Tipping during Restaurant Week was covered by the Sandbox back in February -- see this blog post. It sounds to me like the restaurant in question may have had problems in the past with RW newbies being bad tippers, hence the automatic 19% add-on.

When I went to Grille 700 on Monday, the wait staff was great (but as I noted in another post, it was at 5:30 p.m. and the place was empty).

That being said, the hostess did ask me if I was there for restaurant week. What difference does that make? She could have been asking just to put the menu insert in.

I would ask fellow sandboxers how much they tip during restaurant week. Our bill was $86 total and I put in $25 as tip. I hope they were pleased and didn't spit in my food.

Went to Ranazul in Maple Lawn last night. Food was excellent...but the service was terrible.

We sat for 30 minutes after being seated; it was clear that no waitstaff was going to make eye contact as they shuffled by our table. I eventually went to the bartender who served us before we were seated to ask for a waiter - and he ended up taking care of us! Did a great job, too.

But courses were brought out before the previous course was finished, plates put in front of the wrong person, water glasses not filled, etc.

It's a shame they're so inattentive, because the food rocks. But if it's that bad on a slow night...I shudder to thing what it would be like on a weekend!

That's horrible that someone had such a poor experience with restaurant week and service. Although, even though we do not have the details, I'm suspect this is an example of an exceptionally bad server. If management participated in treating the guests poorly and gave additude to someone for ordering what this week is all about, then that restaurant should be called out by name, publically and loudly.

Drew, I'm asking my guests if they are there for restaurant week when they sit down too, just so I know which menu to bring. With 200 people at the door waiting for a seat, we have to shave time wherever we can. $25 on $86, great tip! Come to my restaurant.

Now, if a restaurant adds gratuity for restaurant week, well... it's the restaurant's perogative, as long as they tell the guests and don't try to double tip. In regards to tips for this week, I will ask people, please, AT LEAST 20% for an extremely discounted meal. Some people have been tipping 25% to 30%, which is awesome and appreciated and certainly not expected. I have gotten a few 15% from very happy people, and yes, considering the discount, I found that offensive.

In fairness to the hostesses, a lot of places I've been to ask if I'm there for RW so they can give me the right menu. I figure it cuts down on menu/price/bill confusion when customers unfamiliar with the prix fixe concept come in.

As for tip, I haven't had it added on anywhere, but I usually tip $10. If they can knock the price down for me, I feel that I can bump up the tip -- if the service was good.

Going offtopic for a second, has anyone else been harassed for not leaving a tip/not leaving "enough" when the service was terrible? Or has anyone asked if they left a tip?

I have had a similar experience during RW here, and in another RW zone to the south. I wish that had been me where they added a 19% tip - my floor is 20% :D

At Brasserie Tatin, I was given the RW menu without asking for it, although the maitre'd mentioned that the regular menu was on the back. The sense I got was, "Oh, you are here because of Restaurant Week? Awesome! We can show you how wonderful we are."

And, indeed, they are.

I did check the regular menu so I could tip based on the regular prices. I should probably have gone to 25% since the service was so good.

In the past, a restaurant that no longer participates seemed a bit put out at what we were ordering. I won't be going back there.

I can't speak yet about this year, tonight will be my first venture out, but last time I went to Cork's and had the worst service. The waitress barely acknowledged that we were there, didn't refill our waters, and was generally rude the whole time.... You could tell that she was not interested at all in our restaurant week experience. It's a shame because you would think that RW is a time when servers and restaurants want to "wow" you to get you to become a regular customer. Its a week where they are exposed to customers who may not have come to their restaurant without the RW specials.

Sad experience at Oz Chophouse one week ago. I ordered from the Restaurant Weeks menu: laughably bad. Bon ordered from the regular menu: respectable. Service: faux. Life's too short. Oz and Restaurant Weeks menus are off my list. A throbbing endorsement from a Sandbox regular might coax me back to an RW menu, but not at Oz Chophouse. Sorry. Bleh.

My friend and I went to Grille 700 on Monday as well and everything was great. We were also asked about restaurant week, but I agree that it was in reference to the special menu.

We had a great experience and I'd discovered a restaurant that probably wouldn't have ever been to!

I'm doing RW this time because of personal budget issues but last time I went to The Bicycle with some friends and we were treated wonderfully! We had a great table, fantastic service, good humor from the staff when we got a corked bottle of wine which was QUICKLY replaced, all in all, fantastic. And I've been back since then! That's what RW is supposed to do... give you a chance to try a place out.

During last winter's RW, a friend and I ate at the Black Olive and received wonderful service. I haven't yet had a nice enough occasion to send me back there for a full-price meal (though I'm looking for excuses), but based on how pleased I was with my visit, I recently sent friends there to celebrate their wedding anniversary. So, I'd say their RW is accomplishing exactly what they hope for.

As for tipping, I always go on the extra high end during RW, conscious that the servers are working their tails off for smaller checks/less tips.

We ate at Gertrude’s last night. We arrived 10 minutes early, were given the option to eat inside or in the garden, and were seated immediately.

The Hostess did ask if we were there for Restaurant Week and added the separate printed menu to the main menu when we said we were. She also added the "Tuesdays with Gertie" menu, which featured, among other things, $20 bottles of wine.

We stuck with the Restaurant Week selections and added a $20 2005 Heron Pinot Noir.

There was one minor slip up on the service - our server picked up our appetizers plates and looked at the table and noticed he hadn't given us any bread. He brought a basket right away. Otherwise, the service was impeccable. He seemed to appear just as we needed something.

For the appetizer, I had the Applewood House-Smoked Trout and Goat Cheese Gallete. This came with a lovely, lightly dressed mixed green salad and was really good. The goat cheese mellowed the smoked trout, so you got all of the smokiness with a light, lovely fish flavor.
Hubby got the red onion and tomato chopped salad with Firefly Farm blue cheese, Applewood bacon, and candied pecans. He really liked it.
Our friend got the Chilled Heirloom Tomato Soup with Gruyere crouton. The menu stated it had an aged sherry wine vinegar finish. Neither of us could taste this, but there was something very herbal going on and a little after-kick - nice but surprising.

For the entrée, our friend and I got the Shrimp and Three-Cheese Grits with roasted garlic butter. I expected huge shrimp and was surprised at the size, but they had heads attached, were tender and lovely, and, oh boy, the garlic! The 3-cheese grits were really good and managed to sop up most of the roasted garlic butter.
Hubby got the Sirloin Tip Steak with Vidalia onion chutney, Yukon Gold timbale, and sautéed seasonal baby greens. He ordered it medium rare and it was done perfectly. He loved it! I had a taste and it was so tender it almost melted in my mouth. Lovely!! I didn't taste the potato timbale but hubby said it was very good.

For dessert, our friend and I chose the Double Chocolate Black Forest Cake. Chocolate cake with a layer of cherries and chocolate crème anglicize. It was topped with a little scoop of bing cherry ice cream and there was chocolate sauce drizzled around (definitely not Hershey’s). With the description, you’d think this would be very heavy, but it was surprisingly light and really scrumptious.
Hubby got the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with caramelized peach chutney. The cheesecake was light and almost fluffy with a very clean vanilla flavor and I would happily eat the peach chutney every day.
The coffee with dessert was pretty good, too.

All in all, a great start for our Restaurant Week excursions.

And, regarding previous discussions, I paid with my card and our friend gave me cash. I provided a tip of approximately 30% from his cash.

We went to Brasserie Tatin last night, six of us, and the service was very nice, the portions were large, and the restaurant was full. Last week the restaurant was mostly empty. It was nice that the service and food quality did not suffer due to the large crowd. The prix fixe menu was quite a savings over the regular menu prices for the same items, but it did not appear that the portions were reduced for RW. They had insisted the reservation be for 6:30 PM, but the last two persons did not arrive until almost 7 PM and it did not make any difference.

We tried a RW restaurant in Federal Hill on a whim last night. Went in were seated, big sign promoting RW in the front of thje restaurant everything was looking good. THEN it took almost 10 minutes to get waited on in an almost empty restaurant, waiter was cavalier about it as if daring us to leave. Then where told they weren't participating in RW on that night. We got within an inch of walking out, chose to stay and had an OK meal anyway. Have stayed away from RW in the past and regret trying it this time.

I have been disappointed with RW lately. Last summer I began notice a decline in the dinner selection and service, and this winter it seemed to have gotten worse. In the past my wife and I would book our week with different restaurants, this year we are only going to one. I do feel you get treated like a second class citizen by the wait staff. And the restaurants overbook, which cause them to rush you through dinner. I think the restaurants and servers have seemed to have forgotten the purpose of RW. RW was set-up doing the usually slow times of the year to bring in business (and possibly draw new customers that might not have otherwise gone to the restaurant).

Linz - Year ago my ex and I worked together at a (chain) restaurant, he as a waiter, I at the door. There would be times that his tables would leave money for the check (let's say the total was $38.75 and they left $40) and when he returned they would say "Keep it, that's yours" and would leave nothing else. After something like that happened for the third time, my ex said "No, that's okay - you clearly need it more than I do."

I know this is off topic and that the Sandbox has covered this before - almost to the point of 'ad nauseam' - but this tip thing is giving me a headache. Servers get offended because they feel they haven't properly compensated. How much do we tip the porter or the taxi driver or the hotel housekeeper or the bartender? Now, I admit to being one who is a generous tipper but it appears that I am in (yet another) minority. Maybe it's time we become a country where tipping is considered offensive and frowned-upon.

And I apologize in advance if this can of worms gets reopened but, IMHO, I am unanimous in that!

I sent the original e-mail regarding my extreme disappointment with Aldo's. After being treated very rudely, and having horrendous service throughout the meal, the tip being included was the worst part. It ultimately it just cost the waiter. Had the service been decent (not even good, mind you) we would have given a very good tip because of the discount, but the bad service coupled with the tip included, we just left it at that.

I did check the regular menu so I could tip based on the regular prices. I should probably have gone to 25% since the service was so good.

Lissa, exactly. That's what everyone should do. I tip at least 20% of the regular menu price, whether it's RW or a nightly special deal, like 1/2 price burgers or crabcakes.

Just curious, why is it "offensive" if someone tips 15% when the y order something that;'s priced lower?

To me a 15% tip is adequate (not great, but adequate) across the board, although I do make it a point to tip 20% assuming I get decent to good service.

But back to my point, does a server at a restaurant that sells entrees for $30-to-$35 work any harder than a server at a restaurant that sells entrees for $17-to-$22?? I think not.

Just because a restaurant prices something lower than usual doesn't mean we should be forced--or guilted--to tip anymore than we normally would. Especially at restaurants that cost a fortune where the food prices are over inflated to begin with.

And here's a note to all you servers out there. If you're good, I'm going to tip you 20%. But I do have a rule. I start at 20%, but for every careless screw up, I deduct points.

For example, I order a glass of ice water along with my cocktail but never get the water--ever, I deduct 2 points right off the bat. Consider that a lithmus test.

If I order a soup as a starter and it either never arrives, or my entree comes immediately afterwards, I deduct at last 3 points. Because usually when that happens it's because the server fogets to get the soup, or forgets to ring it in (servers are responsible for getting the soup at a lot of restaurants).

If I order a salad and it needs more dressing, I'll ask the server for some more on the side. Sometimes it never comes, and my entree arrives while I have an uneaten salad. That's grounds for a pont deduction.

One time I was at Eggspectation and ordered a salad as a starter. I watched it being made, then set up on the stand for the server to get it. and I watched as our waiter walked by it at least 6 times. I knew it was ready but I just waited to see if he'd even pay attention. After a while, I watched the cook start to plate up our entrees and finally asked the waiter about my salad. He didn;t say a word, just walked over and got it, then walked over to get our entrees. Sorry, but that was UNACCEPTABLE! The guy got a 10% tip and I do not feel bad abou it to this day. of course he;s probably cluless why he got a bad tip and thinks I'm a "bad tipper" whiich is not the case at all. He's a "bad waiter."

I only started this rule in the past 5 years. But I had to. The same mistakes continue to happen over and over again wherever I go and personally I find THAT offensive.

Oh, and I DO take into consideration how busy the restaurant is. If the whole place is in the weeds because it's packed to the brim and there's a 2 hour wait, I can understand. But if the server is in the weeds and it's NOT busy and I still get shoddy service, then too bad for the server.

Too many servers these days feel entitled to a 20% tip no matter how good or how poor their service is.

The waiter at a restaurant that serves entrees between 30-35$ does work harder than someone at a lower price place. From my experience, they are better trained. They will have to spend hours each week learning about the menu, specials, and wine.

Also, they are usually experienced servers who work at a higher priced restaurant because they want to make more money.

Donny B., generally I agree that if a customer tips 15%, a waiter should be happy with that, but... when there is an exceptional savings it is traditional to give the server a little something to compensate for that savings. If you disagree, then don't. It is your right, but that makes you the one who is breaking the tradition.

As to your question as to whether a waiter who serves $30 entrees works harder than a waiter that serves $17 entrees, of course not. A waiter who serves $30 entrees typically has more experience than a server who serves $17 entrees. A customer who pays $30 for an entree should expect better service than a customer who pays $17 for an entree, as the server is more experienced and more professional. Don't people with more experience in any job typically earn more than people with less experience? Restaurant servers are no different, which is why inexpensive places are typically staffed by kids who are not yet professional, and expensive places have older servers who are at the top of their field.

Does a hair stylist with 20 years experience in a salon that charges $90 a cut earn more than a stylist with one year experience in a salon that charges $12? Does a doctor with 20 years experience earn more than a resident?

After participating for several years in RW, I've decided to stop. My issue is the limited nature of the menus. For me, RW provided the opportunity to try restaurants which were new to me. To go to a "new" place and have menu selections that do not showcase what the restaurant does best in the "regular" season seems like a waste of time and money. Every year I get excited to see the menus and the participating restaurants and then find myself disappointed. I'll stick to non RW times and choose what I want to eat.

Hungry Girl - I agree with you about Aldo's. I went there a couple years ago with a gift certificate from our office. The waiter was very snobby towards us. While the food was decent, the service was rude! I will never go back there, and based on the similar experience you had recently I guess some things never change. There are too many other good restaurants in Baltimore to waste time at Aldo's.

To Ted and "a waiter"--

So does that mean we should be expected tip at a higher percentage during happy hour because appetizers and drinks are at half price?

Should we be expected to tip at a higher percentage on half-price burger night at the neighborhood tavern?

Should we be expected to tip at a higher percentage at the neighborhood strip-mall Italian eatery when they run their weekly "buy-1, get 1 free" pasta entrees for dine-in customers?

And should we be expected to tip at a higher percentage at the local sports bar on Sunday's during football season because they run a 25 cent wing special, as opposed to the usual price of $8 per dozen.

Of course not.

Also, regardless if a restaurant sells $15 entrees, or $30 entrees, people still expect to tip the SAME PERCENTAGE.

Whether you have dinner at Kisling's, or at the Prime Rib, most people would tip the same percentage.

But according to your logic customers shoud be expected (or guilted) into tipping a higher percentage at the Prime Rib, and a lower percentage at Kisling's???

That just doesn't make sense.

Also, that's just not true about servers working harder at more expensive restaurants. The Bay Cafe is WAY more expensive than say, Looney's.
Does that mean the servers at Bay Cafe give their customers better service than the servers at Looney's? No.

Entrees at DaMimmo's in Little Italy are twice the amount of those at Sabitino's. Does that mean the waitresses at Sab's work less hard than the servers at DaMimios??? Of course not.

Crabs at Obrycki's are at least $20 moe expensive than the crabs at Bill's Terrace Inn for the same size. Does that mean the waitresses at Bill's work less hard or are less efficient and talented than the waitresses at Obrycki's??? I dare you to tell that to one of Bill's waitresses

Linz- Yes, and I almost punched the guy. I was in NYC with my friend T and we wanted something other than chain fare for a moderately priced lunch. We found a little Thai place (I wish I could remember where it was so I could warn people off of it...) The menu looked pretty good and the prices were decent, so we decided to try it.

Anyway, when we got there, there were maybe half a dozen people in the whole place... We were sat, and fifteen minutes later, an incredibly terse waiter came to get our drink orders. We were about to order our food too, but he cut us off. At least ten minutes after *that* he came back with our (warm, iceless) sodas and allowed us to order.

The food was pretty awful, but that's neither here nor there, since the quality of the food isn't the waiter's fault. For the rest of the meal though, our water and soda glasses stayed empty. On the rare occasion that the dude did come through the dining room, he looked like he was in a hurry to beat someone with a sack of doorknobs... We had to speak to three different people before we actually got our cheque, and when he brought it he dropped the book on the table and yelled "CASH ONLY." Yikes.

Suffice it to say this guy's tip had been on a steady countdown since the second we sat down. He was lucky to get anything. The bill wasn't expensive, and I don't remember exactly what we tipped him, but it was probably less than 10%, and we still felt generous. As we're leaving he chases after us, no lie, out onto the street and says "hey! this isn't fifteen percent!!!" We just kind of looked at him, then at each other, then T said "brother, you are lucky we didn't take money *from* you."

Having worked for tips in my college years, I tip well. 20% is my base, but I adjust it for good or bad service. (I once wrote a 5 cent tip conspicuously on a check and brought it to the cashier's attention.)
I wonder how many people tip in cash instead of putting it on the credit card. For years I did it in the belief restaurants deducted the credit card's commission, but I have since been told that's no longer the case. Whether the server declared the tips at income tax time was between their consciences and the IRS.
It's not fair to wait staff who share responsibilities, but that's not often the case. One outrageous experience I had was in a wonderful bed and breakfast in Victoria, B.C. I tipped in cash the porters, the housekeeper and the guy who served drinks before dinner. When I checked out, 18% had been added to my bill for "tips." When I complained I had already tipped those who served me directly, I was told archly the kitchen staff deserved tips too.

Rosebud, my dear sister--you are making it hard for those of us who were raised to think that 15% was a satisfactory tip and 20% rewarded exceptionally good service. Thirty per cent--my dear! Over the top!

I really like TwoToedSloth's comeback and hope to remember it in time of need!

The answer to every single example you sited was yes. This is standard restaurant etequette. How could you not know this?

And yes, you should tip the same persentage at Kislings that you tip at the prime rib, except at kislings you should tip the bartender a little more at happy hour, a little more for two for one specials etc., etc., and at the Prime Rib you should tip your server a little more during restaurant week or on Thursday lite fare night.

Also, Obrecki's is a horrible example. All Baltimoreans know they charge too much for an inferior product and survive on tourists.

In my experience, those who've worked in jobs that depend on tips (server, bartender, cabbie, etc.) tend to tip well, especially if service is good, and those who've never depended on tips tip badly.

When I was a cabbie, I loved getting old money and servers. They tipped well. The nouveaux riches and yuppies...forget it.

I feel like I tip pretty well, with 20% my usual amount for restaurant servers. Where I feel I'm falling off a cliff is everywhere else in the world. Like, what IS everyone tipping their hairdressers these days for a double process and cut? And, what DO cab drivers expect to get? And is $5 for the Sky Cap sufficient or do they expect more? I wonder if there's anyone out there who can enlighten me to customary and usual tipping practices OUTSIDE the food world??

To "a waiter"--

So according to your logic, half-price burger night requires a 40% tip.

You're dilusional.

Good questions, Joyce. I'd like to know those, too. Especially at the hairdresser. I don't go often enough to know.

I had a sour exeperience at Ruth Chris' Water St. last RW, which I commented about on this blog at the time. I was very disappointed, and am much looking forward to the Oceaneaire this week. I hope to have a MUCH better experience.

The food was good, but our server was horrible. Here's what I wrote at the time--- First, our waiter spilled a drink while placing it on the table. Accidents happen, but he didn't offer to have the wet dress cleaned, nor did he apologize, nor did he offer to change the wet tablecloth. So I sat at a damp placesetting for the entire meal, and my hands and wrists were sticky from the sugar in the drink.

Our meal seemed a bit rushed, the courses came out immediately one after the other, and when it was time for dessert, we weren't even asked if we wanted coffee or tea.

I can't help but feel let down by the service. Part of me wonders the service we received was due to the fact that we were a group of young 20-something professionals, who didn't order alcohol (except for a drink) and stuck to the promotional menu.

Thanks to Joyce for starting this train of thought.

As a part-time, adjunct member of the "traveling class," I also have these questions, but times six or seven trips a year in mostly different places (who knew Omaha was so cool!). That does not include the every other month drive to Hagerstown (good German!), Frostburg (good TexMex), or Clear Spring (nice waitress??)!

I throw a line to Zagat when I can, and I'm wondering -- any chance they can give us more than reviews of places ... maybe a little local custom?

Or if not them, who?

Sittin' in the front seat with my dad on long trips in the car (and if memory still serves) I recall that AAA used to have stuff like that in the tour books and triptiks. But that seems to have gone away.

Joyce W. -- check out this site and this site for examples of tipping guides, although a Google search brings up many more, some of which (written for foreign visitors to the USA) are appallingly stingy.

MD Canon -- googling the words international tipping guide yields a whole bunch of results, but given the large numbers of countries covered, I can't venture an opinion as to the accuracy of any of the results. (I had googled the words USA tipping guide to come up with the examples previously posted for Joyce W.)

Let's see...if a burger is $8.00, with a 20% tip my bill is $9.60.

If the burger is half-price--$4.00--and I tip the same $1.60, my bill is $5.60.

I went in because I could save $4 on the burger and I left having saved $4 on the burger.

I don't know...that sounds fair to me. (And yes, I know...the only definition of "fair" we will all ever agree on is, "fair" is where they take the hogs in August, but IMHO, it seems fair to me.)

And AAA's tipping information is available on this webpage.

I still don't think that RW is that great of deal at most places, so i can't see why there is either the packing of tables by patrons or the poor attitudes by wait staff.

Just got back from Tsunami. I had a party 6 six and we all ordered off the RW menu. The food was excellent and the service was good :)

I understand the desire to only tip on the final bill, but its generally a really frustratiing outcome. Bucky's example of the burger is fair- the server gets the same amount either way and you get your discount. The problem is that if you are taking advantage of some discount and other tables arent, the server does the same amount of work for everyone, but your table is automatically lower. One place I worked accepted entertainment card coupons- buy one get one free entrees. It was relatively frequent to have 4 people come in, order 4 entrees, then pay wiith 2 ent. cards, so a $100 bill went quickly down to $50. So even tho you do the work for the $100 check, you get $10 tip (if 20%).

The only time someones ever told me I didnt tip enough was here in London, where I was at a restaruant where they added an optional 12.5% tip(good over here) . After some of the worse serviice of my life, I opted to cut it short a bit. The server came over, adn told me I was a pound short. If I had any guts I wouldve said something, but at that point I just wanted to go home.

And given the service in London, where tipping is minimal, and esp in other european countries, where tipping is nonexistant, I cannot wait to get back to the states. At least when people work for tips they care about their service.

hmpstd, thanks for the info. MD Canon, I agree some type of go to guide for all localities would be great.

Rosebud - I've found that discussing what people tip at the hairdressers is kind of a taboo subject, like the discussion of salaries for some reason. I've had some tell me that they still give their hairdress a few bucks and have personally witnessed some forking over a large bill. I'd be curious what the mean amount actually is that they usually get!

To expand on Bucky's tipping math -- you're probably going to order one or more beverages, most likely at the restaurant's regular, non-discounted price, in addition to that burger. Let's say that you get a couple of beers, at $4 each, in adition to the burger. At the $8 regular burger price, $8 + $4 + $4 equals $16.00, and a 20% tip on that total is $3.20. At the $4 special burger burger price, the pre-tip total is reduced to $12, and the same $3.20 tip amounts to just 26-2/3% of the pre-tip total (not 40%).

As far as tipping during RW: the people working in high-end, expensive restaurants are doing so for a reason. It's not because they like getting more dressed up than if they worked at Fridays. It's to make more money. You should be tipping on the amount PRIOR to any discount.

I have the same beef with meals that are comped by management. Especially when it's because they are friends of the owner/management. I cannot tell you the number of times I waited on parties with $300 checks and got nothing for it. If you're getting a discount, unless it is bc the server did something wrong, you should be tipping on the original price of the meal.

As far as how I tip, any check totalling $1-8 gets rounded up to $10. After that it's 20% unless I know for a fact the server has screwed up (because I used to wait tables I know if it's their fault, kitchen's fault, or management's fault). If it's great service, they get 30-40%. I do this because I know how many horrendous tippers there are out there!

(BTW my absolute fav was the "church" families of 5 or more, that would come in to a high end italian restaurant on Sun afternoons, order one large cheese pizza, have it cut into 12 slices instead of 8, get a pitcher of water, run the server to death getting more free rolls, then tip $2 on a $14 check. Priceless!)

Wait a minute! Emily is in London? WOW. This is an international blog.

Donny B, no, I don't think someone should tip 40% on a half price burger. You are misrepresenting my position. I am not one of those people who think that the tip should reflect the original cost. It shouldn't. But when there is an exceptional savings, like a half price burger, or restaurant week, or any other savings that is approx. 50% of the original cost, then it is custumary to tip 20% or slightly higher than 20% of the "discounted" bill.

Generally, 15% percent is fine if that is what a customer generally tips; but to tip less than 20% on a half price meal is generally considered to be an offensive and/or rude tip.

Went to PAZO for RW last night. They asked if we were there for RW, and treated us beautifully. Best service that I have had in a while. Very satisfying experience. $100 bill for two ($60 special, $30 bottle of wine, two coffees), tipped $25.

Just a thought or two on tipping....
A few cliches

"bills are paid in dollars not in percentages"

"fast pennies are better than slow nickels"

As a fan of economics, I have to point out that the argument to tip on what the price of the item NORMALLY costs is somewhat flawed because we aren't doing things in a vaccuum. We can't say for sure whether that server's volume would have been the same on a normal day of the week without the enticement of RW. Also, we can't say for sure what behaviors of the diners are altered due to the lower priced meal. Maybe they ordered an extra appetizer or a few pricier drinks, and then tipped their 'regular' 15-20% or whatever? Maybe they invited an extra friend or two along? I think, all in all, servers make out better during restuarnt week because, let's face it, if you're like me you only need a slight nudge to make an excuse to eat out!

Sidebar: Ate at Capital Grille Tuesday night and did all of the above: Spent well above my $30, ordered insanely priced drinks, lobster mac n cheese (hmmm) and the parmesan garlic fries. Service was fantastic.. maybe some would have said a bit on the slow side, but I enjoyed having time to savor every single minute! The waiter had fine recommendations for wine, which I'm always impressed with, no matter where I go. Bottom line, had I been dining there with regular prices on a regular night, I know for a fact I would not have indulged so much, so the tip ostensibly could have been lower for my server were it not for RW--even at full price.

"I can't speak yet about this year, tonight will be my first venture out, but last time I went to Cork's and had the worst service. The waitress barely acknowledged that we were there, didn't refill our waters, and was generally rude the whole time"

"I went to The Bicycle with some friends and we were treated wonderfully! We had a great table, fantastic service, good humor from the staff"

My experiences during RW are mirror images of those mentioned above. Went to both Corks and The Bicycle over the past few summers, and had polar opposite experiences.

Last summer, at Corks, our server was extraordinarily rude and ignored us throughout the meal. He practically ran by our table while he plunked down the next course within seconds of the one before and never removed the plates from the previous, making our teeny-weeny-tiny table (placed in a busy hallway nonetheless), completely uncomfortable, and like a circus act. The food was medicore, and our wine was completely forgotten, and yet we were charged for it. Will never return, RW or not, which is a shame, because it gave off a vibe that I like.

2 summer ago, however, The Bicycle, on the other hand, was four stars all around. Service was attentive, yet not intrusive, friendly, yet not overly sociable. Food was fan-freaking-tastic, and we were seated at a lovely table overlooking the garden. That 1st impression has paid off greatly, as we have returned to The Bicycle numerous times, and introduced new patrons to it as well.

Hard to tell if one year made a difference, but it seems as if, with each passing year, RW is going downhill. I have had waiters tell me that they hate it because they are overworked and under-tipped, which is totally understandable. It can be confusing tipping on discounted meals, as we see from the comments above, and the ones that suffer for it are the wait staff. But, I think that in some ways it evens out, as most restaurants would not be fully booked on a Tuesday night, as a lot of RW week participants are, and therefore the wait staff would not be making as much in a shift.

If every place had service like the Capital Grille, I'd tip 25% all the time.

True story: the Cap Grille here in Frostbite, Rectangular State is located in an area of town that has parking challenges. So whenever I go there, I use valet parking.

It was a January evening when the temperature was about 15 degrees outside. When the server brought us our bill, he also picked up our valet parking token thingy. When I asked why he needed that, he said, "If I call for your car now, by the time you are ready to leave it will not only be outside waiting for you, it will also be all wamed up inside."

25% tip. And many, many return visits since.

When it comes to service, the Capital Grille rules.

Two years ago went to Capital Grille for restaurant week. Waiter rushed us through in 45 minutes-and we got drinks. For the past 2 years we went to Oceannaire. Both times service was great. Would never go back to Capital Grille but would to Oceannaire.
Waiters were wonderful, gave us good advice and did not rush us out even though many were waiting. We did not overstay our welcome and gave him a nice tip.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the European practice of adding a service charge to the bill. (Meant to myself yesterday but forgot.) Last time I was there the charge ran 15-18%, and the custom was to leave a few coins as well. Many restaurants here add a service charge for larger parties (and the thread on splitting checks demonstrates why). Frankly I would welcome the practice here, as long as the percentage is below my usual 20% to give me some flexibility on the rare occasions when I deliberately undertip.

I went to Black Olive yesterday for lunch and we tipped 30%. The service was great, the waiter was friendly and the owner (I think) came around and greeted everyone personally and asked if we were enjoying ourselves. The only thing that bothered me, was when we sat at the bar while waiting for our table it was quite a while before we were asked if we would like a drink.

'....or restaurant week, or any other savings that is approx. 50% of the original cost...' a waiter, you are not implying that the savings on dinner during RW is anywhere close to 50% are you? My estimate is closer to 10-15%, less if you include drinks.

Dan D, I'm not implying such, I'm stating such. Athough there may be some restaurants where the savings is in the 10-15% range, I don't understand why anyone would go to these restaurants this week.

In my restaurant, which is one of the pricier in the city (not the most expensive, but in the top 10 percent) our average check per customer is over $80. During restaurant week, the check average per customer is $40. All of our entrees are alone more expensive than the three courses combined. The math is simple. 50% savings.

I had lunch at Brasserie Tatin on Wednesday with a book. RtSO, do you know if Book and book are related. A book refused to tell me.

Anyway, of all the places I've eaten alone, Brasserie Tatin is my favorite. I can read, people watch, whatever and am treated always treated wonderfully. Wednesday was no exception. The service was attentive as always.

I got the Leek & Mushroom Tart, the Duck Confit, and the "Tarte Tatin" for my meal.

The Leek & Mushroom Tart was just the right size for a starter. The pastry was light & flaky and the caramelized leeks and mushrooms were really yummy.

I will get Duck Confit whenever and wherever it is offered. I love it and this was a beautiful example of it, sitting on a big bed of mashed something (I think it was parsnip but it could have been potatoes or turnips - all I could taste was horseradish), and sautéed spinach. The sauce had light ginger notes and was very good.

My one question was that the desserts listed at the BRW site were not exactly what were available - the advertized Tart Tatin was the tart part but did not include the regular green apple ice cream. The good thing though was that it was a smaller portion and was just as delicious as the actual Tart Tatin. The advertized Marjolaine was not available for lunch - I don't know about dinner. But, as someone else mentioned, they did add profiteroles.

Really yummy!! And excellent value.

Last night hubby and I and our friend John went to Corks for the first time.

Up front, I want to say that the service was impeccable. It was perfectly attentive without being intrusive. Also, all of the plates in their many sizes and shapes really set off each dish to great advantage.

I had the Chilled Heirloom Potato Soup, the Duo of Duck Leg Confit and Braised Pork Belly, and the Cinnamon and Vanilla Pana Cotta.

The soup was wonderful - rich and smooth and lighter seeming than it had any right to be. It had pieces bacon, which were crispy and smoky, chives, and Crème Fraiche. Just the most perfect potato soup I've ever had. I could have made a meal of just the soup and their yummy crusty bread.
Hubby got the watermelon salad. It was served in a rectangular wooden dish with slices of watermelon heart, olives, basil, micro greens, balsamic reduction, and Tuscan olive oil. Now, hubby is not a big "foodie" and has often said that he just doesn't get it when our friend John and I are rhapsodizing over our food, but, at his first bite, he got a look on his face that I've never seen on it when in a public place. John & I had to have a bite and were similarly amazed at how all the elements came together.
John had one of two salads available as The Farmer’s Market Salad. The greens were mainly arugula and featured the same bacon that was in my soup that gave a smoky flavor to the whole dish. He was very happy with it. We all agreed, however, that the watermelon salad was the big starter winner.

My Duck Leg Confit and Braised Pork Belly was as good as I had hoped. Both were very rich and flavorful with a lovely sauce that seemed to have a hint of cinnamon or something similar. The dish was served with Chinese long beans and a grilled plum. I can still taste the combination of the rich meat and the sweet plum with that sauce.
Hubby had the Grille Flank Steak sandwich. It was open-faced with a really crispy slab of bread on the bottom. It included Maytag Blue cheese, caramelized onions, and baby arugula. He was very happy with it.
John got the Salmon Fillet with Maryland corn and tomato salsa and a lemon vin blanc. The server indicated that the salmon was wild Alaskan salmon as one of the exceptions to a really local rest of the menu. The salmon was cooked beautifully and the corn and tomato salsa was so fresh and summery.

For dessert, I had the Cinnamon and Vanilla Pana Cotta. The one off note was that the menu indicated that it would be served with seasonal fruit. It came with one slice of strawberry. However, it didn’t really need anything else. When done right, a Pana cotta can be almost ethereal and this one was done right. It tasted of vanilla bean with a slight hint of cinnamon and was perfectly smooth and literally melted in my mouth. A perfect finish to my meal.
Hubby got the rice pudding that was topped with toasted coconut. Very creamy and the coconut keep it was being just a bland rice pudding.
John got the Chocolate Cake with Fresh Mint Ganache. The cake was closer to a brownie texture than cake and was very moist with a layer of ganache on top. The mint flavor was really good and it was obvious that it had been made from fresh mint and not some kind of extract or flavoring. The plate was covered with chocolate sauce that also had a hint of the fresh mint. It was a little too rich for me after a big dinner, but it certainly was tasty.
They also had some really nice bargains on wine both by the glass and bottle.

The food, service, and surroundings were first rate and we will definitely be going back.

Dear Rosebud, Book says yes your luncheon companion is in fact a cousin. Such a wide ranging family. With cousins on offer on Baltimore Street to lovely leather bound tomes (that have nothing to do with the Baltimore Street relatives) its hard to keep them all straight.

Rosebud and RtSO--this is why God created librarians.

I'm curious as to what Carey means by referring to "church" families.

a waiter, you cannot compare what a customer gets for $40 during RW with what an average customer pays for the rest of the time. I also find it hard to believe EVERY item on your entree menu costs $30+. Perhaps you can give us a link to your menu. This is Baltimore after all, not New York, L.A., San Fran, or Vegas.