Tipped workers form the backbone of the American service economy, and many of them suffered financially when the pandemic shut down restaurants, bars, hotels and tourism.
The Seattle Times asked workers across industries to share their experiences with tipping in their jobs. The workers also shared thoughts on what influences customers to tip as well as misconceptions about tipping that they wanted to dispel. Here's what six of those workers had to say.
Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
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Name: Justin Wong
Occupation: Fishing charter guide with Cut Plug Charters in Seattle
What is a good tip?: $100 and above
What is an average tip?: Tip like a restaurant, 15-20% or $40-$60
What is a bad tip?: $10 or less
In your opinion, what influences whether or not a customer tips?: A lot of times people go into the charter knowing whether they are going to tip or not. It's based on people's past experience on charters. For first-timers, it's 50-50 whether they will tip or not. Generally, they'll ask ahead of time if gratuity is included or if it should be added on top. It's also based on the quality of the experience — not necessarily how many fish they catch.
Are there any misconceptions about tipping you'd like to address?: Tip based on the price of your charter, not the $10 or $20 you might've tipped back in the 1980s. The charters back then were a lot cheaper than they are now.
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Name: Adriana Robledo
Occupation: Server and food expediter at Grillbird in West Seattle
What is a good tip?: A good tip should vary, 15% to 20%, but if I'm honest, the whole tipping percentage in a casual eatery setting will always be a little odd. A teriyaki tip has always been $3 slapped on the table no matter what the grand total was. Today we're tipping for things we've never had to tip for before. As a service worker who primarily cares about a good experience, cash tips will always mean more to me (no matter the amount) over a tap on a swivel iPad that reassures the customer that they are, in fact, a good person.
What is an average tip?: 10% is average, in cash maybe $2-$3
What is a bad tip?: In my mind, there is no such thing as a bad tip. But I will side-eye you if your bill is $80 and you tip $2. I see you pressing the custom tip.
In your opinion, what influences whether or not a customer tips?: Almost always customer service. That being said, if your store does not allow dine in, you may get a $0 tip because people still think they only need to tip for table service.
Are there any misconceptions about tipping you'd like to address?: The whole, "Don't go out to eat if you can't tip," argument. These days, eating out is considered a luxury. As grocery store prices increase, some people may argue that eating out costs almost as much as preparing a home-cooked dinner. It's only fair to tip, because you are paying OTHER people to cook YOU dinner.
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Name: Jeana Janik
Occupation: Server and wine director at Copine in Seattle
What is a good tip?: 18% or higher on the subtotal
What is an average tip?: 18-20%
What is a bad tip?: Below 15%
In your opinion, what influences whether or not a customer tips?: At our restaurant, I believe the sticker shock at the end of a meal sometimes prevents guests from tipping adequately. A dinner for two with drinks after tax can be between $350 and $400. It's not uncommon to see guests just rounding up the total without writing in the tip or just leaving $20 to $40 thinking that's enough. There is also a question of whether or not the gratuity is already included, since many restaurants in Seattle have switched over to mandatory service charges. If the guest is from another country where tipping isn't a common practice, they usually follow their cultural norms.
Are there any misconceptions about tipping you'd like to address?: A common misconception is that your sever gets 100% of the tip you gave them. There are many different tip distribution practices in restaurants. For ours, we pool tips and split evenly between all of the front-of-house staff for the night. Other places require servers to take percentages of their sales and give that to support staff (like bussers, hosts and bartenders). Restaurants in Seattle are also able to charge their servers for credit card transactions, so depending on how many credit cards you swiped during your shift, you will give a small percentage (around 2%) back to the restaurant. With these sorts of places, if a server got stiffed by a guest, they would actually lose money by having to owe the other staff and restaurant money on that table's sales.
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Name: Tatiana Green
Occupation: Independent stylist at Sola Salon Studios in Lynnwood
What is a good tip?: 20%
What is an average tip?: 20%
What is a bad tip?: 10% or less
In your opinion, what influences whether or not a customer tips?: How expensive the service is.
Are there any misconceptions about tipping you'd like to address?: If you own your business, people think that since you "make all the profit," they don't need to tip. We still pay taxes, and we pay more for supplies than if we were to work for a big salon.
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Name: Jordan Koplowitz
Occupation: Chef and owner of Blotto in Seattle
What is a good tip?: 20%
What is an average tip?: 15-20%
What is a bad tip?: If the customer leaves no tip
In your opinion, what influences whether or not a customer tips?: If they get food to-go.
Are there any misconceptions about tipping you'd like to address?: Tipping isn't just for service — it's for correcting a broken pricing system. Tips make up the difference in how much food costs versus how much it should cost. The restaurant industry can't sell its product for a high enough price (people wouldn't buy it and there's too much competition), so we need tips in order for our employees to be compensated correctly. A pizza should really cost $40, but no one would pay that.
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Name: Miles Partman
Occupation: Uber Eats and DoorDash deliverer
What is a good tip?: Anything you can survive on. Preferably $5 or more. After all, we're not just doing you a favor.
What is an average tip?: $2 on low orders, $5 on good orders.
What is a bad tip?: $1 or no tip
In your opinion, what influences whether or not a customer tips?: The restaurant, the customer's mood, if they have a bad attitude.
Are there any misconceptions about tipping you'd like to address?: We are not your slaves or doing you a favor. I've been doing this for four years and make a living on it.
