# How do you actually tip in USA?



## Protocol (10 Jan 2007)

I have a few questions about *tipping* in the USA/NYC.

In *diners/cafes/restaurants*, how do you actually tip?  I know that you are expected to tip twice the sales tax of 8.65%.

Ok, so is the bill presented to you with the pre-tax total, and the tax amount, and you then do some maths in your head to calculate twice the tax and add it on?

Or do you say it to the waiter?

In *bars*, I read that the tip is $1 per drink? Is this correct? It seems a lot.  So if you are a couple, and buy 2 drinks, are you expected to tip $2?? Do you pay for each round, or at the end, as in Europe, e.g. Germany?

In *hotels*, I have always carried my own bags.  But, unless TV is lying to me, it seems there are "bellboys" to carry bags up to the room. Again, as on TV, I am expected to tip them. How much?

What about the *room cleaning*? I been in many Irish and European hotels.  But it seems in the USA you should tip the chambermaid. How much?  And how?

Jeez, I will need a lot of dollar bills.  Will an Irish bank give me 100 dollars in dollar bills?


----------



## ClubMan (10 Jan 2007)

*Re: How do you actual tip in USA?*



Protocol said:


> I have a few questions about *tipping* in the USA/NYC.


You generally have to tip *everybody *and the rule of thumb where a bill is presented, as you point out, is roughly twice the sales tax for satisfactory service and maybe up to 20% for better. If you get it wrong you'll soon be told!


> In *diners/cafes/restaurants*, how do you actually tip?  I know that you are expected to tip twice the sales tax of 8.65%.
> 
> Ok, so is the bill presented to you with the pre-tax total, and the tax amount, and you then do some maths in your head to calculate twice the tax and add it on?


 The tax will be itemised so you can just double and round it easily enough.


> Or do you say it to the waiter?


 Say what?


> In *bars*, I read that the tip is $1 per drink? Is this correct? It seems a lot.  So if you are a couple, and buy 2 drinks, are you expected to tip $2??


 I've always found this a bit vague. I usually do c. 10% on rounds with a floor of a $1. I'm not really sure what the etiquette is to be honest. I do know that two drinks (e.g. glasses of wine) in parts of _California _could easily be $20 so $1 or $2 is not that big as a percentage. If you have a non drinker with you some places will do free designated driver non alco drinks.


> Do you pay for each round, or at the end, as in Europe, e.g. Germany?


 It seems to vary and I think you may be able to ask for either system in some bars.


> In *hotels*, I have always carried my own bags.  But, unless TV is lying to me, it seems there are "bellboys" to carry bags up to the room. Again, as on TV, I am expected to tip them. How much?


 I always carry my own but I'd guess that a few spare $s and $5 would be a good tip assuming you're not travelling too heavy.


> What about the *room cleaning*? I been in many Irish and European hotels.  But it seems in the USA you should tip the chambermaid. How much?  And how?


 Not sure about that one.


> Jeez, I will need a lot of dollar bills.  Will an Irish bank give me 100 dollars in dollar bills?


Make sure you check before you tip - all those _US _bills look the same at a glance.


----------



## EvilDoctorK (10 Jan 2007)

Protocol said:


> What about the *room cleaning*? I been in many Irish and European hotels.  But it seems in the USA you should tip the chambermaid. How much?  And how?



I don't mind the rest of the US tipping culture so much but this one really gets me - especially in expensive hotels .. I mean if I'm paying $2-300 a night I kind of expect that to include a clean room as standard !

Staying in a cheaper / smaller place for more than a night or two I don't mind ... but staying in a large business hotel in a big city for a night or two I feel I'm paying enough already

Also - don't worry too much about having to have loads of $ bills to get the exact tip amount ... in a restaurant / diner etc. if you ask them for change they know what it's for and they'll  happily break a larger note for you !


----------



## Thrifty1 (10 Jan 2007)

Hi Protocol, i was told to tip about 15% as standard and more if you are happy with the service.
As regards the drinks i think as well its a dollar a drink, you pay at the end and when you get a drink i think you are supposed to take out the dollar each time and leave it on the table beside your drinks (so it builds up).

I could be totally wrong but thats what myself and friend did and it seemed ok.

The bartender should also buy you a drink at some stage.

As far as i could see when i was there you are supposed to tip EVERYONE. ME -  i only tipped waiters, taxi drivers, barmen.

I didnt see anyone cleaning my room, and the bellboys were on strike !!


----------



## Satanta (10 Jan 2007)

Thrifty1 said:


> As regards the drinks i think as well its a dollar a drink, you pay at the end and when you get a drink i think you are supposed to take out the dollar each time and leave it on the table beside your drinks (so it builds up).
> 
> I could be totally wrong but thats what myself and friend did and it seemed ok.


This is exactly how the Americans themselves (at least the ones I know/visited) do it. 



			
				Thrifty1 said:
			
		

> The bartender should also buy you a drink at some stage.


Not sure I've ever seen/heard of this one before. We had some fairly late nights, with around 6 - 10 people and about 6 - 10 drinks each (more than once or twice), and I never came across the bartender giving a free drink as a result. 

I have gotten free drinks through random conversations with bar managers/owners where they claim the old Irish heritage and get chatting about it. I doubt if it had anything to do with tipping as from my experience it was after one drink and they gave the second free.


----------



## tinkerbell (10 Jan 2007)

We were advised to tip the hotel cleaning staff at least a dollar per person per room per night.  Staying 14 nights with three of us - well it does add up.  But I have to say they did clean it extra well after that!   Wages for hotel and restaurant can be very low in some states we were told and they depend heavily on tips from tourists!


----------



## aonfocaleile (10 Jan 2007)

Maybe the practice of the bar staff buying you a round has died out, but this was always my experience if we had bought several drinks ourselves and tipped the bar staff as described above.


----------



## zag (10 Jan 2007)

I always make sure to have a few $1 bills in my pocket when out and about in the states.  As mentioned above, the notes are all the same colour and size, so the last thing I want to do is fumble with my money and give someone $200 instead of $2 when in a hurry or it's dark or it is otherwise hard to check the notes.

I normally tip the chambermaids wherever I am unless it is a single overnighter.

I don't think I have ever (10-15 stays) had a bellboy take my bags anywhere.  Normally they are available, but unless you look like the type of person who needs/wants to have their bags brought up they hover in the background.

Shuttle drivers (for your hotel) are always usefull people to get on the good side of, so a few dollars doesn't go amiss when you arrive.

In restaurants I normally go for 15%ish, depending on service levels - added on to the bill where it is charged to the room or added on to the credit card slip where I am not in the hotel.

z


----------



## brodiebabe (10 Jan 2007)

Protocol said:


> What about the *room cleaning*? I been in many Irish and European hotels. But it seems in the USA you should tip the chambermaid. How much? And how?


 
Yes, chambermaids should be tipped as they are paid very low wages and rely on these tips.  $2 per person per night is about the right for this.

The tip should be lef on the bed stand or somewhere like this.  A note can be placed on it saying "For housekeeping" to make it clearer, if necessary.


For advise on tipping check out the discussion forums on


----------



## Guest127 (10 Jan 2007)

anythime I have left loose change on the dressing table in bedrooms its never removed so I just add a few coins daily and leave it there when going. (sometimes you  might actually have to dip back into it and for some reason you always feel guilty). know a true story of two friends of mine who had a meal in usa. the bill came to $91  ( about 8 years ago)  and they left $100 on the table and left the restaurant.   they got as far as the car  park when the waitress came after them and told them a tip of $9   wasn't enough and that she was relying on tips for her wages! true story. the other side is two nieces of mine worked in a restaurant/hotel in new jersey for  two summers when they were in college and said the tips were easily around $400 per week. and that was over 10  years ago. needless to say they were made up. waiting on tables was much more profitable than cleaning rooms  and as one had a student visa and the other didn't most of the time the student with the visa worked 'up front' and the  other didn't. (both thought the owners were mafia)


----------



## ClubMan (10 Jan 2007)

cuchulainn said:


> anythime I


Forgot to tip your _ISP_?


----------



## mell61 (10 Jan 2007)

I always tip chambermaids daily, as friends who did the J1 said that where they worked the head chambermaid used to find out who was leaving that day and go in and take those tips, assuming that it was a cummulative tip for the week or so they stayed.
Conversation with same person now also has me washing the glasses they provide in boiling water, even if they look clean, and locking my toothbrush into my suitecase!


----------



## Guest111 (10 Jan 2007)

cuchulainn said:


> anythime I have left loose change on the dressing table in bedrooms its never removed so I just add a few coins daily and leave it there when going. (sometimes you might actually have to dip back into it and for some reason you always feel guilty). know a true story of two friends of mine who had a meal in usa. the bill came to $91 ( about 8 years ago) and they left $100 on the table and left the restaurant. they got as far as the car park when the waitress came after them and told them a tip of $9 wasn't enough and that she was relying on tips for her wages! true story. the other side is two nieces of mine worked in a restaurant/hotel in new jersey for two summers when they were in college and said the tips were easily around $400 per week. and that was over 10 years ago. needless to say they were made up. waiting on tables was much more profitable than cleaning rooms and as one had a student visa and the other didn't most of the time the student with the visa worked 'up front' and the other didn't. (both thought the owners were mafia)


 
Have to say we should resist this type of rubbish coming in here!
When I'm in the States I generally tip 20% in bars and restaurants but have on occasion witheld the tip due to diabolical service. Not just bad...diabolical. The waiter challenged me on this one time and I told him why I was disgruntled and where to go.
These people obviously don't earn very much as a basic salary. 
But if you're totally objective, how do you end up in a situation where customers are subsidising peoples wages while the owners make a fortune. It is crazy.
I think outstanding service deserves a big tip, good to alright a standard tip and poor absolutely nothing. If they challenge you, stand your ground!


----------



## Dublinchick (10 Jan 2007)

Re tipping two things to note (in New York anyway), for parties of six or more in most places they will automatically add the tip. Also in some places, when they hear an accent they will automatically add the tip (they assume that people from overseas won't tip or will tip poorly), so check your bill to make sure that the charge hasn't already been added.


----------



## jmayo (10 Jan 2007)

No wonder the americans don't drink much if they are expected to tip $1 a drink.

I also believe it is a bit much to have to tip the chamber maid if you are already paying $2-30 night for a room.
I also will admit not tipping if the service is cr**, although that scenario usually occurrs in this country rather than states.


----------



## Ballyman (10 Jan 2007)

Simple solution that has never seen me wong and I travel over to the states a lot.

Chamber maid. $10 a week I leave on the pillow on checkout. No more no less

In restauraunts etc. then it's 10% and round it up to the next dollar. E.g. Bill is $27.15, then give $3 tip. Walk out the door.

In a bar, if you order a round and the bill begins with $1x (eg $16) then leave a $1 tip on the bar and walk away.
If your bill begins $2x then leave a $2 tip and walk away, etc.

If you have a tab then it's the same advice on payment as the 10% rule above.

You cannot go wrong by following this.


----------



## Guest111 (10 Jan 2007)

Ballyman said:


> Simple solution that has never seen me wong and I travel over to the states a lot.
> 
> Chamber maid. $10 a week I leave on the pillow on checkout. No more no less
> 
> ...


 
Afraid you can! The "10% and round it up" rule generally applied in Ireland does not suffice in the States. In my experience anything less than 15-18% elicits a pretty nasty response.
I've never seen or heard of tipping chambermaids for making up your room. That's just farcical...certainly takes the madness to a new level!


----------



## soc (10 Jan 2007)

I'm temporarily living in the States, and Ballyman, you're pretty close to how my husband & I deal with tipping here.



Ballyman said:


> Chamber maid. $10 a week I leave on the pillow on checkout. No more no less


We leave $1 bill, with 'Thankyou' note out every morning for housekeeping, when in hotel.



Ballyman said:


> In restauraunts etc. then it's 10% and round it up to the next dollar. E.g. Bill is $27.15, then give $3 tip. Walk out the door.


That's exactly what we do for basic service.  If server is very good, we double it (e.g. $6 tip).  If server is VERY poor, we leave less than 'rounded' 10%.

We eat out quite a bit over here... and have never had any problems regarding tipping.


----------



## soy (10 Jan 2007)

In my experience the minimum tip would be 15% in Restaurants and 10% in bars. 

This seems to be creeping up all teh time. 10 years ago 10% - 12% would have been the norm.
I agree with Andy Doof about subsidising wages while owners make a fortune.


----------



## ClubMan (10 Jan 2007)

soc said:


> That's exactly what we do for basic service.  If server is very good, we double it (e.g. $6 tip).  If server is VERY poor, we leave less than 'rounded' 10%.


Twice the tax which would be around 15% in a lot of places would be considered the norm for satisfactory service. Do you ever go back to the places where you tip 10%?


----------



## miak (11 Jan 2007)

If you sit at the bar or go to the bar for your drinks you should tip the barman each time. I worked in a bar in Manhattan and the barmen always hated tourists who wouldn't tip per drink but only at the end, sometimes they would even point that to the person! The barman will be more inclined to buy you a drink back if you tip this way.

Working as a waitress my weekly wage was ridiculously small, if I remember correctly it was $120 but I made alot in tips! Same goes for chambermaids etc.

You don't always have to tip in cash either, I was often tipped by credit card, the person would add my tip on to the credit card and then the barman would put it through at the end of the night! Sounds dodge but was commonplace.

Most people also tip taxi drivers.


----------



## PMU (11 Jan 2007)

A waitress I met told me that where she worked the floor staff had to tip the bar staff when they came on shift. The bar staff had little direct contact with customers so wouldn’t get much in tips from that source.  If the floor staff didn’t tip the bar staff, the bar staff would not serve them, gave them bad service etc.  So each member of the floor staff started the evening out of pocket and was relying on tips to cover what they had paid the bar staff and then for their own benefit.  Something to consider when tipping.


----------



## redchariot (11 Jan 2007)

I was in a restaurant in Phoenix last year and the service in my opninon was awful. Now I tipped $1 just to make the point (bill was about $75 pretax between 3 of us).

I was virtually ambushed by the staff insisting I leave a proper tip. I refused to due to the service and ended up complaining to the manager due to this treatment who in fairness apologised on behalf of her staff and assured me that it would be dealt with.

I think that it is a pretty poor system where you *are expected* to tip and are harassed otherwise. It should be to the discretion of the person. Now don't get me wrong, I tip well where I think it is due (up to 20% if I think the service was outstanding) but I absolutely refuse to tip if it is below par.


----------

