WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2004
JUNE GUIDE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 9
Workers rely on tips, expect etiquette
By Abby Tillery
atllery@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Who to tip and when to tip might be the first question to the tipping puzzle, but how much to tip is probably the second.
Bartenders, wait-staff, hairstylists and delivery drivers are just a few of the common Lawrence-run instances that raise the question of tipping etiquette.
Pete Flory, Lawrence sophomore, has been a bartender in area bars for a little more than two years.
He said a dollar per drink is acceptable and for tabs, and 10 to 15 percent of the bill is suitable.
Bartenders and wait-staff usually make below minimum wage and usually do not receive raises when the cost of living increases.
This can cause them to rely heavily on tips.
Ten percent may have been an acceptable amount to tip, but not any longer.
A person should look at how difficult a drink was to mix, or how personable the bartender was when thinking of what to tip Flory said.
"If I order a martini in a bar I will tip a couple of bucks," he said.
Katie Beason, Kansas City, Kan., senior, said tipping would affect the service a customer receives.
Beason, who bartends at the Jazzhaus, 926 1/2 Massachusetts St., said a person gets better service and better drinks with better tips.
Bartenders in restaurants usually receive some of their tips from the wait-staff.
Most places require the wait-staff to tip out bartenders, hostesses and sometime-kitchen staff.
Denise Spidle, Hesston senior, said many people don't understand what goes on behind the scenes. Spidle has waited at Jefferson's Restaurant, 743 Massachusetts St., since February and pays 2 percent of her sales to the bar tender.
Robinson, a waitress at Teller's, 746 Massachusetts St., said the wait-staff aimed for 17 to 20 percent as a tip, but 15 percent was acceptable as a minimum.
Christina Robinson, Overland Park senior, thinks people should look at service too when tipping.
According to www.tipping.org, 15 to 20 percent is a good amount when tipping a waiter or waitress. The Web site tells the customer to always tip based off of the pre-tax total.
John Bauer, Lawrence graduate student, said he usually would tip between 15 to 20 percent if the service is good. Although Bauer always leaves a tip, he admits it can be lower than 15 percent if the wait-staff was not prompt.
Waitresses and hairstylists have the same 15 to 20 percent tipping guideline according to www.tipping.org.
Courtney Lutts, Minneapolis, Minn., senior, is a receptionist at Headmasters, 809 Vermont St.
Lutts said 15 to 20 percent of the bill is the suggested tipping amount for hairstylists.
Sarah Casto, hairstylist at Headmasters, 809 Vermont, said it is difficult sometimes when she has spent several hours reversing a bad color job or correcting a bad haircut and the client doesn't tip anything.
Gina Pompino, Canton, Mich. sophomore, earns much of her wages from tips also.
Pompino has been delivering pizzas for Pyramid Pizza, 701 W. Ninth St., and said the larger the order the larger the tip should be.
"A tip under a dollar is just bad," she said.
The Web site www.tipping.org provides guidance for tipping airport staff to taxi drivers.
It also figures the how much and when
Photo Illustration by Courtney Kuhlen/Kansan Tips should reflect the amount and quality of work a customer receives. Usually a 10 to 15 percent tip is normal, but a person can consult www.tipping.org if he or she is not sure what is appropriate.
questions when confronted with a tipping dilemma.
—Edited by Amanda O'Toole