The Etiquette of Tipping

I am a big believer in a large tip for those who serve you well at a restaurant, and sometimes my fellow diners are unsure what to make of it. Some view tipping as essentially societally-enforced extortion, while others view it as a waste of money. But I find it to be an effective way for a buyer to give feedback to a seller in a system where the prices are otherwise fixed. The problem is, it is not always clear WHAT to tip. this article takes some of the mystery out of the process.

The restaurant waiter/waitress

This is the one that causes most debate because there is no hard and fast rule. It is also made even more difficult by waiting staff who have lost sight of the fact that a tip is a gratuity and is not actually required. As a guideline though, I’d say you can safely use the following without a disgruntled waiter spitting in your salad:

+ Self-serve/Buffet restaurant - 10-12%. If the service was fantastic, you could up this to 15%.

+ Local restaurant - 15%. Again, you could up this by a few percent if the server worked particularly hard or went out of their way to help you.

+ A 4-star restaurant - You’ll want to tip the maitre d’ as you’re being seated, particularly if you’re a regular and he/she goes out of their way to reserve you a table or get a table when the restaurant is busy. The standard tip here is anywhere from $20-100. For the service of the meal itself I’d recommend a tip of around 20-22%. Don’t forget to tip the wine steward (a few dollars per bottle of wine) and/or the coat check attendant ($1 for a couple of coats).