Quote:
Originally Posted by upthesaukee
... Actually five, which were my wife, her sister (up from FL for two days only), our nephew and his wife. We dined at a local restaurant and were in there for probably three hours. We did have a nice dinner complete with dessert, and probably drank coffee and talked for the last 45-50 minutes. This was all on our tab, and we tipped considerably more (nearly double) what we would normally had done. Waitress actually discretely asked if I "did the math right" and when I told her I did, she nicely thanked me and said it wasn't necessary. I told her we tied up one of her tables and potentially cost her money. She said thanks much and left with a big smile. Sooooooo, sometimes it may not be all that it seems. But then again....  |
If it's a quiet night then lingering and tipping to compensate is reasonable, but on a busy night one should move on and find somewhere else to chat. Once you have finished your food and beverages, it's time to move on. Go outside for a walk or go chat in the parking lot. Regardless of the tip, it is still rude to tie up a table while others are waiting!