AEE 288: To Tip or Not to Tip at an American Restaurant? That is the Question!

<p>Come back to http://allearsenglish.com/288</p> <p>Do you ever get confused about whether or not you should tip in an American restaurant?</p> <p> </p> <p>Do you wonder how much to leave?</p> <p> </p> <p>When to leave it?</p> <p> </p> <p>Today you’ll get insider information from Michelle, who used to be a waitress at an American restaurant.</p> <p> </p> <p>In the United States you MUST tip in a restaurant. Servers only make a few dollars per hour.</p> <p> </p> <p>They rely on your tips.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>How much should you tip?</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>You should tip 18-20%. However, you do have a choice when it comes to leaving a tip. If you have bad service then you can tip less.</p> <p> </p> <p>If the waitress is slow or has a bad attitude then you don’t have to leave a lot of money as a tip.</p> <p> </p> <p>It’s up to you.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>When should you leave the tip?</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>If you pay with a credit card they take your card and come back with a receipt and the receipt has a place to write in the tip and the total and then you need to sign the receipt before you leave.</p> <p> </p> <p>If you are paying in cash it’s ok to leave the cash on the table but put it under a cup or a plate.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>What if you are with a large party? (A group of 6 or more people):</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>In this case gratuity (tip) is usually included.</p> <p> </p> <p>It’s added into the bill before you get the bill.</p> <p> </p> <p>Make sure you ask if you don’t know if it has already been included.</p> <p> </p> <p>In other episodes we will talk about tipping in a bar, a cafe, the hair salon, a taxi, etc.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>What is your opinion when it comes to leaving tips in the US?</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong> Have you ever made a mistake with this? </strong></p> <p><strong>Do you have any additional questions? Please ask us in the comments below.</strong></p>