Tipping at the Sushi Bar

julius orange

Ok, here's a problem I need to sort out. When I go eat sushi, I always eat at the sushi bar. However, I've noticed that the waiter or waitress still insists on taking my order despite the fact that the chef is standing there listening to the order as well.

Inevitably at the end of the night I'm tipping both the wait person and the Sushi chef, which is great because sushi is so cheap. Does the waiter really deserve a a full tip when all they are really doing is bringing me water and the check? What's the rule for buffets? Do waiters at buffets get a full tip?

drunken revival

Wow.. this really is a problem. A genuinely new spin on an age old tipping question. Intrigue, sarcasm, sushi... I can barely breathe.

Luckily, I have the answer... it applies always, to every situation and it works every time.

Check it out: 1) Tip whatever the hell you want. 2) Tip big - bigger the better. 3) If anyone pisses you off, then don't tip anything.

The deviation in the bottom line of your server varies so little based on your $2-$5 contribution that to even pose this question suggests a comical overestimation of the importance of your pocket change.

nykittyny

I think that the waiter is still entitled to the full percentage tip, and the sushi chef just gets a little something extra, like a buck or two as a thank-you. However much more you want if you were blown away by their mad sushi skills.

FYI: The Sushi Chef is paid a decent hourly wage, the waiter makes 2something an hour + tips. The waiter also likely clears and sets your table/seat, or shares tips with a busser.

mougar

I would tip the waiter whatever you normally tip, and maybe give the chef a tip if he was good/friendly. Not a mandatory tip though. Otherwise, it's really not customary to tip the chef because it's assumed the chef is getting paid well to begin with and doesn't live on tips.

friscopete

another thing to consider instead of a tip is buying the guys behind the bar a beer or sake. Usually goes over well with the crew.

julius orange

Well I'm not going to stiff anyone, though I'd rather reward the chef than the waitress because the chef is who is feeding me. But then there's a real incentive NOT to eat at the sushi bar. If I sit at a table then I'd only have tip the waitress. Or do you folks put a tip in the jar on the sushi bar when you eat at tables too?

At Oshima, when they had the old chef, he used to always try and get my order from me before the waitress would come by. He was aware of the reduncancy, and the waitress would only slow things down.

I thought that traditionally the chef serves you when you are at the sushi bar. It only seems in recent years that that waitresses and waiters have appeared at the bar.

I guess there's no way around having to double tip while at the bar.

whynot_31

many places have the wait staff share tips with kitchen staff.

pmonk

Actually - tipping is not done in Japan.

But to answer your question - do you tip a chef? No, so the same rules applies to sushi chefs.

julius orange

Do other chefs work right in front of you with a tip jar? No. This is different.

drunken revival

I was going to really insult julisu ornage, but I found religion... so..

The thing about tipping, like many things in life is that is a minor part of a much larger system...

My take is that you tip for better service - paying it forward if you will. Furthermore, one of the big reasons we are expected to tip is that the tipee is not paid their due. If you remove tipping you would immediately see huge price increases in every industry that runs on tips as the workers there would immediately demand higher wages to fill the gap - this would be a problem. We would all loose as corporations and the tax collecting governments gained.

It's a problem also because the consumer would loose the only power that exists in the system to ensure good service. Server incentives would be shifted away from " performing services". Sloth would run rampant.

So, tips keep servers properly incented and allow businesses to sidestep paying taxes on a revenue stream. For my money the practice of tipping is the purest and most efficient form of economy. It's grease, it's a bribe, and if done correctly should result in the greatest possible utility at the point of exchange.

For you Orange Julius, that means you tip the chef half the price of your favorite roll. You do it next time you come in to.. if, on your third visit, you aren't getting double your return in sushi then you stop.

Also, you still have to tip the waiter because they can put pee in your drink.

pmonk

Julius Orange wrote: Do other chefs work right in front of you with a tip jar? No. This is different.

Then you just answered your own question :roll:

julius orange

So, pmonk are you saying just ignore the tip jar? Am I blaming the wrong party here? Maybe you're right. Waitresses have always received tips, and chefs haven't.

As much as I love someone who can make sushi, they really shouldn't be putting a tip jar out there. Kind of diminishes the dignity a bit. I've been to Sushi Yasuda, which is actually Japanese owned, and I don't recall a tip jar.

pmonk

Julius Orange wrote: So, pmonk are you saying just ignore the tip jar? Am I blaming the wrong party here? Maybe you're right. Waitresses have always received tips, and chefs haven't.

As much as I love someone who can make sushi, they really shouldn't be putting a tip jar out there. Kind of diminishes the dignity a bit. I've been to Sushi Yasuda, which is actually Japanese owned, and I don't recall a tip jar.

IMO - tips are for the wait staff to compensate for the below minimum wage salary they are most likely paid.

I would never tip a sushi chef. Buy them a beer or a shot of saki to show them appreciation (if the chef is actually Japanese)

julius orange

I think it's sorted out. I'm going to settle on a variation of pMonk and the Kitty's advice. Either no tip for the sushi chef or a couple of bucks. Thanks for the suggestions.

brooklynboyyee

Hey Drunken Revival, I appreciate how you attempt to make a cohesive point and yet still spell "lose" incorrectly. I'm assuming many people don't listen to you speak in RL.