How much should you tip?
Restaurant Rules
Food:
In the US, the average tipping amount is 15%.
Give 20% (or more) if the service is exceptional.
Drinks:
15% of bar bill or a dollar a drink. If your bartender is especially
entertaining, give him more, go on, it won't kill you.
Maitre d'
We don't usually tip the Maitre d' unless he has performed some special
service.
Hey, Big Spender!
Some people are habitually cheap tippers. Possibly, they think, "Well,
they get a paycheck, too." It's true, waiters and waitresses do get a paycheck,
usually every two weeks. However, it is significantly less than minimum wage.
The hourly rate is anywhere between $1.20 per hour, to $2.00 per hour, depending
on locality.
Owning a restaurant is an very expensive and high overhead venture.
Even with successful restaurants, a high profit margin would be considered
5%. The average profit in this industry is anywhere between 2-5 percent.
Very few other types of businesses have such a low profit margin.
The IRS changed the tax laws more than a decade ago, which states
that the claimed tips on the waiters tax return, must be equal to 15% of
the food bill served by that waiter. Be aware that the next time you stiff
the wait person, that they still have to claim 15% and pay taxes on that,
even if you only gave them 7%. Few very waiters live in mansions. Tip
appropriately for that server.
Coupon Etiquette
Lastly, when using a discount coupon for a meal, please be sure to tip the
waiter what you would have paid if the meals wasn't discounted.
Sometimes, restaurants include the tip in the bill if you're with a large
party. A large party is considered to be six or more.
It should state on the menu whether restaurants include the 15% tip for
larger parties. One time we double tipped, due to the fact that
one person in our large group grabbed the bill, looked at the total, and
told us how much each of the five couples owed. Later we figured out what
happened. No wonder the the waiter had a big smile as we left.
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