Tipping

· by · in Dine Out. ·

I am pretty sure I am not the first, nor the last to write on the topic of tipping.  But what’s acceptable in 2010? Is it still 15%? Or is 18% the norm? Or maybe even 20%?

Living in the Bay Area, I have encountered some very big tippers that tip beyond 20%.  I guess it’s acceptable if you really appreciate the service, but I usually tip according to my little trusted tip calculator card that gives me either 15% or 20% readings, and depending on how I feel (mostly on how my wallet feels), I round-up or down from there.

But lately I found myself really thinking about the practice of tipping. For a very long time, I have been mindlessly going through the motions of tipping. The person serving me can just give me mediocre service, and because there’s a tip jar, I feel compel to put some change or a dollar into it. It’s a weird compulsion. Sometimes I don’t even buy something because I don’t have enough cash to tip.  Isn’t that weird?

Anyway, it’s easier when I am in a restaurant because there’s more interaction with the server, so there’s more to go on about what’s proper tip at the end of the meal.

But what happens when you just buy a slice of pizza? Or just a soda in a convenience store? Or some random something that do not need a lot of effort on the server’s part?  Do you feel compel to tip then?  What if they are super nice to you?

Your thoughts?

4 responses to “Tipping”

  1. Here’s a tip: leave whatever you want to! You have nice manners.

  2. Thanks for checking out my blog. I have enjoyed yours as well – especially your features beyond restaurant reviews like this one.

  3. Reblogged this on foodtable // la vie éclectique and commented:

    On April 6, 2010, I wrote a post on Tipping and ask for some of your thoughts on ths topic. At that time, I did not have many readers, so I am going to reblog my own post now and ask for your thoughts again since this topic hasn’t really gone away.
    What do you feel is the right percentage to tip now? And how do you feel when you see a tip jar staring back at you at the end of a checkout line? For European readers, I understand that you don’t need to tip because it’s included in the price? Is that right? How’s that working out for you? I welcome your views on both sides (restaurant patrons and waiters/servers). Thanks in advance. And I will respond to all comments on Sunday as I will be traveling… Thank you! 🙂

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