[zeroego]

> as you said tipping is mandatory. 18% is the lower limit.

Just out of curiosity, where do you live? I've worked front of house at many different restaurants in an expensive city on the west coast, though this was 6 or 7 years ago. I was under the impression 10% was bare minimum, 15% was the next step up, and 20% was generous.

[elmalto]

NYC - could very well be a New York thing. Lived in Vancouver before where it was 15% so I assumed it was roughly the same everywhere

[zeroego]

Thanks for the response! It is interesting how it differs in different parts of the country. Personally when I'm at a sit down restaurant I usually do 20% as the math is easier.

[P_I_Staker]

Less than 20% is a soft slap in the face in many places. More so, if it's less than 15%. Some people use other "systems" though, so they might not even be paying based on the number on the check. If the bill is overpriced that's often a reason people use to skimp on the "percentage".

[bogomipz]

>"Less than 20% is a soft slap in the face in many places."

Wow, that's a bit sensational. Using LA/NYC as a point of reference, tipping is basically a spectrum. For drinks in a bar the minimum tip is a dollar and two is a good tip. For a taxi driver 15% is acceptable for average service and 20% would be for good service. For dining out 15% is perfectly adequate for just average service and 20% and above for good service. Counter tipping is it's own special thing but generally stuffing a dollar in the tip is jar is acceptable.

[culopatin]

I didn’t know I was supposed to tip taxi drivers too. Why not just make the rates what they need to be and we stop this unspoken rule payment thing already?

[zeroego]

Interesting. I know in some states servers are not guaranteed minimum wage. They can make as little as 4 or 5 bucks an hour, so if you don't tip them they make very very little money. If I was in a state like that I don't think I'd ever go below 20%.

[happypenguin]

This actually isn't true. Servers makr minimum wage, if all night they were tipped $0 then the resturant is required to pay them more hourly to hit minimum wage. Their combined pay from tips and the restaurant's pay must meet minimum wage. That is a federal law so it applies to all states. States can increase the minimum wage but cannot decrease it.

[macmcleod]

Have you ever worked in one of these positions? I worked in a few and my base rate was $2.13 an hour. If my tips for the day didn't put me over minimum wage ($7.25/hr at the time) on average, the place would pay me more. The people that had that happen more than once a month were fired.

[happypenguin]

I'm not suggesting to not tip, just correcting the misinformation. Servers are guaranteed minimum wage.

[zeroego]

Ah good to know, thanks for sharing!