5 tips on how to tip at the restaurants
Various people have various views about tipping, and societal standards have a tendency to change over time. Consider the increasing number of possibilities to tip. Many coffee lovers used to order a cappuccino, then drop some change in a jar for a tip as an afterthought. Currently, the credit card screen gives consumers an option to add a gratuity to each and every cappuccino bought. It is little wonder people get confused regarding tipping. Fortunately, there are still some strict rules to keep in mind when tipping your server.
Here is some suggestion to bear in mind:
Your Tip Is a Significant Part of a Server’s Income
In the United States, unlike many other countries, restaurants pay workers just a minimal salary. The federal minimum wage for tipped workers is a mere $2.13 per hour. However, states are lawfully authorized to have their own policies about the minimum wage for service providers—and many do.
Servers, in some states, are paid an hourly salary of somewhere between $2 to $3 per hour, while for servers in other states such as California, the hourly pay can be as high as $14 per hour. Though California, along with Washington and Oregon represent a rare exception. Tips continue to make up a large portion of the server’s salary in the vast majority of the nation, tipped workers are allowed to be paid a subminimum wage in 43 states.
According to TableAgent – Tips can comprise over 60 percent of a server’s complete earnings.
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General Etiquette and Guidelines for Tipping
According to TableAgent, In the majority of cases, etiquette for tipping or the standard rule of thumb is to leave 15 percent for service you assume average, and 20 percent if the service you received was beyond average. You may leave even more if you feel the service was outstanding.
As stated by TableAgent, servers are paid based on a reward system, meaning, the person receiving the service can pay the server in accordance with their performance quality. If a server provides a good service, consequently tips will be more generous.
You may be tempted to send a message by decreasing the tip if the service you experienced was below average. This approach will not fix the problem as TableAgent notes. Rather, consider speaking with someone of authority at the restaurant.
Who Benefits From the Tip?
It is also crucial to remember that in multiple restaurants, it is not just the server who takes your tip. In many places, it is standard practice for the server to share that tip with support staff, including bartenders, kitchen staff, dishwashers, and bussers. According to TableAgent, more than fourteen percent of restaurants that provide full service partake in this practice, which is known as a tipping pool.
Group Tipping Standards
It is good as well to be familiar with group tipping norms that restaurants may implement.
It is not unusual for restaurants to add an automatic gratuity when serving a large group. Often this refers to parties of 6 or more. In such an event, the gratuity applied by the restaurant may be about 18 percent.
It’s a good idea to ask the restaurant in advance what its policy is if you are dining with a large party.
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Calculating Tips Before or After Tax
The general standard is to calculate, based on the cost of the meal, how much of a tip you will leave a server, excluding tax. For instance, you would leave a tip based on the $20 if the meal itself cost $20 and the tax was $2.
However, you can use the cost of the total bill, inclusive of tax, to calculate the tip, in case you want to be particularly generous, says TableAgent.
“On their tip, servers must pay tax and also share the tip with other support staff members. Many people suppose that it is fair to give tip after the tax amount, assuring that their server receives a larger amount,” as the website explains.
Bottom Line: Tipping Is Not Optional
If there is one point to keep in mind, tipping is part of the total cost of eating out. Unless you’ve been told in advance by the restaurant that the tip is included, it should not be considered optional.
Service industry workers rely on tips to make a living, and the best approach is this: If you plan on eating out, also plan on tipping.
