Not mine, but a friend. It happened at a nice restaurant in the city. A friend ate there, the service was awful so she left only a 10% tip. When she got her credit card bill, the amount on the statement for that meal did not match the receipt which she kept. Seems that the waitress was not happy with the "Paltry" tip and so changed the amount of the tip when she rang the tip up. My friend took the statement and receipt to the restaurant and talked to the manager. It was "no big deal" to him. He offered to make an adjustment on her card (I think he should have credited her the whole amount) but said nothing about talking to the waitress and had an attitude that it happened often. Indicated that perhaps she just punched the wrong key! Obviously, my friend has never returned to this restaurant and never will. The moral of the story is to keep your receipts and check them against your statement. And it wasn't a "mistake" in ringing -- it was obvious theft.

My sister and BIL took me to the horse races when I was visiting them years ago. We had a lovely lunch at the track and when it came time to pay the check BIL paid in cash. When the waitress brought back his change, she gave him all twenties and no smaller bills for a tip. He left the table to get change from the cashier and the waitress chased him all they way shouting that he didn't "pay me my tip!" Other customers stopped eating to turn and stare. BIL got his change from the cashier, turned to the waitress and explained that tipping isn't mandatory and is based on the level of satisfaction with the service. He then went on to give her a tip and tell her that the tip would have been much larger if she hadn't chased and yelled at him because he was very happy with the service we'd received, but the chasing and yelling not so much.

Dawn, it sounds like both of them could have used better judgement.

I almost always leave an appropriate tip, but I have been to restaurants where I have been preempted on this decision. It was on the couple of occasions when I have given the wait staff money for the check and then was asked, do you want change? In other words, can they keep the money for themselves instead of returning the balance to me. The answer - yes, I do want my change!

I worked one night shift at my restaurant, usually worked days. Had one table of the owners buddies, over $250 tab, no tip. Last time I worked a night shift for frat boys.

I had an experience at Red Lobster. DH had a meeting in our capital city. I was on my own for lunch and chose Red Lobster for their clam chowder and biscuits. It was a weekday and there were many office workers there for lunch. I ordered, ate, my check came quickly and I paid -- in cash with a $20 (Lunch as I recall was around $10) Then I waited and waited and waited and my waitress didn't come to check to see if I wanted more tea nor did she bring my change. In fact, I didn't see her at all anywhere on the floor. Finally I caught another waiter at a table near me and asked for my waitress. When she came, I asked where my change was. "Oh," she said, "I thought you said I could keep the change". Thinking I guess that I was on my lunch hour, that I would have to leave to get back to the office and she could pocket a cool $10 plus if she didn't come back.

When we got married, we were broke college students who both worked 2 jobs. For both of us, one of those jobs was a waitressing job where we relied on tips.

As a result, we have always been huge tippers. I know what it's like to rely on that for one AND I know how much it can just make your day to receive an unexpectedly large amount on a ticket.

The funniest one was on our 3rd or 4th anniversary, we went out to Olive Garden (I know, fancy huh). We were in really good moods and our waiter was nice, friendly and helpful. We left a 20 dollar tip which was basically 50 percent.

We went back a few months later and he saw us, remembered us and took really good care of us and we tipped him well again.

About a year later, we went to a different restaurant in town and the same guy was our waiter, he had changed jobs and he remembered us.

It's nice to know that such a relatively small thing can have such an impact on someone else that they remember you months later, even though you aren't a regular.

The best tip my hubby ever got was a 100 dollar tip from some regulars at Denny's right before Christmas. They had gotten to know him and he always provided excellent service so they gave him a (very welcome for broke 20 something's) nice Christmas present that really made our modest Christmas wonderful.

Best tip I ever got was actually at a job that didn't "allow" tipping. The circumstances are what make it the best. I worked at KMart in the layaway department when I was in high school and I had a customer that came in every few weeks with sales circulars to price match all of her items on layaway and pay her bill. She finished paying off her Christmas gifts about 2 weeks before Christmas and apparently asked management if she could tip me since I was always the one who helped her change all the prices and I was always friendly and helpful.

The official policy was no tipping so she gave me a 25 dollar gift card to the store and wrote a nice review for me which also earned me extra accolades from management. That was a really big deal to 17 year old me who made about 400 a month at my part time job.

Sometimes my friends and I will take up a table for longer than usual because we are meeting to socialize in addition to eating. I always leave an extra big tip if the server isn't surly about us keeping the table through the turn.

There have been times when I've been a guest of someone, a relative, who always tips exactly 15% on the pre-tax, food-only amount. If the service has been special, I often slip a little extra to the server when my host can't see me.

BTW, forgot to add that our bare minimum has always been at least 20-25%. Even if the experience was bad, food not right (usually not the servers fault) or service slower than normal. We are a family of 6, with 4 children under 10.

We both remember what it was like running a table like that with all the mess and extra attention needed for refills, etc. Tables with small kids also seemed to be lower tippers. I guess we just like to break the stereotype.

Eating out or getting your nails done or getting a massage, etc are luxuries. If I can afford to do it, I can afford to tip the staff a good amount. At the end of the day, I feel good because I was pampered or catered to or waited on, and the server feels good because they got a nice chunk of change.

Here in Australia tipping is very unusual, generally given for really, really exceptional service, and even then it's usually $10 or maybe $20. The wait staff don't expect tips as they do in the US so they're pleased with anything.

We went on a birthday dinner for one SIL, the whole fam-damily, half of whom are tediously picky. And one (then 4yo) nephew, hyperactive and uncontrolled by his parents. The restaurant chosen by the birthday lady was a really edgy Mexican restaurant with a lot of unusual menu items, mostly for sharing. (She likes interesting food. So do DH and I.)

After faffing around for about 20 minutes or more trying to get anyone to decide what they wanted (it's like herding cat at times) I just said to the waiter, half of us like spicy, the other half don't. Please bring us enough food that you think we will like, given the parameters. He did, and everyone seemed happy with the food.

Meanwhile hyperactive nephew is running around between the tables, crawling around under the table, banging his spoon on the table and generally being unpleasant and dangerous, though clearly his parents don't agree.

We left the waiter a $50 tip. No one should have to deal with this.

Personally TG, I think you're over-tipping, especially if you're talking about casual restaurants. The reason why doesn't matter.

Everyone can look at it differently but those who tip beyond what's customary aren't being generous, they're foolishly wasting their money. Do as you wish but to me, if you want to feel good about helping others (that's very nice of you) and want it to harken back to your own lean days, I'd suggest you'd do more good for the world by giving money to your college for grants or scholarships to students from low-income families. Or give money to a shelter, for people or animals. Or to any one of a dozen things in your town for those less fortunate.

When I was young I worked nights at a restaurant in the city. A few times a week a group of about 7 friends would come in, stay for hours, run me ragged with requests for free drink refills, or extra crackers or rolls. They would leave a huge mess and tip me (or any waitress who served them) a little bit of change. One time my tip was 37 cents. Since they stayed so long I usually served less customers because they went to the available tables in sections that were served by other waitresses.

These people were always rude. After they would leave you would have to clean crackers off the floor, spilled drinks, dirty Kleenex. One time the owner came in and saw the mess and asked me about it. I told her all about these customers. She told me "You don't have to serve them." I said "really?" She said "not worth it for you or me."

So the next time they came in I refused to serve them. But, not wanting to be a total jerk I told them they could move from my section and if the other waitresses wanted to serve them they could. The moved to another section, acted their usual way and tipped the waitress a $1.25. I think they wanted to teach me a lesson by putting that dollar bill on the table. After that nobody would serve them and they stopped coming.

Fudd, you can't be serious. There's no such thing as over tipping. Over generous? No such thing. We tip large because we can afford to and because we want to. And please don't lecture me on how to save the world. Your comments are very patronizing.

My BEST tipping story. When I was a waiter many years ago a table of 2 couples were seated in my section. The male customer pulled out $20 dollars in ones & put on the table in front of me.

He said he believes in tipping for the service he wants to receive. A noble idea!

He said that every time I messed up or didn't give them the service they want, they would remove a $1.00 bill and I would be left with what's leftover.

Let me tell you. I worked that table SO hard because they dangled the carrot. And I earned the whole $20.

True, the other tables in my section suffered a bit, but I was lucky to make $2 or $3 dollars off them. Not meaning they weren't equally as important. But knowing how much a tip I'm going to get first sure is a game changer.

Mostly because the tables I worked the HARDEST for and were the most demanding left low tips. The tables I visited only twice always seemed to leave good tips and I felt guilty because they didn't work me hard enough.

I had a friend where someone left her 2 pennies on the table sitting in a wad of ketchup. So mean. She picked those pennies up, ran after them and threw them at the customers when they were leaving the lobby.

Of course she was instantly fired, but she was so mad.

My worst tipping experiences came from people that would come in with a "2 for 1" meal coupon. They would only tip on one meal even though they are supposed to tip on the "full bill" prior to any discounts.

Oh well, those days are long over. Customer service is rough. To say the least.

" We tip large because we can afford to and because we want to."

You're calling me patronizing?

Overtipping is overtipping. It's not generosity. In my area and yours, it's a way to be showy and flaunt wealth. I don't suspect you do that, do you?

I know and have known plenty of people with big bucks. Maybe you do too. If you spend time with the classy ones, you come to understand it's important to them that people who are just passingly acquainted with them or encounter them in daily life will never know just how wealthy they are.

Yep, Fudd, you're so right. When we leave $20 on an $80 check (including tax, yet) instead of $16 or less, we're doing it to flaunt our wealth. *sigh*

We seldom eat out, and we enjoy the 2 for 1 deal at one restaurant. However, I always tip for 2 meals. She served both of us, and was efficient so there's no way I'd only tip the cost of one meal. However, I tip on the price before taxes.

Jasdip -- not only do I tip on the cost of 2 meals when I have a BOGO but often we share a meal (especially if we're traveling -- no way to bring food home if we're on the road) and when we do I tip as if we had both eaten. It's not their fault that we don't want so much food!

I have no story, just want to add, I will tip the server well if the food doesn't go right for some reason, but never for slow service. Well, not never. If it's super busy maybe I will. But they should know how to multitask.

I believe in generous tipping for good service. It's part of the price of good food/good service. I think it creates good will. I usually double the amount of the 6% tax and then add into that whatever I feel is appropriate. If the service is mediocre they get the 12%. I only ever made a statement with a tip once. I went to a seat-yourself-restaurant, that was not overly busy, and waited more than half and hour with no server showing up. I tried to flag someone down and got a quick nod of the head. I walked out with 2 pennies left on the table. I never went there again.

We seldom tip less than 15% and generally a lot more, around 20% or sometimes more if the service is exceptional. It totally depends on the meal, the restaurant and a lot of other factors. Our kids have all waited tables, or been bartenders in their college days, so we know from their stories how much of a struggle it is in that business. You can usually tell if it is the wait person's fault or the kitchen staff who has screwed up. If we get slow or bad service from the wait staff, then we tip accordingly, but never nothing.

I always keep my receipts for a few days and double check the amount of the tip. DH isn't so diligent although I tell him he needs to be. He's just not that organized.

I have heard that tips are pooled together and divided among servers in many cases. Am I totally wrong? I hope so.

That does happen sometimes maxmom. And a portion of it is given to busers, dishwasher, etc. If I remember correctly, those given cash don't always put it all in.

In 1990 my brother and I were traveling around in Europe, and at one point ended up in Prague, Czechoslovakia shortly after the country had opened it borders. We went to a restaurant, and after being seated the waiter explained that since a band was playing there was a one-drink minimum, so we each got a large mug of good brown beer. The waiter then brought the menu which were in Czech. He that saw we couldn't read the menu so he translated the entire menu for us. I ordered a goulash-like dish, and my brother ordered the schnitzel. We each had a second beer with the meal, and then later the waiter read the dessert menu for us. We each had a berry-filled crepe (which was good, but a little more egg-y than other crepes I've had)

When the bill came, we decided that the waiter had gone well above and beyond the usual expected level of service, and decided to tip an amount equal to the total bill. Given the exchange rate at the time, even with a 100% tip, the total was just over $5 for the two of us.

I rarely order soft drinks because of the empty calories. I don't sleep if I drink tea late in the day so I don't order it either. I appreciate servers who pay attention to the water drinkers. I'll tip a little bit extra because I know it's work without a cost attached. You can tell the servers who don't like to take orders for water. While I understand they may not get tipped on that because it doesn't figure into the final cost, crappy service is crappy service. If I don't get regular refills on my water I will tip lower.

Folks: just disregard the nonsense that a certain poster puts out. He likes playing the role of provocateur.

I worked at a fancy hotel while I was in college. I was a banquet waitress, so we didn't get tips but got a fair wage. At that time, 35 years ago, it was 10.00/hr which was huge. I did a luncheon for a group of about 8 businessmen, and they tipped me either 200.00 or 250.00, I don't remember which. I always overtip if the service is good, probably because I have "been there" and also because I can afford it.

As a single person, I often eat out alone. And typically the bill is not huge. Unless the service is really squirrelly and the server rude and inattentive, I always tip a full 20%, often rounding up. Why? The services and attention required for one customer is not all that different than that required for multiple customers (and a larger bill!) and the servers are generally working for minimum wage and need (and usually deserve) a proper tip. If the service is exceptionally good, I tip higher.

I am not by any stretch of the imagination wealthy - on more or less of a fixed income - but neither do I like the impression that single, older females are meager tippers. If I can afford to eat out, I can afford to tip appropriately. I also tip for take-out meals ordered from regular sit-down (not fast food) restaurants but not quite at the same level.

I also routinely tip my hairdresser, even though she is self employed and works from home. It is just an acknowledgement and a show of appreciation for good service.

In many countries, tipping is not the norm including Vietnam. One day, w went to a restaurant in Saigon and had a wonderful meal. Not only was the food delicious, but the service was excellent and our server was very helpful in explaining different types of dishes to us (what was in them, how they were prepared, etc.,) and she was very sweet and friendly too. When the food came, there were a couple of dishes we weren't sure how to eat, so she showed us how it was done.

When we paid the bill, we left a small (to us) tip, but generous to a person working in Vietnam because we appreciated the great job she had done in making our meal such a great experience. We had just stepped out onto the sidewalk when she followed us out with the tip in hand telling us we had paid too much. We tried to explain it was for her, but she wouldn't take it. So, instead we did our best to tell her how much we appreciated her service and left it at that. She seemed happy with what we said to her.

Twenty percent is our 'norm' in a restaurant. We tip in cash so that the waitstaff actually gets the whole tip and gets it immediately. Why trust the owner or management to distribute tips? However, if everyone ate out as rarely as we do, waitstaff would starve. We do contribute to a tip jar when we (also infrequently) get carry-out food. We tip barber and hairstylist 20% plus a Christmas tip. Before we retired to a fixed income, our tax accountant remarked that our charitable giving was a higher percent of income than he usually saw. (Still a far cry from tithing!)

Years ago I noticed older women at a new-to-me "Beauty Shop" tipping the 'Shampoo Girl' the same 25 cents they'd been tipping for the service for the past twenty years. I asked my hairdresser about it, and he said management made it up to her. I tipped appropriately. When I gave her a Christmas tip she quietly put it in her pocket along with all those quarters. At my next appointment she met me at the shop's door in tears, thanking me. I knew her DH was an invalid, and they were raising a granddaughter.

To give from plenty isn't remarkable. To give from little is *generous*.

Here's one that upset me. I was having my nails done with my SIL. SIL explained that it was her treat and she would be paying for both of us. I was at one station and she across the room. My techician was talking in Korean to her Then she shying said, "tip?" so I gave her a tip. Turns out my SIL gave my tip as well.

Maybe mine didn't know, but at the time I felt she did.

We always give 20 percent unless the service is absolutely horrible. We never base the tip on if we like the food or not.

Maybe this is just my opinion. I find it in bad taste when my server or whoever is the person providing the service starts talking about tipping during my event. I don't care to hear that they were 'stiffed' by the previous patron. If I have to hear about it, I assume it was probably deserved.

My husband dislikes it when the server picks up the bill and cash and asks if we need change back. Instead he prefers when they say they'll be back with the change and then he can either say thank you or keep it, depending on if he's included the tip or not.

The other day we left cash on the table and took our bill up to the cashier. We paid with a card there and the cashier actually asked if we had left a tip on the table since we didn't include it in the bill.

I would rather hand a tip (or leave it on the table) of a deserving server than contribute to a charity where I have little control of who the recipient of that contribution is. Here servers earn only $2.01 per hour and rely on tips to even make minimum wage. It's a tough job, I've done it. They deserve whatever we decide to tip. We always tip 20 to 25%, but aren't likely to go to a high end restaurant. We prefer fun, clean and friendly places that serve good food and beer.

Exactly, PK.

You fools lavishing minimum wage workers with 20-25% tips, who do you think you are, the Queen of England? ;-)

^^LOL!!

Here in WA state the minimum wage is $11 per hour and I am still compelled to tip 20-25%! Not sure what I'd do if servers were only paid $2.01 an hour. Is that even legal?? How on earth can anyone live on that?? I made more than that per hour with my very first (rather menial) job 50 years ago!

garden gal, I'm not saying it's right but it is the practice in restaurants. Most states have a "minimum" wage and that is a pittance because in the restaurant world they are supposed to make up the difference with tips. However, the fast food restaurants seem to be able to pay all of their workers at least the real minimum wage.

In my state tipped employees must be paid the federal minimum wage, but employers are allowed to take a "tip credit" down to $2.13/hr. So in effect, the restaurant is still only paying $2.13/hr unless the tips are so poor that the restaurant has to make up the difference.

Atomic Jay, you made me laugh! Queen of England indeed!

It's the same here, I think regarding restaurants having to pay at least minimum wage. I just noticed a discussion on my neighborhood Facebook page regarding what servers pay is from the restaurant and reported tips. It's been a long time since I worked in that industry.

Cutting and pasting my reply from the tip jars thread:

In California tips are taxed as a percentage of the sales so whether they are giving in cash or credit card is irrelevant.. Also waitstaff is paid full minimum wage not a tipped wage. With minimum wage rising this is presenting a newer problem for restaurant owner. Cooks and the back of the house have always earned more than servers because they cannot get tips. In some areas voters are voting in higher minimum wages,as much as 25% higher. So that means that the servers wages are nearing the back of house wages. A small business simply cannot afford to give every employee a 25% raise. So restaurants are considering simply having a service charge added to the bill the they can split among all staff. Currently cooks and other back of house workers cannot be given a share of the tips by law. Tips may be shared with front of house workers like busboys.

Also at what wage point do we do away with tipping? It is fine for a family to go out now and then and get excellent service and wish to leave a tip. But how about the 15.00 an hour delivery person or tow truck driver who has to grab a meal out? How do they feel about being expected to leave a 15% or 20% tip to someone who slaps a plate of eggs down for them and makes the same wage they do?

Adding the the post:

Higher minimum wages lead to less entry level jobs and work experience jobs for young people. Why would a business owner hire a teen when they could hire an adult for the same wage? I fear we are going to have a whole generation of over educated young people who will have no idea on how to find or keep a job. Minimum wage has always been for entry level, part time and seasonal employment. It has never been in it's history been meant to be a living wage. There are very few jobs where someone in the past would continue to make minimum wage after working somewhere for a few months. The exception would be in the food service industry where tips were expected to make up the difference. People who have actually worked in the restaurant business should know that waitstaff more often than not made far more than the cooks and even the so called managers who are often just given the title but are nothing more than hosts and hostesses who have extra duties at the employers whim.

We tip cash and put a big zero on the CC receipt. -0- I have hear lots of places don't always give the CC tips to their wait staff.