Receipt gratuity "charts" when dining out...

[jeromedawg]

Hey guys,

When you eat out and get your check, do you normally tip based on the total *after* tax or before? Just curious... I notice a majority of restaurants that include those tip guidelines always do so in the context of the total after tax. Personally, I tip based on the sub-total without tax included.

[beltim]

The variance on my tips is much greater than the product of the tip percentage and sales tax.

[Thegoblinchief]

I eat out so rarely I don't even remember.

[I'm a red panda]

Agree with the eat out so rarely comment...  but I always round my tip to a pretty number so it really doesn't make a difference anyway.

[fitfrugalfab]

On the rare occasion that I do eat out I always tip before. Especially since dining out tax where I live is 10%.

[ooeei]

After tax, although I never thought about it.  Assuming a $25 meal, tax is $2 where I live.  That's an extra $.40 (1.6%) on the meal...

[Gin1984]

After.  I never considered until I came on here to tip on the before tax bill.

[Fuyu]

The last four restaurants (in NYC and Boston) I went to, showed the the tip guideline using pre-tax amount, so I thought tip should be pre-tax.

[Jack]

In the last thread about this sort of thing I mentioned that I tip 15% after tax, and everybody informed me that I'm a terrible cheapskate.

[AZDude]

After tax, and I usually tip generously. Those people are making like $2 an hour, plus tips. Unless they are just assholes, I tip 20%+

[Ramblin' Ma'am]

I tip pretax (usually 20%).

[nereo]

I've always done pre-tax.  Given that the differences in taxes can vary by >15% from place to place this is the only thing that makes sense to me.  Why should the gratuity on the same meal at the same chain restaurant change from city to city?
But in the end the difference is typically not enough to get worked up about.

Jack - I don't think you are a cheapskate.  I was taught that 15% (used) to be standard.  Many people have yelled at me too saying that 20% or 25% is the new 15%.

[Jack]

Jack - I don't think you are a cheapskate.  I was taught that 15% (used) to be standard.  Many people have yelled at me too saying that 20% or 25% is the new 15%.

Thanks. IMO, people who buy into this bullshit tip inflation are the new consumer suckers. If somebody wants me to tip 25%, I'm gonna start deducting from the actual food price first because that's fucking ridiculous.

[ooeei]

Jack - I don't think you are a cheapskate.  I was taught that 15% (used) to be standard.  Many people have yelled at me too saying that 20% or 25% is the new 15%.

Thanks. IMO, people who buy into this bullshit tip inflation are the new consumer suckers. If somebody wants me to tip 25%, I'm gonna start deducting from the actual food price first because that's fucking ridiculous.

I worked as a server for a bit, and 15% happened to me the majority of the time (often less than that), this was 4-5 years ago.  I think there's a bit of selection bias in the sample of people yelling at you.  The type of people who tell other people how they should tip are also the type of people who tend to brag about how much they tip, and over-tip to do so.  The average person doesn't lecture people, and doesn't go above and beyond to out-tip everyone else to feel superior.  Granted, I was a waiter in small town Texas, so maybe that played a role.  I imagine typical tipping rate isn't constant across the country.

I usually shoot for 15-20%, whatever round number falls between that is what they get.  I never feel bad about a 15% tip.  Exception is one Pho place near us that we go to 1-2 times a month.  We're friends with the owner/waitress and they take care of us, so they're usually in the 20-25% range.

[jeromedawg]

I never really understood how most places calculate and set the expectation of a "20% gratuity" based on the after-tax total. As nereo said - why should gratuity change for the same service but different city? In the same vein, I'm tipping based on the service alone, so why would I factor in tax to the equation? Yea, it does sound a bit petty at the end of the day but my wife and I tend to operate more on principal when it comes down to things of this nature. If either of my brothers were reading this thread, they'd totally call me a cheapskate hahaha.

[zephyr911]

I was taught 15% pretax growing up (1980s), but clearly the general expectation has changed over time. Most people consider 20 the standard now, and many seem to think even differentiating between pre- and post-tax makes you a dick.

Personally, unless it really sucks, I err on the high side because servers are underpaid and I like to be remembered well, whether I'm a one-time visitor or a regular. Bad service, probably still leaving what my mom taught me. I still get paid if I fuck up at work, and I don't need my pay docked to make me try harder next time. I'd have to see pretty wretched service to go under 15%.

I do think shit's out of control with the trend toward less and less guaranteed wage and more reliance on tips, because research proves quality of service affects tipping somewhere between "a tiny bit" and "not at all" for most patrons. That is, the assholes stiff the server even if they kick ass, and generous tippers usually overlook bad service and leave 20-25% most days. Add in the fact that servers are taxed on presumed tip percentages that they may or may not actually earn, and the system is pretty fucked up. I would support substantial reform if it stood to reduce the uncertainty, both for wage earners and customers.