Restaurant Guest Tip: List suggested tip amounts to make the check paying process faster

Math Made Easy

There seems to be a nonstop discussion about tipping, be it about how much tip to leave for good (or bad) service or even if the tipping culture should still be used at all. What’s for certain is that paying the bill is one of the biggest pain points for guests, not to mention a huge bottleneck for your service.

One way you can alleviate the pressure of both is to list suggested tipping amounts at the bottom of your guests’ checks.

Choose three amounts (list both the percentage & the actual dollar amount) and print it under your guests’ total amount. This means guests don’t have to do any additional math and can get out of their seats faster, meaning you can seat the next hungry group quicker.

You can take it a step further and list the suggested tip percentage, dollar amount, and what their grand total would be. This makes it even easier for your guests to get out and get going. One restaurant even put check boxes next to their suggested tip amounts.

Be sure to take check splitting into account, too. When you split a table’s check among four parties, give them their personalized individual suggested tip amounts based on their portion of the bill and not the table’s total. Telling a guest they should tip $20 when their share is only $5 comes off as shady and will generally leave a bad taste in their mouth. Guests also don’t like if the suggested tip amounts include the tax amount, so beware. You don’t want what should be a convenience ruin their overall experience.

Remember: think like your guests when trying to improve the guest experience

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