The art of tipping is an awkward one. How many times have we felt unprepared by someone expecting a tip? Suddenly, we find ourselves fumbling for cash in our pockets and pull out a dollar – not enough. Then we find a 20 – too much. How much should you give? How do you do it gracefully?

Like it or not, we have become a service-oriented society. While tipping is discretionary, it’s important to remember that you are paying extra for quality service. If you think tipping is stupid, then don’t tip. But don’t complain if you get treated poorly or have to wait.

Let’s take hair salons for example. You may think it’s crazy to tip a lot when you’ve already paid so much for the service itself. But if you can afford $130 to have someone spend two hours on your head, it’s assumed that you can afford the 10 to 20 percent tip.

Frankee Uno, a stylist in San Francisco, says bad tippers get no special treatments. “I’ll squeeze someone in at the last minute if they’re a good customer,” she says. “Or undercharge them if I know they’ll tip extra.”

Something to keep in mind while you figure out exactly how grateful you are for the service you receive, is that it’s not just the person who served you who gets the money. Many times the support staff takes a cut of the gratuity.

For example, a server in a restaurant typically has to pay three to five people out of the tip you leave based on the total of your check. If you have a $100 bill, they might have to give $10 of the tip to other people, regardless if they ever came to your table.

That’s why the average tip in a restaurant is between 15 and 20 percent. If you only leave 10 percent to begin with, your server has just worked for free. If you don’t leave anything, the server has to pay others with her own money.

“People need to understand when they tip, they aren’t just tipping the server,” says Katy McNab, a server at a popular San Francisco restaurant. “There’s a bartender, host, food runner, busser and sometimes kitchen staff that get paid from the tip on the table. When people don’t tip 15 percent, the server pays out of their own pocket for the guests good time out on the town.”

The same goes for a cab ride. Taxi drivers depend on their tips for their income. Your $8 fare covers the cost of gas and the car itself. If the driver took a short cut and ran a few yellow lights to get you there in a speedy fashion, you should cough up the extra dough and pay for the service.

Hotel workers at the Villa Florence Hotel in San Francisco say it doesn’t cost a lot to insure better service. The doorman, concierge, and housekeeper all say a dollar a bag, or a dollar an errand usually insures extra attention.

But most people who work in the service industry say there are basic guidelines for tipping their profession.

Most bartenders say that a dollar a drink is the standard. If you order more, then 15 to 20 percent of the tab does the job. They also note that people who tip big on the first drink, usually get their second round very quickly and sometimes on the house.

“There’s a system to it,” says Lotta Williams, a bartender at the Lucky 13 bar in San Francisco. “If you know how to tip, you’ll get better service and end up paying less in the long run.”

Much of it depends on how difficult you are as a customer. If you’re a basic cup-a-Joe type of person, then you need not worry. If you prefer a non-fat, white chocolate, half-caf, latte without the foam, then that tip jar next to the register – that’s for you.

The exception to the rule is tipping in strip clubs. All the dancers at Larry Flint’s Hustler Club in San Francisco won’t say what an appropriate tip should be. They’ll gladly quote you prices for a table dance, private dance and time in the Champagne Room, but extra tips are negotiated on an individual basis. The price they quote will get you the service, but the tip will get that little extra you might be looking for.

The word “tip” is actually an acronym meaning “To Insure Promptness” or “To Insure Politeness,” possibly proving that you really get what you pay for. If you want to be taken care of like the VIP that you know you are, then bring the cash.

Contact Machnak at machnak@sfsu.edu

That’s why the average tip in a restaurant is between 15 and 20 percent. If you only leave 10 percent to begin with, your server has just worked for free. If you don’t leave anything, the server has to pay others with her own money.
“People need to understand when they tip, they aren’t just tipping the server,” says Katy McNab, a server at a popular San Francisco restaurant. “There’s a bartender, host, food runner, busser and sometimes kitchen staff that get paid from the tip on the table. When people don’t tip 15 percent, the server pays out of their own pocket for the guests good time out on the town.”
The same goes for a cab ride. Taxi drivers depend on their tips for their income. Your $8 fare covers the cost of gas and the car itself. If the driver took a short cut and ran a few yellow lights to get you there in a speedy fashion, you should cough up the extra dough and pay for the service.
Hotel workers at the Villa Florence Hotel in San Francisco say it doesn’t cost a lot to insure better service. The doorman, concierge, and housekeeper all say a dollar a bag, or a dollar an errand usually insures extra attention.
But most people who work in the service industry say there are basic guidelines for tipping their profession.
Most bartenders say that a dollar a drink is the standard. If you order more, then 15 to 20 percent of the tab does the job. They also note that people who tip big on the first drink, usually get their second round very quickly and sometimes on the house.
“There’s a system to it,” says Lotta Williams, a bartender at the Lucky 13 bar in San Francisco. “If you know how to tip, you’ll get better service and end up paying less in the long run.”
Much of it depends on how difficult you are as a customer. If you’re a basic cup-a-Joe type of person, then you need not worry. If you prefer a non-fat, white chocolate, half-caf, latte without the foam, then that tip jar next to the register – that’s for you.
The exception to the rule is tipping in strip clubs. All the dancers at Larry Flint’s Hustler Club in San Francisco won’t say what an appropriate tip should be. They’ll gladly quote you prices for a table dance, private dance and time in the Champagne Room, but extra tips are negotiated on an individual basis. The price they quote will get you the service, but the tip will get that little extra you might be looking for.
The word “tip” is actually an acronym meaning “To Insure Promptness” or “To Insure Politeness,” possibly proving that you really get what you pay for. If you want to be taken care of like the VIP that you know you are, then bring the cash.

Contact Amy Machnak at machnak@sfsu.edu