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chicago_diner
New member
Username: chicago_diner
Post Number: 1
Registered: 12-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 29, 2008 - 12:20 pm: | 
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My husband insists that you do not have to tip on alcohol in restaurants, just the food bill. For example, if we have a $200 total restaurant bill, which includes $50 of wine, he only tips on the $150 of non alcohol. He does the same thing whether we have one bottle of $50 wine, or 5 bottles of $10 wine. He also does the same thing if we have beer or mixed drinks. Is this correct? |
neecey93
Member
Username: neecey93
Post Number: 141
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 29, 2008 - 12:39 pm: |
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What's the difference between having a server put down a glass of soda in front of you or a bottle of beer/mixed drink? The same effort goes into both. Actually more since the server has to keep checking in with the bartendar to see if your drink has been made vs. being able to take care of a regular drink right away. (I'm assuming the bartendar isn't in charge of regular drinks). As for the wine, well apparently there's a lot that goes into serving wine properly and that's where my knowledge on that ends so tipping on wine is expected as well although I would think that some would not tip on the total cost of the wine depending on how much responsibility the server actually takes with how the wine is being served. |
vozveratu
Senior Member
Username: vozveratu
Post Number: 1028
Registered: 01-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 29, 2008 - 01:23 pm: |
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I like the way people take one thing out of the whole picture and try to figure on tipping or not.
Taking anything and applying a simple action to it can be done easily.
Food: "All the server does is come to the table, write down what we want, and bring the food when it's done."
Wine: "All the server does is take the order, get the bottle, open, then pour."
Drinks: "All the server does is take the order, brings it from the bar, done."
Make Change: "Server just swipes the card in the computer. Nothing else."
Your husband, along with alot of others on the board are over-simplifying the job. It's more than just tipping on food, drink, or wine. Your tipping on the total, for the experience of having a nice diner at a nice restaurant with friends and family.
Let me simply put it this way. Go by what your husband does, if everyone did the same, he would have to get used to sub-par standards of service.
Food: Customer, "What's good?" Server, "I don't know."
Customer, "I'm alergic to peanuts." Server, "I don't care."
Wine: Customer, "What's a nice dry, but earthy red you have?" Server, "White Zin."
Drinks: Customer, "This taste like gin." Server, "I told the bartender to make it, I just bring it."
Birthdays : Don't care. Wedding parties : Don't care. Special diets : Don't care. Trying to impress your clients? : Don't care. Food taking a long time : Don't care. On and on and on.
So if your husband is cool with having Joe, skateboard surfer dude waiting on you because he can't get a job anywhere else, then keep practicing the below average tipping practice. |
teleburst
Senior Member
Username: teleburst
Post Number: 2390
Registered: 06-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 29, 2008 - 04:07 pm: |
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Also, I wonder if your husband tips a bartender when having a drink at the bar. I'll bet he does.
I have actually worked in a restaurant where you tip out the bar only on alcohol sales. I guess you can see where this is going. And some of us tip out on total sales, and that includes $50 bottles. I don't know where you might be able to get a $10 bottle of wine in a restaurant, but I'd sure like to have dinner there. |
gbowen99
Intermediate Member
Username: gbowen99
Post Number: 405
Registered: 06-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 - 02:40 pm: |
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"if we have a $200 total restaurant bill, which includes $50 of wine, he only tips on the $150 of non alcohol."
Sounds like you have a very very smart man there. You should have all the babies you can with him.
I am going to start to do the same thing. |
chicago_diner
New member
Username: chicago_diner
Post Number: 2
Registered: 12-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 - 05:12 pm: |
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Thanks everyone. I do agree that it makes sense to tip for alcohol, but where do you draw the line? Do you tip by the bottle or by the price of the bottle? In other words, if it's a $200 bottle of wine, do you tip $40, and if it's $50 bottle, you only tip $10?
Below is actually what the Tipping.org website says:
"Tips involving liquor should follow the following guidelines:
If one bottle of wine was ordered, then it is usually okay to include it's cost into the tip calculation.
If there is a lot of wine ordered or if the price of a single wine bottle is above $10, I think it's cost should NOT be included in the final tip calculation." |
teleburst
Senior Member
Username: teleburst
Post Number: 2393
Registered: 06-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 - 06:01 pm: |
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I have disagreed with Manny (who runs this site) over this advice. I (and most people) think that it doesn't matter whether a bottle of wine costs over $10, especially since I don't think that there's a restaurant in the country that sells a $10 bottle of wine.
Here's a question - why would anyone draw a line regarding the price of a bottle of wine freely chosen by themselves. Nobody is ever forced to buy a $200 bottle of wine when there are cheaper alternatives on any list. It certainly isn't a matter of economics for someone who can afford to drink $200 bottles of wine. The last three bottles of $800 Lafittes that have been sold in our restaurant were tipped on fully (one table ordered 2 of them and tipped 20% on the final bill).
Just as you tip fully (or should) on a $120 lobster as well as a $10 burger, you should tip on the full price of of any bottle of wine that you purchase.
Once again, tipping.org's advice doesn't make sense when you consider that there are no $10 bottles of wine in restaurants.
Thank you for asking though.
One other thing - seasoned diners who bring their own special bottle of wine to a restaurant that allows this privilege usually tip on the estimated value of the wine. At least, that's been my experience. |
paid_up
Intermediate Member
Username: paid_up
Post Number: 533
Registered: 01-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 31, 2008 - 12:45 pm: |
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No tipping on wine period. |
vozveratu
Senior Member
Username: vozveratu
Post Number: 1033
Registered: 01-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 02, 2009 - 11:15 am: |
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Agree with Teleburst
Disagree with paid-up (what a surprise) |
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