• We should now be fully online following an overnight outage. Apologies for any inconvenience, we do not expect there to be any further issues.

Tipping on top of tax?

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

RPD

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2009
5,109
600
126
Depends. Is the moon full or not, is Pluto still a planet, what was the server's OLD Zodiac sign? Even or odd amount of drinks consumed?

All important information before I can accurately answer this question.
 

zerocool84

Lifer
Nov 11, 2004
36,041
472
126
Or how about tip whatever you want instead of needing approval from others to tip? That seems to be the reason why anyone tips anyways so they can do what they think is the socially acceptable thing to do. It's your own money, you don't need to ask others how to spend it.
 
Last edited:

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,124
12
81
At a sit-down restaurant in California, I generally tip double the tax.

In other situations, "[w]ell, I could explain it better, but I'd need charts, and graphs, and an easel."

MotionMan
 

Juked07

Golden Member
Jul 22, 2008
1,473
0
76
If 15% of tax brings you from 15% to 20% tip, that's one heck of a sales tax...
 

Jumpem

Lifer
Sep 21, 2000
10,757
3
81
I tip ten percent, and think that is being quite generous. All they are doing is bringing a couple drinks and plates from one side of a room to the other.

And why should the amount of a tip have anything to do with the price of a meal? The waiter is not doing any more work bringing out steak and lobster, than chicken fingers and a burger.
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
17,081
136
I vote for auto lock on all tipping threads.
One way or another they go bad. See the Canada reference above. Its already started.
 

marvdmartian

Diamond Member
Apr 12, 2002
5,444
27
91
Tip whatever you feel is appropriate

/thread

Exactly. I have tipped $0.01 for completely crappy service that deserved a boot in the ass as a tip (never leave no tip, it just makes them think you forgot, and they won't get the message their service sucked).

I have also given 100% tip on a pitcher of drinks ($10 for the booze, $10 tip), when the waitress cracked me up so good that I almost fell out of my chair, laughing (yeah, okay, maybe the booze might have had something to do with that!). Not amazingly, we had excellent service the rest of the night. :awe:
 

TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
Moderator
Sep 15, 2004
12,089
45
91
I tip on the after tax amount.

Here is a question, it came up just this weekend, a whole group of us were out eating, about 12-14 in all I think so the check had the 18&#37; gratuity on it. Would you tip on top of that?

When I used to work food service, I didn't get large groups all that often, but they would usually tip on top of it, which to me makes sense. I see the automatic 18% as a sort of annoyance fee, handling a single table of 8 can be more of a hassle than 2 tables of 4, especially if you are on your own (which our server was, reinforcements arrived when the food came out, but otherwise he was the only one on our table).

Thoughts?
 

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
17,081
136
Here is a question, it came up just this weekend, a whole group of us were out eating, about 12-14 in all I think so the check had the 18&#37; gratuity on it. Would you tip on top of that?

When I used to work food service, I didn't get large groups all that often, but they would usually tip on top of it, which to me makes sense. I see the automatic 18% as a sort of annoyance fee, handling a single table of 8 can be more of a hassle than 2 tables of 4, especially if you are on your own (which our server was, reinforcements arrived when the food came out, but otherwise he was the only one on our table).

Thoughts?
HELL FUCKING NO!

If tipping is institutionalized then thats all there fucking is to it. If the waitstaff doenst like 18% then they need to riot and push their boss around to get more.
 

Jumpem

Lifer
Sep 21, 2000
10,757
3
81
I tip on the after tax amount.

Here is a question, it came up just this weekend, a whole group of us were out eating, about 12-14 in all I think so the check had the 18% gratuity on it. Would you tip on top of that?

When I used to work food service, I didn't get large groups all that often, but they would usually tip on top of it, which to me makes sense. I see the automatic 18% as a sort of annoyance fee, handling a single table of 8 can be more of a hassle than 2 tables of 4, especially if you are on your own (which our server was, reinforcements arrived when the food came out, but otherwise he was the only one on our table).

Thoughts?

If I see a check with an automatic gratuity added, I refuse to pay it. Attempting to force me to tip a certain amount is crossing the line.
 

OCGuy

Lifer
Jul 12, 2000
27,224
37
91
If I see a check with an automatic gratuity added, I refuse to pay it. Attempting to force me to tip a certain amount is crossing the line.

Most restaraunts I go to will add it if you have a party over 6. Dont like it, dont eat there.

Being surprised when the bill comes isn't really their fault, unless they dont display it in a conspicuous way.
 

TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
Moderator
Sep 15, 2004
12,089
45
91
If I see a check with an automatic gratuity added, I refuse to pay it. Attempting to force me to tip a certain amount is crossing the line.

It is a large group gratuity, almost every restaurant does this.
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
I think it would be more interesting to look at what restaurants do when they "automatically add a tip of 15&#37; to parties of 8 or more." Do they add the tip to the after tax amount, or the before tax amount. Would it be within your right to argue that the tip should be on the food, not a tip on the tax?
 

TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
Moderator
Sep 15, 2004
12,089
45
91
I think it would be more interesting to look at what restaurants do when they "automatically add a tip of 15% to parties of 8 or more." Do they add the tip to the after tax amount, or the before tax amount. Would it be within your right to argue that the tip should be on the food, not a tip on the tax?

At this restaurant it was on the food before the tax, I also cannot recall if the tax was on food+gratuity or just food.
 

Joemonkey

Diamond Member
Mar 3, 2001
8,859
4
0
I usually just tip around 20&#37; of the bill after tax and don't worry about an extra couple bucks...
 

tokie

Golden Member
Jun 1, 2006
1,491
0
0
I've never heard of anyone tipping on top of the automatic large-group gratuity. I also don't know if they would calculate it using pre-tax or after-tax. Based on some of the restaurants I went to in NYC, they would calculate the automatic gratuity for large groups based on the after-tax amount. In Toronto I don't think this would be so, but then again I have never checked.
 

zCypher

Diamond Member
Aug 18, 2002
6,115
171
116
Are you tipping them because of how costly the meal was, or because you're pleased with their service? If the meal was very expensive but the service was terrible, do you feel the waiter is still entitled to a fat tip?
 

drinkmorejava

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2004
3,567
7
81
This was never an issue for me until I moved to CA. Half of the places don't even give the pre-tax amount on the tip receipt.

Pretentious assholes.
 

tokie

Golden Member
Jun 1, 2006
1,491
0
0
This was never an issue for me until I moved to CA. Half of the places don't even give the pre-tax amount on the tip receipt.

Pretentious assholes.

Is that not illegal to give a receipt without the tax on it? Seems like a way to fleece tourists or people who don't know the tax rate.
 

RockinZ28

Platinum Member
Mar 5, 2008
2,171
49
101
I tip whatever I feel they are worth, which most of the time isn't much.

I think it's just a vicious cycle. I don't dress up or wear expensive shit ever.

So at a decent restaurant, waiter sees me. Thinks, "Great, this guy isn't tipping for shit."
Proceeds to serve me like shit.
So I tip for shit.

In the event I do get good service despite my appearance, I show it with 20&#37;+, PRE-TAX though lol. I really hate sales tax.
 

TallBill

Lifer
Apr 29, 2001
46,017
62
91
HELL FUCKING NO!

If tipping is institutionalized then thats all there fucking is to it. If the waitstaff doenst like 18% then they need to riot and push their boss around to get more.

Yet about half of the time when I auto-gratuity someone they tip on top of it. I actually don't usually use this feature for large parties where I feel like I'll get a good tip anyways. It's called gambling at my bar because they could choose to stiff you and you've screwed yourself out of money

But I usually get 20% or more after tax from probably 75% of my customers. But we also don't get that many cheap fucks that come into where I work.