I'm just wondering what SEN's general consensus on tipping people like delivery boys for pizza or waiters/waitresses were. If they do a good job, I'll usually tip a little more than 15% of the bill. If I got bad service, I'll usually tip very little, and my friends would give me looks if I ever told them that, they just love tipping because it's a social norm. I also hate when people don't tip delivery for pizza, that is extremely annoying. They have to drive all the way to your house, making sure they have the right order and keeping it from spilling, the least you could do is tip a little more than a dollar. But I'd find it weird if someone tipped for takeout though.

edit: and yes, I think people would care because people usually tip based on their viewpoints of the service industry. If they believe that delivery and waitressing provides a service that deserves extra money compared to retail or any office job, they'll tip.

Post has been edited 2 time(s), last time on Feb 9 2010, 6:35 am by Taylor Swift.

Tips? Hell no.

I tip and I tip a butt load because my wife was a waitress and she is always like tip alot...
Like sometimes we go to like 40% I hate it!

On a serious note, I hate how tipping someone is no longer based on quality of service. When my entire family gets together (like 15 people or so) and we go to a nice restaurant, the bill can be upwards of $300. Because of the size of the bill, we are then expected to tip $30 as a bare minimum and at least $60 if they're great. Even if that server is terrible, they get a great tip just because of the price of food at the establishment. That's bullshit. I know plenty of great waiters and waitresses working at complete dumps making like $5 to $10 per bill, and I know of complete assholes at expensive restaurants who get twice that despite being unworthy.

When I tip, I tend to tip based on what I think the person deserves. It gets me in trouble at times, but I think that's the only fair way to do it.

I know this thread is based on Kame's comment about tipping a delivery person, and that's the only time I follow the percentage standard (unless weather conditions or something make the delivery difficult, and then I figure I'm paying more for my laziness).

Can you tell it's a huge pet peeve of mine?

I tip waiters and taxi drivers, and they get 10% (that's the accepted rate in the UK).

I haven't tipped pizza delivery people since I came to university, because money is short and nobody else tips anyway.

Are you serious, CaptainWill? I hope you know that they remember your address when they're making your order the next time around. This is often said in articles authored by delivery people.

I work as a waiter at a steakhouse on the weekends and breaks. We get paid $2.83 an hour, as do most other tip-earning workers. If you can't afford to tip 15%+, DON'T GO OUT. Always calculate the tip in your budget prior to dining.

Devlin: I have parties of 20 that I deal with myself, and it is near impossible to provide excellent service with that many people. If the bill is 500$, I expect at least an $80 tip. I'm one of the speedier ones, so I usually get that and more.

Edit:
http://www.readersdigest.ca/food/cms/xcms/13-things-your-pizza-guy-won-t-tell-you_3140_a.html
He probably gave the "soda" example just so he didn't look like a complete dick to the interviewer. They do worse. Don't be a dick, tip the guy.

Keep in mind that the culture is different in other countries though Merrell. When I was in China we didn't tip at all. Nada, zip, nothin,' they just don't tip there. It's probably different in the U.K. too

Oh, I know. I'm referring to people in the U.S, where lowered wages are forced.

This is why we pay for our own car, and eat fast food.

I always tip, not delivery boys, though.

I don't understand this mentality, why would you tip a waitress but not a delivery person? At the very least, I think the delivery person is doing the same amount of work, if not more, to make sure you get your food on time and still warm.


I think that's fair to say, managing a party of twenty is quite hectic. But if it's just me and two of my friends and it takes over forty five minutes just to get appetizers, I think they'd be lucky to get a 5% tip from me. The only reason I tip more than that is because my friends would rage on me for not tipping 15% every time.

Basically, this is how I feel.

I tip delivery people a rough estimate of 15%, and I tip my (40-minute-preordered) taxi driver from 0% to 20%, depending if I have to wait or not and whether they try to drop off someone else first before taking me where I want to go. I take the taxi from the bus station to home six days a week.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Oct 29 2009, 2:38 am by Centreri.

I tip delivery, but usually only 10 percent, what also pisses me off is the big places that charge a delivery fee. I dont tip at the places like that even though I have heard they dont get the money, but they shouldn't charge it.

I used to work in food service, so I tip pretty well. My boyfriend and I usually tip $5.00 regardless of the size of the bill. We go to a pancake place late at night, and we bought the waitress a gift for christmas and tipped her 100% our bill on New Years Day.

That isn't to say that I suffer bad service, either.

Dark_Marine...why don't you tip?

Also Merrell...if you were in food service, you should know that tips typically more than compensate for a lower wage. I'm surprised you're attacking Will. Even in the states, 15% is acceptable (depending on age demographic).

I honestly can't explain it. In fact, I hadn't thought of it until now that you bring it up.
It's not like I do it on purpose like "OH HAHA DELIVERY GUY IM NOT TIPPING YOU!!! DIE OMG!!!1"

I agree that the delivery person is doing a whole lot more work than a normal waitress.

I think it's just part of the culture in here, I don't think I know anyone that tips delivery boys, then again I have never talked about this topic.

Whoa, stop right there. We have nothing to do with cooking the food. Here, we will badger the cooks if anything isn't ready yet when it's been a while. We try our best to make sure you get the food on time, trust me. Don't take it out on the server.

Kitchens only have so many fryers and grills. If you bring in a party of twenty on a decently busy night, don't expected to be fed quickly.

Of course they do, I was only explaining that if we weren't tipped, we'd be making crap.


I know it's acceptable. I was saying that stiffing delivery people isn't a good idea, your address is remembered.

If you weren't tipped, the company is required to up you to standards minimum wage. The same as most unskilled service members.

This reminds me of a guy I knew who confessed to urinating in a guy's pizza before serving it because he was being an a-hole.

I typically tip 15%, more if the cash I have handy is more convenient to leave in excess than to bother breaking. I agree that people should, at least in the US, factor in the 15% when they decide to eat out, though I'm not opposed to shorting them a bit if they provide bad service.

I know, I said I don't mind that with a party of twenty, but it was just three of us when I went to that restaurant last, and it took 45+ minutes to get the appetizers out. How would I take it out on the chefs though? Does complaining really get me that far in getting the food out?

edit: also, I made this topic because I think tipping is always a vastly difference issue among people, not solely because Kame said she tipped the pizza boy well. It just reminded me I wanted to ask SEN about it.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Oct 29 2009, 3:08 am by Ultimo.

A couple things:

First, whoever is talking about being vengeful service people: that is completely unacceptable. There is a certain level of human decency I would like out of someone I receive a service from. I know it goes two ways, I know that there are mean people. I used to be the cashier/host, so I'd hear all of it. But was I ever vengeful in a way that could have been a health hazard, like urinating on a pizza? No. Never.

Also, I tipped the pizza guy very well because this is the first major storm of the year. The roads weren't great and he still showed up ten minutes before the time they quoted. Rockin.