An Etiquette Tip and Tipping

"My fines," he said, "constitute my tips." Mournfully the waiter watched him depart. "How I wish." he sighed, "that I had known him in his sloppy days." 

An Unprofitable Etiquette Reformation

In a restaurant that strives to inculcate good manners, a man who admitted that he was rather slow on etiquette, but was trying to learn, besought the waiter to assist in the reformation. "My chief trouble," said he, "is splashing. I used to splash like anything. But by degrees I am curing myself. Know how? 

Well, sir, I have made it a rule to cover all the spots I make on the table cloth with silver money, nickels, dimes, quarters, halves, whatever it takes to cover them, and then give the money away. As I am not a rich man, that nearly broke me and I began to reform." The waiter nodded encouragingly and said he was glad to hear it. 

The man ate a substantial meal. When he had finished, the cloth was disfigured with only one small coffee stain which a dime easily covered. He handed the dime to the waiter.

"My fines," he said, "constitute my tips." Mournfully the waiter watched him depart. "How I wish.' he sighed, "that I had known him in his sloppy days." — San Francisco Call, 1912

Tipping Etiquette and Stereotypes

From TIME Magazine, 2014

Some stereotypes about tipping appear to be true. Certain ethnic groups are perceived to be less generous tippers than others. Apparently, these theories are not simply urban myths. 

One recent study found that Hispanics tipped less at restaurants than whites after controlling for factors such as bill size and the customer’s personal feelings about the quality of the service and food, while the conclusion in another survey declared “restaurant servers and their managers can expect below average tips from black customers regardless of their social class.” 

Only 11% of Italians in a recent survey, meanwhile, said that they “always” tipped for service on vacation, compared with 60% of Americans.

Millennials are bad tippers too. Millennials are known to love tasting new foods and tend to dine out in “upscale, casual-dining” establishment more than older generations, yet roughly one-third of  Gen Y tips less than 15% at restaurants. 

Only 16% of people in demographics older than the millennials admit to tipping less than 15%.

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Moderator and Editor for Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia