Whenever I eat especially on a special occasion or go somewhere expensive I am always confronted by two thoughts the restaurant table is "What should I eat?," and "What should I tip?" Our perception of service each time we dine out as it not only affects our experience; it also affects the experience of our waiting staff both for that day, and for the days to come. The subject of tipping is still as hot as a sizzling kebab platter, but it can still be boiled down to a few basic questions and answers.
Why should I tip?
With a few exceptions, the staff that serve you at a restaurant not only need, but deserve, the tip if you think they have done a good job. and looked after you well.Some people will argue that the term for tipping is "gratuity," implying that the tip is optional- well again depends on what type of wages they may be on and how big your party is and whether they are boisterous or rowdy-because that can create more work for the waiting staff and obviously what type of establishment it is.If it is a cheap one then the diner may not consider tipping to be that important.
Ethics aside, consider that the staff at the restaurant not only cooks and serves your food, but processes your bill, cleans everything from the tables to the bathroom, maintains health standards, and provides "on call" customer service to unpredictable patrons and you can probably agree that the wait staff deserves a little extra for the time and effort they put in to providing your dining experience because unlike office based customer service staff you have direct contact with your waiter or waitress-and its all about personal service and attention tempered by objectivity.
Who am I tipping?
Who your tip actually goes to depends on the restaurant. While it's true that in some restaurants, the tip goes entirely to the waiter, it is more often the case that the tip is pooled with the rest of the tips for the day, and split among the wait staff, hosts, and even chefs. This means that while you may want to reward a particular excellent waiter, they may not see as much of that tip as you'd hope; it also means that a low tip may be punishing the entire wait staff for one person's poor service. In addition, some restaurants deduct operational costs for credit card processing charges from tips. In short: you are more likely tipping the staff of the restaurant, not just your particular waiter or waitress.
What should I tip?
For some, tipping is automatic; others use a tipping calculator. There are, of course, other special exceptions that require consideration as well. The basic rule of thumb is to tip 15 to 20% of your bill to your wait staff. But wait - is that pre-vat or the full bill?
The argument to tip based on the sub-total is that the taxes don't go to the restaurant or wait staff; they go to the government. Why pay the waiter on what the government charges? Logically, this makes sense. Consider, however, that most waiters expect a tip based on the full bill, and the difference between pre-vat and post-vat is only a matter 17.5%. Also consider that waiters have to pay taxes on their tips, however meager they may be. Why short a few extra pence in the wallet to someone who worked hard to provide you a good meal?
When should I not tip?
There are always going to be a few exceptions to the average meal in the restaurant, when tips come into question. Keeping in mind the above facts, consider why a tip may not be appropriate in these circumstances. Was the food cooked poorly? In this case, a complaint to the manager may be more efficient to punish the offender, if the remainder of your restaurant experience was at least average. Was the waiter unavailable? Consider any circumstances, such as a busy night or under-staffing, before passing that judgment off on the tip. But if multiple things were wrong with your dining experience - or the wait staff was plain unavailable, rude, or worse, unhelpful - then consider leaving a minimal tip of about 10%. You should only withhold the tip if the dining experience was truly unacceptable.
So the next time you leave a restaurant table, think twice about that important tip question also remember, the best way to thank anyone - outside of a tip - is a heartfelt thank you spoken directly to your wait staff.
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