When should I tip? People who work in the hospitality industry -- waiting tables, tending bar, carrying luggage -- depend on tips from customers to make ends meet. Tipping an individual who serves you, while not mandatory, should usually be done. The only occasion you should not leave a tip is if the service was completely horrendous and the person providing the service made no attempt to remedy the situation.

How much should you tip? The generally accepted value is 15% to 20%, though outside North America it may be different. If service was horrible, tip nothing and notify management. If the service was slow, tip 10%. If service was ok, tip 15%. If service was great, tip 20%. Keep in mind if the service is slow it is not always the servers fault. If you ever plan to return then the service was good enough that you should tip something. If the service was so poor that you plan not to tip, then it was also poor enough that you should notify management.

Quick Tip! Some countries and states have a sales tax, and you can base your tip off of that. For example, if your state has a sales tax of 7%, you would just double the tax and leave that much for a tip.