(VOVWORLD) - How much should I tip? Is 15% a standard rate that applies across the board? Do residents of different countries view tipping differently? What about those coin jars placed near cash registers? Lauren Brown from the US, who has been working in restaurants for years, will talk about tipping in the US.
While tipping is not mandatory in most of the United States, it is customary in many circumstances for service, especially at almost all sit-down restaurants, is it right?
Tipping in the US is part of the culture and the customs. I think it is the cool things about travelling is going somewhere and exploring new things, new culture and taking part in it. Even if you are in the America and you don’t believe in tipping by just not tipping. It is not gonna change anything. Unfortunately, you are just screwing things out of the people who are working very hard for you. So really, it is just how it is in the US. People working at the restaurants are only getting paid the minimum wage. Some states allow a "tip credit" to count as part of the Federal Minimum Wage For working at a restaurant; it can be as low as two dollars 15 cents per hour in some States. Sometimes it is more, like 8 dollars. But we have to pay tax so for some waiters or waitresses your paycheck taking home is 0 dollar or very minimum amount. So really for the people working in restaurants, they rely on tips for the source of income. So if you really don’t believe in that you stil have to do it.
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How much do you tip at a sit down restaurant?
20 percents is standard. I never tip less than 20 percents. If it is like absolutely horrible service, I may tip 18 percents. I really don’t like giving people bad tips because I work in the restaurants too. If it is a good service I give them more than 20 percents. For me 20 percents is a really easy number to calculate. A lot of people they don’t know if they should tip on the amount before or after taxes. I personally believe that you always tip on the amount of after taxes.
How to tip at other places besides sit-down restaurant?
If you are at a bar and you order from a bartender, the normal tip is one dollar. Up it is more upscale higher, and the drinks cost more, you should probably tip more. I know it is hard because, when you are travelling, and you feel like you have spent so much money already. And then you go to dinner you did not factor all this cost. Before going to eat, you should look at the menu look at the prices and then just make a quick calculate that you gonna add maybe 30 more percents of taxes and tips. You can choose to go somewhere else if you don’t want to pay too much for dinner. In the US, there are so many options of places to get food and drink. Huge ranges from really cheap to very expensive. So there is always a much cheaper place to go. For example, fast foods, you never have to tip at those places. You can go to café or some place with counter service, usually this place just has a tip jar. You still tip some, but definitely, you don’t have to tip 20 percent.
Who else should we tip?
Other things that you need to tip, taxi driver, and if you have a haircut, a spa treatment, you are on a tour; you tip a tour guide. I think with tipping of 20 percent, everyone is happy, no complaints. And you have your country a pretty good name when travelling with good tipping.