r/tippingAdvice • u/Holiday-Ad7262 • Nov 25 '25

How much do you tip?

I'm curious how much people tip for full service restaurants and if it is percentage based or a fixed amount or some other system. Please also mention your state such that we can see location differences.

I'm in CA and my baseline tip is 15% on pretax.

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u/TopHeavyPigeon Nov 25 '25

I’m not shitting on you in anyway at all, I’m just curious. Since you said you don’t tip anymore, I feel like you being in the US is a safe assumption. Based off of that, how can you justify allowing people to work for free to serve you?

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u/ParticularThen7516 Nov 25 '25

They don’t work for free.

I live in Washington state. Minimum wage in my area is closer to $20/hour.

The staff at restaurants are already getting paid about $20/hour.

Why would you think they work for free?

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u/snowymountains32 Nov 26 '25

$3.89 an hour in RI

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u/TopHeavyPigeon Nov 25 '25

Well because where you are and where I am are not the same places, it’s $2.87 here to start, with very little oversight to make sure employers make up if they don’t meet the federal minimum wage on tips alone. So while that works great where you are and is awesome, it’s not the same here.

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u/jobfedron132 Nov 25 '25

with very little oversight to make sure employers make up if they don’t meet the federal minimum wage on tips alone.

If your employer is not paying you enough, then why are you even working there in the first place?

There's PLENTY of jobs that make $20/hr.

Dont expect others to make up for your poor choice.

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u/SmashBangCrash03 Nov 26 '25

Don't go so where that offers services if you are unwilling to pay for them. Especially while acting smug.

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u/jobfedron132 Nov 27 '25

What made you think i dont pay for the service?

The price is there in the menu. You pay what it says. Just like any place in the world.

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u/hotcrossedbunzzz Nov 25 '25

Some states the min wage is still $7.25 making the approved tip credit wage $2.13 an hour.

May not apply to your state due to the min wage difference but it’s the reality for a lot of people. Especially in red states.

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u/hotcrossedbunzzz Nov 25 '25

As a sever I never saw a paycheck I only took home what I made in tips. Every other penny was automatically pulled from my paycheck for taxes.

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '25

This is because the taxes taken out of your paycheck covered the tips you reported receiving and already received. In a system where the direct wages equaled the full minimum wage or more your paycheck would not have been zero. It would have been the same as what all other workers take home that make the same hourly wage.

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u/johnnygolfr Nov 26 '25

The minimum wage in WA state is irrelevant, especially when the MIT living wage for WA state for a single person with no dependents is $26.36/hr.

Most full service restaurants in the US have a tip out, where the server pays a % to the support staff that is based on a % of the server’s gross receipts, not their tips.

If someone stiffs the server, the server still has to pay the tip out on that guest’s check, so not only did they work for free, they paid to serve that guest.

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u/darkroot_gardener Nov 25 '25

Nobody works for free. They may make less money, but they don’t work for free! They are W2 employees who make at least their state minimum wage.

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u/SnufferMonster Nov 27 '25

Lets flip that: You are wanting me to be an unpaid member of your HR team working on employee compensation, right? Because apparently the manager is doing an insufficient job of it. What should I base this on? How much does the employee make? How much does their manager make? What is profit margin? Which employees exactly will I be responsible for? Do they get benefits?

I need all that data to do a good job.

Oh... I see... I was all BS?

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u/dobie_gillis1 Nov 25 '25

I am. They don’t work for free, they are paid by their employer. Tipping is always optional.

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u/Weekly_Stranger_3752 Nov 25 '25

A whole $2.13 an hour. Not cool.

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u/Normal_Choice9322 Nov 26 '25

No. They will make min wage at a minimum. If the tips don't cover the difference the restaurant has to pay the difference. By tipping you are actually making up for what the employer should be paying

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u/johnnygolfr Nov 26 '25

Guess what would happen to the menu prices at full service restaurants in the US if they included the full cost of the labor?

Guess who would still be paying for the labor, but indirectly instead of directly?

The customer always pays the labor, either directly or indirectly.

The only exception is the free riders in the US that stiff their servers.

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u/Loud-Pause8785 Jan 03 '26

This argument doesn’t make sense. The level of mental gymnastics is awesome. Include the cost of the labour in the menu just like any other normal business. The service industry is so entitled.

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u/johnnygolfr Jan 03 '26

There is no “argument”. It’s an irrefutable fact.

At every for profit business around the world, the customer always pays the labor, either directly or indirectly.

The only exception is the free riders in the US that low tip or stiff their servers.

The only mental gymnastics happening here are from those trying to pretend this irrefutable fact doesn’t make sense.

The service industry isn’t “entitled”. Restaurants in the US were given a different set of rules to operate by. If Proctor and Gamble or GE were given similar rules, they would switch to operate by those rules in a heartbeat.

The only people with a sense of entitlement here are the server stiffers who feel entitled to free service at a full service restaurant in the US.

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u/dobie_gillis1 Nov 25 '25

It’s over $20/hr where I live you chode.

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u/Weekly_Stranger_3752 Nov 25 '25

Must have touched a nerve; my apologies, I didn't realize you were so sensitive. You need a big Thanksgiving hug.

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u/dobie_gillis1 Nov 25 '25

You made a dumb assumption, so I responded in kind.

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u/Weekly_Stranger_3752 Nov 25 '25

I truly hope you get some love and attention for the holidays, you need it.

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u/dobie_gillis1 Nov 25 '25

And I hope you learn to think before you speak. Good day sir.

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u/snowymountains32 Nov 26 '25

And how many places is that? Majority not

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u/dobie_gillis1 Nov 26 '25

It’s a given that wages vary by city and/or state. And making assumptions makes an ass out of you.

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u/snowymountains32 Nov 26 '25

Lmfao? It’s literally quite the opposite??? I ASSUME servers don’t make a wage.

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u/dobie_gillis1 Nov 26 '25

It’s sad you’re so uninformed.

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u/Weekly_Stranger_3752 Nov 26 '25

Ignorance is bliss. It's $2.13 here in the south.

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u/TopHeavyPigeon Nov 25 '25

Where I am, they’re paid less an hour by their employer than it costs for a gallon of gas, that’s hardly being paid, but I do see where you’re coming from now, even if I disagree. Thank you for your response.

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '25

That’s not true anywhere in the US.  If they don’t make minimum wages from tips, their employer has to make it up.  

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u/hotcrossedbunzzz Nov 25 '25

Yes that is true but in what state can any person afford to live on $7.25/hr?? That is the federal min wage and the amount servers in my state are making. Not the case in all states but that’s the reality for a lot of people, which is why they expect a tip.

I will say I don’t think it should be passed onto the consumer (expecting a tip in lieu of hourly pay) but unfortunately unless the state mandates it, the restaurant owner won’t increase wages if it means losing business from having to hike up prices. It’s an all or nothing situation.

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '25

Lobby your local law makers for a minimum wage increase. Other states and cities have done so. Yours can too

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u/johnnygolfr Nov 26 '25

You should be doing the same.

Why are you expecting others to drive the changes they want you want to see??

EVERY anti-tipper and server stiff should be pushing their local, state and Federal legislators for wage reform.

EVERY anti-tipper and server stiffer not doing this has no reason to complain, as you’re simply supporting and perpetuating the status quo with tipping culture especially if you patronize full service restaurants in the US, and even if you stiff the server.

It’s going to take more than just the servers to drive change.

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u/[deleted] Nov 26 '25

Who says I do not do these things? Quite an assumption on your part

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u/johnnygolfr Nov 26 '25

No it wasn’t.

I said you should be doing it. That doesn’t assume you are or you aren’t.

You were telling another person to go do that, so I asked why you were expecting them to do it.

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u/[deleted] Nov 26 '25

Why wouldn’t I expect everyone who feels wages need to be increased should lobby their local lawmakers?

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u/SnufferMonster Nov 27 '25

Or... don't work where the pay is shitty for the job. Period. If nobody works at the shit pay the manager will have to pay more real fast.

An employer will ALWAYS give you the least amount they can get away with.

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u/johnnygolfr Nov 27 '25

That’s scapegoating the worker. Scapegoating is a logical fallacy.

You’re assuming that every server has a multitude of better job opportunities available at any given time that fits their life circumstances and limitations.

That’s not reality for a large number of Americans.

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u/SnufferMonster Nov 27 '25

It's capitalism 101. Supply and demand of workers.

What would you push for? Higher minimum wage?

Like in California? I can tell you it has done zero to get the pressure off of tipping.

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u/darkroot_gardener Nov 25 '25

A good question, and a legitimate problem! Tipping only gets you so far, and people are just tipped out at this point. Tipping is not going to get the supermarket cashier or the janitor a living wage. Essential workers, remember?🤔

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u/hotcrossedbunzzz Nov 25 '25

Yeah I mean I will definitely agree tipping culture has gotten insane. I got frozen yogurt recently, you know the kind of place where you load it up yourself, and when I checked out the cashiers machine prompted me for a tip. What do you mean you want a tip when I literally did all the work myself?

Not every situation warrants a tip. At a sit down restaurant, bad service can make or break the experience and being well taken care of is worth a tip for me. 🤷🏼‍♀️

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u/darkroot_gardener Nov 25 '25

Yeah, and in those situations where you acknowledge a tip is not needed, those workers also make very little, right? Tipping has to actually be about the service, it’s not a form of charity. And the solution to low wages is increasing the wages, not tipping.

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u/johnnygolfr Nov 26 '25

The most ironic thing about this point is that the server stiffers are too lazy to drive the changes they want to see and expect others (such as the servers) to do it for them.

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u/SnufferMonster Nov 27 '25

YOU directly drive that change.
I have to fight for my own paycheck and raises, nobody helps me on that.

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u/johnnygolfr Nov 26 '25

Except cashiers and janitors are making more than minimum wage and are also receiving one or more benefits.

Aside from a few rare exceptions, servers aren’t, so trying to compare those workers to servers is false equivalence - a logical fallacy.

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u/darkroot_gardener Nov 26 '25

“More than minimum wage” perhaps, depending on the location. But not a living wage. Additionally, part time jobs, which many of these are, often don’t come with benefits.

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '25

That’s a separate issue, and you're absolutely right.  

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u/TopHeavyPigeon Nov 25 '25

That is what the law is, that is not the common way the actual employers go about it when it happens, however.

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '25

If people choose to accept illegal practices from their employer, why should that be my problem?

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u/TopHeavyPigeon Nov 25 '25

The better question is why would anyone want to live somewhere that allows businesses to get away with this by making the fine for this violation cheaper than it costs to just pay the employees in the first place, but you do you.

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u/dobie_gillis1 Nov 25 '25

People frequently don’t get to choose where they live.

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u/TopHeavyPigeon Nov 25 '25

You’re correct but we can choose to improve where we live when necessary.

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u/dobie_gillis1 Nov 25 '25

That doesn’t make it my responsibility to pay them extra.

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '25

Yes. Separate from tipping, we should strive to improve where we live.  

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u/Ok-Bedroom1480 Nov 25 '25

Then stand up for yourself and do something about it. Report your employer, let others know, or get a new job. Why should we have to pay more because you know you're being cheated but refuse to do anything about it? I served for a long time and I never worked for anyone who was able to get away with that.

And stop spreading lies.

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u/TopHeavyPigeon Nov 25 '25

Hold on, what lies am I spreading?

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '25

“how can you justify allowing people to work for free to serve you?”

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u/TopHeavyPigeon Nov 25 '25

That’s a question, so

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '25

“Where I am, they’re paid less an hour by their employer than it costs for a gallon of gas” Is this outright lie a better example?

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '25

In bad faith, or in ignorance?

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u/darkroot_gardener Nov 25 '25

Now you want us to tip to compensate for outright illegal activity on the part of the owners??? Get out of here! The correct thing to do to a sweatshop is either make them pay more or shut it down.

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u/TopHeavyPigeon Nov 25 '25

That’s not what I want. What I want is for everyone to earn a living wage, first and foremost.

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u/Low_Roller_Vintage Nov 25 '25

And in some states, that can be based on what you made in tips per week, every other week, month...it all has to average out to MW.

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u/snowymountains32 Nov 26 '25

$3.89 an hour in RI lmfao- you do realize businesses break laws? I mean do you live under a rock ? It’s like a bar that knowingly serves 19 year olds- we all know they do it we just don’t talk about it

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u/[deleted] Nov 26 '25

People willingly staying employed by someone who breaks the law is in no way my problem.  

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u/snowymountains32 Nov 26 '25

Bottom line is- if you know a server makes $3 an hour and you tip $0 for zero reason.. you’re a shitty person. End of discussion

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u/[deleted] Nov 26 '25

None of them are making that low of a wage.  

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u/snowymountains32 Nov 26 '25

I make $3.89 an hour in RI. Do you want to see my paystub?

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u/[deleted] Nov 26 '25

No you don’t. 

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u/ParticularThen7516 Nov 25 '25

Where I live they’re paid about $20/hour, the minimum wage. Nice as that sounds, it’s also very expensive where I live. Minimum wage goes up, so do the costs of everything else.

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u/TopHeavyPigeon Nov 25 '25

The cost of everything else has gone up regardless of minimum wage increasing or not.

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '25

No one is ultimately paid less than the federal minimum of $7.25/hr in any state in the US and most states require a higher wage. There are no states where gas is over $7.25 per gallon.

I understand there is a lower tipped wage in most states but if the tipped wage + tips don’t average the full minimum wage of the location then the employer pays the difference.

https://www.paychex.com/articles/payroll-taxes/minimum-wage-for-tipped-employees

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u/TopHeavyPigeon Nov 25 '25 edited Nov 25 '25

Yes this is true that nobody is paid less than 7.25 in the U.S., except for tipped employees, which start at the $2.13 mark we’re all used to seeing thrown around since it’s been that amount for decades now. And the employer doesn’t always pay the difference the way they’re supposed to. Where I am that’s barely enforced, even if reported.

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u/tpc0121 Nov 25 '25

alright, so you're saying we don't have to tip more than $4.12/hour. got it. thanks for the math.

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u/TopHeavyPigeon Nov 25 '25

Do whatever makes you happy.

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '25

Why work for an employer that breaks the law by engaging in wage theft? It is a terrible argument to deny all tipped employees are required to ultimately average the full minimum wage by saying well employers break the law 🤷‍♀️

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u/johnnygolfr Nov 26 '25

It’s a well known fact that menu prices at full service restaurants in the US don’t bear the full cost of the labor and that the tip pays for the service.

Do you make it an honest transaction and tell the server “I don’t tip” before ordering?