Do you tip before or after tax when eating out?

[phoenixgirl]

The other night my friend said you don't have to tip on the tax, just the subtotal. I had never thought about it before, but in our city the meal tax is a whopping 11%, so it makes a difference.

What do you guys think?

ETA: This is assuming that you received good service and want to leave a good tip.

 

[Erinleigh]

I''ve always tipped 15% after taxes (so on the total bill)... but never include the alcohol tax in that.

 

[House Cat]

I tip 20% after tax. Food servers count on our tips to get by and the difference to me is just a few bucks anyway.

 

[D&T]

we tip between 15%-20% on the total bill including tax for good to exceptional service. but we also just round up to the nearest dollar. If they were ehh service usually about 10%

 

[AprilBaby]

I agree, we tip 15-20% on the total bill because the waiters are usually young and need the money. (but your friend is technically correct)

 

[Dancing Fire]

i''ll tip b/t 10%-15% of the total depending on the quality of service. i''ve been to a couple of Chinese restaurants were they tack on 18% tip w/o telling their customers,hoping the customers wouldn''t notice and tip on top of the 18%.

 

[mrscushion]

Every time I tell myself, "you really should tip on the pre-tax total," and every time I feel bad and tip on post-tax.

18-20% if the service was good.

But, it does still make me cringe a little bit, particularly at pricey dinners, because I grew up in a culture where tips are under 10% (because service personnel make decent wages).

 

[neatfreak]

If the service was great I will tip about 20% post tax. If it was ok but not great I often tip before tax.

But I still do 20% because it hurts my brain less than doing 15%.

 

[Haven]

We always tip 20% before tax. I''ve never heard of anyone tipping based on the after tax amount.

 

[joelly]

20% after tax.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I use the "EZ Tip calculator" on my phone...so whatever that is set at. I do include tax when I type in the amount.

 

[trillionaire]

I tip before tax. And I''ve worked for tips before.

 

[steph72276]

20% after tax.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

18-20% before tax.

 

[jewelerman]

20%before tax.

 

[jstarfireb]

15% before tax as a standard, but if the service is superb, I''ll go up to 20. But always before tax.

 

[elle_chris]

20% before tax. Then again, i''ve never heard of doing it the other way..

 

[Tacori E-ring]

20% (+) after tax...a dollar here and there means MUCH more to them than me (I was a server so I know). My DH and I like to be generous with wait staff so it is usually higher than 20%. Something has got to be REALLY wrong for us to tip less. 20% is *standard* where we live.

ETA: not to spark a debate but let's not forget that servers (in most places) have to tip out food runners, host staff, bar staff, and bus staff as well. So just b/c you leave 20% does not mean they get to keep all of that 20%. Where I worked we had to tip out around 5% of our total SALES a night (including alcohol) Just keep that in mind if you have a really awesome server.

 

[puffy]

Date: 7/11/2009 8:56:02 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
20% (+) after tax...a dollar here and there means MUCH more to them than me (I was a server so I know). My DH and I like to be generous with wait staff so it is usually higher than 20%. Something has got to be REALLY wrong for us to tip less. 20% is *standard* where we live.


ETA: not to spark a debate but let''s not forget that servers (in most places) have to tip out food runners, host staff, bar staff, and bus staff as well. So just b/c you leave 20% does not mean they get to keep all of that 20%. Where I worked we had to tip out around 5% of our total SALES a night (including alcohol) Just keep that in mind if you have a really awesome server.

100% agreed!!!

and since we have a toddler now, who is not the messiest or loudest child in the world, but he has his moments, we like to give more. we always clean up after him and make sure we clean things up, but DH insists on it, which is fine with me as well.

DH''s family runs a very successful restaurant in SF, and we absolutely know how much the servers depend on their tip and what they have to go through on a daily basis, so we keep all these things in mind when we tip, which is usually at least 20% after tax.

 

[brightlight]

Wow, I feel kinda cheap now. I double the tax and round up to the nearest dollar, which turns out to be a little over 17% before tax. For exceptional service, I''ll add on to the 17%.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Chicago has really high taxes...so I take the tax and double it.

 

[Jen_91909]

20% after tax...

I did waitress all through college and know the servers do appreciate those extra couple of dollars a lot.

 

[cara]

I usually tip more than 15% and less than 20% on the after tax amount. Maybe 18% but I''m not that precise.

Then I push it a little bit to be progressive, and in response to service both good and bad. If its a really inexpensive place for the meal, like a cheap diner where dinner is under $10 pp including drinks, then I think maybe this server deserves a bit more so maybe tip 20-25%. If its a super pricy meal, especially if there was a $$$ bottle of wine, then maybe I''ll start looking at the total before tax and alcohol. Sometimes you really are getting better service at a more expensive restaurant, but sometimes you have to set a limit and say this was not really 5x or 10x the diner service or whatever the amount is.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

This question is too complicated. . .I just add 20% onto the final number and that is what the tip amount is. With the costs of the meals we eat out, there isn''t much difference between the pre and pro tax amount. Most of our dinners are between $60-100.

 

[Sabine]

I don''t know if I even really notice the tax. I tip 20% on top of the total, so I guess it''s after tax, but I don''t think tax would be that much in the places I go.

 

[atroop711]

I always tip 20% of the final bill...if the svc was really bad it would be reflected on the tip. I''ve only had to do this 2 times in my lifetime. If the svc is great I will give more than 20%

 

[Dannielle]

We don''t tip in Australia, but I think our waitstaff get paid a decent amount to begin with.

 

[ckrickett]

I tip 20% aftertax because I was in the food industry for 5 years and it gets painful sometimes, especially with people that think 5% is decent... BUT I generally expect 15-20% before the tax. If I get that I'm happy.

 

[LadyBlue]

Usually 20% before Tax, I did not know that some people tip the TAX as well

 

[icekid]

I''ve never heard of people tipping on tax before, either. We tip 20%ish before tax.

Interestingly, we lived in Delaware last year where there is no sales tax anyway. I guess the servers there are getting ripped off