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Comment by tlrobinson | Hacker News Reader

Where are you located? 15% for average service is definitely customary at sit-down restaurants in the United States.

When I was in LA recently I was tipping 15% for good service. Hope the waiters can make rent! /s

Do you know anyone who actually works in food service? I do, and they'd be pissed if everyone skimped with a 15% tip. It's 20% for adequate service, 25% for excellent.

This is hilarious, and sad. What a broken system.

More proof that tipping is wrong, local variances with no way to find the local standard!

Well that's news to me. I generally tip 20% and thought I was being generous...

I agree that 20% is the new normal. 10-15 years ago, it was 15% for adequate, 20% for excellent (that's my memory of major US cities on both coasts). Tip inflation is real.

25% is crazy.

Depends. 20-30% if you are dining solo and not drinking in a place which is normally couples and with some wine, seems fair, since what actually matters to the waiter is total tips at the end of the night. My check is probably $40 vs $120.

You are also less work for them. I'm not sure why you feel obligated to make up for the fact that you aren't blowing 120 dollars at the table.

I'll tip 30% at like an Ihop when my bill is 11 bucks because "total tips" is what matters.

They get a finite number of tables in an evening.

Yeah I do, and of course they claim everyone should give them more money. Since I frequently heard that the new standard is 20% I've reduced my tips to 10%, pretax. If a bill helpfully prints calculations and the lowest option is greater than 15% I will leave less than 10%.

Taxi drivers get $1 no matter the fare. The gall of that industry to even ask...

And even the slightest infraction of protocol and I leave 0.

I used to overtip all the time. I got absolutely nothing of value for doing it, so forget it.

I got a tip for ya right here: it's your money, do what you want with whatever's left after taxes, fees, fines, and mandatory contributions.

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