Which Dibber was this?

[tocpe321]

I don't think there's any perfect system for fair tipping. Probably the best service we experienced this year in terms of combined friendliness and attentiveness was at a Perkins. Great food and relatively budget bill.

The most high-end we have ate at was Keens in NYC a few years ago. The waiter was efficient, but not that friendly. He let me taste the wine before I ordered and I think he did the scraping the tablecloth to get rid of breadcrumbs bit, but in terms of what was done i.e. taking order and bringing plates out, coupled with our experience, he didn't provide a better service than the lady at Perkins.

Having said that I would probably have tipped 18 - 20% at Keens and gave about 20% to the lady at Perkins. Maybe I should have tipped the Keens waiter a fair amount based on what he did, rather than a percentage of the high-end bill.

It's not really an ongoing issue for me as I don't really eat high-end, but it does seem a liitle unfair that the expectation is a % rather than a value.

I know it's at my discretion, but I also don't like rocking the boat!

Maybe it should be paid per item similarly to tipping a hotel bellboy e.g. $1 per case. 4 people 2 courses $14, 4 people 3 courses $21. 4 people 3 courses plus fantastic banter $25.

[tspill]

Originally Posted by Mr Tom Morrow

I struggle to remember what I ate for breakfast

However I'm fairly sure that when I was travelling here in the mid 1970's the tips were 8% to 10%.

But I could be mistaken so don't take this as gospel.

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We started going to the USA in the late 80s and it was 10%. So it looks like the expected %age has more than doubled since the 70s if it was 8%.
They are having a laugh.

[Rebelrebel]

Happened to us at The Cheesecake Factory, service was average to poor, she kept bleating on about tips even when we told her we'd been to the USA many times and were familiar with the culture. When she brought the bill she asked if I wanted change, I told her yes, while she away for 15 minutes getting it I'd worked out the tip which I rounded up to $10, it was about 18%, when she came back the change was $10 short, when I challenged her she went red faced and got it out of her pocket. DH said we should not leave her a tip because of the short changing and poor service, I left $1. She then had the cheek to run after us in the mall to say we'd forgotten to tip her, DH told her the $1 was her tip and she was lucky to get that. I know we should have spoken to the manager but we'd wasted enough time waiting for her with the service and the change and we were there as a treat to DD and on our way to Pandora to get her Birthday present, the day had been already soured enough without waiting around to complain.

On the whole I think there should just be a service charge, a higher charge for fine dining and lower for cheap and cheerful, if you have bad service you could then take it up with the manager and get the charge removed.

[Cocobean121]

When I joined the Dibb, somewhere around 2011 I think, the general simple guide that a lot of dibbers put forward was to simply double the tax and round it up. So 12% plus rounding up to the nearest 5 or 0. That stuck with me and I’ve used it on last five trips, not been chased down the street yet.

[MinniMouse]

For the first time ever I gave a really low tip to a waiter in the Cheesecake Factory (next to Macys in Naples). He didn't bring us breadsticks (I think that's what they bring in CF) or offer water. Our main course was brought to the table whilst we were halfway through our appetiser, minus the fries (I had to mention we had no fries to which he said they would be there shortly) they arrived just a minute before we finished our main course so were too full to eat them by this point. I ordered another cocktail, for a change my DH was driving, it didn't come. DH and I nearly fell out because I didn't want to leave a tip and DH said he didn't want a fuss. So he left a really low tip. We didn't explain to the manager, couldn't be bothered at the time and I was ready for him if he came after us... I would have torn a strip off him. He was an arrogant so and so. I kept the bottom of the receipt with the "how did we do" bit and fired off an email complaint. Got an apology and they said they would speak to him, also got a voucher for a future trip which we gave away. No intention of going back.

[sophiepop]

Originally Posted by duchy

What you earn is irrelevant though.
You've chosen to eat at a table service restaurant in a particular price bracket. No one forced you not to eat at a cheaper one or even QS where a tip isn't customary . It is just part of the cost of eating out in America and should be a part of deciding if a particular restaurant is "worth it" to you personally (we all place different values on "worth it" it's incredibly subjective)

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I understand that what I earn is not really relevant, but I work hard for my hourly rate, for an entire hour, someone bringing me my dinner and refreshing my drink takes minutes and if I worked it to an hourly rate then it would be crazy money.

I agree it is my choice to eat in these places and as I said earlier we always tip, but it is getting silly money that is being expected now.

Someone worked out earlier the amount that some people can make serving tables in tips alone is more than the vast majority of people here in the UK make a year. My issue is how they assume we don’t know how to tip and expect us to pay 20-22%

[butterflymags]

Originally Posted by tocpe321

Maybe it should be paid per item similarly to tipping a hotel bellboy e.g. $1 per case. 4 people 2 courses $14, 4 people 3 courses $21. 4 people 3 courses plus fantastic banter $25.

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I have always thought percentage is a way to pay staff less wages and it doesn't relate to how much a server does or the service you get these days. You may get 3 people spending a total $100 and on the next table 5 people spending a total of $60, so more refills, clearing up etc.

[tspill]

Originally Posted by butterflymags

I have always thought percentage is a way to pay staff less wages and it doesn't relate to how much a server does or the service you get these days. You may get 3 people spending a total $100 and on the next table 5 people spending a total of $60, so more refills, clearing up etc.

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Are refills and clearing up not part of their actual job?

This is what really frustrates me - the system is so dishonest, you cant find out what activities their wages cover (what they are paid to do as the minimum) and what extras warrant a tip. It is impossible to objectively assess service to arrive at a tip amount.

[Dave+Hel]

Originally Posted by boltyboy

So heres how I see it, if a waiter does a shift of 8 hours, and in that time serves say 20 tables and average a bill of $70 at 18% that's $12.60 x 20 = $252 in tips per shift or $1260 per week or $61740 if they work a 49 week year... Not too shabby that's on top of their basic wage.

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But they don't keep all the tips. They are shared out amongst kitchen staff, people who clear the tables etc. As far as I know anyway

[Billy Beatnik]

Originally Posted by Dave+Hel

But they don't keep all the tips. They are shared out amongst kitchen staff, people who clear the tables etc. As far as I know anyway

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Do you really think that if you give them $20 cash, that they go into the back and say “hey I gotta share this out?”