Groupon customers are definitely poor tippers. I've known a number of waiters to complain about it.
The problem is they tip on the Groupon price, not the full price, and are thus tipping something like 40% of what they should be.
The problem is they tip on the Groupon price, not the full price, and are thus tipping something like 40% of what they should be.
"*Remember: Groupon customers tip on the full␣ amount of the pre-discounted bill (and tip␣ generously). That's why we are the coolest␣ customers out there."
In the few groupons I've used, I've tipped more than my normal 20% on the full price because I know I've saved money. Except for the one time when I encountered a waitress that acted like groupons were a hassle. It makes me think that poor tipping is exacerbated by a feedback loop: Waiters give worse service or are less enthusiastic to groupon holders, which leads the groupon holders to tip less thereby reinforcing the waiters' impression.
I am not intimately familiar with the tipping culture (at least in the US), but here are some genuine questions: Is there an inherent reason you tip on the full price? Is it a tax? If tipping is to support staff wages does that mean waiters who serve fancier higher priced food items are entitled to larger wages solely for the fact that their table happened to order a costlier meal?
Waiters in higher priced restaurants do make better tips as a consequence of this. That might matter if the culture were designed. It was not, it merely came to be.
FYI, apart from suffering social opprobrium, the big reason to always tip is that wait staff are taxed on your imputed tip whether you give it or not. This leads to compelling social justice reasons to tip even if one does not share the culture.
After 15 years of doing this (I'm from Canada, where tips aren't as proscribed, though they are still expected) I find it awkward and socially painful to pay the bill in countries in which there is not a tip expected (certain parts of Australia) - even though the locals assure me that no one will think the less of me.
Servers in all proper US/Canadian restaurants have to "tip out", which means paying a percentage of what should have been their tip on any table to support staff (e.g., bartender, host, kitchen). A server can tip out as much as 5% of the pre-tax bill --- or 1/3 of the expected standard tip --- which means that if you leave them no tip, they actually have to pay to serve you.
In the US, if you're going to tip less than 15%, you should not tip at all. You should leave nothing and ask to speak with a manager to explain why you won't. If the failure in service doesn't rise to that level, then 15% is the minimum polite tip.
Of course, it's your wallet so do what you think is best. But this seems like a reasonable practice, so I follow it. I've actually never had to speak to a manager about service at a restaurant, though.
10% is not great, but is what senior citizens and rich politicians will leave if they tip at all.
I accidentally left a 10% tip at Fisherman's Wharf (Early on in my california experience), and was approached by the Maitre D as I was departing, asking what was wrong.
If you can't afford to tip, best just not to eat there in the first place.
...of course you either naturally think that way or it seems like an unreasonable amount of work. YMMV.
Personally, I usually take 15% and add a bit depending on how good the service was.
^well is relative to what they expect, so this is where the quality of the restaurant is factored in by myself.
I generally only eat at small family owned joints anyway, so that helps as well.
if a restaurant runs a groupon and all grouponers tip on the post-coupon rate, the wait staff will be taking a rather large pay cut for the length of time that people are grouponing. i know i'd be grumbling if something my company did resulted in me making 50% less for a month or two.
more expensive restaurants and meals mean more expensive tips because the wait staff is more experienced, better trained, higher quality, and do more work. one person at a higher-end restaurant can give high quality service to fewer people than one person at a low-end place, and meals at a higher-end place usually take much longer. yes, the average tip is larger, but the frequency in which they receive tips is lower. yes, they make more, but not that much more.
Not true. That's why we have federal minimum wage laws. If the wait staff are actually employed and not acting as independent contractors, then they are paid the minimum wage for their state. (Although I will grant that this being a living wage is definitely arguable.)
Edit: Correction - although not California (my state), apparently some states do allow minimum wages in the $2-3 range if employees receive tips [1]. For the downvoters, I only count about 5 states that do this, however. The original statement does not accurately reflect the majority of the U.S.
More here: http://www.paywizard.org/main/Minimumwageandovertime/Minimum...
if an employee doesn't at least make minimum wage after tips are considered, an employer is required by law to compensate an employee up to the point where they do make minimum wage. in theory.
in practice, this doesn't always happen.
http://www.dol.gov/wb/faq26.htm
Question: Is it legal for waiters and waitresses to be paid below the minimum wage? Answer: According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, tipped employees are individuals engaged in occupations in which they customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips. The employer may consider tips as part of wages, but the employer must pay at least $2.13 an hour in direct wages. An employer may credit a portion of a tipped employee's tips against the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. An employer must pay at least $2.13 per hour. However, if an employee's tips combined with the employer's wage of $2.13 per hour do not equal the hourly minimum wage, the employer is required to make up the difference. The employer who elects to use the tip credit provision must inform the employee in advance and must be able to show that the employee receives at least the applicable minimum wage (see above) when direct wages and the tip credit allowance are combined. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Also, employees must retain all of their tips, except to the extent that they participate in a valid tip pooling or sharing arrangement.
Coming from a country with a culture of smaller tips and significantly less social pressure to give them, I usually say that I should not be forced to make up for the employer's false advertising when receiving only mediocre service. This now seems correct - not tipping wi make the employer pay the remainder, not force the waitstaff on to the streets. Right?
The rules for the U.S. vary from state to state. In Oregon, where I live, wait staff make minimum wage ($8.50 per hour) and tips are added on top of that.
Yes, theoretically the higher your bill the better time you are having. (Think celebratory events as opposed to a lunch break.)
Is it a tax?
No, it's gratuity. You're showing your appreciation for the staff enabling you to have the best experience possible at that time (in theory).
If tipping is to support staff wages does that mean waiters who serve fancier higher priced food items are entitled to larger wages solely for the fact that their table happened to order a costlier meal?
Serving higher priced food usually means higher caliber of customers, in the tipping sense. For example, patrons of Denny's restaurants might tip well if the coffee refills are on time, but in a finer dining establishment, for example, service requests for something off the menu (like a newspaper) would not be out of the ordinary.
Waiters at higher-priced restaurants do make considerably more. Thus those restaurants are far more selective (a lot of waiters at, say, Fridays are new to the trade, not so at Mortons) and the waiters are better. Their jobs are more time-consuming too since there are more courses, wines, they're expected to be more knowledgeable about the ever changing menu, etc.
I always tip on the full price of the meal.
For high end restaurants it's not so bad since you can make a living on tips. Also, it doesn't apply to fast food workers who don't get tips. However, some especially seedy fast food restaurants like Pizza Hut will have the staff bring out the food, meaning they are exempt from minimum wage. The problem is most Pizza Hut bills are small and half the customers don't realize they are supposed to tip since they think of it as fast food.
In addition to this, most restaurants have no benefit programs or insurance at all. In addition, as is customary in the US, in most cases if you are injured at work, a story will be constructed and you'll be fired.
"*Remember: Groupon customers tip on the full amount of the pre-discounted bill (and tip generously). That's why we are the coolest customers out there."
I've got no lost love for GroupOn, but this massive pile on/proof by anecdote thing is not a dignified moment for HN.