That’s very considerate.
I rarely ever carry cash but tip between 50% and 100%.
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Well, a criminal attorney tends to get paid in cash as defendants rarely have bank accounts 
Plus it’s just easier if you’re paying in person–pay up front, don’t worry about a bill later. I don’t understand people who don’t carry at least some cash.
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Well from what I know, defendants fall into two camps. Those who can afford to pay lawyers and have bank accounts and those that can’t and use public defenders who are paid by someone else. I don’t know of any lawyers who are paid with stacks of unmarked bills.
How do you pay upfront in cash at a restaurant? I can’t even imagine what that means. Until I sit down and look at the menu, I have no idea what the meal is going to cost unless I’m going to a prix fixe tasting menu with a wine pairing. And if I’m doing that, there’s no way I am carrying around that amount of cash. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on your point of view, many places that prix fixe only are requiring you pay for your meal upfront when you make a reservation but you can’t pay that in cash on line so no bill at the end of the meal. I wonder if you can venmo?
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Here’s how I do it. When the server introduces themself I greet them back and hand them a 20.
Private criminal attorneys are also prolific personal injury attorneys. Criminal law whether private or a public defender is a labor of love. Not much money in it. Nor is there as a prosecutor but the DA’s office has a much bigger budget.
From personal experience there are more than two camps, for sure. But this isn’t a thread about lawyers so we’ll leave it at that.
As to carrying around cash, I don’t live in the hood.
Oh, I see. Paying $20 tip upfront. Not the whole bill. Still, what’s the point of giving $20 to the server when my meal will likely cost a few hundred bucks? An installment payment plan for tips? Where I live, a weeknight meal out at a neighborhood spot for the wife and me often tops $200 even $250. What do you then, drop another $20-$40 at the end of the meal? A night out a fine dining place will easily will be $500 and up to a thousand. That $20 upfront doesn’t cover much there. Honestly, I would avoid going to places if I thought I had to bribe the server upfront to provide good service. But that’s just me. On the other hand, giving the bouncer $50 at a hot night spot can help me get past the velvet ropes. Still gotta tip the servers inside on top of that. YMMV.
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Yes.
To Insure Proper Service…particularly if a familiar server hasn’t been established or short of time or as a gentle encouragement not to let the glasses go empty.
You aren’t limited to a $20. Adjust for your situation.
If only the world was a perfect place. Sigh
I’m a good guy but also have expectations. On rare occasions I have asked the manager to change servers. In those cases I tip the manager, old server, and new.
Okay,I will look for smaller pictures.
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I agree that it’s easier said than done. I most often experienced the combined check lunch in the first 4 or so years I was working at law firms. When you are trying to still make a good impression on people. Every couple of months, we would go to some overpriced and underwhelming downtown restaurant to celebrate someone’s birthday. Usually, the crowd numbered 15 people give or take. If you asked for a separate check, that was almost immediate political suicide. If you ordered lightly, the group would undoubtedly split the check. If you got caught on that end enough times, you’d decide to finally order a drink and a salad and maybe a dessert too. And then some higher up associate would loudly exclaim we ought to pay our shares because they ordered lightly. Again - no room to speak up if you value your job. There was a time that I went out to lunch with 5 other attorneys and 2 secretaries for secretary day. 2 partners, 3 associates, 2 secretaries. One of the partners was junior. One was senior and LOVED wine. He ordered 8 bottles for the table. We drank at most 2. He wanted to split the bill among the attorneys but take all the leftover wine home himself. I think at that point the junior partner spoke up. Thank goodness.
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That was good. My sister does that law firm stuff , although she has not mentioned lunch.
But the daaayumm was about $200 on a casual weeknight!
IF I don’t cook on a weeknight, I’m thinking take out tacos, larb, or (shudder) pizza!
Oh, I was replying to the idea that it’s perfectly easy to split checks. It is often not. Depends very much on the circumstances and who you are with…
I agree that $200 for a weeknight dinner out is way spendy.
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Of course!cI guess it’s been awhile since the original post. For me it is usually a meeting of some non profit organization folk.
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Been away for a while. In NYC it’s not hard at all to spend that much on a not fancy meal. There is local bistro we go to regularly. Apps run about $15-18. Mains are in the mid 30s. An app and main each and a shared dessert gets the food cost to $100-110. Hard these days to get a bottle of wine for under $50. $60 is pretty run of the mill. Add tax and a 20% tip and you’re at or over $200. Not a special meal. Could be a Wednesday night for the wife and me. A Saturday night out at a nicer spot can add 50-100 on top of that. Go to a high end spot like Saga you’re dropping a grand on dinner for two.
We found the only way to ensure we got a high percentage of the scientists and engineers to come listen to Legal talk on dry subjects for an hour once a quarter was to bribe them with pizza and salads from a nice local shop.
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I see. I might be able to wrap my head around that for a weeknight, just the hubs and I, vacationing in SF or Manhattan, but I can’t imagine that on my usual SF Bay Area suburbs take out night, any place I’ve worked covering that (not even the dreaded drug reps!), or talking any colleagues into splitting a check there.
ETA Not that there’s anything wrong with that ! (Seinfeld reference 
)
My daughter lives in NY ( Brooklyn; “works” in Manhattan, but mostly remote now), and seems to have a different world view about eating ( she doesn’t cook! 
), but I know she would struggle to relate to that too.
It’s been awhile, and I may be remembering this thread out of context. Somehow I was thinking "business lunches " and split checks.
That’s what I always wonder about people’s per-cost at restaurants when I see someone report topping $100 per person at a local neighborhood spot (as opposed to the distinction you make for fine dining, which is much higher).
Here prices are a fair bit cheaper than yours even for (in relation to this locale) fairly pricy spots. Apps closer to 10-12 and mains mid-20s or seldom over 30, and even low-20s if seafood pasta type of dishes.
But I think the biggest distinction on my costs is wine or mixed drinks. When I cook at home, even for a nice roast or duck or whatever on a weekend, I’ll only have wine maybe 20% of the time. And it just never occurs to us to drink wine or mixed drinks with dinner out. We just like water.
Boring! Yes, I know. 
And of course, sometimes you can see a server’s face twitch a bit when you say “just water, please”. In the case of the $60 wine, that’s $12 lost.
Speak to your geography. Where I live, cash is king, and for good reason. Our best values come via cash transactions.
If I go to Walmart, I can buy all the crap out there with a card. I go to the Amish, and I can get all sorts of stuff for very cheap. Spices, chickens, veggies, hardware, you name it (okay, maybe not electronics). Most smaller tradespeople much prefer cash here. I wish people started with cash before any cards. Having physical math in hand, I feel, is good for young spenders.
Cash free works in a city. Get a little rural and 1/4 to 1/2 of transactions are cash. My chainsaw guy doesn’t have a card machine, neither does my mechanic, carpenter, pubs, tile man. All cash, and I ain’t complaining.
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If by cash you’re including checks, fine, but I don’t want to carry around (or have lying around) the amount of cash needed to pay my plumber, electrician, mechanic, etc.
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Very fair point. Last year my 23 year old AC compressor (using outdated R22 coolant) needed 3.5 pounds.
They charged me $250/lb for the stuff, plus an $80 service call. No way I had that much cash on hand, so I was glad they took a check.
This year I took the EPA 608 Type 1 technician exam so that I can buy my own R22. At $44/lb, despite the guys last year telling me “there’s no way to source it less than $250 a pound”. Screw dat. I’ll be filling my own units now, thank you.
And yes, I know I need to replace them, but I’ll do it on my own schedule based on economics.
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