The Insider's Guide to Tipping

Tipping is an expression of satisfaction with the service rendered and is therefore a fairly personal decision. Naturally you will want to leave more than the standard amount when you receive extraordinarily good service and less when the service is below par. You should consider how often you will return to a particular place because a nice tip is likely to be remembered and therefore can also be an assurance of excellent service in the future.

All that being said, the following are standard amounts for tipping in San Francisco:

Restaurants
Bartender - 10-15% of bar bill (before taxes)
Coat Check attendant - $1-2 per coat
Maitre d' - nothing unless special services are provided; in that case, about $5 (more for exceptional services)
Restroom attendant - $1-$2
Server at counter - 15-20% of bill (before taxes) with a minimum of $1
Sommelier - 15-20% of wine bill (before taxes)
Valet park attendant - $1-$2 when car is retrieved
Wait Staff - 15-20% of bill (before taxes)

Hotels
Bellhop - $1-$2 per bag; $5-10 for running errands
Concierge - $10 for a special effort such as handling airline tickets; offer the tip after each service or at the end of your stay
Doorman - $1-$2 for hailing a cab; $2-$5 for unloading baggage
Housekeeper - $2-$5 per night, with an extra $1-$2 for getting extra blankets, towels, etc. We recommend you leave your tip for the housekeeper every day rather than waiting until the end of your stay, since staff changes from day to day. We also advise leaving the money with a short note, so the housekeeper knows the money is a tip and not just spare change. Finally, be sure to exchange pleasantries when you see her: doing so will help ensure you’ll get better service and will make you less likely to be burglarized since thieves often enter hotel rooms while housekeeper is there pretending to be you (but your housekeeper will know better if you've met)
Room-service wait staff - 15-20% of bill (before taxes) - note that many hotels now automatically include this amount
Valet park attendant - $1-$2 when car is retrieved

Taxis
Driver - 15-20% of fare with a minimum of $1

Airport
Skycap - $1-2 per bag

Personal Care
Barber - 15% of the cost with a minimum of $1
Hairdresser - 15% of bill for one operator; if several operators, 10% of bill to haircutter/colorist/stylist, 10% divided among others
Manicurist - $3-$5 (more if manicure runs more than about $25)

Sports Arena
Usher - $1-2 per party if shown to your seat

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