Non-football related stuff that really makes your day

[nhwbrooklyn]

My tipping etiquette as it is currently (it changes over the years and you're welcome). Am I out of wack anywhere or forget anything?

Eating out
15%-20% with a minimum of $4 or $5 (like if you only stopped in to eat dessert or something and the total was only like 8$). Try to remember to see if the gratuity is built into the bill. I'll lean toward the 15% side if most of the bill is from alcohol.

Delivery
$3 and change. Sometimes up to $5 is it works out better for the change back situation or the weather is extra bad.

Cup at a counter (like a coffee shop)
About half the time I do the change or a dollar and change. About half the time I skip it.

Pickup orders
I usually tip a $1, sometimes $2 or $3 for a big order, but not always

Hotel rooms
I usually just leave a tip for the cleaning people at the end. $2 for every day I was there or $10, which ever is higher.

Help with bags
$2 or $3

Taxi
Maybe 10-15%

Coat check
$1

Valet
$2 at the end or $5 right away if your car is nice

[LionsFanInJapan]

There's no tipping in Japan. It can be seen as rude or an insult.

[Marko69]

I must be a tight arse. There is no chance in hell I'd pay 15-20% tip when eating out.

[nhwbrooklyn]

Different cultures is all. If you came to visit the u.s. you should tip that much while here.

In Ireland, 20 years ago, at a rental condo thingy, I had to put a strange coin of unknown value into a coin feeder for the toilet to work.

[Panoptes]

The delivery charge does not go to the delivery guy.

Bottom line?

Tip the fucking pizza guy.

Don't be a cheap bastard and try justify it.

Per FVD, a portion of the surcharge ($2.50 in my area) goes to the driver.

[CGVT]

The way I see it, since I used to get 75 cents a delivery before the delivery charge, I'm only getting 50 cents of the $2.50 delivery charge.

I know part of it goes to Ann Arbor, as the delivery charge is considered part of royalty sales. I've never understood that, but yeah.

Another portion of it goes to insurance like Mark mentioned. The rest of it is going to offset food costs.

You are a cheap bastard.

[FVD]

My tipping etiquette as it is currently (it changes over the years and you're welcome). Am I out of wack anywhere or forget anything?

Eating out
15%-20% with a minimum of $4 or $5 (like if you only stopped in to eat dessert or something and the total was only like 8$). Try to remember to see if the gratuity is built into the bill. I'll lean toward the 15% side if most of the bill is from alcohol.

Delivery
$3 and change. Sometimes up to $5 is it works out better for the change back situation or the weather is extra bad.

Cup at a counter (like a coffee shop)
About half the time I do the change or a dollar and change. About half the time I skip it.

Pickup orders
I usually tip a $1, sometimes $2 or $3 for a big order, but not always

Hotel rooms
I usually just leave a tip for the cleaning people at the end. $2 for every day I was there or $10, which ever is higher.

Help with bags
$2 or $3

Taxi
Maybe 10-15%

Coat check
$1

Valet
$2 at the end or $5 right away if your car is nice

Since nobody else responded I will. I think you tip just fine personally. I tip a bit higher but that's because I work in the business, and I believe that comes back to me, kind of like a karma thing.

[Islair]

I use to be a really lousy tipper, then I delivered pizzas and worked as a waiter in college. Now I tip like crazy, especially if the service is really good, but I do not take kindly to poor service. A poor server or delivery person knows when they are doing a shitty job. If they just drop the food in front of me, scratch themselves, and leave, or if the delivery guy misses my driveway and parks on the lawn (yes, it has happened, I have a curved drive) they get a miserable tip.

The way I see it, if they actually are working for it and doing their job well, they get paid well.

[Marko69]

What about haircuts Islair? Since you've now had the locks chopped off, are you going to keep it short? And if so......, what about tipping the barber? My haircut costs 20 quid and I pay him 30. That's a 50% tip. Now that definitely makes up for restaurant tight arseness.

LFIJ......, awesome new avatar, LOL.

[Malto Marko]

I must be a tight arse. There is no chance in hell I'd pay 15-20% tip when eating out.

Here in the States many servers make well below minimum wage because a diner is expected to tip.

The amount is left up to the individual and there are as many different rules/philosophies on tipping as there are types of beers.

Different cultures is all. If you came to visit the u.s. you should tip that much while here.

In Ireland, 20 years ago, at a rental condo thingy, I had to put a strange coin of unknown value into a coin feeder for the toilet to work.

I believe that was called a bloody, shitty, sixpence. ;-)

I use to be a really lousy tipper, then I delivered pizzas and worked as a waiter in college. Now I tip like crazy, especially if the service is really good, but I do not take kindly to poor service. A poor server or delivery person knows when they are doing a shitty job. If they just drop the food in front of me, scratch themselves, and leave, or if the delivery guy misses my driveway and parks on the lawn (yes, it has happened, I have a curved drive) they get a miserable tip.

The way I see it, if they actually are working for it and doing their job well, they get paid well.

Interesting.

Over the years I have developed a strategy and Mrs. Malto takes great delight on how I interpret the strategy.

It starts off with an automatic 20%.

If it takes an abnormally long time to be recognized, tip reduced.

If we are asked if we want a second drink before we order our food, drink costs are removed from the tipping base.

If we are delivered anything (food, drinks, ketchup) and the server has a tray that has other peoples order on it, tip reduced.

If we are asked how our meal is before we get a chance to get the first bite in our mouth or, just got it in, tip reduced.

If the wrong item is delivered to the table, tip drastically reduced.

If the server puts the wrong thing down in front of the diner at the table (and mind you, most often when we eat out, it is just Mrs. Malto and myself) tip reduced.

A tip is always left but if major problems pop up, the minimum tip is 5% of the food bill.

I feel this sends a message to the server that there was a problem with the service.

[Tony G]

Is there anything they can do to increase the tip?

[Marko69]

That was an excellent, enjoyable post MM. Some of those things listed there I have in my own head while eating out, but I've never written it out. And I should because my wife thinks I'm grumpy in restaurants. I'm really not, I just hate bad service. I'm going to show her your post and explain to her that a lot of those things you list actually happen here, and it pisses me off.

It's sometimes very difficult living with someone who has a "Why worry, live is too short" attitude. YES, Live IS too short, so I want great service when I'm here.

[Malto Marko]

Is there anything they can do to increase the tip?

Yes.

I took Mrs. Malto to Washington DC for her birthday a couple of years ago.

I asked the conseiere (sp?) at the hotel we stayed at for a good place to get a good piece of red meat for her birthday dinner.

The restaurant he pointed us to was only two blocks away so we walked to dinner.

Turns out it was a higher end steakhouse much like Ruth Chris' or Mortons.

We had drinks, ordered our dinner and the waiter heard me toast her to her birthday.

After a wonderful meal, an outstanding piece of cheesecake with "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate sauce was served unordered.

It was not on my bill when asked for the bill.

I tipped 30%

Service and food was exceptional.

[kayrone]

A couple of years ago we received a gift certificate to Ruth's Chris. I would never have eaten there in a million years, as I am not such a carnivore that I would ever think a steak is worth $50, but since it was a gift certificate we decided to check it out. When the hostess sat us she said "happy anniversary!" - we explained that it wasn't our anniversary, but from that point on everyone we encountered wished us the same and we grew tired of explaining so we just said "thank you" and left it alone.

I ordered the surf and turf, and OHMYGOD I don't know what they did to that steak but it was the most incredible flavor experience of my life. I sounded like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally every time I took a bite, but I couldn't help myself it was so unbelievably delicious. The service was impeccable throughout the evening, and then they gave us a free piece of cake for our anniversary at the end of the meal.

So now I get why people will pay $50 for a steak.

FREE CAKE BITCHES!! :-)

[-Deborah-]

lol!!

I waitressed and bartended back in the olden days, so I also tend to tip pretty well.

I also believe in being a good customer.

For instance, a group of us from work went to On the Border a couple weeks ago for their fantastic happy hour (half-priced apps, half-priced margaritas). The poor waitress we had was running back and forth for our group. One person would ask for water, she would return with it and another person would then ask for a pop....or more chips....or another margarita.

People: Have the courtesy to anticipate that you may want something in the next five minutes and order it at the same time as the others in your group!