Tip For 35 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.

What is 20 percent of 35?

20 percent *35

= (20/100)*35

= (20*35)/100

= 700/100 = 7

Now we have: 20 percent of 35 = 7

Question: What is 20 percent of 35?

We must now determine 20% of 35 and explain the procedure as such

Step 1: In the given case, Output Value is 35.

Step 2: Let’s consider the unknown value as x.

Step 3: Consider the starting value of 35 = 100%.

Step 4: Analogously, x = 20%.

Step 5: Dividing the pair of simple equations, we get the following equation

35 = 100% (1).

x = 20% (2).

(35%)/(x%) = 100/20

Step 6: The reciprocal of both sides gives the following equation

x%/35% = 20/100

Step 7: A further simplification of the equation obtained above shows what 20% of 35 is

x = 7%

So 20% of 35 is 7

In any service industry, it’s common to say, “Tipping isn’t a city in China!” Tips make up a very large part of a hairdresser’s or stylist’s income. It also shows that you value this person’s service and the relationship between the two of you.

Much like a waiter in a restaurant who has regular customers, a barber or stylist can often reach a higher level for customers who tip well. But what are the usual rules for how much to tip your barber or stylist?

how much tip

In general, for good service, you should tip 15 to 20 percent of the total bill. Tip more for exceptional service or tip less for service you find inadequate.

Tipping is your way of saying your job is well done, so tip more if the person performing the service performed better than expected. If you feel like you can’t tip well, it may be time to fire your barber or stylist, but if you like them and enjoy their service, tip as much as you can afford.

If someone other than your barber or stylist is working on you (like a shampoo or shoeshine boy), give them a few bucks, too.

Tipping during the holidays

During the holidays it is generally acceptable to tip at the normal cost of a visit. For example, if you normally pay $30 for a haircut, you should tip them $30 before you go on vacation. It’s a lovely way of saying “thank you” for a year of great hair.

If you have a close relationship with your barber or stylist, you can also add a small personal gift that reflects his or her interests, as well as a monetary gift.

When to tip more

Although it is a subjective judgement, good service is when the barber or stylist listens carefully, has a pleasant attitude and takes the time it takes to give a great cut.

An exceptional barber or stylist will be engaging, fun, quick to suggest ways to wear your hair better and maintain a spotless work area. Tip more for exceptional service.

When should you tip less?

Barbers and stylists should be given less tips if their area isn’t clean, if they’re not a good listener, or if they’re rushing through your haircut. Also, if they’re on the phone while they’re performing your service, it’s just plain rude and results in less tip.

Of course, a bad haircut should also result in a lower top. If your barber or stylist is guilty of any of these crimes, find someone new to cut your hair.

Gratuity for the owner

For many years it was considered improper to tip the owner of a shop or salon who also styled and cut your hair. But more is being done, and most owners say that while they don’t expect a tip, they always appreciate it. If you would like to leave a tip for the owner but are unsure whether you should do so, ask the front desk for advice on paying the bill. If she asks if you want to tip, that’s a signal that you can.

Why tipping really matters

Tipping your barber or stylist well doesn’t go unnoticed. It speaks volumes about how you value your work.

Hairstylists know who their best tippers are and will almost always go the extra mile to ensure clients know they are appreciated. And tips don’t have to be about money. Bring a lunch or coffee for your stylist to your next appointment.

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

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

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Tipping is not about you. When dining at a restaurant, many diners believe that they should tip on a sliding scale based on the service they are receiving – good or bad. WP Get the full experience. Choose Your Plan ArrowRight When counting points, the scale might look something like this: Keep asking to refill your water glass? One percentage point off. Do you receive the appetizer after the main course with no apology? Three percentage points on the tip.

Can I be honest and convict myself?

I was on the side of the sliding crowd. I always type. However, I hate the tipping system in America because it’s not about rewarding someone for superior service. It’s about paying guilty patrons.

Employers—either to increase their profit margins or out of fear of losing business because of higher prices—force customers to top up their employees’ wages with tips.

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But the price of my food should include what the company needs to make a fair profit and pay its workers a living wage.

I’d rather pay more for my meal than deal with the uneasiness of how much I should or shouldn’t tip based on my opinion of a job well done.

When people don’t tip properly, they can be publicly gored, which happened recently when a New Jersey lawmaker took to Twitter to humiliate a customer who left a 74-cent tip on a $119.26 tab . In his defense, the customer said the service was terrible.

I discussed this in a previous column, which got so many responses that I asked Washington Post food reporter and columnist Tim Carman what he thought of measuring tips by the service received.

Q: How should guests tip if they receive poor service for any reason?

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Carman: I think there’s a basic misconception about tipping in America. Diners were led to believe that tipping should be based on the quality of service. But that’s not why we tip. We tip because restaurateurs in America have shifted the burden of paying part of their labor costs onto guests. So not tipping affects server salaries.

Q: Really, you shouldn’t deduct from the tip if you received subpar service?

Carman: I think guests need to ask themselves a fundamental question: do you get paid if you have a day off? When you’re not at your best? When you’re in a bad mood?

In addition, waiting for tables is hard work and waiters are only human. You may have problems at home or worry about a loved one. Or maybe they just distance themselves. Who among us hasn’t done this at our desks?

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Q: Why should customers correct bad service?

Carman: It’s a difficult situation. People want to feel pampered when they eat out. It’s one of the reasons we go out to eat, to be pampered for a while, to live in a world where everyone takes care of our needs for an hour or two.

I think part of the problem is that diners don’t always realize they have more control at the table. If the server does something they don’t like – or doesn’t do something they want – they should just break the ban on the table and tell the server. Just say politely, “I want my water glass to be refilled regularly.” Or, “These entrees came out at the same time as our starters, can you send them back to the kitchen so we can enjoy a course meal?” Or whatever the problem is.

I think most waiters respond better to a friendly request at the table than a complaint behind their back.

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I know it’s difficult. Many people dislike being confrontational, let alone being perceived as confrontational. Also, they think servers should know what to do at all times. But they’re busy and distracted, and guests can help get them back on track with a gentle request.

But if the service doesn’t get better I would ask the manager to change the servers. A good restaurant will do that.

Q: So, once and for all, what is the appropriate tip at the table – at least for now?

Carman: Conclusion: Guests should always tip 20 percent. Always.

If the service is great, consider adding more to the tip. But never deduct from the 20 percent.

Carman convinced me.

Like it or not, tipping isn’t about me – or you. It is simply a responsibility imposed on all guests in this country. And you have to calculate that as the full cost of the meal.

Readers may contact Michelle Singletary at The Washington Post, 1301 K St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071 or write to [email protected]. To read previous columns on the color of money go to wapo.st/michelle-singletary.

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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:

To use the tip or tip calculator, enter an amount in the fields and tap or click. The answer will be displayed automatically.

Your browser does not support inline frames.

Before we get into how the tip calculator works, let’s first discuss some common tipping practices.

In general, tips help supplement pay for those who work in the service industry. Everyone knows how to tip waiters or waitresses in restaurants. Other people who may tip may include bartenders, taxi drivers, shuttle drivers, barbers, barbers, hotel employees (doorman, bellhop, housekeeping, valet, room service, etc.) and tour guides.

As a rule of thumb, tips are calculated based on percentages related to how satisfactory a service was. Common tipping percentages in the United States are:

0% tip for terrible service,

10% tip for very slow service,

15% tip for good service and

20% tip for great service

Calculation tips without a calculator

Without that page in hand, it’s back to manually calculating a tip. Here are two simple practices to use.

sales tax method

Sales tax amounts range from 6% to 8% in many parts of the United States. Some people simply look at the sales tax amount written on the bill and double it for the tip, adding or subtracting a little depending on the service.

Simple percentage calculation method

Using a percentage base like 10% is common because it’s easy to calculate in your head. To get 10% of an amount, simply move the decimal point of the amount one place to the left. For example 10 percent of:

$23.45 round down to $2.35

$35.67 round down to $3.57

$51.65 round down to $5.17

$72.89 round down to $7.29

$92.22 round down to $9.22

To go from there, just calculate 10% of your bill and make mental changes for different percentage levels from there. For example, a 20% tip would only double the amount you charged for 10%. For 15%, you would mentally calculate the original 10% amount and add half of that.

Some healthy curves make it even easier. As an example of this method, if the bill is $23.78, round it up to $24. Ten percent of that is $2.40, which you find by moving the decimal point one place to the left. If you choose to tip 15%, the total tip amount is $2.40 plus half of that ($1.20) equal to $3.60. If you want to exceed the 20%, double the amount to $4.80.

This is how the tip or tip calculator works

The tip or tip calculator above is basically an extension of the formula used by the Basic Percent Calculator, which can also be found on the Percent Calculators home page. It calculates a percentage of a known amount, just like the simple percentage calculator. The additional calculations include adjusting for variables like the number of people and showing the different amounts. The basic formula used to find the percentage of a known number is:

Formula: (percent converted to decimal) x (known number) = answer

Here is a quick example:

Example 1: Samantha was happy with her waiter in a busy restaurant, but felt it was taking a little too long to get her food. It wasn’t the waiter’s fault for the slowness, so she decided to leave a generous 16% tip anyway. Her bill was $32.45. How much does she have to pay?

Answer: The tip calculator quickly shows the tip amount of $5.19 with the total amount of $37.64. Here is the formula used to calculate these answers:

Formula to find the tip: (percent converted to decimal) x (known number) = answer

To convert 16% to decimal, just shift the decimal point two places to the left and you get 0.16. Know that you take that number and multiply it by the amount. So here is the equation with the calculated tip amount:

0.16 x $32.45 = $5.19

Formula to calculate the total amount: Tip + Bill = Response

It’s that easy. The total is $5.19 + $32.45 for a $37.64 answer.

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.”

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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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.”

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.”

Christopher Elliott

Specially for USA TODAY

Ryan Patterson is a tipper. He routinely adds a 25% tip to his restaurant bill, “and sometimes up to 50%, depending on the effort.”

Why so much? Patterson, a web publisher from Austin, Texas, recalls the days leading up to his success.

“I know how difficult and thankless this kind of work is,” he says. “I also know what a morale boost receiving a great tip can be. The way I see it, I won’t miss an extra few bucks, but it could make a world of difference to the person receiving the tip. ”

Patterson is part of a small group of travelers who oppose the tip. Instead of tipping less – or not at all – they tip more. Their reasons are just as valid as those of the never-tippers. But at the end of your meal or your cruise, the question remains: did I tip too much?

Is tipping the way out? That’s why more and more travelers are joining the no-tipping movement

Why would you overtype?

The most common reason for over-tipping is that you used to work in the service industry. That’s why Becky Beach, a small business owner from Arlington, Texas, tips between 25% and 30%.

“I was a server when I was in college, so you know how hard it is,” she says. “I remember how bad I felt when I didn’t get a tip. Not tipping at all hurts a server’s self-esteem and finances. Servers are not paid very much and rely on tips.”

Melissa Chiou, a content producer from Washington, D.C., also used to work as a waiter. So now she’s exaggerating.

“Growing up working in my family’s restaurant, I understand the sacrifice and toll it takes to run a business,” she says. “It’s not an easy job.”

She also says over-tipping is a great way to support small businesses.

“Supporting small businesses is particularly important to me and I will do whatever I can to help them,” she adds. “It will be a sad day when our economy is overrun by nothing but corporate chains.”

Some tippers say they don’t tip too much.

“I reject the term ‘tipper,'” says William Oei, who works for a federal agency in San Francisco. “I consistently tip 20%, even in Chinese family restaurants, which rarely get more than 10%. I think others don’t tip enough.”

He and other travelers say that tipping 20% ​​or more is a way to show your appreciation for the housekeepers, guides, and waiters who attend to your needs during the trip. In other words, it’s spot on.

Are you tipping too much?

From the overpayers’ point of view – sorry, William – it’s impossible to tip too much. The lowest tip they would give is 20%, but some never give less than 25%. It’s not uncommon to see tipping between 30% and 50% from these travelers. If you leave tips like this, you can confidently place yourself in the category of over-tippers.

“Is there such a thing as being too generous?” says Samantha Lambert, the director of human resources at a media company in New York. “Total.”

She recalls many nights tipping her bartender well over 20%. She says she got carried away once or twice during the “Tip the Bill” challenge on social media a few years ago.

“Just like buyer’s regret, there’s certainly buyer’s regret,” she says. “I checked my account after a night of drinking and had a very depressing side effect – the overdraft!”

Advocates of over-tipping say that a generous tip is a great way to recognize underpaid service workers like servers and bellhops, but that you shouldn’t jeopardize your personal finances. If you can’t afford to tip, go for takeout or skip the tour.

In other words, you can tip too much.

So should you never tip – or tip too much?

Look, tipping is as confusing as ever. While some travelers say they will never tip, others are doubling down. My views on the subject have evolved. In one of my first USA TODAY columns in 2013, I advocated a 25% tip. But tip jars have since appeared everywhere, and wherever you go there seems to be an expectation of a tip.

The problem is simple: if a tip is expected—or too much—what is the actual cost of the meal or the hotel room? In a way, doesn’t tipping give a company permission to misstate their prices?

That creates a budgeting problem for travelers and doesn’t sit well with many honest customers who assume the price you quote should be the price you pay.

I respect the typists. They try to solve the problem of service workers’ low wages by throwing money at it. But there must be a better way.

The biggest tippers

Comedian Amy Schumer reportedly left a $500 tip on a $49 tab at Peter’s Clam Bar in Island Park, New York, in 2015. Schumer, himself a former waitress, found out that her waitress worked two jobs to fund his education.

In 2013, a grateful customer reportedly gave Indianapolis server CeCe Bruce a whopping $446 for a $5.97 tab at a steak ‘n shake. Her reaction? “Oh my god,” she says. “I won’t take that!” The guest insisted, and eventually she did.

A group of friends celebrating a friend’s life at an outback steakhouse in Clarksville, Indiana, tipped their server $500 in 2012. The server, Cassie Smith, was shocked and grateful.

“I’ll never forget that,” she said.

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.”