My rules for tipping

About 2 years ago (December 2004 if you want to go look for it), I posted a blog about waiters that talked about how I tip. I've often thought about writing a tipping guide, but an article on Fark has finally prompted me to do so. So, without further delay, here is:

Terry's Tipping Tree

1) Determine the price of the ticket. Use the price *without tax* for your calculation.
- a) if the waiter did not bill you for an item for any reason, add the price of that item to your total ticket price.
- b) if the waiter billed you for an item you felt should not have been billed, remove the price of that item from your total ticket price.
- c) if the waiter added a gratuity to your bill, use the price of the bill without the gratuity.

2) Determine the % that the waiter should recieve:
- a) Start with 15% automatically.
- b) Each time any member of your bill (not your party) has to wait 1 minute for a non-alcoholic drink refill, deduct 1% for each 1 minute. If no member of your party has to wait for a non-alcoholic drink refill, add 5%. This indicates the server's attentiveness to your party's needs and an ease with which you can get the server's attention should you need anything.
- c) When you are seated, if the server waits longer than 1 minute to get your drink order, deduct 2%.
- d) After you have placed your drink order, if the server takes longer than 2 minutes to return your non-alcoholic drinks, deduct 3%.
- e) Any time you request something from the waiter (with two exceptions to follow), if the waiter is able to accomodate your request within 1 minute, add 5%. Exceptions: If you have to ask for a non-alcoholic drink refill, deduct 1%, and 2% for each minute it takes to receive that refill after asking. If you have to send back your food because the waiter forgot something you asked for (such as getting the sauce on the side), deduct 2%. If the waiter then gives you the food or drink in question for free at the end of the meal, cancel these deductions.
- f) If the waiter is willing to spend time chatting and being friendly with you, add 5%.
- g) At the end of the meal, if the waiter asks you if you want change, deduct 5%. If the waiter brings you "tipping money" (description to follow), add 1%. If the waiter brings back the pennies (meaning, he did not round up on the change he owed you to the nearest nickel), deduct 1%. If the waiter does not bring back enough change (ie, he owed you $5.52 and brought back $5.50), deduct 3%.
- h) Unless you feel slighted by waiter in some way, always try to leave a tip in exact-dollar increments, or at worst in 50-cent increments. Exceptions: If you tip with a credit card, or intend to leave cash without waiting for your server to return, feel free to round up to the nearest whole-dollar or 50-cent amount. ie, if your bill was 17.32, and you leave a 16% tip (without tax), it would bring your total to 19.89. Round it up to $20.

It's a lot to calculate, but it's only intended as a basic guide. Get the idea for the numbers in your head, and then you can guestimate your tip at the end of the meal. I never spend time calculating all of that out, but I can *feel* for the meal based on things I've noticed when I'm putting the tip together and know roughly that this person got 3% in deductions but 7% in credits and so ended up with a 19% tip.

"Tipping money" works as follows:

If your change is $5.00 or more, but less than $9, the waiter should bring back your change in $1 bills. The waiter should always try to ensure that your change includes enough options to cover between a 10 and a 30% tip. So, if you had a $22 meal, the waiter should return at least enough $1s to cover $2.20 and $6.60. That means bringing back a $10 bill and 8 $1 bills in change. Yes, it's cumbersome if you do tip poorly for the meal, but if you decide to leave a $4 tip (20%), then it means you aren't forced to round the waiter's tip up or down because they brought back a $5. Sphere: Related Content