Tipping In Cash Vs Card: Which Is Better On Your Restaurant Visit?
When it comes to serving, I consider myself a well-rounded veteran. After eight crazy years working at a fancy golf country club, a Greek spot in a strip mall, and a locally loved Italian joint, I've seen it all. Serving means ever-undulating highs, like making lifelong friends, and lows, like that one time I dumped a tray of 12 cocktails on the golf green.
These highs and lows often have to do with customer behavior, such as ordering drinks in a rude way or leaving bad online reviews over something a server can't control. But sometimes, there's simply no way for the customer to know the best way to do something, such as tipping. It goes without saying your should always, always tip your server — it's the primary way they make the money they live on. But should you use cash or card?
To put it simply: Cash is king. It's easier for everyone. As a customer, you can drop the cash and walk out. No waiting for a busy server to run your card or find you a pen. And it's better for the server. Receiving a cash tip mid-shift is a mini adrenaline rush, putting a little pep in your step and motivating you to work that much harder. Plus, they're easier to tally up as you work and easier to manage. There's no complicated end-of-shift math, no credit card fees siphoning away a chunk of the earnings, and tip share (the percentage of their tips servers must dole out to bussers, bartenders, hosts, and dishwashers) is quick and painless.
How much should you tip?
Cash is fantastic... unless it means leaving less. Tipping at a fast food restaurant is its own thing, but at a full-service restaurant, the standard minimum is 20% for decent service. If you know you should tip $15 but only have a tenner on you, please don't short the server. Every dollar counts when you're tipping out coworkers and facing taxes that are often assessed on what you should make, not on what you do make. You can always leave what cash you have and put the rest on your card. The server may lose a little to credit card fees (in states where that's legal), but the mix still helps. If your tip's going to shrink just to use cash, stick with the card.
These days, some restaurants put the amounts of common percentages at the bottom of the check. But if those aren't there and you need help calculating tips, it's probably best to get an app or use your calculator rather than risk snubbing your server. The old double-the-tax hack for tipping no longer works, as that's just under or around 15% in most locales, and that's now the floor for service that could have been better.
One more thing: if you're tipping on a gift card or credit card please, for the love of servers everywhere, write legibly. Smudged or sloppy handwriting can mean paying more than you intended or servers missing out entirely if the amount is unclear. It's a tiny effort that makes a huge difference.