The point of tipping at least 20% is that the average tip is 15%, and I want to do more than the average. Because I'm looking for service that's better than average, because the difference between 15% and 20% is really minimal (but the waitress completely notices it), because a lot of kids our age are really shitty tippers, and I don't want to propagate that reputation, so on and so forth, I always want to tip 20% if I have the cash, and if I'm going out to eat in the first place, I ought to have the cash to tip 20%.
No one is going to think "uh oh, another 12% tip, time to bring my customers more water" - they'll probably assume the people they served were cheap, since a lot of people ARE cheap. Penalizing people by lowering the tip (which is what giving a lower gratuity is) is stupid. When I have a regular job, I'll tip 25% standard - for the same reasons that I tip 20% standard normally...it makes the server feel better about themselves while they're working, and it's usually a pretty small amount of money in the long run. I'm also a proponent of the much-debated 'pretty tip', which is optional of course, and maybe is an extra 5% or so.
Oh, oh, this "calculate the tip based on pre-tax price" thing is fucking stupid. You spend $100 on dinner, tax is 8%, and 20% of $8 is $1.60...$1.60, which is meaningless. I've just thought it insulting to see someone doing the little tax deduction in their head to get a subtotal (if it's not listed) before calculating tip.
Pizza is rounding off to 20%. Don't ever tip change to taxi drivers, it's insulting.
With haircuts, I've been going to the same guy at Branford Haircutters for 5-6 years, I don't want to ever get my hair cut by anyone else...I give him whatever I have in my pockets, $6 or $7 or something. If I had a better job, I'd give him more. Tipping's just a show of respect, when you're being served by someone who you respect for any reason, give them whatever you can, I say. I've got mad love for all the people in the service industry.
There've been a couple of times where I've left a shitty tip, but those were instances where I've spent way way more than I thought I was going to (re: Pepe's (die Pepe's)), and on second thought, I still should've tipped normally).
Also...don't get separate checks. They're stupid, classless, a pain in the ass for the servers...round up the prices of everything you had to the next dollar, and then pay your fraction of the tip, like Pippi was saying (tip should be 20, 5 people, everyone pays $4). If you don't have the cash to pay properly, tell someone else and let them take care of it or borrow a few bucks from them.
If we go out and spend $20 on food in a group each, you can spend $3, $4, or $5...not a huge difference to us, $2, but it's nice to the waitress... just put down $5. 15% standard is for suckers.
Stun