Tipping is not something that is really done that much in Australia. So if I ever *do* see someone tip, I'm like "Wow, they must be rich". lol

I was a waitress for years. Always gave good service but the odd time I would get someone who didn't tip. It really didn't bother me. They were good people and I guess they just thought they were paying enough for their meal as it was.

Pretty pathetic yo...

Not a lot.

Ah well, you know in some places its an insult to tip your waitress or waiter.

Well due to the credit crunch I think they are sensible!

I don't think anything. Where I grew up (England) tipping just isn't as socially mandatory as it is in the US and thus I tend to roll my eyes when Americans are all worked up over the fact some people don't agree tipping is, or should be, necessary. When I'm in the US, I half heartedly adopt the approach ''when in Rome, do as the Romans do'' -- but you wouldn't find me tipping more than 10%. I'd rather give the other 10% to a homeless charity.

Meh. I dont think lowly of them. Perhaps they only had enough money for lunch, and not enough for a tip. Otherwise, meh. They should tip.

That is horrible, servers work for tips, even if the service is poor you can tip accordingly but to not tip at all is just bad. I always tip 20%, at least, and more if the service was great.

I would think that they are somewhat cheap. Whenever my family and I go out we try to leave some tip even if its just a small one. On the other hand, I've heard that some waiters/waitresses find a $2 tip insulting. Personally, I'd rather a small tip than no tip, but that's just me.

the rich people in our locale do not tip. its the middle class and lower who are the tippers. they are the ones who know what tipping means, to compensate for low wages and to say how much one enjoyed the meal and the service and the cooking. in many restaurants, the tips are shared with the busboys and the cook.

That doesn't bother me as much as someone that feels tipping is mandatory. My buddy scoffs if we don't leave at least a 5 on the table. Most of our meals cost less than 20 bucks total. The only time I really overtipped is when the waitress spilled an entire piture of tea on this girl sitting across from me. She blew up and stormed out. It was friggin hilarious and everyone pitched in after she left. Since you asked, I almost took this one guy out in the parking lot when I caught him picking my tip up off the table. He put it back and slunk off when I called him on it.

If they got good service and didn't tip, I think it's insulting to the server. However, so countries don't tip, I guess, so there could be other reasons. If I have a server that never comes back once to see if I need anything, or if the service was terribly slow, I don't leave a tip. That happens very seldom . . . only when I'm irate!

i think theyve never worked as waitstaff

They either were unhappy with the service (To Insure Prompt Service = TIPS) or they didn't have the money after the cost of the meal to leave a tip. I've been in that situation before where I couldn't afford much more than my cheap breakfast even though my waitress was amazing!

In the United States most waitstaff have base compensation of $2-$3 an hour, with no guaranteed hours and no benefits. In other words not tiping is asking someone to work for starvation wages. It might not be a good system but it is the system.

I am a waitress and usually when it happens I assume they forgot, unless they were asses. I find it more insulting when someone leaves like a 30 cent tip. It says they KNOW they didn't forget.

Methink they tire of rewarding merely adequate service.

In the USA I think it's rude and selfish to not tip, even if it was bad service, tip with a small coin and tell the manager what you did and why. They always like to know if their wait staff isn't doing their job.

I get annoyed when someone doesn't tip the server. I work in a restaurant and know that the servers' only income is the tip, so its not just a nice gesture. Also, I am a busser, so the large part of my income comes from tip outs from the servers. If they get bad tips, they tip me less.

I tip based on service. If the service sucks, they get noooo tip. I ws a waitress all over California for decades, and I KNOW good service, and I know how to not get tipped. Servers don't like it, too bad. Do your job or get another one.

People that don't tip are the spawn of Lucifer... unless the service really was awful - in which case I would actually wait to tell the server why I didn't tip.

I can't understand their reasoning. My wife and I tip everytime. Most places don't pay the normal minimum wage for waitress/waitering. We generally give 20%, which means we don't eat out often. Their job is hard and demanding and as long as the food is brought to our table w/no cigarette ashes or spit in it, then we're thankful. BTW, I used to drive cab(similar wages to waitressing). No tips in Maine usually, unless it's the beginning of the month when welfare checks were mailed out. Then it was maybe .50 if we were lucky. 1.50/HR. 98 HRS a week. I've been there and will tip anyone that falls through the cracks of the minimum wage law.

In general, they suck. However, some people are in such a financial state as to not afford much, if any, tip. It is not my place to gainsay this, not being privy to that information. However, as a rule these people should rarely dine out if they cannot reasonably afford to tip appropriately. Exceptions for special occasions don't count. I used to deliver pizzas years ago. Non-tippers didn't, as a rule, bother me. The only exceptions were those who could obviously afford to order pizza delivery 4 or 5 times a week and never tipped one red cent. That is just plain rude.

I think that's pretty rude unless they got crappy service or are really poor. Waitresses don't make a lot of money.

Where tipping is common, like in the states, I tip generousl - up to 20% unless the service itself was poor. But I always try to leave something. It pisses me off when I see a waiter or waitress working hard and someone wants to stiff them on a tip. (excuse my bluntness). Here in Belgium, however, tipping is not common so I am more likely to notice when someone DOES tip. LOL

I work as a server and it irritates me when people do not tip after buying meal. What some people fail to realize is, as a server, we do NOT make minimum wage. We earn our money by tipping. So, it is hard to wait on someone (and certin people are more difficult then others) and excpect to always be smiling and polite, to earn this cash. In my area, it is supposed to be 15% of the bill (excluding alcohol). I am okay with less or more(of course) but please leave something! We pay taxes on our sales! Which means, if you don't tip, we have to pay taxes on what you spent and end up with less money than we should have. Be nice to the people who prepare your food!

They must have really not liked the meal and service to be stiffing a tip. It is considered extremely impolite to not leave a tip after buying a meal, considering that many employers pay the servers less than you would think (and with places I am familiar with... a LOT less) on the assumption that the waiters/waitresses will be earning tips to make up for what isn't being earned hourly in the paycheck. Along with that, you're basically telling the person who waited on you that you thought poorly of their service, as usually a tip determines how well they did or did not do.

Tipping is usually not an obligation. I feel I MUST qualify the statement: In some restaurants, it's clearly stated on the menu, for parties of 6 or more, a 15% gratuity is added to the check. There are many folks who are raised in such an environment, they simply don't know any better. They think because they are being waited on, the waiter/waitress/server is earning PLENTY of money. For those of us who are or were in the business, we KNOW A WHOLE LOT better! The folks waiting on tables depend on every dollar to help them pay their own expenses AND to tip the bus person and bartender. As I tell everyone: "The sword cuts both ways - good and bad." When I have a meal in a restaurant or dining room, when the food is good and the service is good, I let the folks know. How? IF the business uses comment cards, I take the time to fill-out a card. AND I let the server ("waiter"/"waitress") know I was satisfied. At times I let the cooks and chefs know I was happy. THEN there are those times when I get not-so-good service and/or not-so-great food. I STILL take the time to complete the Comment card. I STILL let the servers know how I feel. I STILL let the cooks and chefs know about it. Usually, I DON'T criticize in a loud, boisterous manner. I don't think it's necessary to "start the snowball rolling" by "calling folks on the carpet" by cursing or screaming and hollering at them in front of customers and their peers. I do it in a quiet, constructive way. It seems to me the criticism is usually well-appreciated. Once I turn my back or walk-out, maybe I'm called names or cursed. It doesn't bother me. If people aren't told the jobs they are doing are good or not-so-good, how are they supposed to better themselves? Thanks for asking your Q! I enjoyed answering it! VTY, Ron Berue Yes, that is my real last name! Sources: My wonderful family! Was in the Food and Beverage business over 26 years. "THE University of Hard Knocks" also known as ("a/k/a") "life's valuable lessons"

if you don't have the money, then u just don't have it.

we don't tip much here, only if we've been served by someone we know. how very un-australian... giving people money when we don't "have to".

Tipping has become somthing that almost HAS to be done, but I say forget it, if you dont want to tip, you dont have to. (If the service rocked, then be my guest, tip away)! But for the waitress's and waiters who are always saying that they are working for the tips cause there wage is next to nothing, well, if you have a problem with that.. GET A NEW JOB. There are people out there working for the same amount (or less) without even the option of someone leaving them a tip. I work for well above minimum wage, but no tips.. you know why? Cause I dont like gamboling on the fact I might get "stiffed", so I have a regualar salary. Just one source of income, no extra money! Not to mention, if a waiter is walking around like they own the place and are only giving sub par service, why spend additional money? The meal has already been marked up 30-40%, why pay even more (ESPECIALLY if it was NOT worth it)! And to whomever is going to have some sort of snide comment about how I must have never worked in the service industry, you can stuff it, I have, and it sucked, and you know what? I didnt have the option of getting tips, and I managed just fine. Why are you expected to pay for someone to do their job when they're already getting paid to do their job.

If you cannot tip in a restaurant a Stay home, pack a sack lunch, stop in a quick stop store for a sandwich, go to a drive-thru, or fast! Not tipping is so rude! Also to the SOB's that walk on a tab the bartender/server has to pay it!

I can't stand a non-tipper. Waitstaff in the US get paid a special wage. If minimum wage is $5.50, wait staff (all tip employees) get paid about $2.25 - maybe $2.50. Why else would they work for that low of a wage? Whereas tips are not included in the bill, they are expected. That is the way of the world. It is the way the industry works. Tips are not mandatory, but if you eat at a place regularly expect to get crappy service if they know you're not a tipper. Also, be prepared to tell the wait staff what you expect in order to get a tip. You'll find they will slow serve you all night and you'll have a horrible experience. As a former restaurant manager, I would support my server and let you know you have a right not to come back.

in America, its rude and selfish and inappropriate and tacky.

They should be dragged into the kitchen and thrown down the trapdoor steps into the cellar to spend the night with the rats and roaches.

Well I live in the UK, where tipping is not obligatory, but rather something you do at your own discretion to show you were pleased with the service, so I think it is perfectly acceptable not to tip if you are not happy with how you are treated.

If they can't afford the tip, they can't afford the dinner, either. CHEEP,CHEEP,CHEEP! Waitpersons are living on a shoestring and count on tips to help make ends meet.

I don't. I did not mean I don't tip!!!!!!!! I mean I don't think anything of people who do not tip!!!! I tip 20%.

depends how good the meal is innit

I think they are extremely rude cheapskates or people that know no better. To say that it is not done in the UK is not true, all waiters rely on tips to bolster a very low basic wage. Japan it is rude and Offensive to tip, China at the moment about 3% but it is going up. Other places around the world you can leave small amounts in the USA about 20% is considered normal more if the service is exellent.

I think that depends on the part of the world you are from. Tipping is not a commonly practiced thing in many parts of the world. You should always follow the local culture. Here in the US, we tip at restaurants, about 20%. By not tipping, you are taking away wages from the server. So you basically pay the server based on their performance, which I think is a fair method. Sometimes I wish I could do the same for the food based on its quality.

In the US, if someone doesn't tip it means a couple of things. First, they had horrible service or they are very cheap. I suppose they could have forgotten too.

It doesn't bother me in the slightest. It is a custom, but not an obligation. I'm generous enough to tip 10 to 15% for an average meal and average service. I even creep higher when I'm actually satisfied by the food and service. However, I will not reward someone for taking me for granted.

It's really sad when people don't tip. I work as a server and make $2.85 an hour plus tips. Not only that, we are charged for "allocated tips" on our W-2's which is figured according to restaurant sales and split between the servers according to their hours. So, if people don't tip, we end up actually "paying" to serve them food or drinks. If we don't make tips, we can't pay our bills or feed our families

It just depends on the person's income, if all they have is enough for the meal, then thats all they have

I think if someone doesn't want to tip, then they should make it a point to go to fast food places that don't expect a tip.

I think they've probably never worked as a waiter or waitress

The same thing I think of people who don't tip after a massage/facial/haircut, etc; FUCK YOU TOO YOU FUCKIN FUCK AND DONT FUCKIN COME BACK! :)

I personally find tipping to be pointless. Being a waiter is not the hardest job in the world. There are jobs that require much more physical strength and mentality. Why aren't those people getting tipped too? If I saw a person walk away without leaving a tip, regardless of service, I just assume he thinks the same way.

I think they weren't impressed with the food and/or service. Here in the UK they sometimes include a service charge on your bill - if they do I don't tip on top because I reckon I have already paid for my food and the service.

I hate going out to eat with them especially if it is somewhere I am going to eat at with them again. I always worry the waitress is going to spit in my food by mistake.

Having been a waitress myself before, I think anybody who doesn't tip should just stay home. If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to go out. If you stiff your waitress, you are essentially making her/him pay to wait on you. At most establishments, waiters/waitresses must tip out a percentage of their tips--usually anywhere between 5 and 10 percent of their SALES. In other words, if you and your table ran up a 500.00 tab(I have had one of these as a cocktail waitress) she must tip out 10 percent of that tab--or 50.00... a decent tip is considered anywhere between 15 and 20 percent of the bill(feel free to give more for truly excellent service). If you "STIFF" her, I.E. don't tip, or "forget" to tip, she still must pay 50.00 of tip out on your table. Keep in mind, waiters and waitress only make 2.13/hr. People who don't tip OUGHT to be stoned.

If you an afford to eat at a restaurant you can afford to tip. It's part of it.

None of my business

There was only one occasion when I did not tip. The waitress had a dreadfull attitude and was more interested in her friends at another table than us. Apparently she was the owners daughter back from university for the summer and thought she was better than serving tables. She was very angry when we did not tip but I explained to her that her service and attitude did not deserve one.

Depends on the service. I had a friend in college who left a big tip no matter how bad the service was. I've also known people who left little or no tip for good service. If the service was good than I'd think the person was a bit cheap.

Having been a waitress and a restaurant manager... it depends. If I know they have had great service, and we've built up a rapport I expect a tip, if I don't get one I'd be a bit miffed but I really have never judged them for it - some people don't, and that's fine. You can usually tell from when you take drink orders whether they will be decent tippers or not. I see a tip as an extra, and its a bonus, I don't think it should be expected.

I am one of those. I only tip if the service was good. Over here tips do not form part of the salary they are a bonus and like my bonus I have to earn it.

In Japan, it's considered an insult to tip after a meal. There, it's like saying "Do a better job next time."

You are not obliged to tip waiting staff in Ireland. It is up to the customer if they wish to tip the waiter/waitress if they have been attending the table all night. Dining out here costs much more and the minimum wage is much higher than in the US.

They can't afford it. Service was included, so tipping is superfluous. They didn't like the service. They didn't like the meal. But I think it is usually the first one.

Tipping is not obligatory, so not tipping is the normal. In the food price, service is included.

I assume they bought their meal in a cafeteria.  

In australia people dont tip... and most places there not allowed to accept the tip if they do.

either broke or very stingy

about 99% of the time i tip at least 20%, the last time i didn't tip (actually i left one penny on the table)it was because the waitress sneezed on my salad and got a MAJOR atittude when i asked her to please get me another one, bad attitudes will result in NO tip from me, not to mention sneezing on my salad and then serving it to me...

I DONT LET IT BOTHER ME WITH THE ECONOMY LIKE IT IS.

What?? Think people? Are you perfectly screwy?? Who thinks people in the first place?

its kind of disrespectful..

It only makes me think they've never had to work as a waiter/waitress. Or the waitstaff did something to make them uncomfortable.

They are uncivilized. One does not take a trip out to eat a meal without tip money here in the US.

L A M E.