What’s your rule of thumb for tipping when going out to eat? I personally won't go out if i cant afford to tip. Usually ~20% but with great service ill do more. Most days i just cook at home so its not a huge deal.
What’s your philosophy on tipping? Do you always stick to a percentage, or does it depend on the experience? And how do you balance being frugal with not shortchanging someone who’s just trying to make a living?
Frugal Friends, How Much Do You Tip?
byu/James_B84Saves inFrugal
Posted by James_B84Saves
44 Comments
If I can afford 20% for dine in or take out, we cook at home.
I tip 20% flat every time. Maybe, maaaybe 15% if I’m mistreated. I also never tip less than $5 if 20% is less than 5. I don’t eat out much at all, and I don’t believe in tipping culture – but that shit can’t be addressed at a consumer level without hurting people who matter.
I tip 20% unless the service is bad. I don’t go to sit down restaurants often, only a few times a year.
I despise the practice of tipping but it’s not the worker’s fault for their employer using the system to offset their labor costs and game the minimum wage laws. So I stick to the standard 20%.
However if I get shitty service or a terrible attitude that will earn a shitty tip. Seems fair.
it’s easier to just consider tips as a part of the total cost, rather than an “additional” fee.
20% is customary here.
Depends somewhat. I went on a date recently, and I was horrified to see the cocktails started at $22. Sorry, I’m not tipping $4 per drink.
20% unless I get bad service then I’ll lower it. I serve a couple nights a week on the side of my full time job and I’ve noticed those who are “frugal” actually tip the best.
For sit down restaurants, 20% just for the easier math. I don’t tip for take out or when I order on a screen.
I skimp on beverages so I can tip fairly.
15% is standard
I stick to 20%. If I can’t afford a tip, I can’t afford to go out to eat.
I tip more More if it is an inexpensive restaurant and I order something cheap. My daughter and I often go out to breakfast at a very inexpensive place. Sometimes the bill is $13. I’m not gonna leave $2.60 on the table so in the case like that I would just leave a $20 bill which is more than 20%.
I live in Spain, where tipping is welcome but not mandatory. I leave a tip if they treat me well and the food has been good. But it’s not even a joke, it reaches 15%.
Damn 20 percent is standard now? I rarely go out anymore so I’m out of the loop. I’ve always tipped 15-18
For alcholic drinks at a bar, 1 dollar per drink.
At a sit down restaurant with good service, 15-20%.
I grew up with parents who were bad tippers so I dont necessarily feel bad if I tip bad, but my partner does so I’ve adopted his methods.
I’m a young adult, I generally only tip 10-15%. 10% for easier math. I mean… inflation right..? So my tips should be inflated. In all honesty, this is why I don’t eat out as much. I do feel really bad for servers when tipped low
Only at sit down restaurants when I’m being served, or at a bar to a bartender. $1 per beer at a bar which are usually $5-7 bucks. If the bartender is very friendly or gives me an extra free drink or something I’ll throw an extra $5 in there at the end… 20% at a sit down restaurant, I don’t tip at fast casual, take out, Starbucks, etc.
I don’t order delivery because the fees and tip are kinda high. So I’ll just pick it up myself
As per valets, and other things. I don’t often use them if ever so I think $5 bucks is fine.
I tipped a tow truck driver $20 because he was very helpful one time, helped me out with my car, made sure I got off the highway safely, referred me to a place to get my car fixed..
10% to 20% if both the food and service were very good.
When I was young 10% was the rule.
It is NOT my responsibility to pay more in tips because management is stingy.
My standard is 15%. If the service is outstanding (so incredibly rare), then I will tip more. I stopped tipping for take out/pick up orders.
0% as I live in Germany
15% in the food bill. Don’t tip on the tax.
I know the universe doesn’t like my stance on tipping, but I tip based more on service than percentage of meal. If I am dining out and I get a $18 entree, and my friend gets a $9 entree, why should I tip more ‘just because my food is more? The service is the same whether my total is $20 or $40.
I hate tipping, but I always tip at sit-down restaurants. I don’t tip if I have to go up and order my meal, even if they bring it to you. I also generally don’t tip at coffee shops. Definitely not on takeout.
My tips end up being between 15% – 25% as I only like to tip in whole dollar amounts. And I tip on the pre-tax amount.
At least 20% minimum. I won’t go out if I can’t afford it.
15% of the pretax amount. These 20% responses are awfully sus…
https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/s/JUCXhNaxcB
me and my partner do 20-25%. he’s a server so it would be truly shitty to do anything less haha. we’ve tipped more than that for great experiences and less than that (though never no tip or anything horribly low) for extremely bad experiences which have to do with our server (happens very rarely..). being frugal to me means not spending money for no reason and on frivolous things, and tipping as it is right now is simply part of the payment expected at a restaurant. we budget for going out including a tip. if we aren’t in a position to tip properly, we simply cook at home. if we can’t cook at home and want to stay frugal (such as being on a trip where we don’t have a kitchen), we eat at fast food places which aren’t sit-down and don’t have a dedicated server to us so it isn’t expected to tip.
I’ll tip the lowest option given on the machine, which is rarely if ever below 18% anymore.
I don’t mind tipping 18%-20%, mind you, but some of these places are suggesting upwards of 30%. That’s where we’ve lost the plot. Nowhere has service worth 30%, probably not even 20% either but I feel bad otherwise.
It’s not the *amount* of the tip but the places I tip.
I tip table staff and Lyft drivers and that’s about it.
I dont tip for take out.
When sitting down at a restaurant and the receipt comes where I need to scribble down the tip I will tip ca 20% – sometimes a bit more or bit less as I round up the total for a nice round number. On card machine, 20%. If the service was exceptionally good and I know I hae some wiggle room on my dining out budget I will tip 25%.
On card machines at a coffee shop or fast food for example where I order at counter but sit down after, I tip 15-18% depending on vibe and what Im ordering. Just a coffee, 15%. Coffee plus something to eat: 18%. Sitting down at fast food: 18%.
i dont tip for coffee unless ive stayed at the coffeeshop all day to work and they’re going out of their way to check in on me and give me refills.
i stopped going to sit down restaurants that have me pay on a kiosk and i hardly see my server, the service is usually on the level of fast food where they’re just bringing me food to the table and maybe refill my drink once. so not only do i not want to pay for that, i don’t want to pay $$ for that. so its not that i dont tip but i dont go at all, eff that.
for actual restaurants i do 15% baseline, 20% if the service is good.
tipping culture got insane during covid because everyone felt guilty. all of a sudden it’s 20% baseline even if the server sucks because “their job is hard” – it is, but I mean, you have to do it if you want to get paid for doing it, you know?
fuck restaurants tbh.
I only tip when I sit down.
I’m not from the US so 20% and larger tips seem crazy to me. I know servers are underpaid, but by tipping crazy amounts like that people are keeping this system of employers underpaying their staff going. That’s just my 2ct tho.
I just calculate 10% and round down to the full euro, or round up the bill by 2-3,xx€ to have a nice and even number. From those two methods I usually pick the one that results in the smaller tip, unless the bill was very high, or the service was outstanding.
I generally cook at home or order take out.
A sit down meal varies. 15-20% generally.
If it’s just me and one other person and I’m indulging myself ordering things the way my picky eater self actually wants them (2-3 modifications usually) – I’ll go up to 40% if the service was good and my modifications were done correctly and pleasantly.
$0 as I live in Australia.
If I order my food at a counter, standing up, or in the phone, I don’t tip at all. At a sit down restaurant I top out around $40 total depending on how long I’m there. My wife and I recently went for a nice steak dinner bill was $300 ish, we were there for 50 minutes or so two steaks and sides and 2 drinks. I’m supposed to pay the served $60 for bringing my food and checking on my once? Idk man.
I’ve never understood why bringing a $100 steak deserves more than a $20 burger. Or why bringing me 1 beer vs 4 coke refills deserves more money
Generally 18-20%. A little less for counter service or take out. A little more if they go above and beyond.
I’m poor and cheap but that is not the server’s problem.
15% sit down before tax. My hair dresser gets 10%. Nail services get $5 flat if I frequent the salon. Uber gets 10% if they help me with my luggage and/in get me through fast in a busy city. We really need to turn the narrative back to how employers should be paying their staff and not be forced to give in to begging.
20%. I used to do occasional tip jars like in coffee shops or whatever, but after entitlement settled in after COVID, I don’t do that anymore.
It depends on the experience. I will tip 20-25% for good service, as little as 10% for horrible service. If I see my waitperson trying and has too many tables, 25%.
20% for a sit down restaurant, but that’s maybe twice a year. I don’t tip for anything where I order on a screen or don’t receive table service.
Sit down 20% for good service.
I do not tip at counter service.
I don’t use any delivery services, otherwise I would tip them 20%
Sit down and someone takes my order (will be tipping)
Milk tea place or some other place where you order standing up via the counter staff and pay via tablet (square app or similar) then I won’t tip unless it was during Covid (pretty much tipped everyone if I was able to get food or drink from their establishment during Covid)
local small mom and pop places with good food but typically order to go etc I will also tip or pay a little more to try and keep them open
The minimum wage in my city is $18.81.
I have one bar that I go to on a fairly regular basis and I’m treated like a regular there and know a lot of people… I usually tip 20% when I go there, but that’s just because I actually know them and they treat me very very well.
If it’s just a random restaurant then it completely depends on the service. For example, one of the restaurants I frequently go to is a pretty nice place, but they have tablets on the table… a server shows up at your table and asks you what you want and then brings it for you. Beyond that, if you want anything else, you order it via the tablet and when you’re ready to go, you pay via the tablet. The servers rarely even come back to the table unless you order something else. In that case, I usually just tip a few bucks regardless of what I ordered. I’m not going to tip more because I ordered a $30 steak versus a $12 burger when all they did was put in my order and carry a plate to the table once. No way I am tipping someone making nearly $20 an hour 20% of my entire tab just because the majority of people have been brainwashed to do so and there is absolutely no way that someone making 18+ dollars an hour should also be taking home 20% of the restaurant’s entire sales. That’s just insane.
If I’m sitting at a bar just having drinks, I’ll tip about a dollar per drink.
If I go to a place where I order my food at a counter, fast food, or pick up, I don’t tip.
20% on food. 10% on wine and drinks, pretax
Completely stopped eating out because of tips and taxes and do not miss it at all. My LDL has gone way down and I’ve lost weight.
Wait, people here go to sit down restaurants? 😂
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