Splitting The Check Evenly = Tipping Evenly?
You and a friend are splitting the check right down the middle, and it's time for you to tip. Do you a) Discuss the amount to leave with your friend? Or b) Tip whatever you normally would and leave it be? Well, if you're Larry David from Curb Your Enthusiasm, you try and force your lunch date to tip exactly the same as you are :)A recent episode had him and Jason Alexander (aka George Costanza) fighting over the amount to tip on a meal they agreed to split down the middle. Larry suggests they tip the same amount so that one doesn't leave a lesser tip than the other (making that person look bad), but Jason wasn't having it. He felt tipping was personal and wanted to leave whatever he deemed appropriate - which, of course, drove Larry all kinds of crazy. You can see a clip of it here on youtube (start at 2:02).
It's a rather interesting predicament though, and oddly enough I was put in this EXACT same scenario 2 days after watching it! I couldn't believe it. After a friend and I had lunch, we decided to split the bill right down the middle and she looks up and goes, "Do you think we should leave the same tip? It would look pretty weird if we didn't, right?" Haha...I was dying, and of course told her about the show. I don't think she found it as exciting as I did (we're not all PF addicts), but we did agree to leave similar amounts...or at least we said we would ;)
Is there a right or wrong answer here though? Nope. Just like with everything in finance it all comes down to your own comfort level. I personally enjoy talking openly about money & tipping as I find it kills the awkwardness and allows people to share their own view points (like my 20% tipping rule), but not everyone does. When that's the case, it's usually best to leave things alone and do your own thing.
But what do you guys think about it? Are you cool with splitting the tip evenly if you've already done so with the bill? Or do you prefer to do your own thing and not discuss it? In any case, PLEASE don't be like Larry David ;) He's a funny man to watch on screen, but my damn he's annoying sometimes.
Labels: tipping
posted by J. Money at
7:18 AM
19 Comments:
My best friend (female) is just like Larry David! It's awesome! Maybe not surprisingly, she has acknowledged this after watching snippets from the show but she isn't interested in watching.
I think tipping is personal.
If it is done with cash the server will be none the wiser as to who was the more generous party. This is only an issue if the check is split on two credit/debit cards. This has become another good reason for shunning the credit/debit cards!
-Luke Sidewalker
I think tipping is personal. I see a lot of people not tip enough money in my opinion. So, a lot of times, I'll wait until I see what they tip and then tip more (usually) to bring the tip up to about 20%.
Tipping is personal for me so I would not like to be with someone who demands that I tip the same amount.
But then again I do not split the bill down the middle. Sorry. I am just the person that believes we should pay for what we eat...so I always get a separate bill and hence a separate tip.
I don't drink alcohol (and don't usually like the appetizer stuff so I don't eat from it) so I don't see why I should let someone else's alcohol raise the portion of the bill that I have to pay. On the other hand if I decide to go buck wild and order the lobster that night (I always get seafood and it is usually more expensive than the chicken meals that my friends get) then I don't want someone to have to chip in to pay for my expensive meal.
I watched that episode - cracked me up! There's something about his argument that makes sense, but yeah, tipping is a personal thing. Do it yourself!
I hardly ever split the check evenly, because it's not fair to the person who spent less (usually me). In general, my friends and I each pay for our meal and then tip 20% or so of what we spent. (I will leave an extra dollar or two if it looks like my friend(s) low-balled the waiter on their end, though. I'm a nosy one.)
Whenever I split the bill the other person always asks me how much I'm tipping. I know that i typically tip at least 20% and usually more. (if the check only comes to 10 bucks i feel bad only leaving 2 dollars!) My minimum tip amount is $5 no matter what the check amount is. I usually tell them as such and allow them to make their own decision on what to tip.
I usually don't split checks down the middle myself, but in this case we were even and there was just 2 of us :) If any of you were around last year, you might recall a post I did on not like people who split checks! haha...I should probably refine it to "people who don't pay attention to others when splitting checks." - that's a bit more accurate.
@Hank - That's an interesting thing you do there. Has anyone ever caught you doing this? I've done it once or twice, but for the most part I'm afraid of pissing off whoever I just ate with ;) And actually, I'm pretty sure that same situation played out on Seinfeld before, yes? Either way, you should totally blog about it - pretty interesting stuff.
I have a standing lunch date with a friend once a month where we try out new restaurants around town. We always split the bill (we also usually order various plates to share, so it makes sense - sometimes one or the other of us will have an extra drink but we don't concern ourselves with those details) and one of us always asks the other how much she is tipping so that we can put down the same amount. It is a natural way of doing things, and it works really well.
Great episode, I was cracking up when I saw it. I think you usually split it. I try to add it all up including tip and then divide evenly so everyone knows what to pay and what tip comes out. If someone else takes it and wants to tip more on their own, that's their deal.
Tipping is personal to me but then again I have never split a cheque evenly. I have paid for what I bought plus a tip, or paid for mine and someone else's if I am treating, plus tip. I'd never thought about it in an even even kind of way.
My friends and I usually go with adding a 20% tip to the total bill, then splitting the grand total between us. And you've opened up a can of worms when it comes to talking about splitting bills in the first place! I think if everyone's gotten about the same amount of food/drinks, split it. But like someone said, if I got the lobster and a friend got a burger, it's not fair.
I am generally a good tipper (20%+), but in the past I have struggled with a couple scenarios...
1. What is the difference in service if you crack a $10 bottle of wine, or a $50 bottle of wine? You still get a bottle opened and poured. Should a server really make the same percentage on the more expensive bottle of wine for the same amount of "work?"
2. What about tipping before or after tax? In Tennessee, state sales tax is 9.25%... in other states, it's quite a bit less. Should I really be rewarding a server on the total bill (with tax)? Seriously... the government is already putting a hand in my pocket, and I should reward a server because it increased my bill?
Additionally, I can't stand it when a restaurant adds the tip for you (for large parties)... I NEVER add additional tip for their presumption (TOO BAD!).
Viva Larry David!
in this case i tip whatever i want. if the other folks want to know how much, i don't mind sharing that info. like you, i'm an open book so discussing it wouldn't be an issue, but i'm definitely going to leave whatever i want to leave regardless.
I don't normally share what I tip, but if I was asked I would say the amount. Mind you - I have never asked what someone was going to tip. I don't feel the need to tip the same amount as my table mate though. To each his own and I don't care what the server felt about it.
I always ask for a separate check. I've gone out with groups on too many occasions where I end up paying for way more than my fair share. I do try to tip generously though.
But in this case, since the bill was already split evenly, I'd probably do the same with the tip. I'd only put up a fight if I thought the person I was with would leave a ridiculously low tip.
I work for tips so I start off by tipping $5 automatically unless it is a more expensive place. I usually ask for a separate check, but still add more to a tip if the others in my party leave a lame tip.
This discussion reminds me of the wealth redistribution/tax debate in our country. I will leave it at that since this is not a political blog. :D
GREAT POST J!
Hah! Yes, thanks for not doing that Brad ;)
I agree that separate checks are the way to go. I'm not sure I'd ever split a tip, because I don't want someone holding me back if I want to tip more. I've worked enough shifts as a waitress and bartender to know how valuable these are, and I'm probably leaving at least 20 percent in cash.
As all you servers out there know, cash tips are the best.
The worst was a former employer who made servers pay for the restaurant's credit card machine charges.
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