New York - NYC - Tipping

unluckymike

I am heading to New York in November which is great. However, I have been speaking to friends who have been but give varying %'s of tipping at restaurants, bars, attractions, bellboys etc.

I'm not tight fisted but don't want to end up spending way more than I need to as this trip is getting a little out of control on the finance side! lol

Dave_Z

Personally, i tend to take the same attitude wherever i am. Sh*t service - 0%, average - 10%, excellent service - 20%. I try and avoid bell boys as i am more than capable of carrying my own luggage.

dmg24

Dave_Z wrote: »

Personally, i tend to take the same attitude wherever i am. Sh*t service - 0%, average - 10%, excellent service - 20%. I try and avoid bell boys as i am more than capable of carrying my own luggage.

I agree 100%.

The evening room attendant at my last stay was particularly good, so I got her a little box of Hotel Chocolat chocs (I was in the US, and they are still seen as a very premium brand) - she was over the moon, and gave me even more Molton Brown goodies as a thank you!

sunshinetours

Restaurants if a good meal then upto 20% would be seen as normal in US. If very average then 10% is seen often as the minimum (and slightly derogatory) tip

Bars - $1 here and there on a round will probably be fine

Bellboy - $2 a bag?

Also taxi drivers a few $ on top

Tipping is OTT in the US IMO but it is part of the culture if you go there so factor it in!

CountryGoose

You may also want to leave a $ or two on the pillow for the maid. Not essential, but good if you have been using a lot of towels or making a mess of the room.

Taxi Drivers - round up to about 10%

Doshwaster

Restaurants - 20% is typical. If you don't tip then don't expect to be served if you ever go back again. I've heard of some restaurants which have "British menus" for us Brits where the prices are all 20% more on account of our bad tipping reputation.

Bars - $1 a drink, but more than this is becoming more common for higher end bars or if the drink takes some effort to make such as a cocktail. This takes a while to get used to but the result is that the standard of service in bars is so much higher than it is at home.

Bell boy - $1 a bag but I usually insist on carrying my own.

Taxi - round up to the next $2 or so.

Police, Immigration Officer etc - don't even think about it

johnwey

sunshinetours wrote: »

Restaurants if a good meal then upto 20% would be seen as normal in US. If very average then 10% is seen often as the minimum (and slightly derogatory) tip

Bars - $1 here and there on a round will probably be fine

Bellboy - $2 a bag?

Also taxi drivers a few $ on top

Tipping is OTT in the US IMO but it is part of the culture if you go there so factor it in!

WRONG.................. you are not tipping on the meal , you are tipping on the serivice that you get during the meal

[Deleted User]

If you're tipping on the service, why is the tip a percentage of the meal cost?

dzug1

sunshinetours wrote: »

Restaurants if a good meal then upto 20% would be seen as normal in US. If very average then 10% is seen often as the minimum (and slightly derogatory) tip

Normal in the US yes - but for NY you need to add another 5% from what most forum posters eg on Thorn Tree say.

johnwey

ringo_24601 wrote: »

If you're tipping on the service, why is the tip a percentage of the meal cost?

Because thats how it works . If you get an awful meal but fantastic service , it isnt fair on the wait staff if you dont tip them , in this case you would talk to the management about the meal and your complaints

Believe me my friend , if you were a traveller , you would know you are tipping on the service and not the quality of the meal

ferf1223

johnwey wrote: »

Because thats how it works . If you get an awful meal but fantastic service , it isnt fair on the wait staff if you dont tip them

Agree and it's something people forget about a lot I think...if the waiter or waitress gets your order wrong, and that's what makes the meal awful, then sure...the tip should reflect that...but if you just simply don't like the meal, that's not the server's fault.