Talking Points

Jonathan Gold Offers Tipping Tips (Hint: 20 Percent)

By Jonathan Kauffman Fri., Jul. 15 2011 at 9:30 AM
Categories: Talking Points
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​The LA Weekly's Pulitzer Prize-winning critic, Jonathan Gold, has come out with a list of 10 rules for tipping -- basically 10 reasons diners need to stop pretending they're rewarding waiters for the quality of their service and just tip a flat percentage. For instance:
2. Yes, I know your parents still talk about when the recommended amount used to be 15 percent, and that the practice is considered barbaric in Japan. But it's not 1973, and you're probably not in Osaka at the moment. 20 percent.

3. Yes, this includes the cost of the wine.
The rules spiral up or down from there, depending on what you think.

I'm with Gold. If I ruled the universe, tipping and tax would be included in the price of every item. Does that $1 difference between 17 and 20 percent really make you feel in control of your restaurant experience? If you hated the service, don't go back! In the office, though, we've been arguing over this essay since it appeared. What do you think?

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Tags:

Jonathan Gold, LA Weekly, restaurant criticism, service, tipping
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Neil
Neil

I'm not sure why a restaurant critic would think his opinion on the etiquette of tipping would carry any authority.

Tipping bartenders 20% is ridiculous, particularly if all they've done is handed you a bottle of beer or poured a pint of draft. And tipping 10% on a takeout order is silly as well. The tip is for *service*; a takeout order requires no service, and hence no tip.

SAinSF
SAinSF

Yeah, but why 20 %?

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