Tipping

I know from previous trips to the USA that 20% tipping is the norm. On this trip, I am on business and will be claiming expenses. Expenses with my company do not include tips. When in the UK and Europe I will leave 10% anyway so I dont look mean.... but 20% is over the top out of my own pocket.

What should I do in Boston? Would I be better leaving nothing or leave 10% and run? The last time I left 10% in Boston, the restaurant manager came over and said I had made a mistake and had miscalculated the tip. I changed it to 20% because I was so embarrassed.

I am not a mean person at all but if I tipped 20% on all my meals the trip will have cost me personally, more than a holiday to Spain!

Tipping

15% is also acceptable. 10% is not. And you should calculate that amount on the price BEFORE sales taxes are added.

I%26#39;m surprised that you have a company that doesn%26#39;t recognize that U.S. laws are different regarding tipping. Waitstaff here are paid very low hourly rates, and even our Internal Revenue Service taxes employees on their tips, because it is expected they%26#39;ll earn at least 15% of their billings. Your company is being very unfair.

Tipping

Is it possible to get the service charge added to the bill in restaurants? If that were the case I would be able to claim.... I think. Service charges on bills is not something we do in Europe but I think thats because tipping is discretionary dependant on service.

You could try talking to the waitstaff or the restaurant manager to see if they have any %26#39;creative solutions%26#39; to adding the charge to your bill.

Tipping is also discretionary in the U.S. A lot of people believe if you get bad service, no tip is necessary, and legally, a tip here is never required. However, even when I get bad service, I almost always tip 15%, precisely because the staff is paid less than our legal minimum wage, though I make it clear to the waitstaff and the management that the tip is being provided despite, not because of, the quality of the service. I always hope that ';taking the high road'; will be a learning lesson for the offending waiter or waitress.

Occasionally, service charged is included at a rate of 18 percent, read the bill, it is routinely added if you have more than 6-8 people at your table. If you request to have the service included and the restaurant agrees, then the restaurant will add an 18% gratuity. The lowest tip should be 15 percent but this is based on the food and beverages not the taxes. Waitress and waiters are paid less than minimum wage and the tips are what they make their living on. If service is really poor than you can tip less than 15 but most Americans still tip a minimum of 15 percent. If you go to a buffett/cafeteria type establishment where there is very little service than a ten percent tip is acceptable. Although many people tip at take out stands, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks type of establishments, it is not required to tip at those establishments since there is basically little service given and they are paid at minimum wage.

One final thought: You have to do what the norm is in the country you are visiting. That applies to us traveling there and applies to you traveling here as well. If the additional tip over what you are used to is going to personally cause you financial difficulties, then lower your aim and go for lower priced meals. Then you%26#39;ll be saving both ways. Giving a lower tip than customary here is not the right or acceptable solution.

AlanM

There%26#39;s one other unfair and contradictory thing that not many U.S. residents know/understand about tipping in this country.

While tipping is completely voluntary and discretionary at most restaurants (the exception being restaurants that require a mandatory tip, such as for large parties of people), waitstaff are taxed on their assumed tips from billings, by the IRS. In other words, the waiter or waitress gets taxed whether he/she actually receives the tip or not. The IRS automatically assumes the waitstaff person received 15% of each check, for income tax calculation purposes.

Hi Lisa,

Although I certainly understand your desire to keep your out of pocket expenses to a minimum, it is completely wrong, unfair, rude and thoughtless to decide not to tip people whose livelihood depends on this, just because it%26#39;s not the custom in England to tip.

The people you are planning to stiff are some of the hardest-working, and least well paid workers. Not only do they depend on tips to feed their kids, heat their homes and buy clothing to put on their backs, but our Internal Revenue and the Mass Dept. of Revenue will tax them on your tip whether you leave it or not.

If you cannot afford to provide a proper 15% tip, then I%26#39;d suggest dining on take out, where tipping is not necessary, or room service, where the service charge is added to the bill in most cases.

Tipping is the accepted and expected custom in the US.

Hi, lisajane,

I know tipping can be a confusing issue. I never quite got the hang of it on my last trip to the UK, but the previous posters are correct. It is unfair that your company does not allow you to expense the tips. But it would also be unfair of you to dine out at a restaurant with no expectation of leaving a tip. Look at it this way -- for a $50 meal, the difference between a 10% tip and a 20% tip is only $5. For a $100 meal, it%26#39;s only a $10 difference.

If this puts a significant dent in your budget, then take-out or self-serve places might be a better choice. If you%26#39;re entertaining a larger party (6 or more,) most places will add the gratuity into your bill. You can always ask for this option. Nobody%26#39;s trying to strong-arm you here, it%26#39;s just the way things are done. I hope you enjoy Boston. It%26#39;s a lovely city.

I don%26#39;t get the holiday to spain thing. What%26#39;s the difference between 10 and 20 percent anyway? A few dollars a meal? The exchange rate is in your favor...

Plus, your company is paying for the meal itself, right? You%26#39;re getting a free meal, so you%26#39;re ahead of the game.

If it%26#39;s that big a deal, you could order something cheaper, as someone suggested. Or just order takeout in Chinatown and eat it in your hotel room. No tipping at McDonalds, either.

The way I figure it, if I can%26#39;t afford the meal plus the tip, I can%26#39;t afford the meal...

Wow - such harsh comments.... I was only asking!

I dont want to stiff anyone and more importantly I would rather starve than eat takeout.I was just trying to work out a way of including the tip in a bill. Of course I wouldnt leave without paying the proper amount then run - it was irony I was expressing.