New York - NYC - Tipping

go4broke

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.

This is the best advice and exactly what I was going to say. Just because people ask for a tip for doing a simple service doesn't mean you HAVE to. There are many places especially around Time Square where people will try to get a tip out of you for every single thing they do. I usually just stick with the 10-15% for most restaurants.

Indout96

Were british, i think they expect it.

That is exactly the reason we holiday off the beaten track in the US (Vegas excepted) to avoid the "English bad tipper" tag that follows you around in places like Orlando.

I ain't however going to subsidise for !!!! wages for poor employers over in the States though.

I don't suppose you will be complaining about only paying 8 % VAT though.
Don't forget that when you pay the over inflated prices in UK restaurants you ARE paying for the wages, in the US you are just paying it more directly.

kingston_toon

On our first time in NY last year, we (group of four lads) weren't aware that it was the "done thing" to leave $1 extra for each drink. Four rounds in, the bar girl struck up conversation and asked how much we got paid, and then went on to say how she got next to nothing and had to live on tips. We probably would have spent all night in that bar, but were suitably embarrassed enough to move on straight after that (leaving a decent enough tip just for her on leaving). OK, we didn't know, and we generally did leave $1 for each drink after that, but I still don't think it's right to ask. And to be honest, I don't feel it's right full stop. Table service, probably yes, but going to the bar yourself for a simple pint... well, is that really worth an extra $1 over and above the price of the drink? Probably not.

Twentiesgirl

I misinterpreted the double the tax so at the start of my holiday I gave the same as the tax when I met up with a friend who was a new yorker she told me she doubled the tax and I found that really straight forward