I'm leaving exactly 15% for the tip and not one tenth of a percent over!

[greensinestro]

You gotta love South Florida, particulary the retirees that live in Century Village and King's Point. Some are OK, but most of them are rude, nasty, and downright cheap, even though they have buttloads of money.

My wife and I were eating in a Swensen's in Lighthouse Point a while back. While we were eating, a group of four wrinkly-skinned, white haired women from Century Village came in (they made it obvious to everyone where they were from). All they ordered was ice cream, so they were in and out faster than anyone else. In the midst of it, Agnes pulled out her calculator, figured out exactly what each other's total was to the penny, then calculated exactly fifteen per cent of each other's total to figure out exactly what each person's tip was. There was no margin for error permitted, and Agnes let everyone around her know that. What was even more amazing, each woman had plenty of one dollar bills, pennies, nickels, and dimes so they wouldn't have to ask for change. I don't carry money like that in my wallet, yet these women do.

Nowadays, many people pay with their debit card, so I guess if you want to leave exactly fifteen percent for a tip, you can do so. These women all looked about ninety years old, which means they grew up before the age of technology. My grandmother is ninety-five and still gripes about new technologies and how great things were without all of it.

All I can say is: At least these four women left a tip. I've witnessed other incidents where someone always finds a reason why the waiter or waitress doesn't deserve it. Those poor people work their butts off and depend on those tips, and I usually do twenty unless it was really horrible service. Next time I'll remember my calculator, or I'll just use the one on my cellular phone. LOL

[Seanette]

All I can say is: At least these four women left a tip. I've witnessed other incidents where someone always finds a reason why the waiter or waitress doesn't deserve it. Those poor people work their butts off and depend on those tips, and I usually do twenty unless it was really horrible service. Next time I'll remember my calculator, or I'll just use the one on my cellular phone. LOL

I use a calculator (usually my PDA, since it's handy), because I suck at math.

Baseline is 20%, adjusted appropriately for quality of service. Total bill * 1.% of tip, rounded so that total paid is even dollar amount (makes the checkbook math simpler). Rounding is usually up to the next dollar.

[Getoutofmylobby]

Mrs. Getoutofmylobby is a server so I know how bad old people tip. Maybe its because they grew up in the depression? My grandmother was unreasonably frugal for that same reason.

[AFpheonix]

I'm lazy, I just divide the total in my head 3 times, then pick an amount somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd quotients I came up with, depending on how good the service was. All of this is heavily rounded, of course.

[powerboy]

I have a Tip calculator on my phone that comes in handy

[The cat whisperer]

Here's a method I use when I don't have my phone or bf handy to do the math.

Take the total (say 18.92) and move the decimal place over one (1.89) and multiply by 2 (1.89 + 1.89= 3.78) and the end result is roughly 20% depending on rounding. If you want to just leave 15% then you would move the decimal over one (1.89) and divide that in half (1.89/2= .94 or .95 depending on how you want to round it) and add the first and second numbers together (1.89 + .94= 2.83)

Luckily, I haven't had to do that in a long while, but it does work.

[Lehk]

Here's a method I use when I don't have my phone or bf handy to do the math.

Take the total (say 18.92) and move the decimal place over one (1.89) and multiply by 2 (1.89 + 1.89= 3.78) and the end result is roughly 20%

actually it is, by definition EXACTLY 20% the first step yields 10% then the second step doubles that.

[The cat whisperer]

What I meant was the true 10% of my example is 1.892 and 20% would be 3.784, but since we only go two from the decimal it ends up being rounded 3.78. Blame a former math teacher who insisted that all percentages be carried out to the last possible decimal place or the answer was not technically right. Still, one of the more usless things I know and that is saying a lot.

I still feel for the servers who have to put up with those biddies. I can understand some elderly living on a fixed income, but that doesn't ever seem to be the case. Sometimes I wonder if they have been that way their whole life.

[Jester]

I have a Tip calculator on my phone that comes in handy

I have been in the industry for 20 years. I AM a tip calculator!

[Banrion]

My method makes mental math easy. I round the total bill up to the next $5.00, then divide by 5 for a 20% tip. If the service is exceptionally good, I tack on an extra $5.00, and if it's exceptionally bad, I only leave 10%.

[South Texan]

All I can say is: At least these four women left a tip. I've witnessed other incidents where someone always finds a reason why the waiter or waitress doesn't deserve it.

I had two eldery, sweet great aunts who were the epitome of depression era kids (they reused everything, never spent a dime on something new unless they had no other alternative and never kept money in a bank).

On the first Saturday morning of each month, they would treat themselves to a bisquit and coffee at a local coffee shop. They always tipped a quarter as that was the tip they had been raised to believe was adequate for any meal at any price. One morning, they invited me to join them and I saw the tip they left. When I snuck back in to give the waitress the proper amount, she smiled at my apology and told me that my two great aunts were so sweet and so much fun (and never caused any trouble) that the staff looked forward to them coming in. They all thought the quarter tip was funny.

I was relieved!

[Captain Trips]

Where I live, figuring the tip is easy. Tax is 7.75%, so double it to get a baseline near 15%. (Actually comes out as 15.5%.) Then, figure up or down based on level of service. And, when figuring up, round to the nearest quarter.

Of course, there are a few places where we are such regulars that they always tell us to not worry about a tip. We don't worry -- we still leave what is earned, and at places like this it is usually more like 20-25%!

[Palsgraf]

I use Cat Whisperer's method to figure how much to tip (move the decimal to the left, and double it), and how much I expect as I work through the night. I'm one of those "I'm here for the money" employees, so I stay until I at least hit my goal.

Manager: "[Palsgraf], you're cut. Go home."

Me: "No I'm not. You go home."

Manager laughs.


The other night I waited on a group of women celebrating a birthday. I chose to keep the table and stay the extra two hours because I'd already invested quite a bit of time on them, and the bill had grown pretty big with all of their bar drinks.

I'd gone out of my way several times for them: suggesting several items and having the chefs cut the entrees that they'd intended to share in to smaller pieces for them; asking the bartender & checking myself to make sure the glasses weren't sticky (the sugared rims made the first round of drink glasses 'sticky'; offering to have to dessert chef place the sauces on the side when some of them complained & couldn't agree on desserts (I fetched the other sauces some had requested myself - the dessert folks won't do that for me); etc.

But ... because I didn't have all the other servers come out and join me in singing "Happy Birthday" for them (1. we don't do that at this restaurant, the last time I'd asked someone to help me sing I was told "This isn't the Olive Garden!"; and 2. most everyone else had clocked-out and were leaving because the restaurant had closed - If they won't sing while getting paid, they certainly won't sing for free.) ... the customers took out a cellphone and calculated exactly 14%.

They wanted to punish me - even though I'd gone out of my way several times and spent an extra two hours of my life waiting on them. Pathetic.

[Jester]

That is a perfect example of Customer Suckitude.

[Kusanagi]

I have been in the industry for 20 years. I AM a tip calculator!

"Hey, that arsehole didn't tip me proper!"

Sales tax here is 7.75%. I just usually double the tax, but I have also been known to tip really well too if the service is fantastic.

Biggest tip a friend and I left was a $50 bill on a $28 meal. Two sushi rolls at 14 dollars apiece, and it was hands down the best sushi we had in YEARS.

Sushi is definately something you don't want to skimp on. We go there a few times a year and when the guy sees us, he always uses the freshest ingredients and gives us a few side dishes for free.