Servers can’t really say these things because it could get them in trouble. But these are the things you need to know before you go out for dinner:

10 – They tip out at least 3% of the gross sales.

They have to give at least 3% of their gross sales – not tips – to other staff including: hostesses, bus boys, and bartenders.

9 – They make around $2.50/hour.

They get paid less than $3.00/hour (usually less than $2.50).  While minimum wage can be $7 or over, restaurants work off of a different minimum wage scale.

8 – They have to pay taxes on 10% of gross sales, regardless of tips.

They have to pay taxes on 10% of their gross sales as tip income, even if they don’t get a 10% tip. That’s because their managers have to inform the IRS of each server’s gross sales, not the actual amount of tips they got.

7 – If you linger, multiple your tip by the number of hours you sit there.

If you sit at a table for more than an hour you are reducing their potential income by said number of hours. Which means, if they would have earned a $10 tip from each of the five parties that could have sat at that table over four hours and you sat at that table for the full four hours and tipped $5, you cost that server $45.

6 – Sometimes they’ll have one table, sometimes six, be patient.

Sections in restaurants can range from one table (in a very high end restaurant) to six tables in a more bar like casual setting. So if you have a large party and take up five tables, that’s why you don’t get seated before you’re all there because otherwise you’re monopolizing tables that could be earning for those servers. So please be patient if your entire party isn’t there and they’re not able to seat you right away.

5 – They work for tips, they will do whatever they can to make you happy.

If you need to cut into your food to see if it’s cooked correctly, then it’s unlikely the server could have known it wasn’t cooked correctly. Servers will do whatever they can to fix the issue because they are not on salary – servers work for tips, the manager and the cook don’t.

4 - They may not know if your meal is as you expected it, so tell them if it’s wrong.

If there is anything wrong with your meal please tell the server, they will do whatever they can to fix it. And unless you tell them when something is wrong they won’t know and can’t fix it. Servers have to remember a lot when they’re working, they may have forgotten that you said you wanted your dressing on the side. Just speak up and they’ll fix it. Whatever you do, don’t leave no tip or a bad tip because you didn’t speak up.

3 – Base your tip on the service, not on your mood, your day, etc.

Base your tip on the service, not on your mood. If the server just “did the job” then tip them 10%, that covers their basic expenses (see #8). If the server went a little out of their way for you and they were prompt with everything, tip them 15%, that gives them a bit of their own money when they leave for the night. If they gave you great service and fixed anything that needed fixing, tip them 20%.

2 – Servers have bad days too.

Remember that servers have bad days too. Just think about your last dining experience, was everyone in the restaurant in a great mood? That bad mood rubs off on the servers, and unfortunately is usually shown by snarky customers and bad tips. Or no tip. So if your server seems upset or curt, try to be polite. Sometimes all it takes is one good table to turn a night around.

1 – If you can’t pay the tip, don’t go into the restaurant.

If you already know you can’t afford or won’t pay the tip, please don’t come into the restaurant. As mentioned earlier, servers live off of their tips. Quite literally.

How to quickly calculate a tip, remember to round up.

10% – take the bill total, move the decimal one to the left. A $45.73 check would get a $4.57 tip or $5.00 if you round up.

15% – take the bill total, move the decimal one to the left, then add 50% of the first number. So a $45.73 check would be $4.57, then add half of the first number, so $6.57 and round up to $7.00.

20% – take the bill total, move the decimal one to the left, take any number to the left of the decimal, double and add one. A $45.73 check would be $4.57, double the first number for $8.57, add a dollar to get to $9.57. Either round down to $9.00 or $9.50 or up to $10.

25% – take the bill total, move the decimal one to the left, take the number(s) to the left of the decimal and round up or down based on the first number to the right of the decimal (0-4 keep the number the same, 5-9 go up a number), and add two dollars. A $45.73 check would be $4.57, you round up to $5 (because of the 5 on the right of the decimal), then double that to $10, and add $2 to $12.

Let’s see the actual tip amount vs our calculated amount:

10% = $4.57 (act) and $4.57 (calc)
15% = $6.85 (act) and $7.00 (calc)
20% = $9.14 (act) and $9.57 (calc)
25% = $11.43 (act) and $12.00 (calc)

Overall we over tipped slightly, and overtipping is never a bad thing.