I do feel like quoting Reservoir Dogs (I suspect the youtube link might be to the scene I'd make reference to).

I do tip fairly frequently, more in Canada than I did in the UK, where I would only ever tip if the service was exceptional.

Typically I use the 10 - 15% rule. If service or food quality is poor then I shall not tip.

I recall a trip to Milestones where we had ate many times in which we were seated quickly, ordered drinks, and the ordered our food. The appetizers came very quickly and half way through our main's turned up too. At this point we still had not received our drinks, so we asked about the possibility of getting them. We were finishing up our meal before they arrived and we declined them at that point. We felt very rushed indeed and I suspect they were trying to go through as many people as possible. This prompted us to a) not tip, and b) not to return to that location again. Shame really as we did eat there fairly frequently.

To balance things, we were at The Host (a regular haunt) over a holiday weekend and waited a very, very long time for dinner, however, the waitress explained one of the cooks had called in sick, and our drinks would be on the house. The owner later arrived and also apologized to us. Even though we ended up waiting a very long time for dinner, it was cooked to satisfaction and we did leave a tip as the staff were pleasant and honest and you could clearly see they were no impressed at keeping customers waiting, especially as we were regulars.

Another reward for above excellent service went to The Keg in Old Port, Montreal. We were there for a long weekend to watch the F1 Grand Prix and as you can expect, the whole city was rammed. We were looking for something to eat and walked into the Keg. Foyer was crowded so we thought we would be a while, 60 seconds later we were escorted to a lovely seat by the window. The service was excellent, the food arrived very quickly and we never felt at all rushed, even though it was obvious the place was very busy indeed. A very good tip was left on that occasion.

As said, I didn't tip much in the UK. I recall one occasion when I was dining at some pizza place in Bluewater (near the cinema). The food was ok, service a little slow, but not too bad. The bill appears and the waitress had circled the "Tip Not Included" section. I thought this was incredibly rude. I called over the manager and pointed this out to him, stating it was exceptionally rude, it would be my choice if a tip is included and if not overly obvious the only tip I'd give would be "don't piss off your customers". Again, a place we never returned to.
I don't mind tipping as is evident, but I will not have someone try to pressure or guilt trip me into tipping.

<rummages in pockets>

Last night it seems I tipped someone called "Darcie" $8 on $43 worth of drinks and then $4 on another $15 worth of drinks. We got served the second time around so I suppose the eight bucks was about right.

Your friend talking about adding taxes is probably just pointing out the fact that no one in Canada advertises prices with taxes included, like VAT in the UK, so you have to factor in taxes when you look at a product, so if it says it costs $20 you should remember that after they add taxes it will cost say $22.80 if there are 14% taxes. Then, if you are in a resteraunt, you have to add on a tip at the end, say 15% if everything was good, so you end up paying say $26.
Some places now, like the breakfast/brunch place I go to have an auto tip option on their debit machine where you can either enter one manually or just hit a 15% button if you were happy and don't feel like doing math. Usually prefer to leave cash though, then it can't disapear into the business books.
Watch out for resteraunts if you are in a large party, say 8 or more, as lots of places will at a service charge automatically for large parties which in some ways is easier but not if their service sucks and you want to argue to get it removed or vice versa sometimes you want to tip more but they have already decided for you.

There is no rhyme nor reason behind tipping. Doing the job well and personal pride should be enough to give good service. If you are in the service industry and don't give good service, you should be fired, it's your job.

We tip some yet not others
Airline cabin crew don't get tips - however we are expected to tip hotel staff and restaurant staff.

Retail store clerks get low wage and no tips, yet many go the extra mile, yet we tip hairdressers.

Local and long distance bus drivers do the same job, yet we are expected to tip tour bus driver.

Courier and delivery drivers get no tips, yet the pizza delivery guy expects something for merely doing his job!

It is expected in some industries and taken advantage of by the employer. If tipping is part of a culture in an industry, perhaps pricing should reflect the low labour overhead these establishments experience. Food indsutry margins are obscenely high, yet we willingly pay tips without question (some do anyway), as we are having a good time. Restaurants are complaining about the HST coming into BC, maybe because the extra 7% will cut into the hundreds of percent mark up they enjoy.

I constantly wonder why people expect tips for doing their job and complain if they don't get enough or any at all.

I'm a great tipper for great service. My local watering hole has very good service (with a friendly Ozzie waitress), and they ALWAYS give me a 17% VIP discount even though I only go once a week! I think I must have built up rapport!

When I came to CAN I learned the following rule of thumb:

When you get the bill add up the taxes (HST, GST and liquor tax) and you have the tip you should leave. In Ontario it's 8 % plus 5 % plus a little more so you end up at approx 15-18 %

Yes, I had registered that the tax is not included on retail items or the menu price at an eatery and that was generally included when the retailer/cafe/restaurant presented the bill at the end.

This particular restaurant/bar split the bill between four of us and handed me $34 for mine but because I had had a meal and two drinks and didn't want to be getting a calculator out to be adding it all up as that would have looked somewhat cheap I didn't know at that stage if the tax was included but then what you have all said is ALL establishments will automatically include the tax in your final bill and you simply add approx. 10-15% tip to the final bill.....so why did my friend say add 30% if the tax is included?????

Also, can anyone explain to me what GST, HST tax is and is it just those two??

Thanks

GST is the federal sales tax - like VAT in the UK but at 5%.

Most provinces collect a sales tax as well. (Alberta doesn't, and I don't think the territories do either). This provincial sales tax has a different name in each province but generically they are called PST. On restaurant bills the PST it is also sometimes called liquor tax.

The maritime provinces have amalgamated their sales tax with the federal sales tax and this is called HST. This is at 13% and operates just like VAT in the UK.

From July next year BC and Ontario are also changing. PST will be abolished and most sales will have HST at 13% (ON) or 12% (BC) instead of GST and PST.

Clear as mud?

On topic, I tip 15% of the total bill (to the nearest dollar) if the service is good. Nothing if it not.

OK, many thanks to one 'n' all for your replies...I wish all lines of query out there in the world were as efficient as this site...I genuinely think it's fab

I tip that based on the pre-tax amount (not paying a service charge on the tax!!).

Incidentally - the canadians I work with say they tip 10% on the pre-tax amount (and I know at least a few of them are telling the truth). Not sure if this is representative or not so I stick to the 15% rule (especially if I'm gonna be going back)

And that is spot on. If you plan on visiting again then always good to leave something.

We go to a local place sometimes where you place your order at the counter, collect your drink from the fridge or coffee machine and pay. They then bring the food to the table. Period.
Now i noticed the other day that if paying by debit the machine now has this "tip option" asking you if you want to do % or amount. I think that is a bit much when they really don't offer much in the way of "service"

The Domino's Pizza near me has a tip option on their debit machine, which quite frankly is a piss take, since you drove there yourself to pickup the pizza!

I only tip if the food and/or drinks are brought to your table. It you have to collect from the counter then change from the nearest dollar is adequate.

The only exception is in a bar. A good tip with the first round will ensure you get preferential service when things get busy.

I didn't think you liked conforming to "rules"?

Don't do it like this: [How not to Tip.].

Aha. Don't use tipping for bribary, or you might get it wrong.