How much do you tip?

I don't eat at fancy restaurants, normally chains like Chili's. I tip 20% even though the service since covid has often been very poor. I will tip 25% if the service is good. I ignore tip jars at fast food chains where we have to order at the counter, go pick up our food, and then police the trash when done.
 

I tip 20%.

I well remember the embarrassment of when I first went to the US and did not tip. Coming from the UK, tipping just wasn't really a thing. In the US though, it's basically mandatory a lot of the time. I remember paying for a meal for 8, and not tipping. The waitress said something, I forget what, and one of the Americans in the party told me how it worked there. I was told 20% was normal, and was happy to pay it - but it was a culture shock for sure. I've stuck with 20% ever since.
 
Is that 99% thing real... or could it be AI generated to look real? Never heard of anything remotely like it. And that thing it says about tips calculated after taxes... so they're actually saying you're tipping on the taxes, too? To answer your question, I generally tip 20%. When I order at our favorite restaurant online, at the end of checkout it asks if I'd like to tip 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30% and there's also a place for "no tip this time."
 
I've always been an overly generous tipper but must admit I find the constant tipping "opportunities" irritating.

I recently learned that by California law, waitstaff and other restaurant employees must be paid at least minimum wage by their employers ($17.54/hr in Los Angeles) and tips cannot make up part of that wage. Waitstaff tips are over and above minimum wage.

Knowing that, I'll be a little less generous with my tips. For a $50 meal that my server spent less than ten minutes managing, plus is handling other tables, I'm comfortable with a leaving 15%-18% tip rather than my previous 25%-30%.

Laws regarding waitstaff wages differ in other states, so YMMV.

Re tax, I always tip on the amount before taxes, not after.
 
In the Uk the waiting staff get paid a living wage so there is no pressure on the customer to leave a tip, altho' most do if there's been good service.. around 10-20%... the other thing is because there's no urgency for waiting staff to get tips to make up their salary... Tables are not turned every hour or 90 minutes in restaurants cafes' and bars.. because the customer can sit their all night nursing one drink if they with... it would make little difference to the server..

the drawback to that is that in some places the customer service can be quite poor, surly staff, slow service ..there's no incentive for them to smile, or be happy and pleasant, because they're not relying on the clientele to pay their rent, because they'll get their wages at the end of the week regardless
 
If the service is really good at a sit-down restaurant I tip the server 20%. If it is mediocre I tip 15%. If I go to a restaurant were I order from the counter and someone brings me a burger I may add $2.

I tip Uber and Lyft drivers 20% because I want to be known as a passenger with a good record. I think they are more likely to pick me up quicker that way.
 
One of the best places to be a server is at a truck stop. The truck drivers appreciate fast, friendly service.
 
Probably about 30 years ago during one of my earlier trips to England, I was staying at a nice little hotel near York. My room was always very well kept. After the first night I left a 1£ coin as a tip for the housekeeper, after the second night 2£, the third 4£, the fourth 8£, the fifth 16£. I never saw the person, but he/she took the money so apparently they weren't too offended. :)
 
I always pay in cash at full-service restaurants. As a general rule I leave a 20% tip (more for breakfast) and round up. If it's a place I go to frequently, I definitely tip more. On the rare occasion when service is particularly poor, I leave less.
 

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