Yep. I have had people insist I was incorrect to tip on the total including booze. I've explained how tip out works to bartenders and they have still insisted that it's not a thing to tip on the total with booze. It doesn't happen often, but every once in awhile I get someone who insists on that.

Oh no, you don't sound like a dick. I know a lot of people, like myself, don't know what to do in these situations because generally you tip at restaurants for the table service so it's a bit confusing. I asked another commentor this question and would love to hear your feedback: what is an appropriate tip for a take…

I always thought it was strange but I've run into it a couple of times where the other person insisted this was standard. I always thought it didn't make any sense. It's good to have it confirmed that I have been tipping appropriately.

Thanks for the explanation. Good to know. I think the problem is that the "service" isn't apparent and so it's confusing as a customer whether to tip or not because I think most people (including myself) see the tip as a part of sit down service. So on a $10 take out order, what do you think is an appropriate tip?

I don't know who you are talking to but I have never heard anyone in America claim that you are supposed to tip more than 20%. Ever. And I have lived in 3 of the most expensive cities in America, dine out often, and have many friends and family who work in the restaurant industry.

You're being hyperbolic. I have never been anywhere that expects 30%. I have also never heard anything if I have tipped a waiter less than 20% because the service was sub par. Has anyone actually confronted you over a low tip? That sounds like bullshit. And I have never ever heard any wait staff complain about less…

I live in NYC now and I'm just going off of my friends who live there (who are all from there). But I can see that since housing costs have sky rocketed that the tip percentage would go up to accommodate that.

That seems unreasonable to me. Any metro area? SF sure, cost of living has become quite expensive. Same with New York. But Minneapolis? I would probably stick to about 17%.

I usually don't tip for food I pick up myself. I don't feel like there really is any service provided. I'm willing to hear that I am wrong.

I actually usually tip a little better than normal (and I normally tip 20%) because when the server knows you are the boss' good friend they usually bend over backwards for you. Plus it's such a treat to get free things out of the meal that I pay it forward to the staff.

This I can understand more. Because the restaurant pays the tax and they are getting the money either way. I still tip on the total with tax because dining out is a luxury and not a necessity.

Right?! People have told me I am wrong, but I am glad you have backed me!

Oh yeah, that's definitely a problem.

Tipping is customary in the U.S. Saying that service workers shouldn't rely on what is expected is fucked up. Our minimum wage laws for food service are based on the expectation that servers will make a certain percentage in tips. Also, getting a better job is not so simple. For a lot of people that is the best job…

I think it was more that he was young and had never had a service job before so he was clueless.

I don't know about discounted amounts due to membership, but I have received discounts due to knowing the server, cooks or restaurant management (yay perks!) and I always tip on what the real total would have been without the discount. My restaurant friends and family have told me this is customary since you are still…

Quick question because I have had debates about this with people: When you tip on a restaurant bill, do you tip off of the bill total OR do you tip off of the total before booze? I have always tipped off the total (including the booze costs).

Oh I have explained how easy it is to do this but people who think they are bad at math tend to just put up a mental block to learning quick and easy ways to tip.

I think there are two things that happen when people tip less than what they should:

When did the baseline tip for the Bay Area become 20%? I grew up there, have family in the restaurant business, and have never heard that. The 20% baseline is true for New York, but most people in the Bay Area that I know tip around 17%.