accept credit card tips on behalf of their employees. So if you don’t have cash, that means no tip for the person who just polished your nails to perfection. Keep cash in your wallet or rush to the nearest ATM after your appointment and bring a little financial gratitude with you.

Free services such as cloakroom, cleaning, housekeeping or concierge services

Most tipping tags indicate a tip of $1 per item at the cloakroom and $2 to $5 at the valet. for porters and bellhops, $1 to $3 per bag is fine. In these situations, it’s especially important to plan for a cash tip, since you’re not paying for the service yourself, so you don’t even have the option to swipe your card. Not tipping means not tipping at all, which will earn you a few dirty looks and probably a good deal of guilt.

Grocery Delivery Service

This is especially important when ordering groceries through delivery apps. Certain food delivery apps include tips in the promised fee they pay workers for each delivery, so tipping you for quick delivery or attentive service simply saves the company a little money – workers don’t get the full tip, resulting in campaigns leads asking people to tip in cash, according to Fast Company. Also, don’t confuse a delivery fee with a tip — if you’re ordering delivery, plan on tipping $3 to $5 for luxury, more if the weather is particularly bad.

Any service for which you pay cash

Another obvious point: if you have an arrangement with your lawn care contractor or painter to pay cash for their services, plan on tipping in cash as well. If plastic never enters the payment conversation, don’t rely on a card transaction to cover the cost of the tip on top of the service cost. You already have cash on hand – just withdraw some more to tip.

Services with prepayment

Let’s say you bought brand new devices from a big company that offers free shipping or charges a shipping fee at the time of purchase. By the time the big, heavy items arrive, you’ve already paid for everything — but you still want to thank the delivery team for their job, especially if they have to carry the items up or down the stairs, or do something beyond just placing items in front of yours Door. In these situations – movers also fall into this category – you should have cash on hand to give to the people doing the work, in addition to what you paid the parent company.

For one thing, it’s always okay to tip with a credit card

If tipping cash means tipping a smaller amount or not tipping at all, write the tip on your card. Except for credit card fees and late payment, each attendant will make a larger tip on a credit card over a smaller tip in cash.

Tip Calculator

The tip calculator calculates the tip amount for various percentages of the cost of the service and also provides a total amount that includes the tip. In the United States, a tip of 15% of the pre-tax meal price is generally expected.

Price:

Common Billing Tip Calculator

The Shared Bill Tip Calculator takes into account the cost of the service, the number of people and the chosen tip percentage to calculate the tip per person as well as the total cost per person.

Price tip % number of people

A tip or gratuity is an additional amount of money paid to designated service personnel for a service rendered. Tipping amounts, as well as acceptance, vary in different parts of the world. In some East Asian countries, such as Japan, tipping is considered an insult and can sometimes be interpreted as a bribe. In still other countries, such as the United States, tipping is generally expected and, in many cases, included in a service worker’s compensation to meet minimum wage requirements. This is important to note because while tipping is entirely voluntary, many servers rely on tipping to make a living in countries like the United States. As a tourist, it can therefore be helpful to find out about tipping practices in the countries you are visiting. In the United States or other countries where tipping is expected, tips may be automatically applied to the bill depending on the restaurant or the number of guests at a table. As previously mentioned, tipping can be considered offensive in some countries. Although a United States citizen visiting another country may want to show appreciation for the service being offered, in some cases the gesture can have the opposite effect.

Below is a map that provides some information on whether or not a tip is expected or how a tip is received in certain areas, and a table of typical tip amounts in the United States and Canada for various services.

no tip at all, offended by tip no tip at all, surprised/confused by tip no tip at all, neutral/grateful by tip round up bill, not expected round up bill, expected 5-10%, not expected 5-10%, expected ~10% , not expected 10-15%, not expected 10-15%, expected 15-20%, expected

We’ve all been there – our relaxing spa treatment comes to an end and before we even come to our senses we’re faced with the perpetually confusing question of how much to tip. First off, it’s important to know that most people in these jobs rely on tips. “It’s like in the restaurant business,” says Christine Thompson, co-owner of salons Spoke & Weal. “Tips are a significant part of a hairdresser’s income.” And for assistants, earning an hourly wage rather than a cut in services rendered is “an important part of their survival,” says Thompson.

Where food comes with a customary tip of 18 to 20 percent, spa treatments never seem quite that easy. Since we don’t want your moment of relaxation to turn into a moment of stress, we spoke to some of the leaders in the industry to introduce you to the 411 on tipping.

Meet the experts:

How much tip for manicure and other nail care

Cyndi Ramirez, founder of Chillhouse, tells Allure that when it comes to nail service — whether it’s a classic manicure/pedicure or a detailed gel application — 20 percent of the service is expected unless it’s a cheap salon, in which case she always tips 30 percent or more.

How much to tip for haircuts, hair color and other hair treatments

“I generally believe that people should tip between 15 and 25 percent for each of the hair services they receive [based on] how satisfied they are with the service,” says Chelsey Pickthorn, colorist and owner of Pickthorn Studio Curls. Stephanie Brown, another New York City-based colorist, takes it a step further and tells us that it’s important to also tip everyone who comes with your stylist—their assistant, the person who shampoos your hair , the person blow drying your hair, etc – as they are a big part of the process.

Some salons, like Spoke & Weal, offer poolside tips and split the pot between stylists and assistants, but it’s not common enough to assume yours is either. If your salon doesn’t collect tips or your stylist doesn’t “tip” support staff, etiquette coach Mykia Meier suggests about $4-5 for a shampoo and about $8-10 for a more time-consuming help , such as dry (or $12 in a city where prices are higher).

How much is a tip for facials, waxing and other spa services?

“It’s customary to tip 18 to 20 percent for any spa service, whether it’s sugar or a Biologique Recherche facial,” says Angela Rosen, owner of Penelope & The Beauty Bar in Seattle and Daphne in New York City, curls. “In our salons, we take the guesswork out of it by suggesting an 18 percent tip upon completion of your service.”

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Enter the bill price, tip percentage, and number of people to calculate the tip and bill total.

How to calculate the tip

Calculating the tip amount can be done in a few simple steps. Start by dividing the tip percentage by 100 to get the percentage as a decimal.

Tip as a decimal = tip percentage ÷ 100

For example, if the tip percentage is 15%, divide 15 by 100 to find the decimal form, which is 0.15.

Next, multiply the tip percentage in decimal form by the total bill to calculate the tip amount.

Tip Amount = Invoice Amount × Tip Percentage

Thus, the tip amount is equal to the total bill amount multiplied by the tip percentage in decimal form.

For example, let’s calculate a 20% tip for a $75 bill. Tip as a decimal = 20% ÷ 100

Tip as a decimal = 0.20 Tip Amount = $75 × 0.20

Tip Amount = $15 So $15 would be a 20% tip on a $75 bill.

A simple trick to calculate the tip

Caught without a smartphone or calculator? Here’s an easy way to calculate a tip without tech.

Take the total and double it in your head, then move the decimal point one place to the left. This is a 20% tip.

For example, on a $100 bill, double the bill in your head – the result is $200. Then move the decimal point to the left one place, which equals $20.0. So, in this example, the tip amount is $20.

How much is a good tip?

There are many different opinions as to what a good tip is, and ultimately it’s up to you how much you tip for the service you receive. There is general agreement that 15% is a good starting point for a tip.[1]

Recommended tips for various services

The amount you might consider tipping also varies for different services and industries. Take that as a starting point and of course use your preference or judgment if you disagree.