Why should we tip?

What gets me is cafes where you queue and are asked to pay at the point of purchase before any service has been discharged.

If there was a facility to tip separately on the way I’d consider it but expecting a tip in advance is just wrong.

I wouldn't think it has anything to do with being a snob, when I tip, its just me saying I appreciate the service, here is a few quid extra to show you that.

it’s clear from the posts here that it’s within our control to stop a culture of an ever expanding list of when we tip.

Tipping is simply an imported habit from another country but without the underlying rationale or traditions associated with that culture or country.

As a token gesture for barbers/hairdressers, waiting staff in restaurants (not self service cafes) it’s probably the norm now but the amounts don’t have to be anything like the levels of USA.

I can’t recall which ones right now but I’ve certainly seen tipping jars in a number of self service cafes and I’ve seen one in a takeaway restaurant recently which I just laughed at to myself. The thing is, the younger generation growing up will start to get used to these erroneous requests for additional cash and it will become the norm then. But not for me🤪

I worked in resturants and tipping made absolutely no sense. I just tried to do my job well and the times you got a tip or didn't get a tip had absolutely no correlation to the level of service. People who tipped generally did it in situations where it would be seen as mean not to tip, not because the service was good.

And the idea that people are any great judge of great service is just silly snobbery. The factors that go into whether you get good service from the waiter is generally unknowable to the customer, and unrelated to the waiter.

People have said they tip if the food is good... what in the name of Jaysus does the food have to do with the waiter? They didn't source the ingredients, set the menu or cook the food. When you ask for a dish and it's sold out, that's not the waiters fault. Likewise if the menu and food are great, that's not the waiter's good work either. When the manager forgets to roster extra staff on a night when there's an event nearby and you get poor service from waiter's run off their feet, that's not the waiter's fault.

One way to get a tip would be to lay it on thick with a couple who look like they might be on a first date, or a birthday because they feel obliged appear generous by tipping. But that's not good service, that's just exploiting the social convention.

It's a silly convention based on pretending to be such a connoisseur of resturants that you know great service when you see it. Most people don't have a clue and tip for no reason other than because it's expected.

I was in New York Paddy's weekend (Thurs - Mon) and have to say… I tipped (minimum seems to be 15% these days) as expected BUT there wasn't ONE episode of 'great service' in all of my visits to bars and restaurants. They seem to just expect it now.

I found it laughable that someone at a food mall kiosk that literally has to hand you a slice of pizza or the lad the 'bar' in Madison Sq Garden handing you 2 cans of beer has the tip options 25/20/15 pre-loaded on the screen when you come to tap.

A tip for 5 seconds work without even so much as a smile. Wept!

I regularly visit a local golf club for grub and pints here at home and always leave a generous tip as the staff are always full of chat, good service and banter. They seem to really appreciate it. And I don't see to may others tipping - just tapping cards and out the gap. I think it has it's place - when the service warrants it.

I agree with the sentiment, but what has the cost of a pint got to do with the tip? If the tip is for great service, and the cost of the pint isn't set by the server, then why are they related?

ItIt's similar to deciding whether to tip a waiter based on the food quality or decor of the resturant, neither of which is controlled by the waiter.

The rationale for tipping is totally backwards. People tip, and then make up their reasons for doing it afterwards. I think the truth is most people tip to avoid appearing stingy rather than anything to do with the service.

Sure it was only 15 euro each, whats the big deal?

you would think it was 50 euro each.

This absolutely boils my blood.
I tip 10% and if they don't even acknowledge it, I feel like say - "actually, forget it - no tip"

What if you left it late to order a taxi and were rushing to catch a train or plane and the taxi driver put the foot down and got you there in the nick of time? would you not tip him/her?

"Tipping Culture" in America is totally out of control, it has actually put me off going to the States for a holiday with all the additional charges added over the base prices you see on the board…

The stories I've heard of people expecting tips for basically opening a fridge door to take out a can of beer, turn around and hand it to you is just ridiculous..

I can understand if you're part of a large group at a bar/restaurant tipping the waiting staff a couple of Euro, however the cost of eating/drinking out is already a factor in the large numbers of food&drink retail establishments which are closing down.

I’d never tip in bars ordering a pint at the bar- that to me is just ludicrous.

But I’ve been to enough restaurants to know what “good” looks and feels like.

I’ve walked out of restaurants because of bad service- rarely I might add but I’ve done so.

I’ve left no tip on occasion as simply the service staff were either rude or useless - I don’t reward bad service.
In terms of food, I do complain if the food is bad quality - if that’s handled well I leave a tip- if it’s not handled well I don’t.

However I don’t think people over think tips in terms of separating the service staff from the food from the experience - they’re all rolled into one for me.

If the food is bad but the service is ok but people aren’t leaving tips, I think the service staff won’t be long about complaining to the chef or looking for another job - if you’re dissatisfied after a meal and leave half it behind you , you’re less inclined to tip generously if at all especially if the service staff don’t appear to notice- it’s obvious what the problem is- you’re making the point of saying this isn’t good enough so no tip- so I don’t really agree that we should or do only tip with the waiter in mind - it’s not that simple.

This is the dilemma for a lot of people. Is tipping always just for food/drinks or is it for every service used; is it for all minimum wage jobs; are self-employed (eg taxis, hairdressers etc) excluded; is it the same % in every situation.

If you've ever worked in kitchens, waiters do not get to tell the chef their food isn't good enough. It is most certainly not their place in the real world of kitchens. That's just not how it works. If you think tipping or not tipping as a protest is going to tricke up to the chef and cause them to change their behaviour, it really isn't. Not getting repeat custom and losing money will catch management's attention, but tips to waits taff won't.

But I noticed people tipped based on the occasion. Birthdays or groups who were having a few drinks and, most importantly having a good time, we're more likely to tip. The whole ambiance of the restaurant was a big factor in whether people tip. Totally unrelated to the service.

You personally might distinguish between the various factors that contribute to the service and those that are unrelated to the service. But the vast majority of people don't.

Never, never, Never tip

Tip sometimes, If you want.

I would always tip unless the staff were rude and the food was awful, I just might not think 15 each but wouldn't have a problem if someone in the party said 15 each.

I had an argument with a waitress in California last year because I only tipped 10%. I told her it's because the service was awful (it was) but agreed to change my amount. So I took the bill. Scratched out the 10% and wrote 0

Service was slow, no smiles, took 10 minutes to get gone off milk replaced. She was lucky I offered 10% in the beginning. The suggested tip in California is 17.5% by the way

I guess it gives the illusion of “value” - prices of listed food items are naturally lower because staff costs are lower- if you take this into account before you enter and just assume everything will be 15-20% more expensive when the bill arrives you’ll probably relax more or else decide to eat elsewhere.

I don't think you ought to tip the bar server either. I was asking why the price of the pint has anything to do with the decision to tip or not. The bar staff don't set the prices, so why would the tip (which is usually to do with the level of service) be relayed to the price which the bar staff didn't have anything to do with?

was there a gun to his head to encourage his smiles?