Tipping is part of every day life in the USA and people who don’t tip, generally people from non-tipping cultures, are looked upon as degenerates. No matter what your personal beliefs about tipping are, leave your cultural differences at home. In other words, you must tip. Getting the hang of tipping a dollar for every drink you order at the bar can take a while until it becomes as automatic as carrying around your California ID card.
- Taxis: 10-15% of your fare.
- Hairdressers: 10-15% or more if you love your stylist.
- Nails: 10-15%.
- Doormen: $2.00 or more, depending on his service.
- Valet: $2.00 or more.
- Pizza Delivery: Restaurants charge for delivery but it’s usual to hand a few dollars to the deliveryman.
- Restaurants: 15-20% tip of your bill is the rule of thumb. Always round it off and don’t short change unless you never expect to eat at that restaurant again. Servers make their living from tips and will surely remember a tight tipper as much as a generous one. Read the fine print of the restaurant’s menu. Very often, parties of more that six are automatically billed an 18% service charge.
- Bars: As a rule of thumb, leave one dollar on the bar for one single drink ordered. Persuading the bar server to go heavy on the alcohol can often be helped along with a larger tip.
- Unlike some other cultures and even New York City, it is not necessary to tip the repair person or the property managers of your apartment building.
