Because it has come to my attention that apparently a lot of people weren’t taught proper tipping etiquette so here’s what I was taught.
Always tip at least 20%.
If you got something in a special or had a coupon, you tip on the price you would have payed, not the price you did pay.
At breakfast always tip 25%. Breakfast is never as expensive as dinner and your waitress shouldn’t be shortchanged because you got $5 eggs instead of a $10 sandwich.
If you keep a table for longer than an hour, add 10% for every hour you keep the table. It’s great that you’re catching up with a friend you haven’t seen in ten years, but you’re fucking over the waitress by staying for four hours. Every hour you’re there you’re costing her money. Make it worth her time.
We all know to tip 20%, but as someone who works as a cook and often talks to the waiters, no one seems to know about the rest. This is what my dad taught me and this is what I’ll teach my children. Be respectful to your waiters. Don’t undertip. They need to eat too.
Rules to live by until we get this crap fixed and start paying a living wage.
Move to New Zealand. We pay our servers well enough that we don't tip at all.
