Why the tip is part of the price
Most states let an employer pay tipped workers a base wage far below the ordinary minimum, on the legal assumption that tips will make up the difference. Servers also share tips with bussers and bartenders, so leaving nothing punishes several people. When service is truly bad, speak to the manager and leave 15 percent. Work from the pre-tax total, and work from the original total when a coupon or a free dessert has lowered the bill.
The going rates
- Tip 18 to 20 percent at a sit-down restaurant, after checking the bill of a party of six or more for a gratuity that was already added.
- Tip one or two dollars per beer or glass of wine at a bar, two or more per cocktail, or 15 to 20 percent of a tab.
- Tip about 10 percent at a buffet.
- Tip food delivery 15 to 20 percent with a five-dollar minimum, and add more for rain, snow or stairs, because the delivery fee does not go to the driver.
- Tip 15 to 20 percent for taxis, rideshares, haircuts, manicures and massages, and lean toward 20 for a tattoo.
- Leave hotel housekeeping three to five dollars each night, because the staff changes from day to day.
- Give a bellhop two dollars a bag and a valet two to five dollars when the car comes back.
- Give movers about twenty dollars each for a half day and forty for a full day.
Where it is optional, and where it is wrong
A tip is optional for takeout that you collect yourself and at any counter where a tablet is turned toward you, and you may press "no tip" or "custom" without apology. Do not tip doctors, nurses, lawyers, accountants, flight attendants or government employees. Mail carriers may not accept cash, although postal rules allow a small gift worth twenty dollars or less. Plumbers, electricians and other tradespeople who set their own prices are not tipped either.
The year-end envelope
People who serve you all year receive a holiday tip in early December, in cash, inside a card with a line of thanks. A regular house cleaner, a nanny or a dog walker gets about one week's pay. A building superintendent or door attendant gets twenty-five to a hundred dollars, depending on the city and the building.
Tip Tip in cash when you can, even if you pay the bill by card. Cash reaches the worker that day and is never held for a payroll cycle.
