What about Full Service gas stations? Over in Jersey, there are no 'self serve' gas stations thus in the dead of winter these men hunker over to your car, fill your tank and hover over the warm engine to check your oil and wash your windows of the caked on road salt.

Are you supposed to tip them? If so, how much?

 

 

if i'm not mistaken, full service pumps charge a bit more than self service pumps, so essentially, the service of those guys have been paid for. nevertheless, tipping in non restaurant settings are more or less gratuity, so if you really appreciate the service of those guys at the full service stations, then you can tip them however much you want, but imo you are in no way obligated to tip them at all.

 

I'm typically a big tipper. I always tip even if the service is poor, the only thing than changes is the amount of the tip.

On pick up, I do not tip.

 

Yeah I'm a big tipper also. But I do not tip if I pick up my own food because there is no service involved. I tip no matter what at a sit-down restaurant; even if the service was very poor. I live and work for tip so I know how it feels. Therefore, if you are just picking up food or going through drive-through you are not obligated to tip so DON'T!!

 

If I'm picking up carry-out, I don't tip. And plus, it seems my carry-out orders always get messed up..they forget the sauce, the bread, something. and i always discover it when i'm all ready to eat. boo.

how 'bout those vietnamese noodle soup places (pho)? all they really do is bring you your soup.

and how does 10% tip for lunches sound?

 

I tip based on how often I go to that place and then factor in the service. If I'm a regular and plan to continue, they get a lot of leeway. Just last night, I tipped ~50% at a local Dennys because the waitress was so entertaining and we've had her a couple times during our late night shenanigans.

I try to stay right around 20%. Double the tax (8.5% here) and add a bit to round it off, if the service was adequate. I don't ask for much, so I rarely have a problem with the service. I've worked for tips too, it sucks when people don't understand that MOST of the serving person's wages comes from tips, so I do what I can to help out!

 

10% at a regular restuarant just because the meal is lunch?!? WTF?

Service staff at restuarants are paid 1/2 of minimum wage, which is only $2.57/hr in most of the US. That basically covers their income tax withholding. Service staff make their income from tips. Anytime you are eating a meal in a sit-down restuarant or diner, the service staff should be tipped at least 15% of the total bill. If you receieve good service from the staff, go higher. If you recieve poor service from the service staff, sure, go less than 15% if you want. But just remember that the tips is where they make their living from. Also keep in mind that they rarely get to pocket all of that tip anyway. Restuarants typically take a percentage of anticipated tips from all service staff to pay the busboys, the host at the front door, bartenders, etc.

Andrew

 

i really hate the fact that we "have to" tip in the States. go to a restaurant in Paris (or Europe), price is always all-in. The concept of "tip" doesn't exist. So what you get, is universally crappy service... but that's besides the point.

Are we really tipping solely because we know the service staff gets paid 1/2 of min wage? How did this retarded practice come about? When I dine out, I'm not only paying for the food but also the room, the ambience and the wait staff. Why "should" I tip? When i go for pho, i tip like, a $1 a plate. ditto to buffets.

BTW, this is not to say I don't tip. I dine out pretty much 90% of the time and often at chic, uber obscenely pricey places. I put down my 15%, but it doesn't piss me off any less...

</rant>

 

If you really think about it, tipping in this country is a crappy way for restauranteurs to pass on the cost of labor to its customers, in what I view as a service tax. Speaking of tax, (depending on your state) with your tip combined you are paying almost a 20-25% surcharge on top of the cost of the food. That's why I like to eat in.

Low-wages and tip based income also promote rushed service. In countries where waiters are paid by solely wages, I don't think the service is all that much worse, but they are less likely to slap the check down on the table while you are finishing your meal.