Many restaurant owners and other employers exploit the practice of tipping by paying starvation wages (the person who delivers your take-away pizza or Chinese meal may get no wages at all), in the knowledge that employees supplement their wages with tips. If you don’t tip a waiter, he may not starve (unless the restaurant’s food is bad), but he’ll certainly struggle to survive on his meagre salary.
In general, a service charge isn’t included in the bill in restaurants and you’re expected to tip the waiter, waitress and bartenders 15 to 20 per cent, depending on the class of establishment. In top class restaurants the ‘captain’ may also receive 5 per cent of the total bill and the wine waiter ( sommelier) around $2 for each bottle of wine served. Most people also tip the maître d’hôtel (at least $5) if he finds them a seat or arranges a party (often the only way to get a seat in a fashionable restaurant is to tip the maître d’ $10 or $20).
The situation with regard to tipping is anything but clear, however, and it can often be embarrassing (it’s surprising that some enterprising American hasn’t established a ‘tipping counselling service’ for foreigners). In restaurants, for example, many bills have ‘service not included’ printed on them to make sure you leave a tip. However, even when service is included in the bill, this doesn’t mean that the percentage added for service goes to the staff (if you don’t leave a tip and the waiter tips the soup in your lap the next time you go there, you will know why). Don’t be bashful about asking whether a tip is expected.
Restaurant tips can be included in credit card payments or given as cash. The total on credit card slips is often left blank (even when service is included in the price) to encourage you to leave a tip. Some bills even include separate boxes for gratuities for waiters and captains, but don’t forget to fill in the total before signing it. Most restaurant staff prefer you to leave a cash tip, as tips included in credit card payments often aren’t passed on to them.
In a bar, you may be presented with the bill after each round of drinks and if you don’t tip that could be the last you see of the waiter for the rest of the evening. In some bars (or where you’re well known), you can ‘run a tab’ and pay (pick up the tab) when you leave. Some people place a $5 or $10 bill on the table or bar at the start of a drinking session to ensure they receive good service. As in restaurants, bar staff usually expect 15 to 20 per cent, although tips depend on the class of establishment. Bar staff in a five-star hotel are used to receiving large tips, whereas in a seedy back street bar they aren’t.