End of Tipping While Traveling

I have never like tipping as a means for basic service because it is unfair to different workers. When is the last time you slipped your child's teacher a couple hundred bucks at the end of the school year or tipped the dental hygienist for cleaning your teeth? I blame the service industry owners. They have figured out a way to keep their expenses lower and reap the profits and pass the burden onto their customers by admitting basically, they don't pay their workers very well.

I tip in restaurants by type, number of people at the table, not a percentage. Diners, $1-2 per person; basic sit down restaurant, $3-4 per person; higher end restaurant, $5-6 per person. Extra for many trips for drinks, wine service, etc. Even if the bill is $200 for FOOD ONLY the server is not getting $40.

The only way tipping will change in the US is not because people will stop tipping, it will take a large national sit-down chain restaurant to change to a no tipping policy, pay workers reasonably and broadcast it to the masses.

Completely agree and we have changed our tipping manners since living abroad. Tipping at self-service counters is ridiculous. Ditto in hotels! Rooms are expensive and should include maintenance. We seldom have them change linens in an effort to conserve and not waste resources so what is the housekeeper doing that deserves a tip? We will tip (modestly) in restaurants we frequent and are remembered.

Would love to see sales tax rolled into total price although we are blessed with tax-free shopping in Oregon.

Interesting. I've always wanted to see servers paid a living wage rather than rely on tips. I know there are lots of people who think if we remove the tipping culture, then the servers will suddenly become slovenly lazy employees. I hate that attitude.

Just before I read this I had a conversation with my friend about tipping a massage therapist. I do not, because he was providing a health care service. I don't tip my doctor, and if he ever put out a tip jar I'd never return.

I am very uncomfortable by the tipping culture in Florida. I've had people practically beg for tips. A few years ago on a shuttle bus containing about 20 people heading to a cruise ship, the driver spent at least half the drive begging for tips. As a Canadian, I don't know -- are his wages full? Does he really rely on tips? And he wasn't the only one we encountered on our few days in Florida. As a union activist, I want to make sure people receive proper compensation, but don't want to be taken advantage of either.

In the end, I alone can't change the culture so will continue to tip (where I see appropriate) as I don't want to see some of the hardest working people out there without proper compensation.

First, Sales tax. While I agree that the price stated should include taxes as it does in European Countries, the difficulty in the US is that down to the City, and even areas in the city, including type of product, taxes vary greatly. Even in my modest metro area of less than 200,000 people, there are at least four major tax zones, plus another special tax zone within one of those. This includes State tax, County Option tax, City Option taxes, and special tax zone. Just advertising prices in a flyer would cause issues with where they actually apply. Basically it would come down to implementing a National VAT and doing away with State and Local Sales taxes for the most part.

As for tipping, I am in the camp of tipping fewer and fewer people. Really only in a sit down Restaurant or Bar where to not tip would get me assaulted.

Many view tipping as their means of helping out the poor souls who work menial jobs as charity or as a means of expressing thanks.

In reality it is an insulting practice born out of the Class system intended to keep the chattel in their place and has morphed into an obligatory practice promoted by managers of tipped employees, and even promoted by those employees since they get a cut.

If you really think you tip to get better service, you have fallen into a trap, that is just not how it works.

Nothing frustrates me more than the expectation of a tip. In my neck of the woods the minimum wage has risen by about 75% in the past 5 years; that's a good thing and we do have a few restaurants now that are experimenting with no-tipping. But I've also noticed that when I'm handed the debit machine to pay, the tip options have gone from 15%-18% to a suggested range of up to 25%. I get frustrated when travelling as well because the suggested tipping standards are all over the map depending what sources you read. It appears to change by customer as well, it's common for me to be mistaken as an American and then it's like having a tipping bullseye on my forehead.

the difficulty in the US is that down to the City, and even areas in the city, including type of product, taxes vary greatly.

I've heard that excuse for not including gratuities in the sales price, and I don't buy it. It's an excuse, that's all it is. The people who use that excuse to oppose including sales tax in the price just don't want to show the real price of the product. Chains don't charge the same price of their products at every location. I pay one price for a Big Mac at my local McDonalds, but the McDonalds at the airport charges more and the McDonalds at Vail charges even more. So, if they can accommodate different prices without taxes, they can accommodate different prices with taxes.

The only people I want to tip are the hotel housekeepers. They have the worst job for the lowest wages.
They have to do a ton of work in your room that you will never notice, but if they don't do it, they are in trouble. It is not just about changing your sheets. You have no idea what kind of pigs occupy hotel rooms sometimes and what they do in there.

One can certainly make a case for all workers, including back of the house cooks and dishwashers, to be paid a livable wage. The prefered pricing is to build in the cost of livable wages into the menu pricing and a discretionary tip that may or may not be given. And why should wait staff at overpriced restaurants be compensated more workers serving economy meals.

Rolling the sales tax into the price just results in higher prices.

Example-- A $15.00 item on a menu with a 8.7% sales tax = $16.34

Does anyone believe that is what the menu will show, rather than get rounded to $16.50?

In the US I almost always leave a tip, (99%), ie $ 1 per day of occupancy of the room for the maid, eg, six nights means six bucks left in the room. Or, I ask the maid if she happens to be there in the hallway if it was she cleaning my room. If so, I give her the cash directly.

In Germany in a Pension or a small hotel in France, I give a couple of Euro to the proprietor if she cleans the room or to direct to housekeeper.

I can answer the sales tax question. By law in all states, sales tax has to be a separate line item. Restaurants don't have a choice. Europe has a VAT tax and it is calculated much differently, there are input credits and a whole host of boring tax rules I won't bother to try and explain.

If sales tax were punitively over 20% as the VAT can be, one might think those nations’ politicians would want such egregious sales taxes hidden in the price tag too!

I am very glad sales tax is a separate line item in the US because it allows you both to see how high as well as how low (if any at all) the local sales tax actually is.

As for tipping, I follow the local customs overseas although I tend to be more generous with those who provide car service because of my disability when I see that they really are trying to help me.

By law in all states, sales tax has to be a separate line item. Restaurants don't have a choice.

And who (hint: restaurants) do you think lobbied for that law??? Of course, it was the restaurant owners who wanted to show a lower price (commonly called a lie) on the menu who got that written into law.

A separate line item on what, the bill? In Europe, the menu shows the final price, with taxes and "service" included, but the bill also shows how much of the total was the VAT.

So shouldn't the menu show what you pay, not what the restaurant gets?

Something else people should know. According to the Wage and Hours Law, the restaurant employees have to be paid the "standard" minimum wage, the full minimum wage, not the "tipped employee minimum wage", which is ridiculously low. If the tipped employee minimum wage plus the tips the employee receives, does not equal the standard minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference. So, some of the time, you are not tipping the employee, you are tipping the employer.

Interesting that there are no comments on tourist sales taxes. Here in Oregon we are a no sales tax state. At least a no state sales tax state. However, the exception are the local tourist lodging/transient taxes on overnight accomodations. Here in Medford, that tax is 9% of the taxable rent.

Our neighboring city of Ashland, OR does one better with a 10% hotel tax rate and unlike Medford has a 5% food and beverage tax on prepared foods. Ashland being a tourist town figured out that non-residents will be paying the bulk of the food and beverage taxes.

And we're heading to Italy in a couple of weeks. I understand that Milan has a tourist tax that is a function of the hotel's number of stars:
https://www.gate1travel.com/italy-travel/city-tax.aspx

The authorities of Milan have introduced a city tax on all hotels and
certain tour services. The tax requires a contribution of 5.00 Euros
per person per per night for 4 star hotels and 4.00 Euros per person
per night for 3 star hotels. It will be charged and collected by your
hotel

.

And then there are the "resort fees"....

If the tipped employed minimum wage plus the tips the employee receives, does not equal the standard minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference. So, some of the time, you are not tipping the employee, you are tipping the company.

Yes, if by that you mean you are relieving the company of having to pay wages, but the employee still gets the "tip".

But if you want to get into what happens, here is how nearly every place works:
In Iowa, tipped employees earn $4.35/hr. they work, collect tips. Sometime at the end of the week, they have to report tips. The employer has no choice but to report credit card tips, if that does not equal $2.90/hr (the difference between $7.25 minimum wage and $4.35) then the server claims enough to get above the $2.90. Anything above is pocketed by the server (no taxes), if below, they are coerced to claim the $2.90 anyway, or be forced to claim more when they do get tips above the minimum. I do not know of an employer anywhere that ever had to subsidize a servers wage, nor have I ever known a server that claims all their tips. The system is promoted by both sides because both sides benefit. In the several casual, busy, middle of the road places I am familiar with, servers working 4 or 5, 6 hour shifts routinely pocket $100 a night tax free (above claimed tips) on the low side. At a fine dining place, servers regularly have their entire check taken in taxes on reported tips (Higher credit card usage, so have to report more) and sometimes have to pay additional.

$4.35 for tipped employees and $7.25 for the rest! Is that typical in the US? Just north and to the left of Iowa, minimum wage in Alberta is $15/hr for tipped and non tipped employees.

I do tip in certain circumstances. It varies based on where I am and what's happening.

As far as sales tax, I used to work retail AND work in a local tourist industry. I had people yelling at me that I was trying to steal money from them b/c my state (Tennessee) has a higher sales tax applied to everything than they were used to paying in the state in which they live. (Depending on the city in this state, you're going to pay almost 10% on any purchase.)

I'd LOVE not to have to pay sales tax based on groceries, books, digital sales, online tips, etc. Trust me, I surely would. But it's not an option in this state. Until such time as it is, I file that under things that are different from one US state to the next.

Allan, yes. And counting tips, which they, the taxman, and the restauranteur are expecting, they make 3-5 times that in tips. Thats why so many young people come to work those jobs in the US from Ireland, Canada, and Australia.

The tax requires a contribution of 5.00 Euros per person per per night for 4 star hotels and
4.00 Euros per person per night for 3 star hotels.

And 5 star hotels?

...and $7.25 for the rest! Is that typical in the US?

The $7.25 is the national/Federal minimum. A number of progressive states and localities have higher minimum wages. Oregon's is complicated in that the "standard" minimum is $11.25, Portland Metro is $12.50 and rural Oregon is $11.00 with rates going up July 1, 2020, with Portland increasing to $13.25, all in US Dollars. Seattle's minimum is higher.

And more than you want to know of state by state minimums:
https://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/state-minimum-wage-chart.aspx
2020 Highlights

Twenty-one states began 2020 with higher minimum wages. Seven states
(Alaska, Florida, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, South Dakota, and Vermont)
automatically increased their rates based on the cost of living, while
14 states (Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico,
New York, and Washington) increased their rates due to previously
approved legislation or ballot initiatives.

$4.35 for tipped employees and $7.25 for the rest! Is that typical in the US?

Yeah, that is probably about middle of the road. As Edgar noted, $7.25 is the US Federal Minimum Wage, and the Federal Minimum for Tipped Employees is actually $2.13. States vary wildly in what they may mandate above that, and Cities can mandate, in most cases, more than the State. Some states have also ended the difference between tipped and regular employees.

Realistically though, other than Tipped employees (at least on paper) and teenagers, in Iowa you would have to pay well above Minimum to get any interest from Job Applicants. That does not mean our legislature will move to increase the minimum, in their logic that will bankrupt every business.

As prices on the menu rise due to the forced increase in hourly wages, the amount of my tipping is starting to decrease.

I would certainly be more content if the tipping culture went away. Employees could chose to negotiate their wages, could go work at places that paid more. The whole culture of being concerned that one would receive poor service if tipping goes away is nonsense. Customers would stop going to places with poor service. Owners have a choice . . .manage and supervise their employees in an effective manner, or go out of business. Of course, if management is a pain in the butt to work for, the employees have the option of working where they are appreciated and compensated better.

Taxes. I deleted what I spent ten minutes typing, cuz I didn't want to have my post deleted. So I'll just write this: One of my colleagues was complaining about the cost of gas here in California, and what it costs to drive from L.A. to S.F. and back in her 15-year old vehicle. I asked her if she knew why the price of gas in California was roughly $1.40 per gallon more than the national average. She said no. I told her to read the taxes on the pump next time she fills up. Those taxes are put into place by the politicians that she voted for (yes, I know who she votes for, as we discuss politics often). So, I want the amount of taxes to be seen, so that people can ask, "What in the world am I receiving for all the taxes that I'm paying?"

When I look at the prices to fly somewhere, it's fascinating seeing how much the price of the ticket is, and what the taxes are. People are always griping about the price of airfare, but wholly cow, the taxes are often more than what the airlines are making!

Allen yes, in Ontario server (ie tipped workers) minimum wage is lower than non tipped employees.

An end to the corporate welfare of tipping, count me in. Mr Steves is way off base with his advice for tipping in Europe.

A few years ago, a group of well known restaurants in NYC, owned by the same company, experimented with a no tipping policy. It told diners that their staff was well paid and there was no need to tip.

Diners rebelled and hated it. They said they felt funny not tipping. The policy changed back.

I think we Americans are so ingrained with the idea of tipping that not tipping takes time to get used to. But I do believe some of these tip jars are ridiculous.

When you use a credit card at a local bakery near me, they have a line for gratuities on the online form. I see tip jars at hotels that offer free breakfasts and for the person who pours the beer and wine at free evening receiptions. Every coffee house has a tip jar out. It's gotten out of control.

Tipping is a way for the restaurant owners to pay their employees less. That, and not adding sales, tax, allows them to keep advertisied prices low. It's always a disappointment when the real bill comes. A recent hotel stay of mine had a very good rate but I had forgotten about the additional taxes equalling 13.5%.

I agree that tipping at self service places like convenience stores, gas stations, coffee bars is not necessary.

I do not agree with the end of tipping at restaurants in the USA. All the restaurants in our home area hire wait staff that receive the vast majority of their income through tipping. This is not Australia where tipping doesn't exist and the minimum wage is $18 per hour.

Yes, if a restaurant indicates that the service charge is included in the menu prices, then no tip is required, as it Europe.
Still, even in Europe, were service is included, it is normal to leave the rounded amount. For example, if the bill comes to 78.80 Euros, then leave 80 Euros and don't expect change.

Personally, I prefer our custom to tip based on the quality of the service. This encourages good service. I lived in Germany for four years and can tell you that sometimes we would get very little attention, since the wait staff was getting the same pay regardless.

The OP cited article is a rather poorly written piece that reflects the private-equity ownership of the newspaper chain, alas. It's not useful to combine a discussion of deli and Starbucks "tip jars" with a discussion of restaurant and hotel internet and advertised-price competiion consequences. They don't have anything to do with each other.

I'll also add that jurisdictions with minimum wages often exempt tipped employees from minimum wage rules. So it's not helpful to suggest that increases in the minimum wage make it unnecessary to tip. This is a very complex issue. We have no way of knowing, but I suspect that whether someone's parent ever worked in a tipped job may affect someone's opinions on the issue. It certainly did for me.

Folks, the Service Charge is not a tip. The server does not get this, it goes to the owners! This is why you get so many servers telling you that the tip is not included and people get annoyed with them, thinking that they are asking for a tip. They just want you to know that they are NOT getting the service charge, which so many tourists seem to believe.

As to rounding up a bill of 78.80 to 80€, that is really, really stingy. I know a lot of servers who would be rather disappointed in that 1.20€ tip.
Rounding up is fine for small bills like cake and coffee, but for a meal in a restaurant in Germany, you want to tip 5-10% depending on service. If your service was crappy, feel free not to tip anything.

Ms. Jo, that might be true in Germany, but definitely not in France. I used to tip at restaurants in France, maybe 5-10%. Then my first French teacher, who was born and raised in France, said "The French don't tip." And others suggested rounding up, like the 78.80 to 80 euros mentioned. And then I watched what others did at restaurants in France, and noticed that most people left no tip.

I have just been looking at the menu for Cote, a popular French - style chain of restaurants here in the UK. It clearly states that they add an optional gratuity of 12 1/2% which goes directly to the staff at the restaurant. This is quite common here at chains, and there have been critical reports about restaurant systems less beneficial to staff.

There is no general rule, so look for what the restaurant says about itself. If there is an addition like this, no tip is expected.

...French teacher, who was born and raised in France, said "The French don't tip.

The French don't tip could explain this: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/world/americas/french-waiter-rude.html

As others note, Europe is not homogeneous regarding work rules and wait staff compensation. Our first visit to Germany in 2010 predated German minimum wage laws. Our German friends tipped noting that German waitstaff depended on tips.

Not sure why people get so emotional on the subject. In Europe it generally is not expected.
But If you want to, then do it, if not, dont. No one will be offended either way. I generally round up as I dont need the coins. In really poor countries, I generally round up quite a bit higher as I know the people can use it. When a beer is 75 cents (places like Bosnia) and I have a bill worth $2 I hand it and walk away.

Americans also expect to see people leave coins on the table, which just isn't done at all. So, they think people aren't tipping. The tip is given while the server makes change.
Unless you are close enough to the customers to hear their interaction with the server and understand the language, you don't know if they have tipped or not.

I generally ask for the change I want back. 1200 forint bill, I pay with a 2000 forint note and ask for 500 forints, 1600 forint bill and I just hand the note and leave. But still, no matter how you leave the tip, even coins on the table, if the server is offended, then he is an ass. Otherwise he just sees the person as an American and enjoys his day. Guys, just dont worry about it. We have a culture too.

Some people try so hard to be what they arent that they take all the joy out of their trips. It's really not a subject that matters.

"Its just not done" Who gives a .....

No amount that state suggested tip, so I asked the girl at the counter how much is the tip.

If you want to tip in Europe (but don't feel obliged) then the amount you wish to tip is up to you. You could leave €1 or you could leave €100, it's not the business of the girl at the counter to tell you or suggest how much to tip. I know it's common in the US to provide suggested tip percentages at the bottom of the bill but that's to assist in working out how much tip to leave in accordance with the widely accepted rates.

Sales taxes and tips are apples and oranges. One has to remember that VAT causes an increase in prices. Would Americans be happy paying more for goods to pay for services that may benefit others but not them. Given the press about Medicare for all and social program cuts, it probably would be rejected as a form of "Socialism". People move to Florida or Texas so they don't have to pay taxes and I've heard so many people get angry about cities raising taxes to pay for schools because they don't have children in the schools.

As for tipping, I tip for Uber and restaurants/hairdressing in the states. In Europe, I also tip in restaurants. Is it the European thing to do, probably not but then again, no one ever mistakes me or other Americans for locals. If people want to tip-fine. Why is it anyone else's business?

I also wish Americans would include everything in the price.

And of course for cruises you pay a mandatory gratuity and then you are still supposed to tip yet again for good service. It's ridiculous.

Ms. Jo,
I haven't visited Germany for over 30 years, but lived there in from 87-91 and the Germans that we worked with in our office told us rounding up was the norm. We would usually tip something like 5% when we visited our favorite restaurants, but perhaps things have changed in Germany.

As for the tips in the USA going to the owner, NOT SO, I have a cousin that put himself through college working for a nice restaurant in Atlanta, GA. He worked about 30 hours a week and made about 30,000 dollars a year doing that. My Son worked as a waiter for three years while in college and his waiter colleagues pooled their tips so everyone came out the same.

Heather,
Yes, we are here in Georgia and the recipient of people from high tax states like NY, Conn, NJ, Illinois, etc. moving here to get away from the high taxes. We have excellent schools here in my country, I know since I have been mentoring a student at a local elementary school for five years. My neighbors have high school students that graduate with almost a year's college credit taking AP advanced courses. The cost of living is lower as well. My cousins in Texas have no state income tax and do very well and have some of the best universities in the country.

The fact that tipping is by and large a personal matter across Europe means that you cannot rely on what any particular local (or group of locals) say since that just reflects a personal attitude and not necessarily representative of a general national custom. Now there are some overarching traits in that for example Germans tend to be at the higher end of the European tipping scale, Italians at the lowest, with Spanish. French and British somewhat in between, but to put this into perspective in France only 3 in 20 never leave anything at a restaurant. In general too it is in decline with younger people tending to tip less than older.

Now if you are that stingy enough and uncomfortable to let go of your hard-earned money. . .it is your prerogative.

Vic, you're allegedly new to this board so instead of insulting me may I suggest reading my other numerous posts on tipping but beware, there are a lot of posts on these boards regarding tipping!

Los Angeles like most large cities have diverse culture. We don't identify ourselves as British, Scandinavian or Japanese . . .we are all Americans. It is easy for an European to label Italians are the lowest at the tipping scale while Germans at the top scale.

Europe is a continent consisting of a number of countries with vast differences in culture. You cannot compare labelling the residents of LA as American irrespective of their ethnic background with individuals from different European countries. Would you consider Mexicans, Canadians, Hondurans and Venezualens as American?

Your prejudice us showing. I have traveled in countries in Europe that you--being European probably haven't set your foot on.. . small towns in Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia for example.

I'm afraid it's not my prejudice that is showing but rather your inability to comprehend a post and your subsequent patronising assumptions.

You have absolutely no idea where I have travelled. I would never dare to assume where someone has or has not travelled, you know nothing about me nor where I have been. What exactly do you mean by "you being European probably haven't set your foot on..."?

You've missed the point about my last post by some significant margin. It's not worth my time and effort to explain. There are other boards more suitable to your style, I think you may prefer them.

Vic and JC, can you take your pis^ing contest offline. This started out as an interesting topic.

No, wait, I just made popcorn!

Things I have said are obviously getting under you skin. You get so emotional that you deprive yourself of rationale thinking.

Lol...I'm moving on, I recommend that you do too.

BTW, it's rational, no 'e'.

As I said before, there are other sites more suitable to your style.

When did Appalachia move to the eastern seaboard? I'm now in central North Carolina, and I used to live here, and to get to Appalachia I went west, not east.

Tipping is personal. In some societies it is expected and may even go overboard. In others, nothing.

To someone on the west coast Appalachia is on the east coast.

Personally, I prefer our custom to tip based on the quality of the service. This encourages good service.

I couldn't disagree more. I have not found service in Germany to be in any way inferior to what we get in this country. Yes, it might be a little difficult to get their attention if you need something, but I attribute that to them just respecting our privacy. Nothing annoys be more than the waiter constantly asking how things are. If I am not looking around for them, and am concentrating on the conversation with my partner, things are probably OK. But too often waiters come over to the table and interrupt me in mid-sentence to ask if everything is OK. That's fishing for tips, and interrupting is just plain rude.

No, our custom, in my opinion, of waiters constantly interrupting me, fishing for tips, is not good service.

Nothing annoys be more than the waiter constantly asking how things are.

I agree and it usually comes as at a time just as you've placed a fork full of food into your mouth.

Someday I hope to have the willpower not to join a tipping thread.

Tipping in the US has been the subject of many academic studies over the years, most of which confirm that the main reason people tip is guilt (or they wouldn't need "guidance" on what is expected), and the main factor in how big the tip is, is the attractiveness of the server. Don't shoot the messenger.

Given that good service in the US is something entirely different than good service in Europe, what exactly is the basis for tipping? Most people who ask a question about tipping, are asking what the local custom is, not what should a relatively wealthy person give someone doing a perceived menial task for them. Give whatever you want, but recognize that its a personal choice, not a universal custom.

To someone on the west coast Appalachia is on the east coast.

It is to anyone west of the Mississippi river, actually. Maybe east of there, too.

Part of Appalachia is in No. Carolina, albeit in the western part of NC.

to get to Appalachia I went west

Relative to the size of this country, not very far west.

I was living in Washington state when I went to college on the Hudson river. People would say to me, "Oh, you're from out west. I was out west last year."

"Oh, really, where?" I would say.

"Cleveland."

" To someone on the west coast Appalachia is on the east coast." --- WAIT WHAT? I live on the West Coast and I don't think that Appalachia is on the east COAST....

I've lived in both the State of Washington and Washington DC but the most annoying thing is when I say I live the state of Washington and people ask me how I can live with so much rain....... ummm, Kennewick gets like 5 inches a year

and the main factor in how big the tip is, is the attractiveness of
the server

Stan, and your point is???

James, the point being that it is not always based on the perceived quality of service.

Stan, and your point is???

That was the point!

We spent a month in Australia last year. We've been there 4 times and both my husband and I agreed that our service was lackluster at best in all 3 of the states we visited. Paying servers more does not necessarily improve your experience. When we were in Seattle last year, there was a line we questioned on our lunch bill. The server told me that the added "tax" was for the required health insurance that the employer was obligated to provide its staff.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, yes, that is how it works...... Guilty as charged.

Paying servers more does not necessarily improve your experience

Neither does paying your servers less and relying on customers to supplement their income. I recall a young waitress in Orlando two years ago who was dreadful, the worst service I have ever experienced and her reaction was priceless when she realised she wasn't going to receive a tip (bear in mind that this was in a high end resort where the staff are paid well). Simply because you expect to receive tips as a matter of course doesn't mean that you can treat your customer like dirt, a tip is and should be an acknowledgement and appreciation of good service not simply another extra on your bill because the establishment owners are too tight to pay a decent wage (and yes, we did raise our concerns with management).

Very true what Lee wrote.

too often waiters come over to the table and interrupt me in mid-sentence to ask if everything is OK. That's fishing for tips, and interrupting is just plain rude.
No, our custom, in my opinion, of waiters constantly interrupting me, fishing for tips, is not good service.

A balance is needed. I also cannot stand when I am engaged in a conversation and get interrupted a million times. A good wait staff is one who keeps an eye out every so often while not running over constantly. Sometimes I wonder if they are encouraged by management to do this?

I recall having dinner with my parents. I met them there. I "barely" got my coat off; did not even sit down before the waitress was up my butt asking if I wanted a drink. The restaurant was not crowded so it's not as if she had to put in an order for a ginger ale.

Throughout the dinner, she kept coming over, constantly interrupting the conversation. I don't know if this was her version of bucking for a bigger tip? Since the restaurant was not that busy at the time; "maybe."

But, she was overkill. Finally, I glared at her and my eyes told it all. She stopped when we had coffee, lol. Goodness, a bit of common sense and respect for the patrons is appreciated.

Another thing, please do not bring over that "check" holder and place it on the table when we are still eating or having coffee while saying..."whenever you're ready." Pet peeve!

"Another thing, please do not bring over that "check" holder and place it on the table when we are still eating or having coffee while saying..."whenever you're ready." Pet peeve!"

The only time I see being acceptable is in a restaurant that has a lunch crowd that has a limited lunch time and do very much appreciate having the bill early. I know I did when I was working.

I used to own a restaurant. I don't agree with including taxes in the price. Yes, it's convenient as a consumer to look at the total price.

It's important to remember, however, a percentage of the price you're paying goes to the local taxing authorities - not the business owner. Even the underlying price includes hidden taxes like city employee taxes, occupancy taxes, business licenses, health department taxes, etc. In the same manner, minimum wage isn't what it costs the owner to pay an employee minimum wage. If accounted for legally, even the tips you leave cost the owner more in taxes.

I used to own a restaurant. I don't agree with including taxes in the price.
Yes, it's convenient as a consumer to look at the total price.

What you really should have said was "I (as a former restaurant owner) don't agree with including taxes in the price because it's convenient for a consumer to look at the total price." [Because if the customer saw the total price they might think it was too much and buy something cheaper.]

I know that, as a business owner, you want to get the customer to spend as much as possible, but doing it by misleading them is, IMO, dishonest (but misleading customers is how you make money in business).

That said, as you rightfully point out, "... a percentage of the price you're paying goes ...- not [to] the business owner. So if the menu only shows what actually goes to the business owner, maybe the price for a steak dinner should be, say, $1.80. Then when the bill comes you have added $8 for the steak (the owner didn't get that), $5 for rent, $2 for utilities, and $2 for business income tax. So the $1.80 steak now costs YOU $18.80 (plus tax (9%) and tip (20%) for a total of $24.44. But, the owner didn't get all $1.80; he paid 36¢ in income tax and 40¢ in alimony to his ex-wife, so the price on the menu (what the owner gets) is $1.04.

Or better yet, don't go to his restaurant. Only frequent businesses that do business in a way that reflects your business philosophy. That's a win - win arrangement. You get what you want and I get to pay what my stomach demands at prices my wallet can bear and over tip the pretty waitress. Or just frequent a place that has gone high tech where you order at a kiosk or an IPad and the only staff is the one that drops your meal on the table. Much better all around.

Heaven forbid James E. gets an ugly waitress. There go her tips!

frequent a place that has gone high tech where you order at a kiosk or an IPad and the only staff is the one that drops your meal on the table.

This is very common in Japan and I like it. Especially if you are in a country whose language is not your own.

Ms Jo, I never met an ugly waitress, just a few that acted ugly.

As for the IPads and Kiosks, I prefer dealing with and enjoying people. But if you cant afford people, you do what you can. Sad.