At a hotel
Instead of giving a large amount
at the end of your stay, leave
about $2 or $3 a day for house-
keeping, says Nicolas Graf, PhD,
associate dean at the Jonathan M.
Tisch Center of Hospitality at New
York University. “In most hotels,
the housekeeper who cleans your
room one day is not necessarily
the same one the following day,”
he says. “To be fair, tip every day.”
Traveling with kids or pets?
Consider leaving a couple of
dollars more.
At a hair or nail salon
Fifteen percent is the going rate
at most salons. Keep in mind that
many require you to tip in cash.
If you’re low on bills or need to
tip multiple people (like at a hair
salon, where the shampoo person
and blowout stylist also expect a
few dollars), ask if you can send
your tips over a money-sharing
app, like Venmo.
For a babysitter or nanny
Even though you’ve probably
already agreed on an hourly rate
with your sitter, rounding up
the total (say, from $45 to a solid
$50) is a nice gesture, especially
on hectic days or on nights that
involve cooking for your crew. For
a regular nanny, show your appre-
ciation at the end of the year with
a bonus of one or two weeks’ pay
or a gift equivalent to that amount.
THE DEFINITES
At a restaurant
Tipping between 15 percent (for
average service) and 20 percent
(for very good service) is sug-
gested, says Robin DiPietro, PhD,
professor and program director at
the University of South Carolina’s
College of Hospitality, Retail and
Sport Management. Regardless
of the level of service, gratuity at
a restaurant is nonnegotiable.
At a bar
Leave $1 for a beer and $2 for a
cocktail, advises Salvatore Tafuri,
bar director of the Times Square
Edition Hotel in New York City. If
you order a bar snack or the service
was especially good, tip 20 percent.
In a taxi or rideshare
The general rule is 15 to 20 per-
cent per taxi ride, which usually
equates to a dollar or two. For
rideshares like Uber and Lyft, tip
at least $2 per ride, says Jonathan
Cousar, a former Uber driver
and the director of outreach at
Ridester, an online resource for
rideshare drivers.
DINING IN A GROUP?
Some restaurants don’t allow separate
checks. Make sure people leaving cash
include tip. Anyone paying with a credit
card should tip on their portion of the
total bill, not the lesser amount shown
on their credit card receipt, which has
the cash portion taken out, says Graf.
TIPPING IS LIKE blockchain and
Brexit: important, but super con-
fusing. It used to be about showing
appreciation for good service, but
as minimum wage has plateaued
(federal minimum wage is $7.25),
workers have come to depend on
it. What’s more, only seven states
require tipped workers to be paid
minimum wage before tips; in
other states, their wages start at
$2.13 an hour. So how do you make
sure people are properly com-
pensated, especially when most
service-industry workers depend
on gratuity? Consider this your
tipping handbook. (You’re on your
own with blockchain, though.)
TIPPING ON TAX
Etiquette experts say tipping pretax
on a restaurant check is usually fine—
there’s no point in tipping on part of
the bill that’s not going to the server
or restaurant, right? Then again, says
Graf, servers could see it as a cheap-
skate move. If you can afford it, it’s
kind to tip on the total with tax.
BALANCE
88 REAL SIMPLE NOVEMBER 2019
