HOW TO TIP AT A RESTAURANT

The tipping experts say that you should remember tipping is always an option, not a requirement but it's hard to get out of a restaurant without leaving something on the table. Of course, if the wait person spilled a bowl of soup on your lap and didn't apologize (or replace the soup but charged you anyway), stiff them (as no tipping is called) is acceptable. Other experts say you should never stiff anyone in a restaurant. Tip them something, then ask to speak to the manager and explain what happened. If you're assertive enough, you can explain the problem to the wait person and maybe they'll learn to be a better employee. Always remember that a cook is usually involved in your meal preparation, so if it comes out late or cold, it might not be the wait person's fault. Tip is an acronym for "To Insure Promptness". Most people you deal with at a restaurant work for tips so they should exert more effort than someone who gets a flat salary whether they're good at what they do or not.

There are no hard and fast rules about tipping at a restaurant. There are some general rules you can follow or ignore. For example, most dining out experts say you should tip a waiter or waitress 10%-15% for ordinary service, about 20% if they were really good at their job which means they got the order exactly right (meat cooked to your specifications, decaf instead of regular coffee if that's what you ordered, etc.), the meal was served promptly and they were there when you needed ketchup or your coffee cup or wine glass refilled. In high-class restaurants (defined as a restaurant where the average evening meals costs over $25 per person not including wine or tip), you can figure about 20% or so for good service, an extra couple of dollars for any extra attention you get. Eating out in high-class restaurants can get expensive. Sommeliers (wine stewards get 10-15% percent of the bottle price, cocktail waitresses 10%-15% of the bill or $1 per round for a couple of drinks, bartenders the same, coat checker $1 per coat, restroom attendant (if they have one 50-cents to a dollar. Wait people in high-class restaurants tell us that on a good night, they can average $100-$150 in tips plus their $5.00 an hour salary. There was a restaurant on Highway 301 in Maryland we went to back in the 60s where tips were so good the owners actually charged waiters and waitresses $5 a shift just to work there and paid no hourly salary.

If you're  putting a dinner on a credit card as a business expense, you can add the tip onto the charge slip and sign it. If you're dining out just for the fun of it, you can put the meal on your credit card and your tip in cash on the table. Either way.

If you find yourself confused figuring out the tip do this in your head: If the bill is $50, 10% is the first number(s) or $5, $75 is 7.50, etc. Just move the decimal point over one notch. For 15%, add half of the number your got from 10%. $50 is the $5 plus half of that or $2.50 for a total of $7.50. On a $35 bill, 10% is $3.50, 15% is about $5, 20% is $7.00. Got it!  For 20%, just double the number. $50 is two $5s or $10. Confused? An easier way is to find the tax on the bill and double it.

In places like a Waffle House or Village Inn, you should leave a dollar on the table if you have anything more than a cup of coffee. At cafeterias or buffet restaurants where you serve your own meals, a dollar per couple is adequate. There's usually a waiter or waitress hovering around the table serving drinks but for the most part, you did all the work so a dollar will suffice unless you send them back for an another order of mashed potatoes or something. .

In the United States normally a tip is not automatically added to your bill unless you have a party of 6 or more and that information is usually printed at the bottom of the menu. Many foreign countries automatically add gratuities, so check your bill carefully, then leave the equivalent of a dollar on the table. Overseas, even if the gratuity is already added, some people like to leave some small change on the table.

If there is valet parking and you hand your car over to a parker, a dollar when the car is delivered after the meal is average.