dbd33

Nah, in the first case dinner for four came to $530 so I was really being a bit mean and, in the second, I ran a tab for twenty people for a couple of hours and expected a bill of $1000+, since they only charged me $100, I tipped generously.

Andthen

You don't happen to eat in a certain restaurant in Toronto on a weekly basis do you?

dbd33

Not recently, no. The big bill was at Bouchon in Vegas. Where do you have in mind?

Andthen

I couldn't possibly say

Mr Lee

I'm so glad someone's done this thread. I really struggle on who to tip, how much to tip, etc.

I gave our moving guys £50 in England and the team who unloaded in Canada about $35. Only because the former did more work. Even then I wasn't sure I should have tipped them.

I usually give whoever cuts my hair a couple of bucks but restaurants I really struggle with. Mainly because I can never work out what 15% is!!

I got dirty looks the other day at a diner in Barrie after my 1 year old son had left a bit of debris all over the floor and I added $3 to a $37 bill because I couldn't work it out quickly enough!!

I like using it as a subtle tool to show how shite the service is as well. We got treated horrendously in a Toronto pub a couple of months ago. When the waitress - suddenly all smiles when it came to paying the bill - told us it came to a total of $12.75, I gave her $13 and sneered at her to "keep the change".

Oooh, I'm a rebel.

Hipster Contrarian

Sorry, but that's awful. It's not hard to work out 15%, and if you're not sure, round up. Some poor waitress or waiter would have had to grub around on the floor after your child- I don't think $3 really makes up for the extra work. You should have over-tipped under the circumstances, surely.

Andthen

I'd have gone the same way, only because I know as soon as they hear a British accent they automatically (in most cases) inwardly cringe and expect a bad tip anyway... I like to prove them wrong

dbd33

In Ontario 15% of the original cost is marked on the bill, it's the tax. Just take that and add a bit.

Hipster Contrarian

I was going to say if in doubt match the tax, but I wasn't sure what it was in Ontario. But anyway, if you can work out 10% (and please no adults tell me you can't), then you can work out 15%.

Souvenir

As dbd says, just tip the tax, rounded off for simplicity.

One very irritating shabit ome servers have (mainly in ON in my experience) is to ask if you need any change back. They don't even look to see what notes you've put in the bill folder. The question always results in a smaller tip from us.

I normally tip packers/movers 20 each (£ or $, as appropriate). That can work out rather costly on long-distance moves. Our last move involved four different teams.

I had a tradesman in on an insurance job a couple of years back. While he was packing up to leave I mentioned in passing that I needed to buy a new blade for my mitre saw. He gave me a brand new one that he wasn't going to use. I asked him what he wanted for it and he declined to take any money. He basically refused a tip and gave me one. Mitre saw blades ain't cheap.

Souvenir

What if you're too pissed to read the bill?

Hipster Contrarian

I found this in Vancouver and New York too. You're right, it's very irritating. They do it even if you've put a $50 down for a $10 bill. (What's the etiquette in Canada for saying yes to this? Is it usual to be straight about it?)

You can afford alcohol in Canada? Ooh la-di-dah ! I doubt I'll be able to afford to get pissed (on wine at any rate)!

Souvenir

I'm not sure what the correct form is but in our case the question is greeted with a terse "yes" (very terse if Souvette answers) followed by a greatly reduced tip.

Is wine all that more expensive in Canada? Let's take a bog-standard breakfast red for comparison. The LCBO is flogging Mouton Cadet for about $14 a bottle. I was paying ten quid a bottle for the same stuff in London seven years ago.

Talking of the LCBO, I recently went into the Rideau/King Edward branch. Bloody awesome. I've never before seen an offy on two floors.

dbd33

Good grief, yes. For example, Ravenshead California Zin is about $22 at the LCBO. I bought some in a gas station in Nebraska last week for US$5.

Atlantic Xpat

I think so. Last year I compared Wolf Blass Yellow label at 5.99 in Tescos and $16odd in NLC stores. $16 feels more to me here than GBP5.99 did in UK certainly. There's also less choice here even in the more metropoliton stores but that's almost certainly a Newfoundland thing rather than a Canadian thing. (Although the liquor store on Water St in St. John's is on two levels and has a very extensive wine cellar.) I miss the buy 5 get one free offers from Tescos as well. Here getting a buck off a bottle is a big deal.