Tipping
When eating out, do you tip on tax or do you calculate the tip based on the pre-tax amount?
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21 Comments:
Pre-tax.
grampart at 10:18AM on 10/23/09
I always tip on the after tax amount. I waited tables for too many years not to. It feels wrong (to me) to not to tip on the full amount of the bill.
Silvia at 10:59AM on 10/23/09
I've been tipping on the after tax amount my whole life but was told recently it's supposed to be based on the pre-tax? But I can't change my ways now. It seems too low!
LHSK12 at 11:20AM on 10/23/09
after tax - never thought to do it off the pre-tax. It's not *that* much more, 15% of 8.4% or something?
joyyy at 11:21AM on 10/23/09
I've never thought of it before now, but I tip after tax.
emgroff at 11:51AM on 10/23/09
I tip on the total bill - and the service!
lindy123 at 12:03PM on 10/23/09
Pre-tax always and if the service is amazing the tip will follow suit.
bessfour at 12:23PM on 10/23/09
After tax.
I've thought about this (pre/post tax) before. Most of my meals are under $60/person, so the 8% tax doesn't amount to much per visit. We may eat out up to 10 times per week, so over time, it does add up.
Cassaendra at 1:08PM on 10/23/09
We have 10.25% tax here! I always tip on the post tax amount because it's easier to just look at the total and calculate it from there.
marinelm at 1:27PM on 10/23/09
after for sure.
hungrychristel at 2:06PM on 10/23/09
honestly, its whichever is easier to do the math or get a round number.
blizcheetah at 2:12PM on 10/23/09
I guess I've never thought of this... (also have never lived in NY where the tax is SO high) My tips are always based more on service -- after having been in service jobs, there's nothing I hate more than terrible service that ruins a great meal!
ec_washington at 2:26PM on 10/23/09
I tip 20% pre tax. Always.
AyeEat at 4:25PM on 10/23/09
20% on the post-tax amount...service has to be reeeeally bad for me to tip less.
KateRuby at 10:18PM on 10/23/09
pre-tax
yayfood at 10:45PM on 10/23/09
I use the tax to figure out the tip. It's 8% so it makes it super easy to just double that amount and round up. I've always tipped on the post tax amount since it doesn't really add too much to the tip... (20% tip on $10 meal would be $2 while 15% on a $10.80 meal would be $2.16). I know it would add up to a lot more if I was spending tons of money on eating out, but we're too cheap to spend hundreds on a meal. We don't skimp on tip though since we've both worked service jobs and know better than to be mean to wait staff.
gingercookiewithlime at 11:20PM on 10/23/09
I used to be a reeeally good tipper. 20%, maybe more, after tax. I waited tables at a diner for about 8 months.. I learned a lot about what goes into waiting tables (I understand it's a different ballgame in fine dining) and since then, I have been tipping less. Times are hard, and if your service is anything less than excellent, you are getting a less than excellent tip.
It has gotten to the point where I don't even go out to dinner anymore. The last few times I have gone out, the service has been so abysmal I couldn't even believe it. I would have thought that with the economy doing what it is, servers would kick up their game a little, but it seems like they just don't give a crap about you and your dinner. So I don't give a crap about what bills they need to pay.
I always think about this episode of Third Rock From The Sun, where John Lithgow goes out to dinner and doesn't understand tipping, so he puts a pile of money in the middle of the table and says to the waitress, "this represents your possible tip. everytime you do something that doesn't please me, I take out a dollar." That is basically how I operate.
eeels at 12:40PM on 10/24/09
@eeels - this is why take-out exists. The economy hasn't affected my tipping that much, but I refuse to sit down and a) deal with and then b) feel obligated to pay for shitty service. So I get take-out instead, especially if I know the service is going to suck.
joyyy at 1:32PM on 10/24/09
When in doubt err on the side of generosity. Give the server the extra dollar. They will be much happier to see you next time.
jaypeeq at 9:03AM on 11/01/09
The rule of thumb has always been to tip on the pre-tax amount of the check, although I personally always go higher...the tax on the bill is not the customers fault or obligation.
It becomes a bit more complicated if you include a bottle of wine which can increase your tab dramatically.
gutreactions at 9:08AM on 11/01/09
After tax tipping. It's not that much after all.
Pinotnana at 4:20PM on 11/07/09