The digital tip jar
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Been reading thru the thread. No real input but I see it’s a red button subject. Here 15% is pretty standard in restaurants. I will tip always, usually rounding up to a round number, regardless of service. I see it just as a tax, and in this case justified for helping servers.
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Yeah, and the lower priced the restaurant, the higher percentage I tip. We had a $28 breakfast yesterday and I tipped $9. She was a good server and for the food quality we got it was a huge bargain. They 'depend on the kindness of strangers'.
It was a new First Watch, by the way. A favorite for years, but now we have a very modern one very close.
"My pronouns are FA/FO." - Mik, 2024
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@Mik said in The digital tip jar:
Yeah, and the lower priced the restaurant, the higher percentage I tip. We had a $28 breakfast yesterday and I tipped $9. She was a good server and for the food quality we got it was a huge bargain. They 'depend on the kindness of strangers'.
It was a new First Watch, by the way. A favorite for years, but now we have a very modern one very close.
First Watch is awesome. I do the same. For a $3.15 coffee I'll often tip 2 bucks. Maybe more if it's in the place in town and they're slammed.
You know what's funny about that? Somehow, magically, my order always seems to be ready ahead of some others' who ordered before me. I guess it's because the baristas there hate cash tips.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in The digital tip jar:
@Doctor-Phibes said in The digital tip jar:
It doesn't frustrate me at all. I find watching Aqua becoming incandescent very entertaining.
Ever pay your rent only with tip money?
How 'bout all your food?
All your gas?No, but I have danced with the devil by the pale moonlight.
And one time I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. Because the coffee SUCKED!
Proud supporter of Plan 2525. Everything you think, do and say will be in the pill you took today.
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@Doctor-Phibes said in The digital tip jar:
@Aqua-Letifer said in The digital tip jar:
@Doctor-Phibes said in The digital tip jar:
It doesn't frustrate me at all. I find watching Aqua becoming incandescent very entertaining.
Ever pay your rent only with tip money?
How 'bout all your food?
All your gas?No, but I have danced with the devil by the pale moonlight.
And one time I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. Because the coffee SUCKED!
I don't think it's a coincidence that the people here who have never had a job that relies on tips, and don't tip all that much themselves, would love to see tipping disappear because they "don't see the value in it."
Please love yourself.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in The digital tip jar:
I don't think it's a coincidence that the people here who have never had a job that relies on tips, and don't tip all that much themselves, would love to see tipping disappear because they "don't see the value in it."
I almost always tip about 20%, is that not much?
I accept that the US culture is based around significant tipping for low-paid workers. I do feel that your reaction of "How dare you!" whenever anybody dares to question this implies that you're rather emotionally invested in the whole thing.
Proud supporter of Plan 2525. Everything you think, do and say will be in the pill you took today.
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@Mik said in The digital tip jar:
If it ain't broke it don't need fixing. It may not be what other places do, but it's what we do.
It is what it is. The idea that it's broken is a bit extreme, but the idea that it couldn't conceivably be improved upon is probably bogus too.
It is OK to disagree with things and actually say it out loud. Aqua sounds a bit like certain English people who defend the British Royal Family when anybody dares criticise them, or more accurately the system they represent
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I'd disagree with that. It would be more like he is a WIndsor.
It might be improvable. Most things are. But things develop the way they do because there is benefit for those involved. Good servers earn good money for a taxing job, mostly through tips. I haven't seen any Americans on here saying we should change it, just folks from other places. I'd say the problem is not the system, but their unfamiliarity with it.
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@Doctor-Phibes said in The digital tip jar:
@Aqua-Letifer said in The digital tip jar:
I don't think it's a coincidence that the people here who have never had a job that relies on tips, and don't tip all that much themselves, would love to see tipping disappear because they "don't see the value in it."
I almost always tip about 20%, is that not much?
I accept that the US culture is based around significant tipping for low-paid workers. I do feel that your reaction of "How dare you!" whenever anybody dares to question this implies that you're rather emotionally invested in the whole thing.
I've no problem with people not liking the tipping system. I have a problem with someone with no personal experience with the industry and as Mik said unfamiliarity tell me how wrong I've been living my life all this time with the jobs I've had.
. I mean by all means, for as much as you complain about paying "extra" for what you perceive as nothing, there are plenty of alternatives at your disposal. McDonald's has screens now, you don't even have to talk to anyone. Maybe that's more your speed and if it is, you're more than welcome to go there. It's not like "British hospitality" is even a thing.
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Where did I complain about paying extra for something I perceive as nothing?
Where did I say you’ve been living wrong?
I never said any of that. I said I thought the base pay should be a little higher and maybe the reliance on tips a little lower.
And I have family members who’ve worked in the system plenty, as it happens. Obviously I haven’t. I grew up somewhere else.
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I’ve said before that I absolutely love to tip. It means I received good service and had an excellent time. It’s the tip creep that I have an issue with. That brew pub thing is a perfect example. If I’m sitting at a table, and a server comes up, gives me a menu, maybe recommends a particular sandwich and beer. Brings me my drink and food in a fairly prompt manner, then brings my bill, takes the payment, then great. That’s 20%. If the server goes beyond that, maybe suggests I avoid a certain beer or sandwich, engages in some light conversation, is checking up with me when the glass is 3/4 of the way empty to see if I would like another, they are getting more. If, on the other hand I sit at a table, scan a QR Code, make my selection, and then pay electronically from the device and then somebody walks out, drops the stuff off at the table and leaves? That’s most definitely a non-tip and should definitely be a minimum wage job. Hell, a McDonald’s employee does more. If you add on a 15% service charge on top of that? Not only no tip, but you’re not getting my business anymore.
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Yes, tip creep is definitely a thing and it’s pernicious
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@Aqua-Letifer said in The digital tip jar:
It's not like "British hospitality" is even a thing.
How dare you!
It's right up there with American self-deprecation.
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Doctor-Phibes said in The digital tip jar:
Where did I complain about paying extra for something I perceive as nothing?
Where did I say you’ve been living wrong?
I never said any of that. I said I thought the base pay should be a little higher and maybe the reliance on tips a little lower.
Well, bro, you said this above:
I hate the whole tipping thing.
It would be a lot easier if people just got paid decently, and we didn't have to worry about this shit.You then proceeded to complain about a $20 tip for a $200 moving charge.
I grew up in a tourist area. It ain't Yosemite, but what're you gonna do, people wanted to be there. My first jobs were tip-dependent. And 3 other times in my life, tip-based jobs saved my ass.
My issue is NOT that you don't like tipping, man. And sure, tip creep's a big freaking problem, in part because it devalues its usage everywhere else.
I worked for tips for about 10 years total. At one point, I had no bank account, and all my money was in a goddamn shoebox. My job saved my ass specifically because I worked for tips. Guaran-fucking-tee you if they had been tip-free jobs with higher earnings I'd have had a serious income drop, and I would have been absolutely fucked.
My issue is that you think you know better than that and find it funny I take these things seriously.
Please love yourself.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in The digital tip jar:
You then proceeded to complain about a $20 tip for a $200 moving charge.
I don't remember the exact conversation, but we paid a lot more than a $20 tip to our movers. More like 10-15 times that much.
And to be honest, I don't think that's reasonable. I'd have much rather had it baked into the price. Apart from anything else, there's the uncertainty of how much is reasonable.
And it's not that you take it seriously that I find funny, it's that you get so freaking mad with people who disagree with you.
Proud supporter of Plan 2525. Everything you think, do and say will be in the pill you took today.
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I have never received good service at any of these restaurants that have moved away from tipping in lieu of a service fee or increased menu prices.
Me/rry/Christmas
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@LuFins-Dad said in The digital tip jar:
I have never received good service at any of these restaurants that have moved away from tipping in lieu of a service fee or increased menu prices.
Pro tip: Europe isn't known for its outstanding wait staff.
And as hard to believe as it is, neither is England.
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Since we're all so keen on cultural diversity, I should say that in a comparison between affordable British and American restaurants, there's absolutely no comparison. America wins hands down. At the higher end I don't think that's necessarily true. I've been really quite disappointed at a number of more expensive American restaurants. The quality of food doesn't seem to track with price, and neither does the service.
Pubs and drinking establishments is another thing Admittedly, you'll get very friendly service in an American pub, but the overall experience is often lackluster at best.
And if you're going to start comparing higher end French, Italian and American food, ok, that's another conversation...
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@Aqua-Letifer said in The digital tip jar:
So how much do you tip, big spender?
If in the US in a place that has tipping, 15-20%
