Having fun dining out

Dining out can be a treat for the family or for your mate. It means no cooking, no washing the dishes, and no mess in the house. It also means that you will have to rely on the restaurant staff in order to have an enjoyable evening, so compensating your server for their services is a common norm. Here is how to do so.

[edit] Steps

Check your bill for errors when you receive it. This is to ensure that you do not tip less (or more) than what is expected.
Check to see if the tip is included already in the bill. Remember that service is sometimes included in the price, and sometimes not. Some restaurants will occasionally add a base compensation on the bill already, usually labeled as "Gratuity is included". If you are unsure, ask a member of staff whether tips are already included.
Base your tip on the after-tax or pre-discount price. This is usually called the "Subtotal".
- If you have a 2-for-1 coupon, a gift certificate, or are given any other type of discount or prepayment, make sure to tip on what would have been the total before the discount. You may only have had to pay for half, but the server still did the full amount of work.
Determine an appropriate tip percentage. If you received adequate service (all your needs were met, but the server did nothing above and beyond) an appropriate tip is 15% of the total for casual restaurants and 20% for fine dining establishments.

in the USA only.
- If you received excellent service, the tip should be 20%, or more, depending on the service.
- On the other hand, if you felt as if you received poor service (i.e. your needs were not met or server was rude), complaining to a manager and lowering the tip percentage are completely appropriate courses of action. Make sure to let the server know what was wrong in this situation.
Pay attention to the service during the meal. Were you offered refills? Were the dirty dishes removed? Were you asked how the meal was and if you needed anything? Did you ask for extra work, such as a special order, special drink, special sauce, etc.?
Don't blame your server for things that aren't his or her fault. If the chef or cooks made a mistake on your order, or you just didn't like the food, keep in mind that your server did not cook the food. If your server performed well and served you well, use your discretion. While you are not expected to tip well for a meal you did not enjoy, ask yourself if it is really appropriate to dock the server's expected compensation just because you didn't like your food?
Keep in mind that servers must "tip out" other restaurant employees at the end of their shift. Some restaurants have policies where after "tipping out" a server is walking home with only a third of their tips. Tips are sometimes shared with bus boys and bartenders. Sometimes restaurant policy dictates tip outs to the kitchen, the hostess, the barista, the food runners, and the sommelier. Tipping out is based on the server's overall sales (usually 1-4% of gross sales), whether they get tipped well or not. This means that if a high enough tip is not received, the server can end up PAYING to serve YOU.
Consider mitigating circumstances. Some restaurants may get very busy, especially on weekends. If service is good overall, but a little slower than normal, do keep in mind that there is a good chance that the server is a bit swamped with tables. Imagine being a server and having a table of 8 and two tables of 4 sit down at about the same time. It happens. That's a lot of drinks and bread to bring out, and a lot of orders to take. It's hard for one person to be in that many places at once. Try to be understanding about this.

[edit] Tips

If you occupy your table for an inordinate amount of time, especially during a busy period, you are preventing your server from seating additional guests. Increase your tip to allow for this, even if you don't require additional service during this time.
Especially pay attention for new servers appearing. When shifts change, servers still have to wait for their customers to leave. They have other places to be, and in some cases, they may not even be getting paid for the extra time they spend waiting on you.
If your servers are required to run back and forth for a lot of things, remember to leave a little extra, as well as a 'Thank You,' and a mention of this to the manager. People are quick to complain, but rarely praise their servers. They are working very hard to make sure your evening is a pleasant one.
If you're eating with small children, remember that the servers will clean up the mess, and that this usually takes quite a bit of time. Try leaving servers a little extra for this big inconvenience. Also, a professional server recognizes that dining with small children can be stressful on the parents and will do his/her best to create an entertaining atmosphere for the kids so Mom and Dad can enjoy their meal in peace. If, through skilled service, you have a more relaxed experience, consider how much cheaper adding a few dollars to the tip is than hiring a babysitter would have been.
An easy way to figure a 20% tip is to move the decimal point of the cost to find 10%, and then double it. For example, if the bill is $35.00, 10% would be $3.50, and a 20% tip would be $7.00. For 15%, you would halve the 10% and add it to the original number. For $35.00 again, that would be $3.50 + $1.75* = $5.25.
Carryout/To-go food: Many restaurants have curbside and carryout servers. If you order food to go, you are still expected to tip. (Maybe not as much as you would if you are dining in the restaurant, but anything is appreciated.) Servers taking care of to-go orders generally make more per hour than regular servers, but part of their income still comes from tips. Just remember, when you place a to-go order, this "to-go server" is expected to take your order, package it correctly, and, in some cases, bring the food to your car. A small 10-15 percent tip is acceptable and greatly appreciated.

[edit] Warnings

The U.S. Government taxes servers and bartenders based upon an assumption that they made a certain percentage of their sales in tips. If you do not tip a server or a bartender in America at least 8%, you are actually costing your server money.
Do not splurge on costly meals and then leave servers a meager tip. Factor in tax and tip before you decide to spend. Do keep in mind that in many U.S. states, waiters and waitresses are paid a base wage that is significantly lower than the regular minimum (usually around $2.00/hour) because it's assumed that tips will make up the difference. Thus, unlike some other countries, tipping is expected in the U.S. if you receive service that is at least satisfactory.
Tipping advice often comes from people who make their living on tips. That's why you get conflicting advice such as "Tip based on the work done if you get a discount, but tip based on the price if little work was done." Remember to take that into account when receiving advice on the matter.
Tipping is a controversial issue. Remember that your servers will have their own ideas on what tipping should mean. Remember that these people are just like you! This is their livelihood. This is how they pay their bills. You have to rely on these people and you might want to frequent this restaurant again. Servers remember who tipped well. If you are known as a good tipper, you will usually receive better service. Enjoy the evening and a good meal and have your servers enjoy serving you.
"Tip jars" are becoming more common at small take-out places, (e.g., coffee, bagel, and ice cream shops). These employees spend very little time with each customer and are usually paid a reasonable wage by the business. Tipping here is not customary nor should it be expected. However, if extra friendly service is offered, or you receive special consideration for your order, a little something will certainly be appreciated.
If you have money to eat out, you have money to tip. Do not pull the broke college student story. If you are actually broke, either live off ramen like a true student, or get a job.
If your server screwed up your order or your dinner, it's very likely it was an accident. Tell a manager. But remember: if you decide to comment on your experience with your money (read: not tip), it's highly possible it will ruin a server's night, and the rest of their tables will suffer for it.