tipping

[tezz7628]

i've beentold the norm for tipping is now 18%
and the person will actually be taxed on the assumption that he is getting that ammount

which i find absolutely disgusting

[Carla]

Who told you that it was now 18%?

[tezz7628]

my english cousin went to america with his job and married an american lass

living in south carolina we try to combine visits there with florida

[ctgirlscout]

As far as I know, it is still customary to tip 15%, but you tip according to how good (or bad) the service is. You are always free to tip more or less as you see fit.

[tezz7628]

its not the % that grates its the taxman assuming 18%

i guess there the same the world over

there were three of us last time we went
they were putting one customer on the bill
which i'm assuming helped them eg there getting three tips but only have to declare one

i said nowt!!!!!!!!!!

[gromit]

We were told on our last visit that it really depends on several things what amount you actually tip. The minimum is 10%. If you have a buffet meal and the server only brings drinks etc. Most places now expect 15% but if you have had really good service then 20% is becoming the norm. Several restaurants now leave a cheat sheet in with the bill so that you don't have to tax your brain too much whilst on holiday, it's worked out for you - Chilli's springs to mind for this. Our in-laws really can't get their heads around tipping and we keep saying that whether we agree with the system or not that's just the way it is, the tip does form part of the servers wages. If you think about it the food is excellent value in Florida, even when calculating in the tip and you still couldn't eat for that in the UK.

We only tip depending on the service we receive but minimum 10%. If we intend returning to a particular restaurant then we always make sure we've not been tight with the tip. One time in New York, the server was waiting for us to come out of the toilets because we apparantly hadn't left enough tip! Quite embarrassing at the time but amusing now! Don't forget you tip the sub-total amount not the total with tax![msntongue]

Cheers

[Silver Dollar]

I'm a typical Brit in the fact that I find it appalling (I don't care how low a boss pays his worker, that's not my business) that tipping there is almost 'mandatory'! I would rather have a larger fixed price than to be misled by some manufactured low price - what with taxes and tipping...it's not so cheap after all is it?

The worst cases I think are when I go into an all I can eat buffet and basically SERVE MYSELF and still I'm expected to pay a tip....for what? What service is that?? Bringing me the diet coke I already paid for??? Or bringing me the plates to eat the food off, that i ALREADY PAID FOR!

I'm sorry (I'm sure I'll get a lot of abuse for this) but as far as I am concerned tipping is a discretionary amount between client and the person performing the service (IF you are satisfied) but I'm sure I'm not the only person who finds this custom quite abusive.

[tezz7628]

i too detest tipping not for the ammount i'm paying but because im doing math on my holiday and i'm noy that good

only ever had i crib sheet it was from a travel agent in england rounded of to $10s $20 etc

keep meaning to take a calculator

i once asked the waiter to figure it out for me and they got quite shirty

if you assume for a moment the average is now 18% and you only tip 15% you could be offending someone quite unintentionally

[gromit]

Hi Silver Dollar

On one hand we agree with you, it should be up to the boss to pay the wages? We think that we end up paying for it one way or the other anyway, like you say higher fixed prices in the UK everything included. It is still quite cheap and good value for money in Florida. On the other hand, we love going to America and don't get bogged down with this tipping thing because that's just the way it is! You are not expected to tip as much for a buffet because there has not had to be as much service by the server. The amount is still discretionary but between 10% to 20% depending upon how good the service was. You could try not leaving a tip if you feel that strongly about it, but I wouldn't recommend then returning to the same place.

Where do you eat if you feel it's not cheap?

Cheers

[Ray&Sarah]

We were recommended, by an American fiend, to always leave a tip in US restaurants. If the service is bad just leave a dollar, that way the waiter knows you haven't forgotten and that you were unhappy. We haven't actually done this yet, we find most service pretty good.

Having been to the US quite a bit we always leave a tip in the UK restuarants too, after all most waiters are quite poorly paid.