You are right about California my home town. That's why I tip cash. When I tip with cc I tip more to make up for it.

 

I don't tip on fast food. Starbucks leave whatever change I have. Take out a token 3-5 bucks no matter how much the bill is UNLESS the server goes way over and above. Trucks, probably not but never use them.

 

I tip cash. Many restaurants now withhold cc tips and apply that to employee withholding on assumed cash tips. I also tend to tip $20 per bottle of wine. I've gotten that "you cheap fucker look" before but if you're not decanting the wine how much do you deserve for 30 seconds opening it.

On the food truck issue I always felt that the guys working it usually owned it and I'm doing the serving.

 

I guess I am a sucker because I've always tipped a lot at food trucks. I won't be suckered anymore.

 

I know this is going to sound ludicrous but on comped meals I usually tip from 30 to 35 percent.
I figure that it is a "free meal" and the extra $10 to $20 is no big deal.

I can understand when you do the group thing that the tip is much bigger for less work...I would reconsider the tip in that situation.

The tip is always cash.

 

When my wife worked as a waitress they taxed her at a rate that included a certain amount of cash received in tips even if she didn't make that much.
It was quite awhile ago but, if my memory serves, she was paid a very low hourly and then some dollars an hour were added to her tax basis due to California law.
Regardless I always tip cash.

 

I'm lucky because I have some friends who are players and I benefit from their generosity. As some tiny show of thanks I always bring wines to one of our dinners and make it a point to pipe the steward or the captain a little something. It's not much, usually a Ben, but it always seems appreciated.

We don't have much in the way of high-brow eats around here, but being wine country there is some phenomenal cookery going on. Taking wine is so common and the question invariably comes up as to what is the best practice in such circumstances.

 

The percentage I tip inversely escalates, and at our home town joints, the escalation is higher. Claudia at our taqueria hustles just as hard for our two, $10 plates as does someone serving us the $60 lunch at S.Y. Kitchen. My hair guy charges essentially nothing, he's a friend, we chat about all manner of things and I tip 100 percent and it still is a reasonable thing. Sometimes there are simply thresholds, not percentages, in the works. If the corkage somehow disappears, that goes in the pot. If it's a setting for X people and multiples of glassware are in play, that's different. But even if I ordered $2000 bottles of wine, I'm sorry, it's still just a one-tier function, so to say, and I don't care how many times it took someone to make master somm.

 

Just curious......................

How does your wife (who was in the service industry in Vegas....correct??) feel about you tipping 10% on a restaurant bill in Vegas?
Would you not tip according to local custom? When in Rome?

 

I don't drink any high end liquor or wine. My tips are always minimum of 20% of the total bill. It doesn't matter if the check is a comp or cash. The percentage only goes up depending on my mood and the amount of drinks I've had.