How would you recommend someone in Vegas save the $2 in another way?

I'm not convinced "bad at math" is his problem. Entitled servers who think that anything under 20% is a slap in the face are, sadly, not uncommon.

Dkgo already addressed it perfectly. I am not a server(although I know quite a few), but that line of thinking is obvious bs.

What?
That logic is totally flawed.
Cost of housing, transportation, etc should have absolutely zero bearing on tip size

Is 15% a bad tip in the US? For some reason I thought it was fine and anything below was stingy and anything over 20% was for very good service. Obviously I've never been but if I do go I don't want to rip off any wait staff.

15% is definitely on the low side of standard now.

The worst type of people are people who say they won't tip on 'principle' when visiting the States. I end up getting really enraged that they're trying to excuse their tightness because of moral objections. I've told them they shouldn't eat out when over there if they object to the labour laws as they're punishing the people they feel are getting shafted. It's some twisted logic ffs.

Stingy cheapskates hate admitting they're cheap

Prostitute with fewer teeth

I was thinking the Al Bundy dollar-on-a-string at the Rhino.

Anyway, lol @ people frothing at the mouth over a >15% tip on an overpriced meal. And it all started when someone posted that they tipped 23%, and was ridiculed for calling that "decent". Neither of those is anything close to cheap, but I guess that's why this thread has 3K+ posts.

Rexx,

15% is standard in smaller/cheaper cities, 20% more common in larger/more expensive cities. In general you’re right on. 15-20% is fine, under 15% is low, over 20% is generous.

Good to know Uber started allowing tips since it was a flat-out scam without it.

Im not even saying that leaving $5 on a $32 post-tax bill in itself is unacceptably cheap. I just hate the reasoning.

Mental gymnastics tipping is always funny.

I ate at Masa Hibachi last night and I think my group may have been "profiled" maybe, as they added 15% auto-gratuity on a $94 tab for my 3 person party. They gave me a nice discount as I probably would have just made it $120-125 flat. I can't be mad at that, although I have never seen a place throw auto gratuity on a 3 person party or a tab under $100.

Surprised you wouldn't question that.

Bill from last night and my usual process:

151.xx

140.xx pre-tax

how much tip on 140--->decide ~30

tack 30 onto 151---- rounds to 180( I round up too here if it goes the other way)

cash, though cards plenty too. all cash last night though.


so roughly 28 on 140 after rounding up/down, which translates to 20%


What I often wonder is if servers know that math, because if they don't all they see is 28.xx on 151.xx, which is 18.5% and that is not really accurate

If they aren't ******ed I'm sure it's obvious.

180 exactly on a 151.xx bill is objectively correct

How much math is there to do at this point in your life? Hasn't everyone closed tabs, of every amount, many times in their lives? Pick your standard and wiggle it one way or the other if you feel like it.

I'd assume the vast majority of servers do only expect to be tipped on the pre-tax amount, but secretly hope their patrons mess that up and accidentally over tip.

I'm pretty sure the average person is tipping on the post tax amount. I've never met anyone my age (30ish) that knows tipping was originally on the pre tax amount.

It's never changed, the collective ignorance of your friends notwithstanding.

This is definitely true, but I don't get why it is true. Whenever I ask why the "normal" tip percentage keeps going up, I always get the "duh, inflation" response, but that doesn't make any sense. Inflation is why the meal that used to cost $10 costs $17 now. By pure inflation logic, if you used to pay a $1.50 tip on that meal, you should now pay a $2.55 tip. Why is the "standard" now $3.40?

In my lifetime, I've seen standard US restaurant tipping go from 15% pre tax, not including alcohol, to 15% post tax and including alcohol, to 18% (post tax and booze, of course), to now people arguing 20%. Hell, according to my grandparents, it used to be 10%.

Yes, inflation, but by keeping a standard percentage, you are already accounting for inflation. I don't get it.

Thanks. I appreciate the feedback.