How Much Is Too Much of a Tip

It is often easy to see when you have been too cheap with a tip, but it can be more of a challenge to ascertain when you have paid too much. Of course, there may be no exact definition for this, since some people have the funds and like to tip big. However, the following are some general suggestions for deciding when you are giving too big of a tip.
One way a lot of people give tips on restaurants checks is to give a percentage of the bill. Two extremely common numbers are 15% and 20%. Many people always tip between those two numbers. Some may even go to 25% but this may be less common. Some may feel that anything above this would be superfluous. Of course, there are situations when you cannot necessarily go by the percentage, as will be discussed below, but in general you should not feel that you have to give more than 20%.
One time when you might give more than this percentage might be when the bill is very low. For instance, there are some very inexpensive eateries that might charge only $2.00 for a breakfast. A 20% tip to a place such as that would only be forty cents. Forty cents would be a ridiculously low tip. Even though the bill is only $2, many people will go by the dollar rule and always give at least a dollar no matter how cheap the bill is. Thus for a $2.00 check you might literally give a 50% tip but that is okay given how low the bill is. Obviously if you went somewhere where the bill was twenty dollars and then left a ten dollar tip, many would consider that too much.
Service is a huge part of any tip. Thus if you had really bad service, many would consider 20% to be too big a tip. They may even consider 15%, which many consider to be the lower threshold for decent service, to be too much. Thus you should make sure that the waiter or waitress was considerate to you.
Another factor to consider is whether the meal was sit-down or buffet. You may be paying too much if you give the normal percentage at a buffet restaurant, especially if they serve you very little or have a lot of customers. The more they serve you the more that you will give. If they are constantly coming back and forth to you, then you might give the normal percentage.
It can be a challenge to find the right tip amount. The above points may help you know if you are tipping too much.
Updated On: 05/07/2010 Published On: 05/07/2010 Benefits of online university and college courses for students