Tipping at Caribbean restaurants.

[redrider73]

Perhaps this is a very silly question but this is our first time sailing to the Caribbean area (St. Maarten, St. Kitts, & Grand Turk specifically).  Is tipping at a "sit down" restaurant expected?  I know it is not a common practice in Europe but did not know about the Caribbean.

[yogibear]

Check your bill. Some places add a 15% service charge to the bill. Hubby and I always tip over that. I would think it is expected at restaurants.

 

Karen

[Pyrate13]

In my experience (which I know may not be the same as everyone else so don't bother to jump on me), yes, tipping is generally expected. But, as Yogibear mentioned, many places add a gratuity to the bill so check that before deciding how much you want to give. Also, some places (such as the BVI) don't have a tax on restaurant service but some establishment will put the tip on the bill under a tax line hoping you will take it at face value and add additional money as a grat. Check that as well and ask if such a tax really exists.

[Micahs Grandad]

Tipping is generally expected but look at bill before you leave a tip.

[soonernstlouis]

Tipping anywhere should be based on the level of service the waiter/waitress provides (not the food quality).  I have personally left anywhere from 0% for terrible service up to 50% for exceptional service.

 

In the U.S., minimum wage laws only require the employer to pay service workers who are commonly tipped $2.13/hr but are required to make up the difference when tips do not.  So I’ve softened my approach to at least tip $2-3 for marginal service assuming waiter/waitress is just having a bad day.

[Gatorfan01]

Can you tip in cash (dollars) or is it best to add to credit card bill?

[Bookbug53]

2 hours ago, soonernstlouis said:

Tipping anywhere should be based on the level of service the waiter/waitress provides (not the food quality).  I have personally left anywhere from 0% for terrible service up to 50% for exceptional service.

 

In the U.S., minimum wage laws only require the employer to pay service workers who are commonly tipped $2.13/hr but are required to make up the difference when tips do not.  So I’ve softened my approach to at least tip $2-3 for marginal service assuming waiter/waitress is just having a bad day.

Many states do not follow the federal guideline and have higher wages for tipped employees. 

[soonernstlouis]

5 minutes ago, Bookbug53 said:

Many states do not follow the federal guideline and have higher wages for tipped employees. 

The federal law was written to ALLOW states to provide higher wages for tipped and even non-tipped employees.  The point is-the federal law set the minimum as $2.13/hr; states can enact

law to go higher but not lower than federal standards.

[candigirl41]

4 hours ago, soonernstlouis said:

Tipping anywhere should be based on the level of service the waiter/waitress provides (not the food quality).  I have personally left anywhere from 0% for terrible service up to 50% for exceptional service.

 

In the U.S., minimum wage laws only require the employer to pay service workers who are commonly tipped $2.13/hr but are required to make up the difference when tips do not.  So I’ve softened my approach to at least tip $2-3 for marginal service assuming waiter/waitress is just having a bad day.

This is not true in all states.  We live in California and my daughter and her boyfriend are both servers and they make $13.00 plus tips.  In California they are required to pay everyone minimum wage in restaurants.

 

Candi

[coevan]

13 hours ago, redrider73 said:

I know it is not a common practice in Europe but did not know about the Caribbean.

 

 

Have you ever been to Europe? As someone said some restaurants have service charges, others not. Europe does not tip like U.S. but they still tip. 

 

Colorado minimum wage for servers is $8.08, very few states adhere to the fed rate.

[soonernstlouis]

9 minutes ago, candigirl41 said:

This is not true in all states.  We live in California and my daughter and her boyfriend are both servers and they make $13.00 plus tips.  In California they are required to pay everyone minimum wage in restaurants.

 

Candi

Did you not read the 2 posts above yours before replying?  There are also cities & maybe even counties that have higher minimum wages than their state WHEN ALLOWED by the state.  

 

My post was about how I approach tipping.

I don’t vary that approach based on what state or country I am dining in.

 

[coevan]

7 hours ago, soonernstlouis said:

I don’t vary that approach based on what state or country I am dining in.

 

 

 

Well  you probably should as some countries, like Japan, tipping is rude. If you are going to travel internationally, you should do some research on the countries you are visiting.

[Elaine5715]

21 hours ago, redrider73 said:

Perhaps this is a very silly question but this is our first time sailing to the Caribbean area (St. Maarten, St. Kitts, & Grand Turk specifically).  Is tipping at a "sit down" restaurant expected?  I know it is not a common practice in Europe but did not know about the Caribbean.

 

7 hours ago, soonernstlouis said:

Did you not read the 2 posts above yours before replying?  There are also cities & maybe even counties that have higher minimum wages than their state WHEN ALLOWED by the state.  

 

My post was about how I approach tipping.

I don’t vary that approach based on what state or country I am dining in.

 

 

18 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

 

Well  you probably should as some countries, like Japan, tipping is rude. If you are going to travel internationally, you should do some research on the countries you are visiting.

Etiquette 101: Your Guide to Tipping Around the World - Condé Nast Traveler

Many European restaurants do add service charges.  Some Asian countries  are the only countries where tips are not welcome.

[Elaine5715]

12 hours ago, Gatorfan01 said:

Can you tip in cash (dollars) or is it best to add to credit card bill?

Cash is best.

[soonernstlouis]

40 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

 

Well  you probably should as some countries, like Japan, tipping is rude. If you are going to travel internationally, you should do some research on the countries you are visiting.

ああ 本当にありがとう。.

[coevan]

domo arigatou

[evandbob]

8 hours ago, soonernstlouis said:

Did you not read the 2 posts above yours before replying?  There are also cities & maybe even counties that have higher minimum wages than their state WHEN ALLOWED by the state.  

 

My post was about how I approach tipping.

I don’t vary that approach based on what state or country I am dining in.

 

And the OP was asking about tipping in Caribbean restaurants, so any replies concerning tipping in any state are immaterial to the question being asked.  See the title of the thread by the OP if you disbelieve me.

[soonernstlouis]

2 minutes ago, evandbob said:

See the title of the thread by the OP if you disbelieve me.

Re-read my first paragraph & you’ll see that anywhere does include the Carribean.

[clo]

Caribbean tipping

At high-end, fully staffed villas, management may include a 5-10% service charge in your bill. Additional gratuity is completely optional, but most guests add a 5-20% cash tip. Restaurants: a service charge of 10-15% is included at most restaurants, but feel free to tip more if your wait staff was exceptional.Oct 30, 2018

Tipping in the Caribbean: An Island by Island Guide - WhereToStay.com

 

https://www.wheretostay.com/blog/tipping-in-the-caribbean-an-island-by-island.../359

[wowzz]

If no service charge is included, I would normally tip around 10% of the bill, assuming the service is OK. At a bar, if I'm just having a drink  I would not tip at all. 

[GreatTimes]

Sometimes the service charge is included. For example in French speaking islands: service compris, or not included: service non compris. There isn't always a separate line item for the charge.

[ed01106]

21 hours ago, candigirl41 said:

This is not true in all states.  We live in California and my daughter and her boyfriend are both servers and they make $13.00 plus tips.  In California they are required to pay everyone minimum wage in restaurants.

 

Candi

That is true in only seven states out of fifty.  

[ed01106]

22 hours ago, Bookbug53 said:

Many states do not follow the federal guideline and have higher wages for tipped employees. 

How is 7 out of 50 many?

[Bookbug53]

2 hours ago, ed01106 said:

How is 7 out of 50 many?

Wow! I will use my thesaurus/dictionary next time.

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

10% is more than enough in the Caribbean, you  are not in the US.

That is just mean.