My coworker in Seattle said she always leaves a bigger tip if the restaurant is really busy

We were grabbing lunch yesterday and she mentioned she adds an extra $5 to her usual tip when the place is slammed, because she knows the staff is stressed. It made me think about whether that's fair to servers on slower days who still work hard. Do you guys adjust your tipping based on how busy a place is?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse2907d agoMost Upvoted

Ever worry that just encourages owners to keep the place understaffed?

clark.kelly7d ago

Honestly that's a solid move by your coworker. I do something similar but I base it on how much extra work the server actually has to do. If they're running around like crazy but still keeping my drink full and checking in, that's worth more to me. Slower days they still get my normal 20%, but crazy busy with good service might bump to 25-30%. It's about paying for the effort you see.