Shoulda Woulda Coulda: The Art of Tipping

Tipping is one of those topics that everyone has an opinion on, because it seems to be a problem that lots of people also face. It’s a case of ‘do you tip?’ and ‘how much is a good tip?’ and ‘what can I do to not get snarled at when I leave the restaurant?’

How much do you tip?

In India, lots of people calculate it at 10% of the total bill. While that might be what people are supposed to tip at restaurants, there are those who will under tip or over tip. When you get your bill, most restaurants have already added a service charge which is in a way a tip of some sort. Internationally, tipping is a huge deal, because that money goes straight to the person that was waiting on your table or serving you during that meal. But in India it works differently and I believe that if your bill total includes a service charge, you don’t have to add an extra tip.

When should you tip?

Like mentioned before, you can still tip if a service charge has already been added. If you’ve had a really good experience at the restaurant and your waiter was exceptional, you can leave them a tip and that is completely at your discretion. You decide how much you’d like to give them and go with it.

One of the biggest issues we face (in India) at least, is whether or not you tip the delivery guys that bring you food. With the rise of food delivery services in the country, you sometimes feel obliged to give the delivery service a little extra money because they’ve gone out of their way to pick up your food and bring it to you. But what you might want to know is that the delivery service (most often than not) always adds a service charge or a delivery charge, depending on the service.

Why should we tip?

Internationally, tipping is done as a means to thank the person serving you for the evening. Their jobs might be to serve you, but they are serving you and in a way waiting on you hand and foot. In India, however, things are a little different. Majority of people do not believe in tipping. And it might be because they’re not going to restaurants where tipping is something that happens, or because they can’t afford to tip the waiter. Or because the service charge is already there, so why are we paying them more money?

Should you really tip?

Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with tipping. While I don’t tip delivery services, because I know that I’m already paying a delivery fee and/or a service charge, if I’m at a restaurant and the bill is large enough that a tip is warranted, I will leave some cash. Now, if the service was terrible and the waiter still hopes for a tip, he’s in for a rude awakening.

For me, and maybe other people, tipping depends on the service that I experienced while I was out and enjoying my meal. If the waiter couldn’t answer simple questions, if he took too long to bring me something I asked for, or if he can’t communicate with me properly, it’s already a few rupees shaved off the tip I was planning to leave. Sometimes, if I feel like the total amount of money spent on the total bill is way more than the food or the service I experienced, I will just walk away after putting down whatever is on the bill.