As a person grows up eating out in hotels becomes an essential part of life. Though the primary purpose of going to these places is preety clear, one may find the small intricac ies involved a bit confusing. This is mainly for the younger set of people like me.
Tipping is something which comes usually at the conclusion of the meal and has almost become a compulsory activity. It is expected by the diner and the waiters. I have tried to put a few guidelines which are generally the norm while tipping.
The first axio of tipping lies in the tone of the place. If the place is posh and so is you fellow diners you can be resigned to shelling out around 50 Rs for a meal of value 600 to 1K Rs. If the billed amount exceeds 1500 it is prudent to raise the tip to about 100Rs to 150 Rs. A few foreigners even go to the length of giving out 5 p.c. tips. It is difficult to emulate for most people though.
The only thing to bear in mind is the service actually given and the personal attention paid and finally general behaviour. If this is very good and it generally is in high priced joints you can give more. In places with more of the masses one can be sure to be treated like a king on the next visit by giving a tip of about 20 Rs. It is mostly sufficient to make an impression on the waiters.
One should not forget about the doormen and parking people and they get lower tips about 10 Rs. suffices in most cases. In some restaurants there is a policy on giving money to the bearers and one can usually see that the employees are happy to be tipped nothwithstanding the stated policy. In a few places there is a box placed where one can give tips.
The tipping is tricky if one is young as it can seem to be presumptuous and a bit high handed. But, a tip is welcomed no matter who provides it as it is an essential incentive for the waiters to provide better service. This can seem a bit unfair to those already chafing at the high prices at some restaurant but one must no forget the greed of the restaurant owners very little of what we pay actually goes to the employees of the eatery. The rules are a bit different in metros where the waiters and doormen can actually solicit tips and frown if the amount is not o their liking.
Such behaviour is not to be encouraged and should usually be discussed with that person himself or the management. In Kolkata, I had gone to eat at a up market restaurant and the doorman kept lifting his cap, failing to catch the signal my father walked in and was stopped by the doorman and he directly demanded tips.
In fast food joints this practice is usually absent as the students are peny wise and dont usuaaly tip. So, the waiters do not have much expectation. I think that I have given an effective guide to tipping. Things may be a bit different for you.