Consumer « Tip20! – Waiter, Waitress, Bartender, Kitchen & Consumer

Mandatory Health Charge on Your Restaurant Bill

The latest hidden mandatory add-on is a “health” charge added to restaurant bills. As far as I know, this scam cropped up first in San Francisco, but you can count on it to [...]

Tips On Tipping

Tipping your server at a restaurant has been a long-standing American tradition. While tipping 15% of the total bill has been the standard for a long time, that tip can vary depending on the service you receive. Here are a few ways to determine how much you should [...]

Smoking Ban in Restaurants has had Little Effect In Galveston

While some bars and restaurants are complying with the new law banning smoking indoors, on patios, decks and on sidewalks in front of restaurants and bars, smokers continue to puff away in banned areas across [...]

Whiskey No Ice is a Shot - Not a Glass Full of Liquor

If you order a cocktail with no ice because you don’t want your drink watered down, I get it. That’s smart. If you order your drink with no ice because you don’t like drinking cold beverages, I get that too. But if you order your liquor with no ice (ie. straight up) that’s a shot! You’re not going to receive a glass full of [...]

Annual & Holiday Tipping

It’s an annual dilemma: What’s an appropriate holiday tip for the people who serve you throughout the year? Etiquette expert Peggy Post recommends a gift of a week’s to a month’s pay for full time help like a nanny; and the cost of at least one visit for people who provide a regular, less frequent service, such as a hairstylist. But you probably also want to keep in line with what your neighbors are giving so you don’t look like a [...]