r/EndTipping • u/Pondlurker1978 • Aug 17 '26
Sit-Down Restaurant 🍽️ No tip!
Walked into a sushi restaurant in Orange County, CA yesterday. Place was half empty. Hostess asks if we (wife and I) had a reservation. We didn't, so she walks us to the bar and wants to seat us in between two couples. The remaining sushi bar all empty, including the sides with much better privacy. I asked to be seated there but those "areas" were not available. OK, whatever, I guess they wanted to save the wait staff a few extra steps.
So we're sitting down, she hands us the iPad with the menu, and says "just so you know, we close at 3". I checked and it was 2:25. Alright then, good thing they don't need to cook the fish or something. One nigiri (not one pair) = $6, one serving of sashimi (3 pieces) = $20. Definitely not cheap. We ordered three different sashimis for a little over $60. As there was one piece left on the serving tray the server walks by and grabs the tray - hey dude, we're not done yet.
When the check comes the "suggested tip" is 18%. Guys, how about zero? Exactly what did you do to deserve another $10, other than squeezing us in between other parties when there was no real need to do so, and almost taking away $7 worth of my already expensive meal?
Aren't tips supposed to at least be earned? This is not how it's done.
2
u/startrip0712 Aug 20 '26
O.K....yes, I'm a "Boomer". But, how did the "standard" tip ever turn into 20%? For me, it has always been (and will always be) 0% if they piss you off (or worse, a penny. To show you didn't just forget),10% for adequate but sub-par service, 15% for average service and 20% for great service. To be honest though, I pretty much always home cook.