Tips on 'Tipping' - Most People Have No Idea How to Tip

It's a line that you hear from comedians at the end of their show, but do you really know how to tip your waitress (or waiter or bartender)? Most people know how to tip, but there are many out there that don't. Generally it's 15% of your total bill. For example, if you're check at a restaurant is $40.00, the tip you leave should be $6.00. That's for average service. By average service I mean, you didn't have to wait an hour for your drinks or for your server to take your order. The server wasn't rude or complacent and your meals came out as you ordered them. Your server refilled your drinks before you were finished with them, or came by and offered you another cocktail before you had to flag them down.

Now, I said 15% is for average service and you're thinking, "What if my service was horrible?" Well, of course that's going to happen from time to time, and there's a protocol for that too. The food was cold, you waited 20 minutes for your soda, half an hour for your check. The server was non-apologetic about any of this. That's when you really need to think about what you want to pay for this service. 10% to a server is a shot in the gut. I would recommend that when the service is sub-par. For horrendous service, similar to what I described above, there's the possibility of not leaving a tip at all. This is equivalent to shooting them in the foot. By doing this, you've achieved letting the server know they stink and hope that they think about what happened and make some changes (if you even go back to the restaurant) so the next time you go there to dine you don't have to worry about the service.