LogFAQs > #921559883

I work on a sliding scale.

-20+%: An excellent meal where the server did something above and beyond to make the experience enjoyable - was friendly and sociable, very fast and attentive with drink refills, that sort of thing (or, on the flip side, if something happens with my party that makes us a pain in the ass to deal with, I'll boost up the tip just to compensate the server for putting up with us). If I order a light meal my tip might also wind up here, because I always feel cheap if the tip is less than $4.00, so that's my minimum, even if the meal was only ~$12.
-17-18%: My usual standard tip for a good meal with no complaints. This is how I tip most often.
-15-16%: My tip if there were some minor complaints about the experience, but nothing major. Things like food being slow arriving (relative to how busy the place is, that is), server not refilling drinks very often, etc.
-10-12%: There was a significant problem with the meal. Food was cold, order got lost or screwed up, wait staff was rude, etc. I'm a pretty laid-back guy, so it's rare that my tips go this low - however, when they do, I usually don't go back to the restaurant for a few months afterwards. If it seems like it was just a bad day, I might bump this up to a 15% and chalk it up as a one-off, but I'll note the restaurant in my mind and if the experience is repeated the next time I'm there, I don't come back.
-0%: A complete and utter disaster of a meal with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Terrible food, obnoxious and inattentive wait staff, long waits, etc. I've only given out a 0% tip twice in my life (aside from those places that don't accept tips, of course) and both times the restaurant really went out of their way to earn it.

InfestedAdam posted...

My friend tried to tip once in Japan and the workers insisted he take back the money.

Hospitality is Serious Business in Japan, to a ridiculous extent, and yes, in most places tipping there is considered rude (since you're essentially offering to "pay extra" for something they consider within the minimum scope of what they're supposed to be doing for you - you're either implying that you're wealthy enough not to care or that their service is so shoddy that bare essentials warrant extra praise and service).

To give you an idea of how crazy they take it, I was once running late for a meeting in Naha and my cab fare came out to 3467 yen - just shy of $35. I quickly handed the guy 3500 yen and got out of the cab... only to suddenly hear shouting behind me. The driver actually got out of the cab and chased me down so he could hand me my 33 yen change (about 35 cents).
---

Kill 1 man: You are a murderer. Kill 10 men: You are a monster.
Kill 100 men: You are a hero. Kill 10,000 men, you are a conqueror!