TIPPING

Tipping has always and will always be a touchy subject especially for people who work in the food service industry. A lot of people when they do go out to eat are not always sure how much they should tip. And yes, there are those people that do not tip no matter how exceptional the service was. As I have mentioned before ever since I was able to get a job I have always worked in a restaurant. I have done it all from washing dishes, hosting, cleaning tables, and am a manager now. So, I deal with tipping issues on a day to day basis. Every day I see people pull out that little card out of their wallet or out of their purse to help guide them on how much to leave their server. Another popular thing I see people do a lot is double what the tax is on their bill and leave that as a tip. What people don’t know is that Bloomington-Normal has one of the highest is not the highest tax rate for eating out. Since I have been working in restaurants the sales tax has gone up from 7% all the way up to 9.5%. People who are form out of town and stop and eat at my restaurant are shocked to see how high the sales tax is for eating out here in town. SO, the people that do double the tax and use that as a tip are leaving their server a 20% tip, which is really good. If you have a large group and go eat at a restaurant, some restaurants tack on a certain percentage known as a gratuity charge. We don’t do this, but at other restaurants it ranges anywhere from 15-20%. The way I look at it is if you go out to eat and are really happy with the service, take care of them. Most and all servers do not even make minimum wage, so they depend on these tips to make a living. Personally I think that 18% should be left as a tip if you believe you received great service. What’s your take on tipping???