Final Thoughts on Tipping

Sometimes when you have poor service you may want to tip less.  While it can certainly be understood that you may feel dissatisfied and want an outlet to express your displeasure, here's a couple of things to consider.  

If there is a problem, bring it to the attention of your waiter and know whether or not it's a problem they can solve.  If it is beyond their control, bring in the manager.  If your problem is resolved you should tip the full amount.  

If your waiter produces so-so results and doesn't deserve all the blame, you can reduce the tip to 10%.

If your server was down right nasty, 8% is considered to be the fairest expression of your dissatisfaction.  In some cases restaurants report up to 8% of their take as waitstaff income, so tipping less than this could cost the waiter/waitress.




Content and Illustrations ©2010 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.

Ask Ashley Wednesday

After posting about tipping yesterday I received a great question from a reader:

What should you do when you're dining with a larger party and the restaurant adds tip to the total bill rather than the pre-tax amount? (Especially if you're with people you're trying to impress.)

It's not so much the money, it's the principle. 

As we've seen in other facets of society just because something is considered appropriate etiquette doesn't necessarily mean everyone follows the rules.  If a restaurant adds an automatic gratuity based on party size or simply has made this part of it's restaurant culture, there isn't really a protocol for handling whether or not they tip on the pre-tax amount.  Regretfully, we have to play by their rules, assuming that they have denoted the amount of gratuity added either on the menu or your receipt.

Content and Illustrations ©2010 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.