Tipping in restaurants - what's your criteria?

We give a 10% tip if everything is good but reduce it for poor service or any other problems.If we are overcharged we point it out and don't leave a tip at all.

10% if all is well but if the waiter can’t be bothered being friendly then I’ve been known to leave nothing.

I don't see a 20 minute wait as 'poor service' myself. I give 10% or thereabouts if everything is satisfactory.

I don't tip if I think the service is poor, but 20 mins waiting would be fine.

He is just a skinflint.

Skinflint I agree. I don’t think 20 minutes is long to wait for a freshly prepared starter. Perhaps he’s more a McDonalds type?

It was probably the kitchen that caused the 20 min wait so I would have still tipped the waiter.

I adjust my tips based on service, but tend to give a little more than usual for really good service rather than less than usual for poor service. Well, unless the service is really bad, and then I'll give a lot less. But I agree w/ renoir that the wait was probably not the waiter's fault, so refusing to tip was unfair of your friend (and probably just a matter of being cheap).

10 per cent is the rule for me. Nothing if service is poor. I would not consider 20 minutes excessive, even more so in a group.

I would give 10%, if they are doing their best they can only work as hard as they can. This time of year everywhere is busy. If however, the service was really bad and it would have to be bad, I wouldn't tip.

Plating up for a large group, so all starters arrive at the same time, can be a problem for a kitchen - busy or otherwise. 20 minutes seems entirely reasonable under the circumstances so suggesting a reduction in the tip is mean IMO.

Unless service, or the food, is absolutely appalling I would leave 10% - I've got children who have been waiters and bar staff!!

Strangely, I rarely tip at lunchtime - no idea why!

I think if they are accepting bookings from larger groups then they should be geared up to cope with it Gaunt.
As always I never tip unless the service has been over and above what could reasonably be expected.

Not tipping is fair enough for poor service. But the waiters/chefs should be told the reason for no tip, or they will never improve.

I think if you've got the kind of bill that needs dividing up, then just pay up and don't complain, tip and all. Otherwise you end up with someone saying they didn't have as much wine or no pudding and it's all a bit Scrooge-ish. It is likely that the waiting staff have to share all the tips with the kitchen and it's not their fault if they're kept waiting by slower cooking. Just tip with good grace. There's always the possibility of commenting via a website review if someone REALLY wants to make a point.

Do these people not get paid then ?

10 % always unless poor service. If a big group very annoying if you don't want a starter and would love to eat your dinner but have to wait some 30 minutes for the others to finish ?

Then again, why do we need to tip at all. People should be able to take pride in their work and do their job well and earn a decent wage without worrying about tips.

I tip if the waiter/waitress are pleasant and helpful regardless of how long I wait for food.

Most restaurants now add a service charge of 10% so I only usually tip if the service/food is exceptional.

Sodapop I disagree, 20 minutes for a group is a reasonable amount of time and in terms of being geared up for Christmas there are only so many people that can fit in a kitchen to make it quicker.
I think hospitality is a brutal business to work in, unsociable long hours, skipped breaks if it is busy, I think a little grace and patience goes a long way this time of year.

The restaurant that I eat in regularly has a 10% service charge added to the bill, it is usually an expensive meal and we just pay by card. If we have paid cash and rounded up the bill they put the change in the charity box.
We have had very good service from some of the chain eating establishments and we tip well because the staff seem to go the extra mile.

My son has become completely americanised regarding tipping. $1 per drink and 20% + on food. It horrifies me.

He was here recently and I insisted on doing the tips - usually 10% rounded up if exceptional and omitted if waiter was unhelpful.

Your friend is a skinflint OP, but you knew that already.

We always tip a couple of pounds for good service, but l disagree with compulsory tips at a percentage fixed by the company. This happened on the cruise ship we sailed on when my husband retired, we had 10% added to our onboard account debit for a list of service people we never met or used their services, including children’s entertainers, sports and gym instructors, and the waiting staff of the onboard premium restaurant, which we never visited as we were perfectly happy dining in the ships main restaurant.
At the end of our 14night cruise, the debit on our onboard account for tips came to just short of £380, on what was supposed to be an all inclusive holiday, and that was in 2006, with a leading brand Cruise company who should have paid their staff a fair wage to begin with.