Tipping practice (POLL)

[aliki]

[edit: typo! first question- 15% should read $4.50 tip]
Poll Brian and I went to TGIFriday's for dinner. We both ordered off the 3-for-$13 menu (appetizer, entree and dessert for $13). The bill comes while I take Erika to the bathroom, and it reads the items at full price (i.e. appetizer = $10, entree = $15, etc.) such that the total at the bottom says

Comments

[iwouldloveto]

I'm with Brian. You got a promotional discount- you tip on the entire cost of the meal. (which isn't 13.00 outside of the promotion)

[aliki]

But then to clarify: so if you get Chinese food delivered, and you ordered the Teriyaki Chicken Lunch Special which is $5.99 and comes with fried rice and wonton soup; you don't tip based on the $5.99 you ordered, but rather the cost of the items individually (ordering Teriyaki Chicken, Fried Rice, and Wonton Soup = $10.00)???

[iwouldloveto]

Good point- but no. You got a seasonal promotion... Places like that have these specials to lure people in... They offer it for a month, and then it's gone. One month the waiter gets tipped on the full amount.. Then it becomes a promotional price and they get tipped on half??? With Chinese food places... The lunch specials never change, and the portions are smaller than what one would receive if they ordered from the full menu- so I think this is a moot point. (although, if you tell me that your portion on the 3 for $13 is smaller, you may have an argument....)

[aliki]

Good point about it being seasonal! Thanks for your very insightful comments.

[alchemi]

This is before I read your entry. Explaining my answers.

The third question is difficult because I don't have enough information. If I was unaware of the discount or the discount were some sort of odd accounting gimmick of theirs, I don't know how I would respond.

In terms of the later answers, I do not claim I should tip based on how attractive the server is, and I try not to, but I suspect it matters. I also suspect class matters more too (in the sense that I probably will overtip people who seem like they might need it, i.e. middle aged single mothers living on a waitresses' salary as long as they don't seem like drunks/alcohol abusers, etc.). The quality of the restaurant tends to count against the tip as the better the restaurant, the better the service I expect to meet the "minimum standard" and the harder it is to be "extraordinary." The company I'm with matters if we split the bill as my portion of the tip will remain constant, but I will not make up for cheap or generous people in my group (unless it is just someone

[aliki]

Thanks for your gut-feeling reaction first. :) It's always interesting to read to see your opinion before it's swayed by the poster. (Because Brian's convinced that my friends side with me when I do LJ polls, simply because they're my friends, so clearly we'd see things in common)

I suspect you are right about the attractiveness; I just wondered how many people would check that box.

After I wrote the poll, I realized that there is one other factor that accounts for my tipping style, so when I answered my own poll, I clicked the "other" box-- which is whether or not my child is with me! If Erika is with me, I tend to tip more, only because she needs special attention (plastic cup for her drink, extra napkins, crayons and paper to draw with, an extra plate...) and while she doesn't leave a mess on the floor (we pick it up because I think it's rude to leave that behind!!), I still tip more if she's eating with us.

[alchemi]

I am with you. The menu price is 3 for $13. That's the amount you tip.

[antisocialite]

The wording on the third question was really confusing. I would have to rethink my answer a bit. The way they accounted for it is also strange. However, unless the service was terrible, I would probably tip between 20% of the two totals.

[aliki]

The bill was totally bizarre and I'd never seen anything like it. Honestly, we ordered $30 of stuff. I expected a bill for $30, and I did get a bill for $30.

But then above that was all that jargon about how it was really worth so much more...

[tediousandbrief]

Question 1: I usually tip between 15% and 20%. It depends on a lot of things like quality of service, mood, etc. 15% is my standard, though with that situation in that question, I'd have gone $5 if I didn't have $0.50 on me, probably

For the last question, quality of the restaurant I'm taking to mean cleanliness, etc. not how many stars/how popular it is.

I clicked it, but only once or so did I tip in part based upon how attractive the server was. It was my 21st and I was alone having my first (legal) drink and a sandwich. The server was cute, but also knew it was my birthday and tried to play a funny joke saying I couldn't sit there and was kinda flirty. Since I was in such a good mood, I gave nearly a 100% tip.

As for the situation at hand: I'm with you on this. This is a dinner 3 for $13. The price is $13. Sure they could charge more, but they're charging $13. Usually those menu items are smaller portions than the regular meal as it is.

[aliki]

Thanks for your input!

So far no females are fessing up to tipping more because of attractiveness...