Tipping at a restaurant

[Andy Velebil]

Tipping varies in different countries, or areas, so I'm curious as to what is customary for you when it comes to tipping in a restaurant where say you've bought or brought a bottle(s) of wine or Port?

For example, say you're at a restaurant where you see a nice bottle of Port on the list for a good price. You decide to get it. Say your food bill is about $50 and the wine portion of the bill is $200. Do you tip based on the $250 total, the $50 food bill, adding a little more for the wine, or something else entirely? What about if you brought your own pre-decanted bottle and you brought your own wine glasses, how would you tip in that circumstance?

Like I mentioned, I know tipping varies in different places so if you could also indicate what's customary in the area you live so it would be helpful to those of us who may visit.

[Moses Botbol]

My cousin is one of the top waiters in Boston, makes 6 figures, put one kid through Harvard, the other through law school, and has been working at top places for 30+ years. He says you should not tip equally on wine that you would tip on food. What is the difference in service between a $50 bottle of wine and a $500 bottle?

Tips are becoming meaningless if they are so obligatory. I have friends that tip 20% when the food comes out wrong & late, tastes horrible and was spilled on them. What's the point of tip then?

[Michael T]

I have friends that tip 20% when the food comes out wrong & late, tastes horrible and was spilled on them. What's the point of tip then?

The waiter is not always responsible for those things, I try to tip based on what they did and the service they gave, not what the kitchen did right or wrong. But to answer the original question I would not tip the same on the cost of the wine as I would on the food.

[Eric Menchen]

I usually tip around 20% in the US, based on the pre-tax total, less for poor service. I hadn't thought to tip less based on an expensive bottle of wine, but I rarely spend more than $50 for a bottle, and I can't remember the last time I spent more than $100.

[Moses Botbol]

I have friends that tip 20% when the food comes out wrong & late, tastes horrible and was spilled on them. What's the point of tip then?

The waiter is not always responsible for those things

I would disagree with that. Waiter is responsible for everything that happens or does not happen at my table. I don't care about any how and why.

[Steve Pollack]

I usually tip around 20%, and much higher than that if corkage fees are waived or reduced. I rarely buy wine off the list; I almost always bring my own wine to dinner. Excellent wine service and stemware are greatly appreciated, enhance the meal, and are worth the price to me.

I penalize the wait staff for errors they make, and don't penalize for anything they are not responsible for. If the food doesn't taste right, that is not the fault of the wait staff. And at most reputable restaurants, the offending dish will be replaced with no charge.

[Eric Menchen]

I side a bit more with Moses, but not entirely, on the responsibility thing. The wait staff is my representative to the kitchen. If I don't like how something tastes, maybe that is my taste. If it tastes flawed, I tell the wait staff and it is up to them to address the problem. If it comes late or cold, that might have been the fault of the wait staff, or possibly the kitchen; but if the kitchen, the wait staff should take that up with them. Also, a comment like, "the kitchen is a bit backed up and your main course will be a little longer," in advance, will go a long way.

[Tom D.]

Complicated subject, and it is sometimes good to ask the restaurant about their tip-out policy first (tip-out requires waiters to share their tips with other staff (bar, kitchen, etc).

I think most restaurants now ask waiters to tip-out a certain % of the waiter's total TIPS for the evening, but I believe there are still some restaurants where waiters must tip-out based on SALES, including alcohol. In the latter case, if the waiter is required to share, say, 5-10% of SALES with other staff, a bill that has a hefty wine component combined with a customer who tips only on the food, could really penalize the waiter unfairly.

But in any case, if I'm able to spend serious money on a bottle of wine, I couldn't see not tipping generously on that full amount (if service is excellent, of course).

[Paul Fountain]

This is an interesting topic and it does vary significantly around the world.
Tipping is not considered mandatory in Australia and I reckon that about 1/2 the people do and half don't. I'd probably tip about 10%, as long a reasonable job has been done, but the more expensive the wine is, I'd probably tip a smaller %. Andy's question is a bit academic anyway as finding a reasonably priced bottle of port on a menu over here doesn't really happen
Service staff are on much better rates than they are in the US.
I also expect tips to be shared with the kitchen and i'm likely to tip a little less when it isn't. Back in my younger days I used to work in a kitchen and I was paid as a lower level chef. My hourly rate was a couple of dollars less than most of the waitstaff. The 1st or 2nd year apprentices would have been getting less than 1/2 what the waitstaff were paid. I did get a share of the tips, as did the apprentices, but the head chef, who was paid much better, didn't.
As of August 1st, a PIN is required to be used with all credit cards in Australia, and there is real concern in the industry about the impact this will have on tips as it significantly changes the process pf paying in a restaurant.

[Al B.]

Standard tip rate in the UK is 10% of the total, including wine. I usually tip based on the total bill, including wine, even if the wine bill is hefty. My logic for this is that if I order a $200 bottle of wine, I expect a different level of service. For example, I expect to be able to call in advance and have the bottle decanted an hour or two (more if its port) before I arrive. The decanter should be waiting for me (or brought to the table when I arrive) and the glasses should be top quality. I also expect the cork and empty bottle to be available if I want to take them home.

If I buy a $50 bottle of wine, I don't really expect all of these extra bits of service. Hence I will tip a larger amount if I buy that special bottle.

[Tom Archer]

For alcohol sales in British pubs, the tipping norm is zero, although staff are bought drinks from time to time.

However, now a month in to owning my local pub - which despite 36 years as a regular customer is a daily learning curve - I find that some tourists are blissfully unaware of British tipping habits..

[Bradley Bogdan]

I was listening to a great NPR discussion between economists on the merits/drawbacks of tip based industries. Their surprisingly well researched and convincing conclusion was that you get better and more consistent service in an industry with no expected tips. In other industries, expected tipping actually seems to breed corruption rather than encourage better service.


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[Eric Menchen]

Did those economists go to France?

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[Andy Velebil]

Did those economists go to France?

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They tried, but the French were on strike every time they arrived

[Andy Velebil]

For alcohol sales in British pubs, the tipping norm is zero, although staff are bought drinks from time to time.

However, now a month in to owning my local pub - which despite 36 years as a regular customer is a daily learning curve - I find that some tourists are blissfully unaware of British tipping habits..

Tom,
So what's been the hardest part, or biggest surprise, of now being an owner.

[Tom Archer]

So what's been the hardest part, or biggest surprise, of now being an owner.

Nothing's been really hard, and I've been enjoying the challenges.

Biggest surprises are:

1) Despite having around twenty different spirits on offer, the house vodka outsells all the others put together. (It is, primarily, a beer drinkers pub)

2) That the original wooden fabric of the building, which goes back at least 300 years, is a lot sounder than I expected - I've yet to uncover any significant decay.

3) That in addition to Oak, parts of the old wooden structure are made of Hornbeam - which is even harder..

[Peter W. Meek]

I'm in the fairly odd position of going to the same restaurant twice a week, every week. We always sit at the same table, and only call to make a "negative" reservation (if for some reason, we can't make it).

My inclination (having worked as a busboy for several whiles in my misspent youth) is to tip generously. (And also because of the weird situation in the US where food servers may be paid less than minimum wage, and be taxed by the IRS based on presumed levels of tipping.)

I also have an inclination (firmly suppressed) to tip a cute female server more heavily than otherwise (genderwise or attractivewise). I also might buy a fairly cheap bottle one night and a fairly expensive bottle another night (which has nothing to do with the quality of service).

My solution for the past many years is to tip a flat amount, which usually works out to be a very generous tip (based on price of food AND wine), but occasionally is extraordinary, and sometimes is merely a good tip. I've been there often enough (nearly for the entire 30 years of this restaurant's existence) that I feel able to communicate my opinion on service (and kitchen performance) verbally, rather than economically. I do tip differently when we have extra guests at the table, or for personal service like carrying cases of wine out to my car (and re-parking it near the door when I have had to park at the other end of the parking lot). I also design and print up cards every year and enclose a gift for every employee of the restaurant (usually around 50-55) right down to the dishwashers, because you don't get good service unless the servers get good back-up.

I realize that this is no solution unless you are a "fixture" at a particular restaurant, and have fairly regular habits, but it works for me.

[Andy Velebil]

So what's been the hardest part, or biggest surprise, of now being an owner.

Nothing's been really hard, and I've been enjoying the challenges.

Biggest surprises are:

1) Despite having around twenty different spirits on offer, the house vodka outsells all the others put together. (It is, primarily, a beer drinkers pub)

2) That the original wooden fabric of the building, which goes back at least 300 years, is a lot sounder than I expected - I've yet to uncover any significant decay.

3) That in addition to Oak, parts of the old wooden structure are made of Hornbeam - which is even harder..

Glad to hear the buildings in good shape. How does Port sell in a typical English pub? Do people buy it, buy only certain cheaper brands, or do people (other than us Port nerds) even ask for it?

[Al B.]

How does Port sell in a typical English pub? Do people buy it, buy only certain cheaper brands, or do people (other than us Port nerds) even ask for it?

On opening night I can report that Tom's pub had on offer by the glass Offley 1963 from magnum, 2000 Sandeman Vau from double magnum; and 1974 colheita (from Quevedo, I think) and a Fine Ruby Reserve by the bottle. This is just slightly better than the average British pub.

[Andy Velebil]

How does Port sell in a typical English pub? Do people buy it, buy only certain cheaper brands, or do people (other than us Port nerds) even ask for it?

On opening night I can report that Tom's pub had on offer by the glass Offley 1963 from magnum, 2000 Sandeman Vau from double magnum; and 1974 colheita (from Quevedo, I think) and a Fine Ruby Reserve by the bottle. This is just slightly better than the average British pub.

Yeah, uh huh, OK