Tips On Tipping In Tight Times

Found on CBS4.com

More and more families are finding it increasingly difficult to afford a night out at a restaurant let alone pay the 15 to 20 percent suggested tip. Service workers say since the economy took a turn for the worse gratuities have done the same thing.

So just what the rules for tipping in tight times?

There are rules for just about everything so why not tipping.

“Fifteen to twenty percent is the usual,” said Pamela Eyring with the Washington School of Protocol.

Eyring says when economic times are tough consumers spend less and that often means cutting back on gratuities.

“The ‘dine and dash’ is back and although they’re paying the bill, they’re not leaving any tips,” said Eyring.

Coast to coast, servers say they are feeling the squeeze too with fewer customers, smaller orders and lower tips.

“People who would tip you a little bit more, like 15 to 20 percent, are going for the 10 to 15 percent tip,” said server Jonathan Mancipe who works at the Bodega restaurant.

Excusable behavior in a bad economy? Eyring says ‘absolutely not’.

“It’s just like stealing. I mean it’s just like not paying the bill; part of that gratuity is part of the meal,” said Eyring.

Less tip money also affects more than just the person who took your order at the table. Usually a waiter or waitress’s minimum wage salary goes to taxes. Many of them share their tips with food runners and bartenders.

Experts say if tight times find you tipping less why not order less or take advantage of specials.

“If you’re going to dine out and go to nice restaurants, then you pay the tip,” said Eyring.

The experts say the only time you should consider giving less in a tip, maybe 15 percent instead of 20 percent, is when you’ve received poor service.