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Tipping in the US

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  • #31
    Originally posted by jhm View Post
    phaleesy and I are staying in a hotel in NYC where we've been given breakfast vouchers.

    We just had breakfast (a self-service buffet but the staff bring the hot drinks) and phaleesy was under the impression that we don't need to tip at all. I thought that it should be the same as any normal place in NYC - 15% as the standard tip (higher than in London) and more for good service but phaleesy seemed to think that 10% or thereabouts is fine given that it's self-service. However, I don't think I agree with this as the waiting staff still work (refreshing the buffet; clearing and setting out tables; bringing drnks; etc) so why should they get any less than usual in the circumstances ?

    phaleesy and I thought we'd consult with the oracle - SQT - to find out the correct answer (before breakfast again tomorrow)! Thanks in advance for any advice.
    Originally posted by SQ LPP View Post
    Paging cawhite, taipeiflyer and HUGE AL!
    It completely depends on what level of service you've garnered. Use 15% as your base point and work your way down from there. If the breakfast service was great, even on a voucher, I tip 20% (some etiquette book I was given wrote, "always overtip the breakfast staff"); if they just refilled drinks and stood there, 10%; if I had to get up to get service, 0% (I find the $0.01 tip kind of weird). If they sucked, but you still found them nice people, I usually write an explanation as to why they got nothing.

    Conversely, I was at my only dinner of the evening with taipeiflyer and cousin of taipeiflyer (who were on their second of the evening [does this run in the family???]) last night. A friend of mine was bartending and hooked us up ==> I gave him 35% (depending on the bill, I will usually add up what I would have paid and tip the difference [sometimes that adds up to over 100% of the bill]).

    Tipping is a pain in the USA, but keep in mind that the workers are usually getting paid only $4-$5/hour and tips make up a large percentage of their pay -- different from other countries where the workers get much more and the tip is included as a service charge. That said, they have to work for it.
    HUGE AL

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    • #32
      hi jhm... i've always subscribed to the "when in doubt- it is better to overtip than undertip." in your case, i do think that 15% would have been standard. although you are the one that is getting up to get your own food, the servers are actually doing quite a bit else...liking constantly clearing plates, pouring drinks, and making sure the buffet remains bountiful. for someone that put himself thru college working at a restaurant, there is a LOT of work involved in the service industry.
      a lot of people do not feel like they need to tip in this situation, and that goes into my tipping habits also... i know it is not my obligation to cover for those that short them, but they are working hard to make a honest wage, so hopefully leaving a couple extra dollars helps balance them out in the end. the IRS automatically assumes an 8% tip on all food sales for industry workers, so when a person doesn't leave a tip at a buffet, and the next person leaves 15%, the server is still having to come up with the 1% tax difference out of their own pocket just to avoid the hassle of an audit!

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      • #33
        I also tend to tip 15% by default in NY. My restaurant bills just aren't big enough for the 5% increment to be a factor in my decision , and as others have mentioned, the compensation system assumes that diners tip.
        ‘Lean into the sharp points’

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        • #34
          I would usually tip 15% but if was a larger group(6 people and above), the tip will increase to 20%.
          For taxi drivers, its YMMV depending on the service and whether they try to rip you off by taking long detours or charging more when they shouldn't (happens sometimes when travelling from the airport to the cities).

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