Restaurant Etiquette - Gratuities

As you have probably noticed, the world ofkeeps the entire tip. Other establishments either
restaurant dining requires certain things from anrequire or recommend that the tip is shared with
etiquette point of view. One of these etiquetteother employees - such as the bartender, cook,
tangos has to do with gratuities.or bus boy. In the places where tip-sharing is only
A general rule of thumb is to leave a gratuity ofa recommendation, it is a guarantee that the wait
10-15% of the total bill for good service. This isstaff who diligently splits the tip with other
why wait staff often try to add to the amountemployees will get their drinks made quicker,
of your bill by suggesting appetizers, desserts, ortables bussed cleaner, and food prepared with
pricey alcoholic beverages. The bigger the amountmore diligence.
of the bill, the bigger the amount they expect toBad service is another issue altogether. If the
receive.server is inattentive, rude, or otherwise causes
So what is good service? Obviously you want theyou to have a negative experience, this should be
server to be prompt and attentive to your needs.reflected in the tip you leave. There are several
They should pay attention to detail and get yourways to go about showing your displeasure with
order and special requests correct. They shouldthe service. You could just simply leave only a
bring drink refills quickly and efficiently. Theydollar or two. An alternative would be to leave
should be friendly and know the menu, being ablenothing at all. It is also said that a penny left tail
to suggest options. However, the wait staffside up on a table is a sign of bad service.
should not be punished for things they have noIf your waiter or waitress left something to be
control over. If food is not cooked as desired, ordesired, but you really enjoyed the taste of the
takes longer than normal, it is not necessarily thefood or the atmosphere of the restaurant, you
wait staff who is to blame. Neither is the conditionshould let the manager know. Send compliments
of the bathrooms or how long it takes for youto the chef if your food was superb. If another
get seated. Although these contribute to themember of the wait staff was especially helpful,
overall dining experience, it is not the fault of theask if you can leave a tip for that person instead.
waiter or waitress.If you plan to return, you want to make certain
In some restaurants, the waiter or waitressthat you get good service the next time around.