The summer after my freshman year of college, my new bestie and I found waitress jobs at a fancy old-school restaurant in a summer community on Lake Michigan where we could sail, tan, and be teens when we weren't waiting tables. (I use that term loosely.) What we knew about being a good waitress could fit on one sheet of the tiny notepads the owner handed us before the dining room opened on day one. We were to take drink orders (again, I didn't know a martini from a Manhattan), neatly write down the food order, drop the slip in the kitchen and get the diners another round of drinks.
The minimum wage was $3.10 an hour and we pooled the tips at the end of the night. The dining room manager (the owner’s son, a whiney former frat boy) would put all the cash in a coffee can, tuck it under his blue blazer, and disappear upstairs to the office. We really had no idea what was going on, but were glad to have a fistful of cash at the end of the night for last call at Bar Harbor.
Tipping has evolved, and as someone who eats out often, I tend to tip liberally. My kids who have worked in the food service industry claim this is not the norm. Are people really still tipping 15 percent? I decided to dig around.
According to a report on Grub Street -- New York Magazine's food and restaurant blog at restaurants, the previous range of socially acceptable and ethically expected tips was 15 to 20 percent. Now, it’s 20 to 25. Tips are often pooled, so don’t punish the entire staff because your fish didn’t come out in a timely fashion. The higher your disposable income, the more you should tip, but anything under 20 percent is rude.
At coffee shops - at least 20 percent. If your order is only coffee, you may tip $1.
For food delivery, tip a minimum of $5 or 20 percent, whichever is greater. In cash, when possible. If you’re ordering takeout, tip at least 10 percent. At the bar, tip $1 for a beer and 20 percent for a cocktail. For your hairstylist, nail tech, or house cleaner, it’s 20% minimum.
Experts from Wimberly, Lawson, Steckel, Schneider, & Stine P.C. chimed in at a Georgia Restaurant Association’s webinar earlier this year. They explained that the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour and the tip credit minimum wage is $2.13 per hour. Tips received must bring employees' hourly rate to at least $7.25 per hour. If not, employers are required to provide supplemental pay. Tip pools are a popular way to distribute gratuity among staff.
A round-up in September’s Forbes Advisor reported most people tip when it’s expected - 95 percent of respondents said they tip at least sometimes, with 76 percent saying they tip always or often. The majority of respondents say they tip an average of 11 percent to 20 percent. Most people tip more when they leave a digital tip. Nearly 65 percent of people tip at least 11 percent more when they tip digitally versus with cash. One in three people feel pressured to tip, while 18 percent feel uncomfortable about tipping.
During this season of giving, consider being more than comfortable tipping generously. Show your appreciation with eye contact, a flood of please and thank yous, and yes, a hefty tip.
The bottom line is to remember to respect the waitstaff who serves you meals. Tip at least 20 percent always and for goodness sake, use your manners!
"May I please have..." rather than, "Ya, gimme a..."
