This post is prompted by a conversation I had with my brunch companion this morning, at Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder (where, by the way, you should definitely get the baked beans with ham hock, taleggio cheese, and a poached egg. And a Bloody Mary).
We came to settle the bill; I automatically went to include extra for a tip, she argued that surely tipping is not mandatory or expected in Australia, and especially not at breakfast.
Obviously in countries like the USA, any guide book will tell you that tipping is expected, and depended on by hospitality staff to supplement their meagre minimum wage; but what about here? Is tipping still optional, or is it expected?
When do you tip, and how much? When do you not tip?
Do you decide whether or not to tip (or how much to tip), based on the service you receive?
Gratuitous photo of the baked beans I had for breakfast:
KATE
I tip when the service is good and the food is good. Otherwise I don’t tip at all.
I learnt this from my parents. Although sometimes I’ve found myself tipping, just for the sake of it. How much? just depends…. i look at what 10% is and then see if I want to give that full 10%.
Some places I just leave the lose change, other times I will give it directly to the waiter who has gone above and beyond to ensure THEY get the tip.
Reading Waiter Rant did change my look at waitstaff.
I usually tip, but not at certain ‘cheap & cheeful’ eateries such as Chinese noodle houses. It is a small tip mostly but I will make more of an effort to tip when the service really is great. When there is a public holiday surcharge or the like, then the tipping is reduced as the proprietor is expected to pass this surcharge along. All in all, it really does depend on the quality of service.
Until I joined the hospitality industry I’d only ever tip for great/exceptional service or if I felt my group had been particularly demanding. Now I tip all the time (unless it’s absolutely appalling service) because I’ve learnt how hard hospo people work and how little they actually get paid. People often assume that people working nights/weekends/public holidays are getting penalty rates, but for the most part this isn’t the case. With the minimum wage being around $17-$18 an hour (before tax)and the majority of your wait staff being paid this you can be sure that your small tip, even if just a few coins at breakfast, will be very much appreciated by the people serving you.
I have worked in hospitality so will generally tip unless something has been woeful about the dining experience.
In the UK Australians have a reputation for not tipping. Here it is expected and certainly does add to the meagre wages. I’ve had to defend Australians quite a few times from accusations if stinginess.
The tipping system in America is in place for as reason, as aforementioned. Largely to supplement incredibly low minimum wage. Because of this, there is also a hierarchy and system in place to manage said tips. The waitperson tips out to the busboys, who in turn tip to relevant kitchen staff. This means that all areas of your service are covered.
As tipping has become as strange custom here, I argue that there is no system in place to manage it. What if the particular waiter/waitress dont end up getting your tip? What if it’s communal and you’re effectively rewarding staff who didnt serve you? What if you embarrass the staff member by handing them money separate from the bill?
It completely baffles me that people tip by default in Australia. In a fine dining restaurant, I agree that tipping is essential. Mainly because you’re dealing with professional career waitstaff.
If we tip for tips sake, then by the same token we should be leaving tips for any service staff, even counter staff at sandwich bars. And i think the example about not tipping at an Asian restaurant is poignant – those people work just as hard to expedite your food quickly and provide efficient service, yet we almost never feel it necessary to reward them.
If you like to tip your servers, then power to you. I just have beef with the fact that it’s become habit here without a valid reason.
And further to my last post – while waitstaff here get paid $17-18 per hour, the average American server gets around $3-5 from their employer. Thats the difference we’re talking about here people.
Typically I tip around 10% – provided the food & service are good. If it’s excellent, I might go a bit higher, but I can’t remember the last time this happened.
Crappy food or service means no tip.
I don’t tip at noodle houses / dim sum places (not really sure why).
I don’t tip when buying drinks in a bar.
And if the waiter doesn’t give me “tip change” they’re likely to miss out, ie: if it’s a $30 bill and I pay with a $50 note … bring me a $20 note for the change and you’ll probably not get a tip – don’t assume I have appropriate change in my pocket.
Being an Aussie, I don’t tip. I don’t feel the need to tip as previously mentioned, wages in the USA are quite low compared to ours. I’m not going to tip someone just for bringing my food from the kitchen to my table when they earn the same hourly rate I do for my office job.
In saying that however, I’m also not an asshole to waiters and make sure their dealings with me are pleasant as possible.
I normally tip something at restaurants and how much depends on the service and the food. Sometimes it’s a token amount, like the loose change, sometimes it’s 10%, and occasionally it’s more. And like mademoiselle delicieuse I don’t really tip for “cheap and cheerful” eateries.
I also rarely tip for breakfast/brunch because it’s more casual, and the service normally doesn’t warrant a tip.
I do tend to tip most of the time except 1. cheapo chinese places 2. bad services
I usually round the amount i paid to the 10s & 5s(eg if it is 72 I round to $80, if it is 78 I round to $85) I do have to say I feel I am obliged to tip as I feel it is already a norm in Australia. it is funny because it is very natural for me to tip w/o thinking and when i have problems with the services or food I would ponder myself for ages about whether I should speak up…. and most of the time I ended up not to and not tipping…
for more exp restaurants, I tip about 20% because I generally receive very good service.
It is a very interesting issue as I do get told off by different group of friends that I tip too much or too little which shows a great divide in how Australian feel about tipping.
I do really feel I should tip in Aust because people in the industry get paid very little (like US). If you take any standard employees work in any industries, some of them prob work overtime w/o getting paid and hourly rate work out worse than $17/$18 per hour.
oops as per my last paragraph in my comment above. I was meaning to say I don’t really feel I should tip in Aust because people in the industry get paid very little… blah blah
I pretty much always tip 10% for service. Unless it is hopeless and as long as I am brought the bill. If I’m left forgotten at the table without bringing the bill & I have to go to the bar to pay, I don’t tip.
Hospitality workers on a weekend are more likely to be on $22-$30 an hour. That is the rate. So they are paid pretty well, esp if they take home a few tax free tips each day. It’s a bit of a myth that they’re only paid $17/hr. And if they are, then its guaranteed to be cash too.
Thanks for the post, always an interesting topic.
Karen – I think you will find that a lot of hospo workers aren’t getting any kind of “weekend” rate but the same regardless of the day or hour. Any business started after workchoices was introduced was/is not required to pay penalty rates for weekends or public holidays.
I tend to tip around 10% – mostly based on food rather than service – if food is bad but service is good I’ll just round up the next $10 (or I’ll actually hand the particular waiter a note when they come to collect the bill so I know they receive the whole tip) but if the food is stellar I tip 10% of the total bill, perhaps more if the bill is under $100.
I don’t tip if the food is only ok and the service only ok.
i tip, but then I’ve working in hospitality my whole life. Normally 10-15%. Bars, restaurants, cafes.
$30 weekend rate usually only comes into it play with larger hotels, or restaurants groups. That $17-$22 figure is more accurate, especially in cafes etc.
I used to work in retail for less that $17 an hour. No one tipped me.
Ahh the old tipping debate. I understand it in the US with their ridiculously low minimum wage and all that, but I still found it hugely annoying trying not to under-tip. I think Australians have a pretty bad rep for that.
Generally when settling the bill I’ll round up to the next $10, unless the night has been exceptional, and even then it’s unlikely to be more than 10%.
Please, please fight tipping as standard in Australia. Tipping here in America is out of control — 20% is standard where I am, and you’re expected to do it everywhere, for everything. I showed up to a work thing with free drinks and food with no money, only to discover it was very poor form not to tip for said free drinks and food.
I find it so tacky and it makes me presume waiters and bartenders are constantly “working” me for extra cash, which makes it harder to enjoy eating or drinking out.
If tipping becomes the norm in Australia, it will give employers an excuse to pay hospitality staff less, and we’ll end up in exactly the same situation as America.
As a rule, i do not tip in Australia. For most of the reasons above.
And overall i dont like tipping in America either, as the service i am getting is not exceptional, just expected. But i understand the diffence in labour laws.
In many of the “cheap and cheerful” establishments, you are being served by the owners/family. Do you tip owners or just staff?
And in the expensive restaurants, i HATE tipping on the total value of the bill that includes wine with 150% markup. I understand and would rather pay corkage fees than tip.
So i make a point of bucking the trend, and not tipping, instead of just jumping on the bandwagon.
Firstly I think tipping is a personal choice here in Australia and your friend had no right to stop you. Whilst wages here may be considered generous compared to other places it is still true that as service staff, they often get treated poorly and have some of the lowest wages around anyway. One of my first jobs was a place which came under “theatre restaurant” and our wages were based on us getting tipped. We didn’t. I was paid $7.27/hr after I got my first pay rise (I have blocked out the original wage evidently). I tip when service or food is exemplary or if I feel I have been a difficult customer and sometimes just because I am feeling generous or don’t want my loose change. When I went to a hatted restaurant for the first time I budgeted to leave a tip expecting good service and still tipped more than I expected because I was blown away. That was 20%, but it varies between rounding up to the nearest $5 and 10-20%. Really, it’s a case by case basis.
Growing up in NZ I hate tipping, just because it’s hard work and foreign. Tell me what it costs, and I’ll pay that. Easy. If I like the place I reward you by coming back, telling friends. If I don’t like the place, I don’t go back. If I hate the place I tell friends. Perhaps the feedback isn’t as direct as tips, but that’s how I recognise the whole package – food, ambiance, service…
I always tip unless I’m only getting a coffee or the service is appalling. I used to be a waitress and it was a thankless job. Customers were rude, kitchen staff were rude and you were the middle person trying to make everyone happy.
Also, if the service is terrible, I look around to see why. Some restaurants are terribly understaffed and there is nothing a waiter can do to improve the situation. I tip then too.
I must say, I like the fact that it’s optional here and not expected.
This is good to know. Each location has it’s own tipping etiquette. Here in Canada, we have that bad tendency to tip for virtually everything regardless of the quality of the service. It’s a mandatory thing here (I saw friends who receive call backs from restaurants because they forgot to tip properly…)
Lived in the USA for a few years where tipping was almost mandatory for most service related industries (hotel staff, cabs, tourist buses, hair dressers, cleaners, valet parking, etc. etc.) and have kept up the habit in some areas since returning to Australia. Am usually mortified if I am not in charge of paying a bill and I think waiting staff have not been tipped appropriately or at all. On the other hand though, I will not tip if the service is not up to par.
Returned to the USA recently for a three week holiday and man did I fork out a small fortune in tips. They are a lot more open about it than I recall when I lived there and will remind you quite frankly on tour buses, etc. that they would like a tip. Just in our hotels alone I was tipping waiters, bell hops, concierge, bar tenders, and cleaning staff. In general conversation with a few people we discovered that some waiters only earn $2-$3 per hour so you can imagine why the reliance on tips is so big. I don’t see it as the same here but I believe a tip of 10-15% of a restaurant bill is okay for good service.
Living in Perth where the price of dining out is extortioate the food/service would have to blow my mind to make me consider tipping
Tipping keeps various minimal wages low. Why would a boss be motivated to increase anyone’s wage if his customers will be paying his staff?.
Just like most in this thread, I tip if the service is really exceptional with the food industry.Normally at least 10%10% or depending on actual bill amount. I’m also more likely to tip for other service industry like hair salons.
I tipped after spending six years in London. I will generally always tip if I am eating out – the only question is how much. Working in the service industry and kitchens is highly stressful.
Agree with Iron Chef Shellie and totally agree with Mystery
Man. I am an employer and although I am not in the food industry, I
would feel totally ashamed as an employer if my employees had to
rely on tips for their living. The wages that American employees
get paid are total disgrace and that’s the crucial issue to be
dealt with.
At least 10% and more if they were extra nice. I say always tip, even a take-away – throw the change into the jar – it’s about generosity. Another debate for another post – how are the tips split? I’m all for waiters keeping their own tips if possible – very motivating for good staff (spoken as a former owner).
We dined at a rather expensive and famous restaurant, where our bill came to nearly $1900 for a small group of 6. A friend chose to tip the restaurant $180, on her own without mention to us. I later found this out and am furious at the fact that she chose to tip on behalf of the table, and that she did tip at all (having paid so much for food and wine which would of been heavily marked up, and not to mention $60 for sparkling water.) She mentions to me it is an expected etiquette to tip everywhere in Melbourne 10% but what is the limit to tip when to end bill is so high?
Interesting question Mark. I think it depends on the experience… if I had an expensive meal but felt that the wait staff really made the night memorable, then I’d still tip 10% even on a large bill. But if it was a good night not a GREAT night, then I might tip 5%.
Only just read this. I happily tip when the service is good and have no reservations about not tipping if the service is bad.
I find it funny so many people are saying “i always tip because I worked in hospitality”. I also have worked in hospitality and if anything it made me realise it’s just as easy (usually easier) to provide good service than it is to provide bad service. As such when service has been average I see no reason to reward it.
If you can afford a $1900 bill you can afford to tip.
Most high end wait staff… ie the “overpirced water places” the staff get paid less than cheaper cafes.
it may me $22 an hour on sunday… but if you are high end you are usually salary.
which means it will be about $35-$38k a year based on a 38 hour week…
then depending on places i have worked there is the requiered 10-30 hours a week unpaid over time.
and remember of course 10am til midnight might only be a 8 or 10 hour “shift” with a massive break in the middle.
so yes for your office job, you might get paid the same.
but you don’t have 4 hour unpaid mandatory breaks in the middle of your day.
you don’t finish work so late that you wait upto 40 minutes for a train home
you don’t do more unpaid overtime than any other industry.
my housemate and my GF are on the same salary. for the same “hours”. my housemate works in insurance.
she leaves the house at 8am and gets home at 6pm. monday to friday.
my GF works 6 days a week.
2 days she leaves home at 4pm, and gets home about 1am.
4 days she leaves home at 9am, and gets home about midnight.
and if restaurant owners put prices up just to cover the overtime staff need to do, your meal prices will jump by 20%
given restaurants at the moment are already eating an upto 25% increase in food costs, which is damn hard in an industry with an incredibly low profit margin….
tipping for good service, for your career hospitality, is a small price to pay to avoid the cost in making hospitality people actually get a decent wage for their hours.
Aswell as insuring that bad wait staff don’t last long in professional enviroment, as one bad waiter will ruin everyones tips.
However…
there isn’t the requirement to tip, so %ages don’t matter as much, it is more about a token of appreciation, so the round up to the nearest note is generally ok.
That said a $10 tip on a $1900 bill is almost MORE of an insult than no tip, but you don’t HAVE to tip 15%, that rounded up to even $1950, while low for a tip on that bill, would be genuinely appreciated because as i said, tips, mostly, are seen as a sign of appreciation for how hard we have to work to get you your food
I’ve noticed that more and more when you pay by credit that you receive a slip including an open space for a tip. Is that asking for one or just a product of US made credit card machines? When you pay by credit does the tip still go to the waiters/waitresses? or is it only when you leave cash?