My wife and I are having an argument about tipping at restaurants. She thinks the tip should be on the total bill amount, pre-tax, but including alcohol. I always subtract the alcohol and tip on just the food bill. (Assuming there is not a sommelier and we are talking about cocktails or wine ordered though our food server.) If we have a $100 meal and a $100 bottle of wine, I'm not about to tip $40, but she feels this would be correct. If we've brought over drinks from the bar to the table's tab, I will usually tip on the booze in that case. What do you do?

John

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If the two of you are having a $100 meal and a $100 bottle of wine, I would not be whining about a tip.



I usually tip on the entire bill if the service was good.

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Chris
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"And a frign hat. They gave me a hat at the annual benefits meeting. I said. how does this benefit me. I dont have anything from the company.. So they gave me a hat." - TheDon

Just tip what you feel is right!

There's no real rules, it's a tip, like a voluntary contribution out of kindness/respect etc for the service you were given.



I guess I would ask myself if I felt like I'd had $40 dollars worth of service? If not I'd look silly leaving a huge tip, if I'd been there all evening and the waiter was extra helpful and choosing wines etc. than that I'd feel tight leaving only $20.

I guess I just like people to work for their earnings!

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It is considered proper ettiquette to tip on the libations as well. Think about visiting a restaurant with a sommelier; they make a good portion of their income on gratuities from wine sales. Even in lessor establishments, the servers can be quite knowledgable on the winelist and may have elaborate presentations that take more time and effort than the entire ordering/delivering food process. I spent my college years working in an upscale steak/wine sort of restaurant and this was always the case, even when gratuity was added for large parties.

While I'm not in the habit of purchasing $100 meals, I can offer my opinion on what I THINK I'd do in this situation. To me, there is an "upper limit" on what I'd tip for a mean. Then again, there is an upper limit on what I'd pay for a meal (well south of $100 for two). I think the most I would ever tip would be $20. Then again, the LEAST I ever tip is $4. If a meal cost $12 for two, I leave $4 or more. A $20 meal usually gets $5.

I would agree that if you are tipping as a percentage, you probably ought to consider the entire (pre-tax) bill, including drinks.

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OK, OK. The $100/$100 was just for illustrative purposes (and easy math). I occasionaly get the $100 meal (for two) but have never spent $100 on a single bottle of wine at a restaurant...

That said, my armchair sociologist's perspective is that tipping amounts have been going up regardless of service. (Yes, this is a separate issue.) I occasionally get waiters who give worse service than when I feed my dog and sneer when they see the tip is 15% which I thought was generous given the service. I realize we all have bad days, etc. and if the service is great, I'll blowout the tip without hesitation. Are tip amounts going up? Is it out of some liberal guilt I see folks tip 25%+ or am I just behind the times?

John

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I tip on booze and often tip 25+, although I don't feel a lot of liberal guilt. In your example though I don't tip a straight 20% on a 100 bottle of wine. I figure it takes the same effort to bring out a 40 dollar bottle as it does a 100 bottle. So I'd adjust accordingly.

I should add that bar tipping is a whole different story. I run a tab when I (rarely) go out. I tip ~$1 per drink, whether it's dollar High Life bottles or Newcastle pints.

Anyway, sorry to rib you about the $100/$100 example... no offense intended! I just never get to enjoy the good stuff. Can't afford it. If I were a wealthier man I'd like to treat myself once in a while!

Chris

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

It's real easy to spend $50/person these days. You can easily spend that at a chain restaurant like Wildfire.

Tip 15-20 percent on the bill, 10-15 percent on the wine. I hate this stupid practice of tipping. Servers haven't a clue these days. It doesn't make sense to tip a server 15% on a $30 steak at one place where they just bring it to the table, and 15% on a $30 filet of sole at another place where it is boned for you at the table.

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No offense taken, it was just for clarity. I agree with the buck a drink unless it's a zoo and I know I'll never see the bartender again. In that case a few extra dollars makes you amazingly recognizable in a crowd...

I've also heard from two friends that they have good luck tipping in advance for dinner. Once they get a sense of the prices and what they'll have, they tell the waiter that they'd like to be taken care of and would prefer to give them something in advance instead of waiting until the end of the meal. They say often the shock factor is enough that they get great service! I've yet to try it.

John

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I've tipped over 15% when the service has really stood out (yes, there are still some excellent servers out there) and when the service is poor, I'll tip less, if at all. I have no problem not leaving a tip when the service has been poor. I remember once leaving an array of pennies in the shape of a frowning face on the table for a particularily dour and useless server.

Hey, doesn't the word/custom itself arise from the acronym To Insure Promptness?

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Chris
2007 E550 4Matic - 61,000 Km - Iridium Silver, black leather, Sport package, Premium 2 package
2007 GL450 4Matic - 62,000 Km - Obsidian Black Metallic, black leather, all options
1998 E430 - sold
1989 300E - 333,000 Km - sold
1977 280E - sold
1971 250 - retired

"And a frign hat. They gave me a hat at the annual benefits meeting. I said. how does this benefit me. I dont have anything from the company.. So they gave me a hat." - TheDon

I learned to be a good tipper after I had to eke out a living as a bartender back in school. Servers and bartenders work their collective butts off, and despite the occasional sub-standard one, I make healthy tipping a habit. I suppose if someone really pissed me off I might do different, but that never really happens.

I adjust a/c the bill: If I'm over $100-200, I stay around 20% of the total bill (incl. wine and drinks). Smaller tabs get progressively higher percentage tips - I'll leave a ten for a $7 tab for example. A buck or two doesn't mean squat to me, but they sure add up for that mother of three working the breakfast counter.

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Wine is hideously overpriced at most restaurants. What you can buy in a supermarket for $10 can easily cost $50 in a restaurant.

A bottle of wine is nor heavy nor hard to serve. Some training in corkscrewing might be needed, but still, I don't think I'd ever tip more than $4.00 on any bottle of wine. A $20 bottle is the exact same effort to bring to the table as a $100 bottle.

I suppose that if a person is silly and wealthy enough to pay $100 for a bottle of wine, they can spring for a $20 tip. But this is someone else's problem.

All this is totally mute, because I never order wine at any restaurant. The one time I did, the wine was actually more like vinegar and they stuck me $30 for it. I can't recall the tip, but I have never darkened the door of that place again.

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VERY true. I used to work at a gourmet beer/wine/food/liquor place and knew my wines pretty well. Markup is INCREDIBLY high at restaurants. This makes a very good point I hadn't really considered (as I never really spend more than $20/person at meals anyway!)... I am begginning to see the argument that the total bill might not necessarily be the best determinant for tipping. (Naturally, level of service comes first, but would one not expect to tip more for the same level of service after a $75 meal than after a $15 meal?).

Hmmm... interesting discussion!

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
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One thing to consider is that your waiter may have to tip out the bar -- on the value of the beer, wine, or whatever that they have served you. That was the case in two places where I used to wait tables during college. Took a real chunk out of your earnings sometimes.

So if you don't tip on the value of the alcohol, your server may be taking a BIG hit out of their income, since they will have to pay a portion of their tip to someone else.

-- Bokonon