Tipping?

[Ulysses G.]

I think the only thing to rember about tipping is that you are not obligated to do so. You are not cheap if you don't tip, and generous if you do.

Tips? Bah humbug.

[Semper]

I think the only thing to rember about tipping is that you are not obligated to do so. You are not cheap if you don't tip, and generous if you do. You just are. Whatever you do is your business. I think that having a set % is kind of ridiculous myself. If my bill was 5000 baht I am not going to give 500 baht to a waiter. Nor If my meal is 20 baht am I going to give 2 baht (that is kind of insultive).

I have actually hathe tip refused and money returned to me.

One of the things that I have always liked about Asia is the lack of obligation to things that we hold as a symbol of our integrity.

I also don't get the idea of VAT added to food, but I accept it.

If they add the VAT onto my bill and I save all the recipts would I get it back when I leave Thailand?

only if you take the goods out, meaning you did not shit after eating and before leaving.

Imagine the procedure of checking this.

[Naam]

I think if you eat at a nice restaurant you should tip 10%. If you eat at a food stall then don't tip. Don't be cheap. The people that work in these restaurants are paid peanuts. Dinning out in Chiang Mai is very inexpensive and 10% is not going to break the bank.

i'm not a stingy tipper but think the 10% are not always appropriate. once in a while when we have guests, go to a restaurant and the total bill including drinks amounts to 15,000 i don't tip 1,500 Baht!

[canuckamuck]

I prefer to tip when I am pleased with the service, or relieved they didn't screw something up. Which is why I tip mechanics and hair cutters. Getting those jobs right is way more important to me then making it to my table with a plate of food without falling down.

I do tip a sit down restaurants that have a waiter, who waits, and attempts to make a professional effort. I don't tip when it's a place where they take your order bring your food, and you never see them again.

20 baht seems standard here. At western styled places, if the serving is also western style I tip better, whatever seems to make sense at the moment.

I am glad the percent thing isn't a big deal here. As has been pointed out it makes little sense on the high or low bills. My wife won't let me go to fancy places, so i don't have to worry about what they expect.

[CMNightRider]

I think if you eat at a nice restaurant you should tip 10%. If you eat at a food stall then don't tip. Don't be cheap. The people that work in these restaurants are paid peanuts. Dinning out in Chiang Mai is very inexpensive and 10% is not going to break the bank.

you don't think the people who are serving at a food stall are not paid peanuts? sorry I'm trying to get your logic about 'not being cheap' by tipping at a 'nice restaurant' but not tipping those poor people at the food stall (who are paid a lot less)

The logic is at a food stall there isn't a waitress to come to your table, take your order, serve you water, and serve your food. Personally, I don't eat at them, and prefer to eat at a nice restaurant. There is certainly nothing wrong with leaving a tip at food stalls but they don't expect a tip there.

[binjalin]

I think if you eat at a nice restaurant you should tip 10%. If you eat at a food stall then don't tip. Don't be cheap. The people that work in these restaurants are paid peanuts. Dinning out in Chiang Mai is very inexpensive and 10% is not going to break the bank.

you don't think the people who are serving at a food stall are not paid peanuts? sorry I'm trying to get your logic about 'not being cheap' by tipping at a 'nice restaurant' but not tipping those poor people at the food stall (who are paid a lot less)

The logic is at a food stall there isn't a waitress to come to your table, take your order, serve you water, and serve your food. Personally, I don't eat at them, and prefer to eat at a nice restaurant. There is certainly nothing wrong with leaving a tip at food stalls but they don't expect a tip there.

ahhhh 'they don't expect a tip there'... got it

[binjalin]

I think if you eat at a nice restaurant you should tip 10%. If you eat at a food stall then don't tip. Don't be cheap. The people that work in these restaurants are paid peanuts. Dinning out in Chiang Mai is very inexpensive and 10% is not going to break the bank.

i'm not a stingy tipper but think the 10% are not always appropriate. once in a while when we have guests, go to a restaurant and the total bill including drinks amounts to 15,000 i don't tip 1,500 Baht!

good as gold comment Naam

[uptheos]

I think if you eat at a nice restaurant you should tip 10%. If you eat at a food stall then don't tip. Don't be cheap. The people that work in these restaurants are paid peanuts. Dinning out in Chiang Mai is very inexpensive and 10% is not going to break the bank.

you don't think the people who are serving at a food stall are not paid peanuts? sorry I'm trying to get your logic about 'not being cheap' by tipping at a 'nice restaurant' but not tipping those poor people at the food stall (who are paid a lot less)

The logic is at a food stall there isn't a waitress to come to your table, take your order, serve you water, and serve your food. Personally, I don't eat at them, and prefer to eat at a nice restaurant. There is certainly nothing wrong with leaving a tip at food stalls but they don't expect a tip there.

ahhhh 'they don't expect a tip there'... got it

There was a time they never expected a tip anywhere, until they saw that the big rich farang's had no use for their change.

[binjalin]

There was a time they never expected a tip anywhere, until they saw that the big rich farang's had no use for their change.

haha that's true Thai's rarely tip anyway. I remember going to a dinner at Riverside and I was going to pay the bill, as usual, my Thai (not poor) friend said 'let me cover the tip'!!! wow that's nice I thought until she handed 7 baht (on a bill worth 600/700)

[Ulysses G.]

There was a time they never expected a tip anywhere, until they saw that the big rich farang's had no use for their change.

That was before there were any decent foreign restaurants here.

[trainman34014]

20 Baht max' is all wifey will allow me to pay no matter what size the bill is. The 10% crap is a European and American thing and if you give that here they believe you are a fool. Somebody said they give 20%; so I guess they are nuts !

When wifey is not around and it's haircut time I still give 20 Baht....because the village hairdresser only charges me 30 Baht for the cut and does a great job. It Britain a decent haircut will cost you upwards of 500 Baht and the bloke still expects a tip too. I don't normally tip hotel cleaners but last year in Pattaya we had a real gem of a girl who looked after us like Royalty, so I gave her 40 Baht and wifey did the highland fling as we left down the corridor !

[barefoot1988]

tip only if the service is there. 100 baht or 200 if its major holidays . sad to say i dont tip in restaurants often due to the lack of service they seems afraid to interact with me or some are really over friendly to the extend that it starts to piss me off.

i give tips almost every occasion for any decent tuk tuk driver. personally i appreciated tuk tuk drivers that don't drive like a mania, usually i ask for name cards as well.

[TommoPhysicist]

20 Baht max' is all wifey will allow me to pay no matter what size the bill is. The 10% crap is a European and American thing and if you give that here they believe you are a fool. Somebody said they give 20%; so I guess they are nuts !

I believe it's an American thing.

<snip>

Edited July 13, 2012 by soundman
Inflammatory content.

[kjhbigv]

If I am eating alone in a medium priced restaurant aimed at foreigners, I usually tip around 20-30 baht. If I am eating in an expensive restaurant, something like 10-15% of the bill. If a noodle stall or very cheap Thai restaurant, I do not tip at all - as is the custom - and I do not tip in restaurants with a service charge - although I feel bad if I suspect the owner is pocketing the service charge.

then put it in the waitresses hand not on the plate - normally they can keep that personally

Some restaurants in town automatically add the 10% 'service charge' on the receipt.....be interesting to know what would happen if I handed the 10% to the waitress in those establishments?

[dave2]

re ..

It Britain a decent haircut will cost you upwards of 500 Baht and the bloke still expects a tip too.

hes right : ( ...... 9 quid is just under 500 baht now : )

dave2

ps .. my haircut is 60 baht and i give him 20 baht tip !

so im still a winner compared to england : )

[Semper]

because the village hairdresser only charges me 30 Baht for the cut and does a great job

My barber shop also charges 30 Baht and guess what, 30 is what he get. Not only from me, but from everyone else (only Thais). If he wants more, I guess he'd have to change the price to 50 and lose customers. He's doing really fine with the 30 Baht, customers all day long.

[junglechef]

20 Baht max' is all wifey will allow me to pay no matter what size the bill is. The 10% crap is a European and American thing and if you give that here they believe you are a fool. Somebody said they give 20%; so I guess they are nuts !

When wifey is not around and it's haircut time I still give 20 Baht....because the village hairdresser only charges me 30 Baht for the cut and does a great job. It Britain a decent haircut will cost you upwards of 500 Baht and the bloke still expects a tip too. I don't normally tip hotel cleaners but last year in Pattaya we had a real gem of a girl who looked after us like Royalty, so I gave her 40 Baht and wifey did the highland fling as we left down the corridor !

In America I would often tip 25% if the server brought the dining experience to another level, pairing the correct wine, knowledgable food suggestions with polite, efficient and professional service while anticipating my needs. This takes training and education, experience and is a worthy career that one should be proud of, be able to support one family in a suitable manner, not just always the case of a college kid making tips for beer money (which I have done as well). When I'd receive $500 tip from one table I would not have to worry about all my rent for that month (you know what rent is for an apartment in a major US or city or London for that matter?) What a relief for that occasional time and be able to afford some other necessity, for working a real job as a restaurant server. Still think we are all nuts?

[KhunVee]

But why. No disrespect intended but, my friend told me the story of 'while he was waiting close to an entertainment precinct the person ordered 6 chicken sticks = 60 Baht'.

Apparently the American purchased and gave the guy 100 baht and a 'keep the change'.

That's a 40% tip ... and we wonder sometimes why some Thai think we are a soft target for our 'generosity'.

Some people ...

40 THB tip on a 60 THB bill = 66,66%

Not 40.

Some people,....

[insertmembernamehere]

In America I would often tip 25% if the server brought the dining experience to another level, pairing the correct wine, knowledgable food suggestions with polite, efficient and professional service while anticipating my needs. This takes training and education, experience....

Meaning the person simply did his job competently. Do you "untip" people who are lacking in skills?

My understanding is that if you are in a bar in the US, and you order a drink, you are expected to tip the bartender for simply pouring a beer. Okay, so do you also tip the cook at the restaurant? The busboy? The dishwasher? The manager? And don't start about the "tip jar," that's just a tool.

If the notion of tipping is bonus money for exemplary service and/or workmanship, then why not tip your dentist? Does anyone ever think of tipping the landlord or rental company for it's competent management of your apartment? Do you tip the teller at the bank for transacting your deposit? Do you tip the car salesman or do you just send your tip to Ford Motor Company corporate headquarters?

If you think tipping is only for low-income folks, then the whole notion of reward for a job well done goes out the window. If tipping is in fact a bonus for a job well done, and you don't tip everyone who services you, then you are a hypocrite.

Also, regarding tipping wait staff, why is the tip calculated on the total price of the meal and not on some mental checklist of services rendered? The same server brings me a plate of Kobe beef and a nice bottle of wine, and then to the next table a dinner salad and water. I am expected to tip on the cost of my meal, not on the service which was identical to that of the diner on a diet. Again, hypocritical.

To answer the OP, no, never tip in SE Asia. It's not expected and creates a bad precedent.

[aBoomerAbroad]

Tipping is normal, if you feel well atttended and satisfied with the Service -

anywhere in the World

Why asking?

[Mestizo]

In America I would often tip 25% if the server brought the dining experience to another level, pairing the correct wine, knowledgable food suggestions with polite, efficient and professional service while anticipating my needs. This takes training and education, experience....

Meaning the person simply did his job competently. Do you "untip" people who are lacking in skills?

My understanding is that if you are in a bar in the US, and you order a drink, you are expected to tip the bartender for simply pouring a beer. Okay, so do you also tip the cook at the restaurant? The busboy? The dishwasher? The manager? And don't start about the "tip jar," that's just a tool.

If the notion of tipping is bonus money for exemplary service and/or workmanship, then why not tip your dentist? Does anyone ever think of tipping the landlord or rental company for it's competent management of your apartment? Do you tip the teller at the bank for transacting your deposit? Do you tip the car salesman or do you just send your tip to Ford Motor Company corporate headquarters?

If you think tipping is only for low-income folks, then the whole notion of reward for a job well done goes out the window. If tipping is in fact a bonus for a job well done, and you don't tip everyone who services you, then you are a hypocrite.

Also, regarding tipping wait staff, why is the tip calculated on the total price of the meal and not on some mental checklist of services rendered? The same server brings me a plate of Kobe beef and a nice bottle of wine, and then to the next table a dinner salad and water. I am expected to tip on the cost of my meal, not on the service which was identical to that of the diner on a diet. Again, hypocritical.

To answer the OP, no, never tip in SE Asia. It's not expected and creates a bad precedent.

No, I don't tip the cooks, busboys, and dishwashers in the US. They all receive a normal waged salary. The wait staff on the other hand do NOT. They receive a salary that is LESS than minimum wage, as they are expected to supplement their income with tips.

As for the others in the restaurant who support the wait staff in their roles, especially the busboys, it is customary for the waitstaff to give them a small amount of their total tips at the end of the night.

Additionally, alot of "ethnic" restaurants in the US that hire "ethnic" wait staff, don't provide a salary at all. For example, my ex Thai girlfriend, while in the US on a student visa, had a side job waitressing at a local Thai restaurant. She did not receive a salary from the restaurant at all. None. Not a single penny. Her entire wages were composed solely of tip money.

So yes, I DO tip the waitstaff in the US, and not the others mentioned.

-Mestizo

[trainman34014]

20 Baht max' is all wifey will allow me to pay no matter what size the bill is. The 10% crap is a European and American thing and if you give that here they believe you are a fool. Somebody said they give 20%; so I guess they are nuts !

When wifey is not around and it's haircut time I still give 20 Baht....because the village hairdresser only charges me 30 Baht for the cut and does a great job. It Britain a decent haircut will cost you upwards of 500 Baht and the bloke still expects a tip too. I don't normally tip hotel cleaners but last year in Pattaya we had a real gem of a girl who looked after us like Royalty, so I gave her 40 Baht and wifey did the highland fling as we left down the corridor !

In America I would often tip 25% if the server brought the dining experience to another level, pairing the correct wine, knowledgable food suggestions with polite, efficient and professional service while anticipating my needs. This takes training and education, experience and is a worthy career that one should be proud of, be able to support one family in a suitable manner, not just always the case of a college kid making tips for beer money (which I have done as well). When I'd receive $500 tip from one table I would not have to worry about all my rent for that month (you know what rent is for an apartment in a major US or city or London for that matter?) What a relief for that occasional time and be able to afford some other necessity, for working a real job as a restaurant server. Still think we are all nuts?

Yes; you are all still nuts because when someone goes out for a meal it is not their problem if they are served by someone who knows their job properly, or by a college kid, or by Tom Dick or Harry from wherever who may or may not need a heavy tip to ensure a better standard of living. They just hope to have a pleasant time and be served decent food in a proper and civilised way. Restaurants offer a service to the public and are supposed to pay their staff decent wages to do the job they are employed to do just like any other job. Do you tip the girl working the till in Tesco just because she may have worked faster than the girl did last week, or the guy who puts fuel in your car just because he did his job and poured the fuel in whilst parking a big plastic advert board on your bonnet? No?..but why?; because these people are poorly paid as well. 'Just because' people work as waiters it doesn't mean we have to give them 25% tips. Distorted thinking in my opinion, but I'm just one man and that's my thinking.

[HappyInCM]

In America I would often tip 25% if the server brought the dining experience to another level, pairing the correct wine, knowledgable food suggestions with polite, efficient and professional service while anticipating my needs. This takes training and education, experience....

Meaning the person simply did his job competently. Do you "untip" people who are lacking in skills?

My understanding is that if you are in a bar in the US, and you order a drink, you are expected to tip the bartender for simply pouring a beer. Okay, so do you also tip the cook at the restaurant? The busboy? The dishwasher? The manager? And don't start about the "tip jar," that's just a tool.

If the notion of tipping is bonus money for exemplary service and/or workmanship, then why not tip your dentist? Does anyone ever think of tipping the landlord or rental company for it's competent management of your apartment? Do you tip the teller at the bank for transacting your deposit? Do you tip the car salesman or do you just send your tip to Ford Motor Company corporate headquarters?

If you think tipping is only for low-income folks, then the whole notion of reward for a job well done goes out the window. If tipping is in fact a bonus for a job well done, and you don't tip everyone who services you, then you are a hypocrite.

Also, regarding tipping wait staff, why is the tip calculated on the total price of the meal and not on some mental checklist of services rendered? The same server brings me a plate of Kobe beef and a nice bottle of wine, and then to the next table a dinner salad and water. I am expected to tip on the cost of my meal, not on the service which was identical to that of the diner on a diet. Again, hypocritical.

To answer the OP, no, never tip in SE Asia. It's not expected and creates a bad precedent.

The busboy, the cook and any others who can make the service the waiter/waitress provides better are tipped by the waiter/waitress. Service providers at apartment buildings - doormen, handymen, garage attendants are typically tipped at christmas time. The salesman at the car dealer works on commission. Independent contractors like dentists, plumbers etc are typically not tipped. Tipping is not a science.

It's up to you that's the beauty of it. The only place where it's almost mandatory (if you get good service) is in the US for waiters/waitresses where they are paid less than minimum wage because of assumed tips.

[trainman34014]

because the village hairdresser only charges me 30 Baht for the cut and does a great job

My barber shop also charges 30 Baht and guess what, 30 is what he get. Not only from me, but from everyone else (only Thais). If he wants more, I guess he'd have to change the price to 50 and lose customers. He's doing really fine with the 30 Baht, customers all day long.

Point taken Semper but I'd rather give my hairdresser the 20 Baht than give more than 20 Baht to a waiter/waitress in any restaurant. My hairdresser speaks broken English and likes to learn more by talking to me about Football. London, Mini's etc, and wants to know why some English people are Welsh, Scottish and Irish?? The banter is worth 20 Baht on its own !

[junglechef]

I'm discussing tipping for restaurant service where the servers are paid pretty much enough only to cover their income tax debt (the restaurant must report the tips based on the individual's sales and take out the appropriate tax) leaving most often no paycheck. Some of the other employees the waiter tips out like his busboy,and others get a wage and I know not a lot from my years of toiling in a hot kitchen to be able to work at my labour of love. That's the system in the US (but not in all countries) and perhaps is not perfect but that is not what we are discussing, I have made 20,000 bht and more a night bartending in nightclubs in the 80's which took far less skill and knowledge. Not sure where you got that I considered tipping for low-income people but yes I don't think my dentist should be tipped, his pay is included in his charge and I show my appreciation by going back. The tipping % is just a guideline (my original post explains when I don't tip at all) many people will not tip 20% on liquor (or VAT) esp. if they have very expensive wine, but the service for the nice meal you described and a water and salad do not require the same level of service and believe me, at a nice restaurant will not get it! I also totally disagree with you not to tip anywhere, I do a lot of things that are not expected of me, not just the minimum to get through my life, which makes it richer and fuller and am teaching this to my children as well. Tipping is a nice way to say thank you (another often forgotten value) and it makes both me and the server feel good and is useful to them as well. And what precedent are you afraid of? That someone will appreciate you for being a kind and generous person??

[soundman]

Post flaming another member has been removed from view.

[uptheos]

Do posters think that people tip more or less, in Thai owned restaurants?

IMO - I think they tip less.

[uptheos]

because the village hairdresser only charges me 30 Baht for the cut and does a great job

My barber shop also charges 30 Baht and guess what, 30 is what he get. Not only from me, but from everyone else (only Thais). If he wants more, I guess he'd have to change the price to 50 and lose customers. He's doing really fine with the 30 Baht, customers all day long.

If you start tipping in a Thai only barbershop where no-one else does, you'll just be marked as 'the big shot farang' or 'idiot' - so you are doing the right thing.

Edited July 13, 2012 by uptheos

[vagabond48]

In America, minimum wage is regulated by law and tipped employees get a much lower minimum wage so there is a reason to tip in the US.

This is from the Dept of Labor

What is the minimum wage for workers who receive tips?

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires payment of at least the federal minimum wage to covered, nonexempt employees. An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 an hour in direct wages if that amount plus the tips received equals at least the federal minimum wage, the employee retains all tips and the employee customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 an hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference.

Some states have minimum wage laws specific to tipped employees. When an employee is subject to both the federal and state wage laws, the employee is entitled to the provisions which provides the greater benefits.

I have several foreign friends married to Thai wives and they never tip.

[junglechef]

Do posters think that people tip more or less, in Thai owned restaurants?

IMO - I think they tip less.

I agree, often as a result of the poorer service due to the lack of training or caring by the owner. How I dislike when I see a restaurant very busy and the boss just sits there and does nothing to help behind a desk in back with a scowl on their face. Also even when they seem to care they will let the server do all the interacting while they just watch from a few feet away, it would be nice to be greeted or thanked. Yes some of this is due to the culture here and also I find it changing as well and have had some very pleasant and informative talks with owners. Interestingly a Thai man who had a very successful restaurant in America has now moved back and opened one here and he seems very distant and it only makes me wonder how he was with his customers back in the States.