NWR: Did Operah really say...

I'm a firm believer that you shouldn't go out to eat if you can't afford 20%. FH on the other hand seems to think that 15% is generous. I don't get it.

Now that I do ths for a living though... I tip 20% and 25% if I really like them. On a low bill, or if I saved alot of money, I'll tip even more. I don't expect people to tip me that much all the time. But I expect more then 10%. I work my butt off to make people happy and 10% is a slap in the face in my opinion. I literally make $2.50 an hour. And that's alot compared to how much most waitresses make. A friend of mine makes nothing an hour. Her paychecks are blank! Saying that people should tip 10% just because they don't have alot of money, well hello, do you think the person serving you has any more money than you do! Like were not being affected by the economy too! Does any waitress really wanna be a waitress!?!? Lol. I think this is just a vent/trying to figure out if she really said that. Btw: Am I crazy? How much do you all tip?

Usually the minimum that I tip is 18%... unless the service is sooo horrible that I am ready to leave and am convinced I will never return to the restaurant again... that's a totally different story. Many times I tip 20% or a little more. FH is even more generous than I normally am. Oh.. and if I go for lunch, I usually tip 30-40%, depending on how much I paid for lunch and level of service

I don't get it either. Luckily, fh is an amazing tipper. He came into my job once and tipped the bartender like 50% and she came up to me later, and told me to tell him he didn't have to do that just because I work there. I told her no, he always leaves a good tip like that on a small bill! Lol. He had gotten a discount since it was half price burgers, so he gave alot. But if you don't have the money for a tip... Take your business to McDonalds. They get paid per hour.

I go into a meal with a pricepoint that allows me to pay 20-25%, but I will NOT pay them for more than they were worth. Bad service = bad tip. No, I don't expect anything crazy, but when a drink is empty/low, I'd like it filled in a reasonable amount of time and I'd like special requests to be handled in a timely manner(such as extra napkins given that we have a 2 year old). We've given tips of 50% even when I had outstanding service. In fact, we even got the manager to tell him how awesome our server was and we were told he'd get a pin for it or something like that. But really, if the service was just "okay" they only get about 15% rounded to the nearest dollar(so the total check is an even dollar amount on my credit card). If it sucked, they get less. Only once ever have I purposefully not left a tip and it was the worst service I've ever had to deal. I also filled out a comment card explaining the exceptionally poor service.

I heard someone said it, not sure it was Oprah, but tips have gotten lower over the last few years. I work part time as a server at Nationwide Arena the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets hockey yeam in the luxury suites, so I get a percenteagea automatically and most companies are now only leaving 5% extra. A few years ago 15% was the norm.

Oh and I once tipped more than 100%. I was out to eat alone and was big and pregnant and sad because FH was being a jerk and didn't want to go with me. My server did a great job, though it wasn't the BEST service I'd ever received, but he was really friendly and didn't just "forget" about me(it seems every other time I've gone to eat alone, my server forgot I existed and just never came back except to give me the bill). My total bill was something like $8(I got a lunch-sized entree because the dinner size was just too big and drank water) and I paid $20 total for the meal + tip.

If it's poor service, that's a totally different story! There's one girl at an Applebees near me, that is the most horrible waitress in the entire world. She will come and take you order, bark at you to hurry up with it. Put your drinks down at the end of the table, and then walk away. Bring you your food, walk away. Bring you your check, walk away. It doesnt matter to her that everyone needed a refill or the fact that we didnt have room to eat because the plates from the appetizers were still there when we got our dessert! She got a horrible tip... And a complaint to the manager. And now whenever we go back, we ask to NOT sit in her section. We still ger dirty looks from her. But you know what? Dhe was super super rude and deserved it. lol. I also intend to teach my future children how to tip, because little girls and little boys think its ok to leave $22 when the bill was $21.37. umm... no, its not. lol

While I understand that in some areas and in some places people can make a lot less per hour in food service, but it does vary from place to place. Each state has its own rules on how low people who make tips can be paid per hour. And it certainly varies from restaurant to restaurant.

I have a lot of friends who are waiters and they all make minimum wage + tips, so they actually make quite a bit more than I do. And at high-end restaurants, which I do have a weakness for, good waiters can make quite a bit. So I don't tip extremely high, although never less than 15% unless its poor service. Its 20% or more when I am quite happy or my bill is small for how much work they spend.

In the end, a small tip is better than no business and no tip. It sucks to be a waitress and you don't get paid enough, but if all the people for who that couple of bucks is also an issue for stopped coming, it would be even worse

I always tip 20%, always have but I believe most people tip less than that.

Most places make gratuity apart of the bill and places I go (PF Chang's)They have a 18% tip policy

I def know it varies from place to place, but its very very rare that a place will pay minumum wage. even the fancy places around where i live dont pay alot. like i said, a friend of mine, makes nothing an hour. and shes on the books and everything, so nothing she can do about it. personally, my paychecks are about $50 or less. but i get paid every two weeks. out of 20 tables, i would normally get 3 horrible tips, 5 bad tips, 7 average tips, 4 good tips, and 1 great tip. thats just how it is right now. and its nice to hear that all you ladies are good tippers! i dont think people realise this, but all the girls i work with agree... a bad tipper is just as memorable as a great tipper. im nice to everyone either way, but if i have two tables, one whos a great tipper and one who never gives me more than $2... who am i gonna be better with? not a hard decision.

We usually always tip at least 20%. But my FH is a great tipper even if it is a horrible experience he expects us to tip 20%. He is a firm believer that's important to tip a waitress. When we went on our first date it surprised me a lot when I seen how much he tipped the girl. And it wasn't like it was a fabulous waitress. He is just a really nice guy.

Regardless of who said it (Oprah or whoever) a 10% instead of 20% tip is crazy! First of all, we're talking about tipping about $10.00 less per meal---- which will NOT fix anyones budget. And if it does, you shouldn't be going to dinner in the first place because it's not within your means.

Not only that, but how can reducing tips help the economy, when you are giving them directly to individuals who depend on that money to pay bills.

There is nothing that should stop anyone from tipping based on the level of service...

Also, servers hardly get anything from the restaurant so they basically rely on tips to make the money.

If she never said that, then i hope people dont hold that against her anyway. but if she did, i would love to challenge her! make her be a waitress at a busy restaraunt for a day. and the customers should all be waiters and waitresses. not to be mean, but to make sure that theyre not easy on her just cuz shes famous. and then not tell her that she doesnt keep all that money at the end of the day! then at the end of the day tell her, 'ok see those bus boys over there? give them 15%, now to over to the bartender, and give them 5%, ok, now heres your paycheck. dont worry, its supposed to be $5. btw now your realising that you need to put gas in your car so you can make it here again tomorrow, so you better give up another $30. ok now you got your bills, wait... you dont have anything left! i bet you wish people tipped you better huh?' lol

Snopes.com says that there is no evidence that Oprah ever said, or printed, the 10% tip anywhere. There is a conjecture that it may have been one of her guests who offered this financial tip. Rumors say it may have been Suze Orman. But, Snopes says it wasn't Oprah. Just thought I should let everyone know.

BTW- I waited tables for 18 years, and anyone who thinks 10% is a decent tip should have to live off of what I made!

I never knew about tipping when I came here. People dont really tip in Aus unless its a big bill or outstanding service (I worked waitressing for almost 2 years during highschool) but thats because minimum wage is so much higher. I have to ask my husband what we should tip because I never know. If we get really great service though we give a good tip 25% and up but if we are ignored or treated like our business isnt wanted then we give a bad tip. Im totally happy to give great tips for great service but if the service is awful I wont.

Oh, I definitely know that if I frequent a place don't be a terrible tipper and that they will remember that. I in no way blame waitstaff for treating a customer who tips really well better I would too!

And I agree that if I lived in an area where its more common for waitstaff to be really severely underpaid, I would absolutely be more likely to tip more. But I have had friends who have worked at most of the places I frequent regularly and I know what they make--and its at least minimum wage, sometimes more. I tend to tip a bit higher if it seems like a place where the waitresses make less than they should--like our local breakfast places.

I wonder if its built into the food prices more? Prices at chains here are much higher than in some other states I've been too. But California is just expensive in general.

I certainly wasn't trying to argue about waitresses making plenty of money--I really understand that they don't. I was just pointing out that it varies

@Aussie - yep tipping is more common over here. When my mum and dad come over, I have to follow them around tipping everyone..lmao. When I tipped my hairstylist in England the usual 20%, she almost kissed me... It is true that in England they make minimum wage and it's a pretty decent amount, over here it's terrible for waitstaff.