UnfilteredDregs

I got this local Chinese joint that I order from weekly, and I tip average to well because they are fast and consistently decent.

They've switched to cash only recently, a bit inconvenient at times because I don't like to carry ca$h, ever. Cards and dustbunnies in my wallet.

So...I ordered a few weeks ago, I don't have the latest menu, and the tally came to $17ish. I had exactly a $20.

Guy shows up and the bill is exactly $20.

So I give him $20.

Old, grey-haired curmudegeonly fellow. As the storm door is closing I hear him gruffly and indignantly state, "No tip?!?!"

Kinda nervy...

I said, "I always tip, but tonight this is all I have."

He walks off with a bit of a harumph.

So..... recently I order again and I ask if the ol' buzzard is delivering tonight and the answer was in the affirmative.

Ol' buzzard shows up, I answer the door, I hand him the money including twice the tip amount, and I say, "I always tip, and I tip well, and I've been a customer for a very long time, don't ever give me any bull**** again about tips."

He was okay with that.

datlas 

I am a cheapskate but generally tip very well. Especially at a lower cost sit-down restaurant I will sometimes tip $5 on a $15-20 charge. Usually give 18-20%. I think you are supposed to tip based on the bill BEFORE tax and BEFORE alcohol, at least that's what I was told many years ago.

RPK79

We have a 'cash only' Chinese place too. Their food is great and they deliver, but we almost never eat their food because they're 'cash only'. Who the hell carries cash? I bet Robert does...

I bet their business would see a boom if they accepted cards. Of course they would have to report all of their income then.

SpeshulEd 

Best time to ride in the summer is early morning, but I hate getting up. I've been commuting into the office the last couple of days around 9am and had my fastest time into work yesterday. My rides home at 5:30 have been slow and lazy tho.

What size are you? The local facebook/selling group is called Stevebay, I bet you could ask on there and get a handful of offers for loaners or suggestions on where to rent from.

Regarding tipping...I was recently in Austin for Psych Fest and was trying to order a beer, there were a pile of distracted/f'd up kids in front of me and a girl working the counter called me over and waited on me right away. I thought this was nice of her and I tipped 20% on the ipad screen. The people behind me saw this and lost their **** that I actually tipped for a beer at a music festival. Apparently tipping for good service is lost on some people.

RPK79

At bar my wife waitresses at on Saturday nights the waitstaff tip the bartender a portion of their tips based on their bar sales.

FLvector

If I have the correct $ in my wallet, I generally try to leave a cash tip for the server and pay for the meal by CC. Last week my wife and I were at a good local Cuban restaurant for breakfast, had 2 eggs, 2 pancakes, 2 slices of bacon, cup of café con leche for $4.50, she had coffee and toast. Great little place and service was ok, but left a $5.00 tip. I never leave less than a $5 tip for sit down service. Takeout - just depends. Once the meal gets higher, $60-$100, usually just go with 20%.

With haircuts I pay $13 which I think is very cheap, so I just give him a $20. More during Xmas.

UnfilteredDregs

Tipping at a bar is strategic. It's all about the buybacks.

RPK79

The tips my wife usually gets for cutting hair ranges from $2-4 for the most part. What I find surprising is the range of tips when she does colors which can take several hours and range in cost from $75-150 for the service. She sometimes gets a $10-20 tip for that. Other times only $2 which is horrible considering she's giving up doing 4-8 haircuts in the time it takes to do the color. You tip her $2 and she's easily out $10-20 in lost tips.

RPK79

He keeps an apartment here and leaves the bike in Minnesota.

WhyFi

This is a very common practice.

Hell yeah, that and the prompt service; it's a good argument for paying cash at the bar. My wife always got a kick out of it when I could accurately predict the buyback round, which I was almost never wrong about (we don't belly up to the bar so much these days... *sigh*).

Bah Humbug

That's another good point - I do tip higher at lower-cost places. Especially Waterloo Ice House here, I can get a burger and salad for something in the vicinity of $10 at the bar, and the bartender is great and provides all the attention of a full-service waiter. I tip them $4-5. It's still cheaper than a bunch of other places, and I can't bring myself to tip someone $2 for good service, even if that is 20%.

LAJ

Spot on.

rpenmanparker 

I tip very generously in a full table service restaurant. Usually 20% after tax. But we are not talking about traditional service staff Billy. These are not traditional table service restaurants. You order and pay at a cash register at a counter. You may get a number for your table or an electronic alarm or even a beacon. When your order is ready, your number is called and you pick up at the counter or the food is brought to you. You may bus your own table or it may be done for you. There are so many combinations and permutations that it is very difficult to know what is right.

Sometimes the scenario is pure Mickey D but with much better food. Sometimes it is almost full service. It is tough to know how to tip. I guarantee the places I give 10% for the service staff doing almost nothing, most folks don't leave a thing.

Remember you don't tip out of charity but in return for a service. Normally a waiter makes three trips to the table just to manage payment. What if the food was already paid for?

The fact that plenty places omit the tip line from the cc slip makes it clear that management is covering the service charge. If a place looks and is operated just like that but includes the tip line on the cc slip, it is hard to know exacy what to do.

rpenmanparker 

Not before alcohol unless it was served by someone else who is not in the same tip pool.

rjones28 

I don't usually carry cash. I've started keeping a little in my pocket when I'm at the bike shop though, in case we send out for Chinese.

rpenmanparker 

What is a buyback round?

rjones28 

I just look at the total and tip based on that.

rjones28 

Unless I got some sort of discount, then I base it on the pre-discount amount.

rjones28 

wut

rpenmanparker 

Good analysis. That is how I arrived at 10%, but I will rethink that. We also have a place where we order at the counter, but everything else including payment at the end is done at the table. It is full service except for ordering. We give full tip there.

rjones28 

Coffee coffers crammed

LAJ

“What is a Buy-back?” you ask. This is bar terminology. It mostly applies in New York City and certain other major cities throughout the United States. It is the “free” drink that you get after purchasing several drinks beforehand. Normally the bartender will say, “This one is on me,” if you are paying-as-you-go, or you will notice that you are not charged for every drink when you get your bill.
A buy-back is a beautiful thing. It shows that the bar staff likes you. It is used as encouragement to not only stay at the bar longer but also to come back. There are two important factors that determine whether you have earned a buy-back:


• Tipping: Do it. There are no exceptions. A dollar per drink is standard.


• Friendliness: There is no excuse for being mean to people who are serving you.

rpenmanparker 

I carry a little cash, but am vehemently opposed to using it in a restaurant. I have a no fee cc that returns me 3% on restaurant charges and covers my three checking accounts' fees as well. Why would I want to drop cash? That is what really old farts do. Boggles my mind.

Cash only restaurants are clearly scamming someone's uncle. I bet they wouldn't be so proud if they were held up.

rpenmanparker 

Thanks. Makes sense.

rpenmanparker 

Thanks. Makes sense. That is how oyster bars work in New Orleans too. After a couple dozen the shucker just loses count. You may eat six dozen and only pay for three. But only at the bar. Not ever at a table.

I frequent a place for lunch that feels more like a bar than a restaurant. After bringing in two large parties for lunch a while back (10-15 folks each time), I noticed I wasn't getting charged for my Diet Coke any more, just the food. But only when I am alone. If my wife or a friend is with me, the drink is on the bill. Funny, huh? Oh yeah, most beautiful girl waiting on me I have ever seen anywhere. It is truly remarkable.