Comments on: Economics of Tipping

By: kevrob

kevrob — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:32:10 +0000

Good for Kory that the restaurants he (or she) worked for didn't pad the service charge unfairly. The fact remains that some places do, and some don't. Perhaps there are differences in local laws that regulate this practice.

Hey, pat. I've taken the limo to Mitchell, and the guys who don't tip, especially if you handle their bags, are knobs. If I don't have the cash to tip, the 80 bus is only $1.75, right?

By: John

John — Sat, 02 Sep 2006 04:10:28 +0000

You said: "This is pretty nervy - I mean, other than a percentage concession payment they are probably making to be the parking company at that location, what other costs do they have?"

Uh, insurance? You'd be amazed at how much valet companies pay for insurance. If you don't want to tip the valet, don't use the service. Period.

By: pat

pat — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 20:10:44 +0000

i work for a limo/van service in milwaukee, we do a lot of the transportation to and from the airport there. sadly, we’re not allowed to post a “tips appreciated” sign in the van, but we are only paid 5.40/hr plus tips. so in order to make a living wage i have to get at least 30-40 dollars in tips per day… which is sometimes very difficult. I’m trying to come up with a way to explain this to customers, but its hard when the company charges 38 bucks for a ride out to the suburbs from the airport. to downtown is cheaper so tips can be better, but nothing is garuanteed… just wishing there was some way i could get the 10/hr that i need without being an ass and asking for money.. obviously i help with all luggage, and in/out of the van.. but many people just don’t want the help.

By: Kory

Kory — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 19:18:38 +0000

Restaurants do not base the tip percentage on large parties on the entire bill plus tax. They do this on the pretax portion. I have worked on restaurants for the past 5 years, and neither have done this. Although, when the average person tips on their bill on say a 2 person table, they normally tip of the total bill including tax.

By: HeavyWinter

HeavyWinter — Fri, 15 Apr 2005 20:03:56 +0000

Tipping Discussion Continued

You all read my post about how to tip when happy hour is involved. Let’s continue round two, shall we? After getting thoroughly thrashed in the comments section when I said happy hour discounts shouldn’t be included in your tip determinaton (which I st…

By: kevrob

kevrob — Thu, 14 Apr 2005 18:37:32 +0000

My tipping pet peeve is when your party is large enough to have the "mandatory service charge" kick in, and the joint includes the sales tax in the base to which they apply the percentage. I'm sorry, if I am tipping 15% on a $100.00 meal, the server is getting $15.00. He's not getting his tip bumped up because the state is making me pay an extra $5 or $8 bucks, and forcing his employer to collect it.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 09:36:00 +0000

I think #2 on MR's list is more easily explained by interpreting the tip as a polite way of telling the bellboy to get the heck out of your room because you don't need his services anymore. The bellboys who stay in customers' rooms bugging them about the TV and the air conditioner and whatnot until the customers give them money will get more money than the bellboys who do their job and then go away. (Of course, in any reasonable world, the "then go away" would be part of the job description. Hotel compensation policies are not, however, part of any reasonable world.)

Unless I get exceptional service, I tip waiters and such a flat 15%, on the knowledge that the IRS is taxing them on the assumption that I've done this.

On the other hand, in any situation where "tipping" is not actually mandatory (in other words, if it's not included in the bill), I have a real problem with folks who get angry when they don't get tipped. The restaurant delivery guy who brought my lunch two hours late yesterday, for example...

By: lines in the sand

lines in the sand — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 03:02:11 +0000

Here’s a Tip

Two posts on tipping got my attention today as just this weekend it was an issue for us. When I had to hunt down a server twice before I had any silverware to dig into my rapidly cooling deviled crab,

By: Michael H.

Michael H. — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 19:18:57 +0000

I don't mind tipping at restaurants because I know what is expected and I figure the food is less expense since my tips help pay for restaurant labor. But I really hate situations where I don't know what is expected in the way of a tip. I would carry a 100-pound bag a mile to avoid paying a porter because I just don't know what is expected. I hate that.
I posted about this same article at my blog.