Where Is Your Tip Going?

Let me start by saying I've never worked in a job that relied on tips. I frankly think it's an unfair practice against the servers, but it's commonplace.

For me, eating out is a treat, something relatively rare and restricted for when you can afford it. But recently in New Jersey, a post went viral when a diner at a restaurant left a nasty note for their service in place of a tip, because they waited an hour for food. To me, it's never acceptable to be rude in this way, and a zero tip is rarely reasonable--unless the food is so poorly prepared it makes you sick. I would simply leave and not make a production out of it.

It gets a little more complicated when you discover where your tip is going. My intent in tipping is always to reward the server based on the quality of their service. Although I do know of some places where the server gets to keep all the tips, especially if they are paid in cash, little did I know I am often also tipping back-of-the-house staff--the cooks, buspeople and dishwashers. Not that they don't deserve it, but isn't that where part of my meal bill is going? Perhaps the rude non-tipper in this scenario felt the same way, as the server can't bring the food until it's ready, but I'm willing to be understanding when the restaurant is busy. There are laws stating how tips are to be distributed between employees. All I'm saying is my tip amount isn't going to change based on how many people it's being distributed between. It's a percentage of the check based on quality of service.

As for how much I'm supposed to tip, like I said, I will almost never leave zero tip. Some guides, like one published by USA Today say a minimum of 15% is a good rule of thumb even if the service is just OK. Obviously, the better the service, the better the tip. If the staff makes it a memorable experience, not just a meal, they are rewarded as such.

So what are your thoughts?

Do you give more consideration to certain factors than others when tipping?

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[Via USA Today, NOLO, Fox News]