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Tips and Gratuities

I was eating at a Japanese restaurant Downtown on Robson Street. I was with a friend who had just arrived from China. We were both very full from all the sushi and gyoza (Japanese jiaozi). I couldn't have another bite. In fact, I asked to take the leftover sushi home with me. I also asked for the bill. I was paying for the whole meal since this was my first meal with my friend in Canada. I looked over the bill carefully. I made sure they didn't charge me for any items that we didn't order. I looked at the total and I felt confident that it was the correct price. So I put my money on the table and said, "Okay. Let's go."

My friend had a puzzled look as she looked at the total on the bill and the money I had left. She said, "Uh...you left some extra money on the table..."

"That's right," I said, "It's the tip. I have to add a tip to the total every time I go to a nice restaurant."

So obviously, we're having more fun with money today. The tip, or gratuity as it is sometimes called, is extra money we leave for the waiter/waitress because of their service. Throughout North America, it is typical to leave a tip for the server as an appreciation for their hard work serving you the meal. Depending on what city you live in, there are different standards for tipping. For example, in Vancouver, we leave about 10-15% of the meals cost for the waiter. In Philadelphia (that's the area of the US where Brian Fisher is from), I've heard that give about 20% tip!

Okay. Have I confused you yet? Let's look at an actual bill. To the right is a bill from the Nikko Japanese Restaurant. The sushi cost $10.00 and the gyoza cost $5.00. The two items together only cost $15.00. Now, add the 7% tax I talked about last time. That's another $1.05 to add to the total. So the final total is $16.05. As for the tip, I look at the sub-total number. The tip should be calculated before the tax is added. The sub-total is $15.00. I calculate 10% of the sub-total to see how much tip I should leave. 10% of $15.00 is $1.50. So I will add $1.50 to the total. That's $17.55. So I will leave $17.55 on the table instead of $16.05. Does that make sense?

Do I leave a tip at every restaurant?
No. I would never leave a tip at a McDonald's or KFC. Those are fast food restaurants and you are never expected to leave any tip there. You should leave a tip at restaurants that have actual waiters and waitresses that serve you.

Are there times when I don't tip?
Yes. I don't tip at restaurants that have service charges. Some very fancy restaurants have a service charge that replaces the tip. The service charge is usually 15% of your sub-total. Because they have already charged me, there is no reason to leave a tip.

Would I ever tip less than 10%
Yes. If I was very unhappy with the service by the waiters and waitresses, I will leave less than 10% tip. It's my way of letting the restaurant and servers know that I was unhappy with the service. I would also tip more than 10% sometimes. In the opposite situation where I was very happy with the service, I would probably leave more than 10% tip to let them know how I really enjoyed their service.

So that's the wonderful world of tipping. Any questions?