I am amazed at the lack of understanding of simple economics displayed by the tipping is absurd group. One person even said that tipping is an excuse for mega-corporations, like Marriott, to get away with paying their employees less than they otherwise deserve or are entitled to under mimimum wage laws. This ignorant statement says it all. Let me explain to the dolts who agree with it: The mega-corporations do not pay the employees' salaries. Their customers do. All costs of doing business are added to the cost of your meal.
Now, would you like to surrender your input into the servers' earnings, or would you rather reward them, yourself, based on performance?

I agree with TXA. The whole idea of forced tipping should be done away with. It's a ridiculous policy based on restaurants who don't want to pay their employees enough.

I have just returned from a visit to the states for leisure purposes. I was last in the states about 10 years ago working in San Diego, on this occasion I was in Miami. I am a fan of tipping in general - it is my belief that the server can 'make or break' an experience however on this trip I felt on numerous occassions that the ability to determine the amount given was taken away from me. Ranging from a 20% tip being added to the bill automatically (I sometimes wondered if everyone had that as it is true to say that the English are known for not tipping!)to the worst I experienced which had a bill presenter given to me containing the check, a laminated table with a list of $10 -$200 written on the left and and 2 columns headed 15% and 20% with the words 'it is customary to tip 20% or more' on it, a red stamp with Servers live off of tips imprinted on the cheque in 3 different languages and finally the Gratuity section was highlighted and a hand written 'thank you' with a smiley face next to it!!!
If the same amount of effort had been given to the service as had been given to getting the message across that they wanted a tip, then I would have left much happier and probably with a greater tip left!!
I would urge all servers to go back to basics here and trust the fact the the better the service, the better the tip!!

Great story, but I come to the opposite conclusion than Mr. Marriott. The poor boy had a hard time counting out what to tip and had to settle for an inferior product because of the absurd tipping culture in his country. Overall customer service was delayed by ineffectiveness. The waiter suffered from poor conscience realizing what injustice had been done.

Great Story! What people need to know is that in the 1980's the Federal Government of America changed the minimum wage for Servers to a small amount of money. Today in the year 2007 Servers are paid $2.65 per hour and pay their rent and living expenses with the TIPS they receive for their service. It is true that there are a lot of bad servers in the world, however when you TIP appropriately you encourage the server to enhance their Service Techniques. When you STIFF or TIP POORLY you create an uneasy feeling within the SERVER and as a result they are extremely dissapointed. What happens next is that the server becomes complaisant with his/her job and will just give average of bad service to the next guy. I have been a server in some nice restaurants and hotels but the fact of the matter is Servers work for their TIPS because restaurants and hotels would go out of business in America if they had to pay the server $10.00 an hour. I agree with this young man. If you can not afford to TIP the Server and pay your guest check then perhaps you should eat at home tonight.

I've read this short story several hundred times. It just breaks my heart. I would've taken that tip and got that kid a gum ball with it. =)

I guess I dont agree with tipping, and I will explain why. Probably in Spain we have a different vision of this fact. I think that any server who is working facing public must be a great server, otherwise he is in the wrong place, so... who is responsible for that? Himself? or the person who contracted him? Besides, this, I think that its not the guest who must pay extra for a good service, but the company who is realizing that someone is especially good at his work. Motivation is recognizing the extra-good job done, so companies should stop to think that its them but not the guest who should recognize. The way most of americans comment about tipping it sounds like: you're gonna get a bad service... but if you ever get a great one, please tip him
A great service shpuld be always included in the final price, and besides that if any guest wants to tip because he feels specially happy.. go on... but not as a habit.
I hope I explained myself.
Its the first time I enter this blog, but I think its a great idea. Thanks.

I have to wonder if those who believe that extra for good service is absurd have ever received good service. Good service in a restaurant or hotel can make the difference between and average visit and a great one. If you get a server who is professional, genuinely enjoys helping others and is knowledgeable about their place of business and area it can make a huge difference in your experience. Such people should be rewarded, especially if they are providing service where tips are their main form of reward. Too often these great people are not recognized by their employer to whom they are just another waiter or staff member. And if you frequent an establishment you will notice a difference in the service you get depending on the tips you give.

I worked as a server for many years, and yes I believe that there are servers out there who aren't great, and may have attitude problems, but I worked my tail off to provide good service and worked with many others who did as well. I always tip extra now and usually more... even if I get bad service. My thoughts are..if I am going to a restaurant like TGIF or Chili's, I don't expect outstanding service;courteous and efficient-yes,but the bills are low and the servers expect to make money by turning tables.On the other hand if I am in a fine dining establishment or somewhere that I expect a high bill, I expect good service and will mention it to a manager whether it is good or not. Unfortunately, living off of tips for many years, I am cursed with overtipping, bad service or not!!
To add my opinion about the automatic gratuity on parties, I don't believe you will always get terrible service because the tip is included, that would be stupid..I always worked harder to get a double tip out of it. The large parties take up your section, they take more time to turn over, and sometimes, if one person is paying the bill they may undertip because they don't know how to tip or they are just bad tippers and it takes a toll on how much money you may make in your shift. So by adding the gratuity you are guaranteed that tip and then you just need to go above and beyond to get the double tip!! And yes, almost every restaurant I have ever been to will add a gratuity to large parties- it is certainly not just Olive Garden!!!

I read the comment by Kirt (10.15.07). It is rather obvious that Kirt does not dine out very often with large parties. Most restaurants have the same policy for large parties(sometimes as little as parties of six. The solution for poor service is to ask for a manager, report poor service and request another server.
Keep in mind your request should be polite not demanding and abusive. Waitstaff or servers are to be of service to the guest not their servants.

Now a days it is already not the giving of a money for a tip, that makes a service person happy but to treat him or her also with respect.I have been working in this hospitality industry and i guess the more respect i can get from the customers the better service i give...even if without any tip it makes my day great!!!

I travel the world extensively and have found that tipping culture varies widely in the world. For the US (remembering that server minimum wage is very low), I tip 10% for poor service, 15% for decent service and 20% for excellent service. When I travel to a new city / country for the fist time, I immediately ask people what the tipping etiquette is. In places like Japan or a pub in London, it is not customary to tip at all. In some places it has been explained to me by locals that the service charge added to your bill is kept by the restaurant (a way to show lower prices on the menu), locals will tend to still leave a few extra coins for the servers who work for next to nothing. As an American the one that really shocked me was that if you tip by American rules in some 3rd world countries, you may think you are helping people out by sharing the wealth, but the locals see it as a rich American throwing it in there face that you have money and they do not. On a family vacation in Thailand it took forever for me to get family member to realize that a 20 Baht tip (about .60 cents) was ok in many situations. Countries like these have two economies, one for locals and one for foreigners; a local and eat a good lunch for 20 baht, that said, I try to think of the buying power of how they will spend the money to feel good about what I have tipped.

This is a great story and it's still amazing to me how many people continue to be so baffled by what tipping is supposed to be. Before I entered the corporate world in sales, I worked my way through school as a bartender and waiter at many restaurants. It was always great to get a large tip, but the true honor was when a guest would go out of their way to tell my manager how great their service was. Take this compliment to another level is when I would have people come in asking to be sat in my station b/c of prior customer's experience. Even if they didn't leave a huge monetary tip, the kind thoughts and actions that followed as a result of my superior service had a more lasting effect than the simple increase in percentage on the bill.
Even if you cannot afford to tip like you're a millionaire, the compliment you can pay with a quick visit to the manager will be worth much more to the server.

i tip 6 bucks for a 14 dollar haircut; for cary out food, i avg 5 bucks.

I took my family of 8 to an Olive Garden Restaurant about a year ago. They included a mandatory gratuity of 15% because we were a party of 8 people. The service was not worthy of a 15% tip...probably because it was expected and mandatory (they showed me the fine print on the menu).
I corresponded with their corporate offices and objected to assessing gratuities for family dinners. They defended the practice and argued that do it to ensure that the servers get the tips they deserve. My contention is such a practice almost ensures substandard service.
I will never set foot in an Olive Garden restaraunt again. Nor will I organize or attend a corporate function at an Olive Garden. When I get invited to go to someone's going away luncheon at an Olive Garden, I politely refuse by telling them that I will not patronize a business that imposes mandatory gratuities for its services. I've thought about taking my family back and entering as two parties of two, then leaving zero tip with a note that I have a policy of a zero percent gratuity for parties less than 8 people. I like the irony; but never followed through because it would be unfair to punish the wait staff for their corporate policy (it was fun to think about though).

Excellent story Mr. Marriott. I wish today's youth (and adults) were as thoughtful as the young man in your story. In response to those that don't believe in tipping a person for simply doing thier job...I have to wonder about your opinion of an annual bonus to your salary. After all, that is basically a reward (a tip if you will) for doing your job well, is it not?

Obviously tipping is a controversial subject with strong view points from both sides. However, this somewhat complex issue with all it's variables is simplified in this Blog by specifying restaurants. But a distinction should be made between the Business Customer on a company expense account that may tend to be more extravagant, then the casual Customer on a family budget. Tipping can be viewed as an involuntary obligation, with a seemingly moral burden, if not an ethical dilemma placed upon the Customer to determine an acceptable gratuity (wage) for the Server based upon the customer's self evaluation of the overall service, food quality and meal value. The gratuity (tip) is an additional cost to the Customer that cannot, nor should not, be taken for granted by the Server. A Customer that is dissatisfied with the overall value or quality of the food, but sympathetic to the Server feels obligated to pay an additional cost because it is expected. It would seem the Tipping issue can be a disagreeable experience for both the Customer and the Server. I'm uncertain if that arrangement can be consistently fair to either party.

You can not be more satisfied when a guest leaves you a tip; it proves that you did what the guest expected from you. What makes me sad is when you do your best in order to exceed a guest needs and he\she is trying at the end to find something wrong in order not to leave a tip. It can be more satisfactory than a tip when a guest tells you how happy was from your service and because of that his\her lunch\dinner was even more pleasant, and it was more than he expected. For me when you can see in the face of the guest how happy was from your services it counts a lot and many times more than a tip.

Bill
Enjoyed teh tipping story. I'm from the UK where tipping ettiquette is different from the USA - more a token of thanks rather than a supplement to income.
I was travelling in San Francisco in 2001 with my wife and then 3 month-old baby daughter. We stayed in a reasonable hotel, but not part of the Marriott chain (that was my first mistake!) One of the staff at the hotel brought our bags to the room and a portable crib for the baby. Being new to the USA (and not to mention broke with my wife having just had a baby) I tipped the guy a dollar. Imagine how I felt to find that dollar bill torn up into little pieces and left outside my hotel room. OK, I am today a little more wealthy and a lot more worldy-wise, but his behaviour really upset my wife and me. I urge all of you servers out there who continue to go the extra mile and pride yourself on offering 1st class customer service to continue to do so - it is appreciated. Nonetheless, if someone doesn't tip you, or tips you less than you feel is appropriate, please have a thought for the reason why - it might be that, like me in San Francisco 6 years ago, they simply don't know the rules.

I know for a fact that I am personally a very good tipper! I make sure that I treat those people with the same respect that I expected back in the day when I used to serve food. I'll tip up to half my bill, sometimes even more then the original bill! I know that people need to make a living from the tips that they get from people, and I know how hard it is. I always make sure to leave the person no matter how mean to me with a nice tip and on a good note.

I'd like to comment on the previous post about having to subsidize an employee's pay. You are exactly right - that is precisely what a tip is. Now, we could do it another way. We could stop tipping and take the control away from the consumer. That would create a situation where the market would inflate the salary of tipped employees and then the cost of food and beverages would simply increase to make up for that additional labor cost. So, regardless it's coming out of your pocket as the consumer.

As a speaker on the topic of Customer Service, I see the validity in many of the posts on this site. Although I certainly believe that tipping is valuable, I believe that it has also become expected. This has contributed to corporations paying their service-industry workers less money and has also helped to decrease the level of customer service. Companies stress how important customer service is, however, they don't always back it up by rewarding those that do portray it. They're mostly interested in the bottom line and are reactive when issues of negative customer service arise rather than being proactive and rewarding those that display exceptional qualities. And because people depend on tips, they almost obtain a sense of entitlement when they start a position in the service industry. Because of this, the level of customer service has decreased drastically. I recently heard on a radio program that servers were complaining about patrons claiming that they were allergic to certain foods when they didn't want them included in the meal. I found this to be very disappointing as the obvious reason for the claim by the patron was that they did not want the specific item mixed in with their food and probably had to argue with others in the past amount removing it. People are paying for a service and if it is not done correctly and with a courteous demeanor and smile, a person should not be expecting a tip. We as a society can begin to help increase the level of customer service in the service industry by always showing appreciation for exceptional service and by not rewarding those that portray poor service. If someone is exceptional all of the time, the large tips will always outweigh those smaller tips left by the thrifty tippers.

So how much should you pay for valet service, bell hop, front desk, bartender, etc. Does anyone know the rules for these professions?

I suspected that this tipping topic would generate controversy. However, this somewhat complex issue with all it's variables is simplified in this Blog by specifying restaurants. Tipping can be viewed as an involuntary obligation, with a seemingly moral, if not ethical, burden placed on the customer to determine an acceptable wage for the Server, after evaluating the overall service, food quality and value, that qualify a tip. Unfortunately the involuntary aspect of tipping can deprive the customer of experiencing a feeling of sincere appreciation and gratitude towards the Server because it is expected, unless of course the tip is over the norm. A moral dilemma is additionally placed on the customer that is dissatisfied with the value or quality of the food, but sympathetic to the Server. It would seem the Tipping issue has the potential to be an uncomfortable experience for both the Customer and the Server.

Mr. Marriott - This is a super thank you to you and the Marriott family! I am a former employee of your hotel. Renaissance Hotel is Nashville TN. I am so proud to say that I worked for your company. Everytime I go back to visit the hotel I still feel like family and reading your blog reinforces how you truly feel about your company. They are your family! Thank you for the opportunities you give and all the great advise you contribute on your blog.
It's great to see how high tech you are and keep up with all the latest trends to set the highest service industry standards!
If you ever have the time to do a podcast with me I would LOVE it! I know your busy, but it would be fun! Stories like you told in your blog are exacally what we would love to hear more of.
By the way, in regard to this latest post regarding tips...Since 90% of our podcast guests are musicians/actors and supporting themselves (until they make it BIG) in the food service industry you are doing them a huge favor by stating what we all think is the obvious but simple reminders are sometimes necessary. Thanks Again - Colleen