Question from a guy never was in the US. Etiquette for Tips

[bello]

Hello everyone,

I am from Germany and never was in the USA.
I heared that it is very much standard to tip someone for any kind of service they do for you. So this is different in Germany, most of the time you pay the price on the list, which includes the wages for service.
How does this work exactly in the US? How much tip should i give? And in what situations should i give? is it really ANY service? like buying a coke in a gas station?

Thank you and see you on the Trail

[Weather-man]

Hello everyone,

I am from Germany and never was in the USA.
I heared that it is very much standard to tip someone for any kind of service they do for you. So this is different in Germany, most of the time you pay the price on the list, which includes the wages for service.
How does this work exactly in the US? How much tip should i give? And in what situations should i give? is it really ANY service? like buying a coke in a gas station?

Thank you and see you on the Trail

Hi. As a matter of background my spouse is German (from Bad Tolz) and I myself have spent about 8 years living in both Tolz and the Stuttgart area. This question often is reversed when Americans on their first visit to Germany leave what they consider to be a normal tip and the waitress is confused by the large amount of money.

Here in the States I use a 20% rule for good service in a restaurant. If the service is outstanding then perhaps I leave a little more, if bad service a little less. If horrible service I normally won't tip and will also speak with the manager. Waitresses here aren't paid a normal salary in most states but rather a "waitress" wage which can be around $2 per hour. So this being the case their real salary is generated wholly by tips. In Germany of course the Severs make a good salary and the tip is "trinkgeld"

No, no tips are required in stores or gas stations. I hope this helps and I also hope that you enjoy your visit. I spent 3 weeks in Augsburg and Passau last summer and I miss Germany dearly.

[hiker33]

Weatherman answered the restaurant issue well. Other areas where a tip is appropriate are taxi drivers, who should get 10-15% of the total fare, and bellhops who carry your bags to the hotel room. They typically get $1 per bag.

My wife is not German but lived in Kaiserslautern for three years. Enjoy your visit.

[Hill Ape]

for tableside service, tip. but for fast counter service, don't tip. 20% if you're in a large party, some places include the tip in the bill, if so you would not tip twice.

[Hill Ape]

I should have punctuated that better, its reads a little wrong. What I meant was 20% is a standard tip. But if you're in a large party, sometimes its on the bill.

[MDSection12]

It can get confusing, even for us Americans. Twenty percent is a good rule for a table-side service restaurant. For bartenders I usually do about fifty cents per drink. For delivery guys I do about five dollars. For taxi drivers a couple bucks is fine, unless it's an unusually long drive. For bellhops, who carry your bag to the room, a dollar a bag is probably fine. I can't think of any other common times to tip.

[Tuckahoe]

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g1...Etiquette.html

[bello]

thank you very much.

what is about the hostels along the trail?

[Slo-go'en]

thank you very much.

what is about the hostels along the trail?

Some have a set fee which covers it all. Some are donation based with a suggested mininum donation, typcially 5 or 10 dollars. If you want to donate more that is welcome as some hikers will not donate at all.

[rickb]

It can get confusing, even for us Americans.

Case in point the AYCE (All You Can Eat) restaurants so beloved by thru hikers.

While tipping less than 15% would not be something most people with taste, culture, breeding and social sophistication would consider in a regular restaurant where a waiter comes to the table and takes your order-- many of these same people will leave a feeble tip if there is a buffet. Sometimes just a couple bucks.

One could argue whether that is right or wrong away from the Trail, but I would suggest that a hiker should always leave 15%+ for an AYCE Buffet. For obvious reasons!

[peakbagger]

Hostels along the trail have an issue in the US with charging for a stay. Most hostels are not affiliated with any known group, its just a different name for a place to stay. If they charge, they have to have commercial insurance and generally they will need to make major expensive upgrades in order to get the insurance. So many work on a donation basis hoping it will protect them from getting sued if a guest is injured. That is questionable but they do it nevertheless. At those establishments please pay their recommended donation and if you find their services useful consider putting in a few extra dollars for the many thru hikers who do not.

[Feral Bill]

Case in point the AYCE (All You Can Eat) restaurants so beloved by thru hikers.

While tipping less than 15% would not be something most people with taste, culture, breeding and social sophistication would consider in a regular restaurant where a waiter comes to the table and takes your order-- many of these same people will leave a feeble tip if there is a buffet. Sometimes just a couple bucks.

One could argue whether that is right or wrong away from the Trail, but I would suggest that a hiker should always leave 15%+ for an AYCE Buffet. For obvious reasons!

Who would the tip go to? Most buffets I have eaten at have no servers. With some that have limited service, I tip as seems appropriate, but it is confusing. No one will complain if you over-tip.

[Second Half]

Who would the tip go to? Most buffets I have eaten at have no servers. With some that have limited service, I tip as seems appropriate, but it is confusing. No one will complain if you over-tip.

It would go to the people who bring and refill your drink, clear your dirty dishes, bring you the check.

[Tuckahoe]

From the link I provided...

For buffet restaurants, tipping servers who clear multiple dishes and provide drink refills are recommended. Some persons may tip buffet servers $1 per diner, others as much as 5 percent of the total bill, depending upon the level of service provided. Buffet servers may not take orders or bring out food, but they do work hard keeping your table clean of the empty plates after multiple trips to the buffet line. In addition to this, they often help to keep the buffet line stocked and clean, and they make coffee, brew tea, etc. Remember that the minimum tip for any server should be $1 per person. Do not leave only 75 cents for a $5.00 buffet! As always, if you feel you have not been well-served, adjust the gratuity down. If a tip has been added to your bill beforehand because your party was 6 or more, but the server was inadequate or rude, inform the manager immediately before you pay your bill that you want the tip adjusted.

This was the general rule that I usually followed.

[Feral Bill]

From the link I provided...


This was the general rule that I usually followed.

That makes perfect sense. Washington minimum wage includes servers, which with tips makes a fair wages, and results in the same, professional servers being in place year after year. Well worth it for me.

[Tuckahoe]

I can appreciate the confusion with regard to US tipping practices; who to tip and who not to tip. I find that very often foreign tourists may lean to over tipping or offering tips to those not usually tipped. It happens to me often and I all to often see how flustered and frustrated they are when I decline the tip.

So, you may encounter some in your travels here who are not tipped, and will decline. Dont be too upset with them.

[bigcranky]

I worked my way through college in various restaurants, and had a lot of low level jobs when I was young, so I tend to tip well for all kinds of service. Many people don't know (or want to acknowledge) that tipped employees are getting paid much less than minimum wage (which isn't exactly a lot of money anyway.) I put a buck or two in the tip jar at coffee shops, tip at least 20% for sit-down service in a restaurant (with a minimum of $2 even at the cheap Mexican place where I often eat lunch), tip the delivery guys when they install a new appliance, leave $5 per night for the housekeeper at the hotel, etc. I'm not even close to well-off, but I can afford a few extra bucks and I know from experience the difference it makes.

bello, that link has good information.

[BuckeyeBill]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned, is tipping the owner of a business. Normally no tip is required in such a case.

[George]

for a hiker there is only 2 common situations were a tip is likely appropriate: restaurants - that has been well covered

the other is when you get a ride: hitching or other - look at the situation, if the provider is of common means offer and maybe insist on giving compensation - I usually say: let me buy some gas, at least a dollar per mile is in order

[Don H]

I keep a $5 on hand when hitching and always offer it. Most won't take it but it's nice to offer.