And how much to tip at a Buffet where the waitress just clears plates and brings drinks?

It won't affect how much I tip, I'll just forgoe the services of the Concierge all together.

And how much to tip at chain restaurant take out counters? I have had a few print "tip slips" when I pay for take out.

Good question about the buffet. I figure we've probably done the standard restaurant tip.

At regular restaurants, I usually calculate 20% and then round up so the final bill is an even dollar amount, or for more expensive meals, maybe round up to the nearest $5 point.

@joeblevins: @rydel: Yes, I think it's absurd to tip for counter service or takeout. I'm annoyed at places that even have a tip jar or print "tip slips."

I take tipping seriously and cannot stand the thought of leaving a bad tip (unless someone deserves it, of course). If I can't afford to give someone the tip they deserve, I won't give them a worse tip, I'll simply not employ their services to begin with.

More info to be had at kiplinger.com as well.

@joeblevins: We leave $1-$2 per person at a buffet.

I don't tip for counter service or takeout (unless it's delivered).

While I "play the game" and tip between 15 and 20%, I hate the expectation. I think tipping is an antiquated practice that was designed to allow employers to underpay the employees and force the customer to pick up the difference. There is no reason a restaurant can't pay their workers a "real" minimum wage. The fact that tips are simply expected dramatically drives down the quality of service one receives at restaurants. I suspect most servers have figured out that regardless of what kind of service they give, they'll get a decent tip because people don't want the social stigma of being a "Bad tipper". Armed with that knowledge, they provide half-assed service to everyone and still expect everyone to give them 20%.
To the commenters re: counter service and take out: This is where I draw the line. I refuse to tip at a restaurant that doesn't actually serve me when I sit down. I don't tip at Sonic (Drive-in) and I won't tip for take-out. What the hell am I tipping for at these places? it's not for service. The only conceivable reason to tip for those "services" is the social expectation that anyone that does anything remotely service related deserves a tip.

My tipping for taxi drivers has gone down by about a dollar unless it is at the _.90 mark i just round up to the highest dollar when i used to round up and add a dollar

How about all these "good-food-fast" places (Daphne's Greek Cafe, for instance)?

You walk up to the counter to order, and when your food is ready, they yell out your name and you go pick it up. You also get your own drinks from a fountain as you need.

It irks me that places like these have a line for tip.

As a former valet, I can tell you that, if you care about your car, you should tip at least $5 on the way in.

I should also add; other than that, I don't mind tipping. The gf complains that I tip too generously and she has gotten into the habit of scrutinizing tips I leave.

But if the service is worth it, they deserve it.

What's the proper tip for hotel maid service? I've heard $1-$2 per day in various places.

How about pizza delivery drivers?

@D: If you care about your car, you probably shouldn't be handing the keys to a stranger.

I was told that if the owner of the salon cuts your hair, you're not supposed to tip him. Is this true?

@Pylon83: I agree with you 100%

the way i view it, most of the time i eat out the difference between a 15% tip and a 25% tip is less than $5. while $5 doesn't make a huge difference to me, the difference between 15% and 25% is great for the person who provided the service

@joeblevins: Also it's completely based on how quick they are on refills and plate clearing.

@Pylon83:

Ha. Spoken like someone that has never been to a non-tipping country. Come to Australia. Experience the level of service here where the base wage is pretty good and tipping is not expected. It is FAR lower.

My aussie wife used to say the same thing about tipping being antiquated and unfair until she actually saw how much better the service is where tipping is expected for good service.

@Pylon83: If I have to drive down to a place and pick up my food, why the hell would I give a tip to the person who moves it from a shelf to the counter? The tip jar at the take-out counter is insulting at best.

@Orv: Definitely true, but some establishments leave you with little choice, and a little extra up front helps them to be motivated to watch out for you. Grannted, though, that it's kinda like paying the mob "protection money".

@Orv: Reminds me of something I heard on a TV show once.

People go out to dinner with the whole family and hand the valet the car keys. Which usually has the house keys on the same ring. So now a stranger has your house keys, your car keys, your car with GPS and your home address programmed in.

It really makes you think.

Now even Ice cream shops are in on the tip game. While I've personally never left a tip, what would be an appropriate tip at a place like Coldstone Creamery?

Hotels can be a pain in the ass. I'll leave a few dollars, but if I don't have the cash on me each day I'm not going to go out of my way to get some. So usually I just leave a $10 at the end of the trip...hopefully the maid who cleaned the room all week is the one that collects.

I'd think hotels could come up with a better option, but I haven't seen one yet.

@dohtem: Very true...scary! How often do you just let that waiter/waitress run off and do who knows what with your credit card too?

@rydel: I know that at least at some chain restaurants, they have a take-out person instead of just a regular server who rings up those orders. The take-out person is typically paid $2-3 more per hour than minimum wage.

@z4ce:

Try Japan or Korea or China.

This difference isn't about tipping or not tipping.

Tipping works well to encourage good service at places you frequent - salons, doormen, massage, etc. where you get the same person each time. It lets the person know you appreciate their work (or that you don't, if you tip poorly and stop coming back).

Where it doesn't work is for one-time services, like restaurants, taxis, etc. The service worker is not getting the tip until after providing the service, so if they think they will never see you again they have no incentive to improve their service after a bad tip. If we all started telling our servers up front what their tip is, then letting them know how it is rising or falling based on their quality of service, the tip would actually be worth something on a larger scale.

That's all great in theory...but I'm not gonna be the a**hole who slaps cash on the edge of the table and tells my waiter that it's up to him how much of it he ends up with when I'm done eating.

@Pylon83: I bartend for a catering company and when they know there is a high expectation of tips, they drop our wage from $14.25/hr to the minimum in California which is $8.25.
When I worked as a bartender in NYC, most places didn't even PAY me to work there. All I earned was from tips.
Just so you know...

@Orv: Welcome to LA. Good luck finding a place where you can park your own car. Its valet or the wilds of street parking here for the most part.

@JPropaganda: Some salon owners will post a sign saying that they do not accept tips. I assume that unless a sign like that is posted, they will appreciate the tip.

@joeblevins: I have a friend who tips for takeout, but only from places they really, really frequent. And, I thought this was totally stupid, but then my GF and I started doing it at this one greek place. When we can stuff ourselves silly on gyros, great french fries and a greek side salad for like $17, it seems like its under-priced. Usually just a dollar or two.

@dohtem: It used to be many cars came with a separate "valet key." It would unlock the door and start the car, but wouldn't open the trunk or glove compartment. On some high-end sports cars it also triggered a special reduced horsepower mode.

@rydel: By "tip slip" do you mean a receipt with a place for a tip? If I haven't received table service, I just ignore that part and put a slash through it. They save time and resources by not waiting on me, and I am not obliged to tip. Win-win.

@rndmideas: a dollar or more and they have to sing!

@dohtem: There's a place around here that you order and pay at the counter, then go get your own drink, find your own table, and they bring the food to you and clear the table when you leave. I really hate having to tip up front, but since I like the place and they always have good service, I'll do it at this place. But, since they do a lot less "service" than a regular restaurant, I've decided that $1 per person in my party is good.

@bovinekid: I agree. I went through a drive thru the other day that had a tip cup outside of the window. I won't go there anymore.

I have stopped tipping entirely.

(Cue Mr. Pink)

@dohtem: As a woman, I'd rather be dating someone who tips generously, than someone who tips poorly. I've had dates where the guy picked up the tab and I left extra cash for the tip because I felt bad about it. Tell your girlfriend she's lucky ;)

@rndmideas: Nothing would be the appropriate tip.

@Orv: Oh wow. I've never heard of that but makes perfect sense.

I hate tipping, I don't understand the point. It should be entirely optional and only done when there is truly great service.

@veronykah: One of the reasons I hate going to LA...

I thought the standard for tipping bartenders was $1 per drink. At expensive bars, that's about 10-15 percent. At smaller places, that's more, but the bartenders at divey bars deserve a bigger tip IMO! :)

I hate tip jars at fast food places and the like. WTH, you slapped together some food and sold it to me. What the heck am I going to tip you for? Doing the job you are already getting paid (at least minimum wage) for?

What about at a coffee house? Those guys deserve a tip a lot more than a bartender, that's for sure. Making a latte is a lot harder than pouring a freggin beer.

@JPropaganda: Theoretically, you don't tip the owner of anything, whether it's the owner of the restaurant or the owner of the salon; it has in fact been considered insulting in the past to do so (you're treating the proprietor as hired help). I'd say the contemporary trend is to consider nothing insulting as long as it's profitable.

I consider my massage therapist a health care professional, and I don't tip those. She gets a holiday gift. But I do tend to tip a full 15-20% when I'm getting takeout from a sit-down restaurant, because I'm taking a tipped employee's time away from tip work (I'm particularly aware of that at places where the takeout is handled through the bar).

My best, though, was when I dropped in to buy a brownie from a restaurant counter. The price was fifty cents (it's back a few years), I handed over a dollar, and I was asked if I wanted my change. You mean as opposed to tipping 100% for you to reach below the counter at which you're standing? Sheesh.

@TechnoDestructo:

I would argue that Australia is MUCH more similar to American culture than Asian countries. I think you could pretty easily expect service to quickly resemble Australia if you removed the tipping expectation.

It pretty much makes sense too. In America if you work hard as a waiter you can make good money. In Australia, as long as you don't get fired you make decent money. The service you receive reflects those incentives.