New York Servers Say 20 Percent Is Now the Bare Minimum Tip and One Recalls the Diner Whose Friend Apologized for Him

If you still think of 15 percent as a good tip, a pair of New York servers would like a word. On a restaurant interview show that posts as @servingstoriesshow, two servers were asked for their hot take on tipping, and the answer came fast. “I sincerely feel like 20 percent is the new 15 percent,” one says. “It is not enough. You gotta tip more.”

The clip, captioned “20% is the new 15%,” tags servers Carlos Nolla and Jackie Kraft, and the conversation is blunt from start to finish.

The first server makes clear the opinion comes from the realities of working in New York City. “It could be different in other places,” the server says. “I really don’t care. Right here, it’s not paying the bills.” The math, the server adds, matters most on smaller checks, especially when a meal comes in under $200.

Then comes the sharper point. Customers who believe 18 percent is perfectly fine are sending a message this server does not appreciate, one that reads like a wish for the server’s household to go hungry. Still, the tone softens a bit at the end. “At the end of the day, it’s whatever you want to do,” the server says. “I’m not going to yell at you about it.”

The Diner Whose Friend Said Sorry

Asked whether they have ever wanted to yell at a customer over a tip, the other server does not hesitate. “One hundred percent.” “I’ve almost yelled at people several times.”

That server recalls a man who was “super nice” through the whole meal and then left a 10 percent tip. Afterward, the man’s friend came over to smooth things out. “I’m so sorry,” the friend said. “He’s from Sweden.”

That excuse has some truth behind it. In much of Europe, servers are paid differently and tipping customs are lighter, so visitors are sometimes caught off guard by American expectations. It did not make the rent any easier, though.

The servers say this kind of thing happens more than you might think. “I love when people know that there’s one person in their party that will not tip,” one says. The friends often slip the server an extra $20 on the way out with an apology. But the servers have a question about that: if you know your companion is a poor tipper, why let them be the one to pay?

Their advice to those friends is half joking and half serious. “Take one for the team,” get some new friends, or just grab the check yourself.

@servingstoriesshow

Why Servers Lean So Hard on Tips

For many diners over 50, 15 percent was the standard for decades, with 20 percent reserved for truly great service. Expectations have crept upward over the years, and many servers now treat 20 percent as the baseline for ordinary, decent service.

Part of the reason is how servers are paid. Federal law allows employers to pay tipped workers a cash wage as low as $2.13 an hour, as long as tips bring them up to the regular minimum wage. Many states, including New York, set their own rules, and some require the full minimum wage before tips. But in a big, expensive city, even a higher base wage does not stretch far, so tips still make up most of a server’s take home pay.

Servers also often share their tips with bussers, bartenders and food runners, which means a 15 percent tip can shrink quickly once it is split.

A Simple Tipping Guide for Dining Out

Whatever your view, here are some practical habits that keep things fair and avoid awkward moments:

Do quick math. To find 20 percent, move the decimal point one place to the left and double it. On a $60 check, 10 percent is $6, so 20 percent is $12.

Tip on the full amount. If you use a coupon, gift card or discount, it is considered good manners to tip on what the meal would have cost before the discount. The server did the same amount of work.

Check for an automatic gratuity. Many restaurants add a service charge for large parties, often for groups of six or more. Read the bill before you add a tip so you do not pay twice, or so you know to add a little extra if service was excellent.

Plan ahead with friends. If someone at your table is known for tipping light, settle the plan before the check comes. One person can cover the tip, or the group can agree on a percentage up front.

Carry a little cash. Tips left on a card are sometimes subject to processing fees or delays before they reach the server. A few bills left on the table go straight into the right pocket, and they are handy for valets, coat checks and anyone else who helps you along the way.

Speak up about real problems. If service was truly poor, a quiet word with a manager does more good than a tiny tip. Slow food is often the kitchen’s fault, not the server’s.

The servers in the clip know not everyone will agree with them, and they say so. But their point is simple: before you decide on 15 percent, remember who is carrying your plates and what it costs them to live where you are eating.