Tipping, automatic gratuity for large parties

[By-Tor]

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However, when I hear people talk of the obligation to tip it seriously wants me to not tip at all. If more people didnt tip, then maybe they would stop "expecting" it and work a little harder.

rJ_

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...good thing they would still be there to wait on you if you didn't tip, since they come to work for fun and all.

-oh wait, I forgot about their wage (which is $2.13 an hour in Texas.)

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Are there any other industries you feel us consumers need to subsidize due to their poor business models?

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DaveR:
I'm assuming the wine was good, and everybody drank comparable amounts? $200. $150/person. I'm frequently accused of overtipping, though.


All:

I am coining the phrase "deja vOOT", even though I am personally a proponent of "oh-oh-tee". Deja vOOT is where you're positive you've read a thread (or portions of a thread) before. This $2.13 business sounds exactly like DasLeben's Applebee's thread. [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

[The DaveR]

OT, I overtip regularly as well. Wine was covered by me so Dids could live like Diablo for a day.

[onthebutton]

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Always provide great service and it works itself out. The 'big tips' will far outweight the stiffs in the long run.

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I'm sorry sir. This simply is not true. I worked in restaurants/bars for a long time while I put myself through school. Big tables seem to be MORE likely to stiff you than anyone else.

[Austiger]

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So 8 ppl = $300 in food. That's about $37 or so per person. How many bottles of wine in that $700?

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Two.

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Okay, first of all this is not at all what I was thinking of. I never worked in a place where $350 bottles were common-place. Maybe twice a year I would have a table ordering $350 bottles. $100-$150 bottles were sort of the high end where I have worked.

That said, I would tip $200, but $150 is fine in this situation since the wine is so expensive. It may seem like a lot, but it's less than $20 a person. And for people who can afford $350 bottles of wine, I don't think that's too much to ask. You get some good kharma along with it.

If the grat. was included, then I would just pay it and let it go. I could see you having just cause to ask the waiter/manager/captain/whoever to bring it down to 15% because of the wine situation, but again...it's beneath you. Plus worrying about the difference which probably amounts to about $3-4 per person just takes away from the whole experience. After 10 years in the restaurant business I can tell you the waiter is not laughing all the way to the bank.

[offTopic]

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Diablo for a day

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Where's that pitch me a reality show thread?

[El Diablo]

Daver,

So I'd tip something like $60 + $60 for the two bottles, for $120 total = $1120 bill. Since it's so close to 15%, I'd prob just tack on another $30 for $1150 total. If it were split among the 8, I'd prob just say either $140 or $150 each, depending on how good the service was.

[onthebutton]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
However, when I hear people talk of the obligation to tip it seriously wants me to not tip at all. If more people didnt tip, then maybe they would stop "expecting" it and work a little harder.

rJ_

[/ QUOTE ]

...good thing they would still be there to wait on you if you didn't tip, since they come to work for fun and all.

-oh wait, I forgot about their wage (which is $2.13 an hour in Texas.)

[/ QUOTE ]

Are there any other industries you feel us consumers need to subsidize due to their poor business models?

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I've said it in nearly every "tipping" thread I've posted in on OOT. You can either pay it yourself, or have it added on to the menu price. If more and more people ignore the societal convention of tipping that is the standard in the US, places will simply add 15-20% on to the price of menu items and alcohol to pay their waitstaff.

[DirtyDiggs]

I would reguard $120 there as a "good tip". As when I recieve a 20-22% on a usual table.

[colgin]

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At many restaurants it's standard for them to put an automatic gratuity for parties with more than eight people. Let's say you're out to a nice dinner at an 8+ group and the bill is pricey, but 70% of it is the wine. Gratuity automatically put on the total. Is this cool?

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Not cool for your group. Whether you are obligated to pay is one question. Whether you should feel that you owe that much is another and to that I would say definitely no. Where the lion's share of a bill is wine (particularly if you are talking about a small number of expensive bottles) I make adjustments to the tip rather than using a straight x% of the gross bill.