We all that know that tipping your waiter 15-20% is the standard (though some of you will surely disagree) or that you usually throw the pizza guy at least a couple bucks, especially if he braves flood waters to deliver your order. But what about your tattoo artist, or your salmon fishing guide or your sherpa? [More]
Celeb Chef Mario Batali Sued By Staff For Alleged Tip Skimming
By July 30, 2010
We know that tipping is a touchy subject here, but not as touchy as it is to the wait staff at the restaurants owned by celeb chef Mario Batali. The red-headed TV personality is the subject of a class action lawsuit that alleges he’s been screwing his employees over by skimming off the top of the tip pile. [More]
Florida Pizza Joint Adds A 15% Tip Automatically
By July 27, 2010
A pizza place in Jacksonville, Florida has decided to pay its servers a higher wage and in order to pay for it, automatically add a 15% tip to each order. Signs are posted and you can ask the server to take the tip off the bill if you want. [More]
Bring A Cash Tip If You're Going To Supercuts
By June 24, 2010
If you’re planning a haircut at Supercuts anytime soon, bring cash to tip your super cutter. Joe reports that his local branch of the chain, at least, has stopped letting customers add a tip for their stylist to their total bill. Tips are now cash only. [More]
If You Don't Tip Your Cabbie, You Might Get Held Hostage
By June 16, 2010
We know that tipping is a touchy topic, but a cab driver in New Orleans appears to have gone a teensy-weensy bit too far in his attempt to wrest a 10% tip from his passenger and he’s now facing charges of extortion, simple assault and false imprisonment. [More]
Waitress Disses Customers On Facebook, Gets Fired
By May 18, 2010
Brixx Pizza in North Carolina takes social media pretty seriously, because it fired a waitress after she complained on her Facebook page about a stingy couple who occupied a table for three hours and only left a $5 tip. [More]
POLL: Which Services Do You Tip For?
By May 6, 2010
As many Consumerist readers have pointed out over the years, you’re generally under no obligation to leave a tip for someone who provides you a service. That being said, most of us still do — and for a seemingly increasing number of services. That’s why we want to know about those situations in which you almost always leave a little extra. [More]
Is It OK To Lower My Tip When Pizza Hut Hikes Delivery Fee?
By April 27, 2010
We’ve established that pizza delivery fee hikes don’t necessarily go to the driver and thus should not be considered part of the tip. [More]
Baseball Park Food Is So Overpriced, Do I Still Have To Tip?
By April 25, 2010
Reader J was at the Giants game the other day and bought a seriously overpriced ballpark item from a vendor and was wondering if an additional tip was appropriate for a $6 hot chocolate. [More]
Do Tip Jars Pressure You Into Tipping?
By April 11, 2010
Is that tip cup on the counter at Starbucks staring accusingly at you? Do you feel pressure to pony up 15 percent or more even if your massage was barely adequate? How about that automatic gratuity tacked on? The New York Post is taking a look at “tip-jar madness” – a phenomenon particularly relevant in New York City, where the average tip is 18 percent. [More]
Should You Tip The Owner Of A Restaurant If He Delivers Your Food?
By April 2, 2010
Daniel recently had an interesting tipping dilemma. He ordered a smoked brisket from a locally owned barbecue place, and had it delivered. Unexpectedly, the restaurant owner himself showed up to deliver the brisket. So, he asks: should he have tipped the restaurant owner? [More]
Restaurant Bans Customer For Not Tipping Enough
By February 26, 2010
The menu of a restaurant in Winston-Salem, NC, says a gratuity of 15% will be added to parties of six or more. A former customer says she was in a party of three and saw that an 18% gratuity had been added, which she complained about but paid. She said the next time she showed up, she was met at the door by staff and told that she had to agree up front to pay 18% or she couldn’t eat there. [More]
Police Drop Theft Charges Against Pub Non-Tippers
By November 23, 2009
Police in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, are withdrawing charges against the two college students who refused to tip at a pub last month, says The Morning Call.
Are You Cutting Back On Tips This Season?
By November 23, 2009
The end of the year is usually when you tip service providers, but if you’re on a reduced budget then you’re probably going to want to scale back this year. Here are some suggestions from etiquette experts contacted by Reuters.
Should Yelp Remove Reviews By Non Customers?
By November 20, 2009
Lehigh Pub, the restaurant in Pennsylvania that had two patrons arrested for not tipping, was blasted on Yelp in the past 24 hours or so by angry readers. Many of them weren’t customers, but heard about the arrests in the news and came to vote down the pub. As of this morning, it had an average of one star out of five.
Red Robin Tipping Message Lost In Translation
By June 12, 2009
Anyone who speaks multiple languages is used to rolling their eyes at bad and inadequate translations. There is probably a perfectly reasonable, non-bigoted explanation for the differing English and Spanish texts on this Red Robin receipt.
By June 2, 2009
The Fourth District Court of Appeal in California reversed the $100 million award in a class action suit filed on behalf of current and former Starbucks baristas. The accusation? Starbucks illegally had shift supervisors share in tip jar proceeds instead of paying them a higher hourly wage. The appeals court ruled that shift supervisors are also hourly employees and not management, and are as entitled to tips as baristas. [Reuters]
NYC Restaurants Caught Sneaking A Tip On To Your Bill
By February 9, 2009
Sneaky! The New York Post caught several restaurants in NYC sneaking a gratuity on to the bills of unsuspecting customers. Tsk, tsk. That’s not allowed.
