Tipping Etiquette? Not SP's.

[Special K]

I should probably know this myself by now but what is proper tipping etiquette in Montreal for the following services?

Tips on a meal: Personally, I usually tip 20% of the entire bill. I was recently told by one Montreal resident that an adequate tip is 15% of the pre-tax bill. That would be a pretty big difference depending on where one eats.

Doorman / Bellman at Hotel: What's the norm for the gentleman that brings your bags to the room when you check into a hotel? Should you tip the guy that takes your bags from your car as well as the other guy that delivers them to your room after check in?

Valet: I know it's proper to tip the valet that gets your car but do you also tip the valet when you bring your car back after being out, if so, what's an adequate amount in both cases?

Just wondering,

SK

 

[EagerBeaver]

Tips On Meal: 20% of pretax bill, to be adjusted accordingly if service is unusually good or bad or if waitress is really hot.

Bellman: $2, unless he responds very informatively to questions in addition to providing personal luggage delivery services. For example, there is a Bellman who works at the Omni - I forget his name but he is a French Canadian gentleman who has worked there for about 20 years - who is always a fountain of information if you ask him questions, and I usually tip him $4 because he has provided me with excellent information in the past. I will also go higher on the tip if I change rooms and he has to lug the bags twice.

Valet: $2 per retrieval paid at last retrieval

Taxi: 20% of fare

 

[jacep]

What about housekeeping? A few years ago, I used to tip $1 per night that I stayed in a hotel. Now I tip $2 per night.

Also, for housekeeping, it is important to leave a tip each day as opposed to giving one big tip at the end since the person cleaning your room the last day might not have been the same person who cleaned your room the previous days.

 

[metoo4]

20% of pre-tax! Some peoples are rolling in money! Glad you share the wealth and aren't cheap EB!

I was told by a friend of mine who is a waiter at a high end restaurent in Ottawa that often, the tips from the peoples with money is less than the ones from lower income peoples. He's a waiter since over 10 years and noticed the same in his previous family-type restaurant.

I usually tip 10% of the total, with taxes, and round it up to the upper full number, so no small change need to be exchanged. That's very close to 15% before taxes. If service is very good, like very attentionned and pleasant, I will go to 15%. Out of the ordinary will get 20% but it's extremely rare somebody deserve that much, unless she's very cute!

For tax purposes, the tips are estaimated at 10% of the total sales the waiter did in the evening. So, no matter if you tip or not, the waiter is taxed meaning, for a bad waiter who don't get tips, he's actually taxed on money he's not making! That helps raise the quality of service when managers explain the procedure to them!

 

[MG_mtl]

I usually tip 10% of the total, with taxes, and round it up to the upper full number, so no small change need to be exchanged. That's very close to 15% before taxes.

100 meal + taxes = 114$ (rounded) X 10% = 11.40 rounded to 12$
100 meal X 15% service = 15$.
That's a 3$ difference on a 100$ meal X numer of clients per evening = noticeable difference at the end of the day for the waiter and small difference for you.

If you get good service, you are exected to give 15% before taxes. That's the norm.

 

[Board Stiff]

The general rule is 15 of pretax, but i find most people tip more.
I don't however.
In Montreal, my tip is the tax rounded up to the next dollar. (roughly 14.5-15 percent)
Quebecoise do NOT need more incentive to be inefficient and take too long to get my poutine to my table.
If I'm with a woman, 20 percent...but only if she can see it! haha
SEE: Thorstein Veblen's Conspicuous Consumption

 

[Rex Kramer]

Watch out for that bill when you get room service in a hotel. One time I added 15% to the bill without looking at it too closely. Turned out that it had included a 15% gratuity already, in addition to a room service charge (I think it was like $3). No wonder there was a big smile on that hotel staff who delivered the meal.

My take is that 15% pre-tax is the nominal expected tip for restaurants in Montreal. I tend to tip a bit more, especially if the server looks like a college student, probably because I used to wait tables in restaurants while I was working my way through college, and can still remember how happy I was when I got a good tip. Of course cute waitresses do get more tips from me without saying.

 

[Special K]

Valet: $2 for last retrieval

Beav...If you retrieve your car at all during the stay then you don't tip the valet, only when you're checking out do you tip them $2?

 

[EagerBeaver]

SK,

On the majority of trips I don't retrieve the car at all, except when I leave. If there are intermediate retrievals, then I take that into account and adust the final tip accordingly on the last retrieval. It works out to $2 per retrieval, but I tip on the last one.

I edited my post accordingly.

 

[Special K]

That was a great show!! Unfortunately I remember it well. Lol.

 

[dickbarnet]

Question??

Hi guys, do you tip, escort services..If yes how much?? 10-15-20%
( ex: 160.00$ fee escort you give ??.... or don t give?? Thanks in advance

 

[Voyager]

wrong thread

Hi guys, do you tip, escort services..

dick,

Special K`s thread is specifically for: Tipping Etiquette? Not SP`s

There are many threads on MERB devoted to the question of tipping for escort services, where you can research your question. Here is one to start you off.

Regards,

Voyager