Millburn-Short Hills Magazine Spring 2018

list Dining Tip C reditCards.com, a credit card information website, teamed up with researchers from Princeton and surveyed about 1,000 adults across the U.S. Their study indicates that the best tippers are men, Republicans, Northeasterners, and customers paying with a credit or debit card. These groups generally tip a median of 20 percent when dining at a restaurant. The study says that women, Democrats, Southerners, and those paying in cash leave a 15 percent to 16 percent tip, on average. About half of tippers in the survey tip between 16 percent and 20 percent. On the low end, one-in-five customers at dine-in restaurants don’t leave any gratuity at all. Why are some groups better tippers than others? “Generally, it all comes down to income,” Matt Schulz, senior analyst at CreditCards.com, says. “The more money you have, the more likely you are to leave a little extra tip on the table.” 2% Less that 15% 15% 15% 76% 20% 7% More than 20% Should we tip on the entire bill or just the before-tax amount? Peter Post, great-grandson of etiquette doyenne Emily Post and managing director of The Emily Post Institute, says you don’t have to add in the tax. But he tips about 20 percent on the total “wherever I am. It’s just simplicity.” However, check that a serv- ice charge hasn’t already been included: Places catering to tourists from countries where tipping isn’t the custom increasingly tack on an extra percentage. And many foreign countries already include a service charge on the bill, so read it closely. 4 IN 5 Tipping myth: A restaurant server will receive the same amount whether you tip in cash or on a credit card. NOT NECESSARILY. Some eateries make waiters and bartenders pay the credit-card company service fee on the gratuity (often 2-3 percent). Employers have even demanded that servers pay a percentage of those entire tabs, which isn’t legal. And servers may not get credit-card tips the day they’re given, which means a wait and the chance for employers to fudge on what is owed. — KITTY YANCEY RESTAURANT CUSTOMERS SAID THEY ALWAYS LEAVE A TIP, AT 18 PERCENT ON AVERAGE. — CREDITCARDS.COM What should you tip when you got bad service? “If it’s really poor service, give 10 percent. Your tip will reflect the service and management will see that,” according to etiquette expert Melissa Leonard. This is because some restau- rants divide tips among the staff, so not tipping could affect more than just your server. TIPPING ETIQUETTE SIT-DOWN RESTAURANTS The Emily Post institute recom- mends a pre-tax tip of 15-20 per- cent, and this is pretty much the standard. Servers rely on tips because even in states where the minimum wage is higher than the national average, the minimum wage for tipped workers can be as low as $2.13. 18 DELIVERY Grubhub founder and CEO Matt Maloney strongly encourages a 10- 15 percent tip. After all, delivery drivers aren’t salaried workers, and they’re delivering food straight to your door. SPRING 2018 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE TAKEOUT You’re not obligated to tip for takeout, according to Leonard. A 10 percent gratuity is recommended for extra service like curbside delivery or particularly com- plicated orders. TIP JARS Tip jars are fairly ubiquitous at cafés and coffee shops, and this can cause some confusion. Customers don’t have an obliga- tion to tip, according to The Emily Post Institute, but if you’re a regular customer or the barista gives you something extra special, a tip is appreciated. BAR A $1 or $2 per drink tip is rec- ommended, if a bar doesn’t have a tip jar. BUFFET Protocol for wait staff at a buffet is similar to that of delivery. A 10 per- cent tip, pre-tax, is considered standard by The Emily Post Institute. Figure Out Your What do you normally tip at restaurants?

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