Ask George: Is it OK to tip less than 20 percent on expensive bottles of wine? 

Is it OK to tip less than 20 percent on expensive bottles of wine? —Emmy M., St. Louis

Should you tip the same percentage on a $30 order of pomodoro as a $300 bottle of Premier Cru? If you’re not sure, then you’re not alone.

Tipping is mired in tradition, current social mores, and the mystery of who actually gets the money and how it’s divided.

First off, there’s no rule that says you must automatically tip 20 percent on a costly bottle of wine. Many diners will adjust the amount—down or up—based on the staff’s effort and expertise, while others “split the tip,” giving around 20 percent on the food, and less—say 10 percent—on a pricey wine. And what qualifies as “pricey” is relative; a $100 bottle may be routine meal accompaniment for some but a splurge for others.

From here, let’s defer to the opinions of local wine experts and sommeliers.

Denise Mueller, CS, CSW, Sasha’s Wine Bars: “This can be a hard answer for a beverage professional, as we see, and often hear, both sides of the coin. When you hear, But all you’re doing is opening a bottle and pouring, so why get a 20 percent tip ($60) on a $300 bottle, the most likely answer from any industry person is, If you can afford the bill, you can afford to tip accordingly. Consider if that was $300 of anything else: food, beer, craft cocktail, dessert… You’d tip an average of 20 percent—and that server is most likely tipping out myriad people on the total sales. It doesn’t matter if it’s a singular bottle or ten $30 bottles. I personally want to see guests take care of the staff in a traditional way, with a traditional tip rate. A lot goes into a wine program, more than you see table side.  The luxury market seems to be where the wine world sways. If I open a $2,000 for you, am I getting $400 (20 percent)? I’ve read articles where people say it’s not necessary, and someone tips 1 to 10 percent “for the wine service.” But again, I stand by the old adage mentioned above. And for me, personally, don’t forget the second most important part: providing a sample taste for the sommelier!”

Angela Ortmann, CS, STLWine Girl: “For me, it’s always 20 percent because I know the time, energy, and effort that goes into acquiring these bottles and keeping them perfect for guests, as well as the education and demand of becoming a wine professional. Also—and this is a contentious truth because of the system that is in place at most restaurants in the U.S.—there is a tip-out process when it comes to gratuity and restaurants. A server is likely to have to tip out at least 5 percent of sales, which means, for a $500 bottle, they are paying out $25 to other staff (sommelier, bussers, food runners, bartenders), no matter what the guest actually tips them. While I can understand the debate that this can cause, I would also counterpoint that when you buy a $40 bottle, that same person is only making $6 (after tip out assuming a 20 percent tip), despite the same amount of time, energy, education, and effort going into the same service. At the end of the day, until our system undergoes a change in the way we pay tipped employees, I think we all know what the norm and expectation is when it comes to gratuity and dining out, so one should keep that in mind when ordering anything.”

John Cain, CS, CSW, Bishop’s Post: “I would say if you have the means to purchase a expensive bottle of wine, You should tip 20 percent.  However, in order to do that, I would like to feel that great care had been taken with the bottle and good wine service was provided.”

Luciano Racca, Bengelina Hospitality Group: “Personally, I think the question, per se, doesn’t make a lot of sense, and I will explain myself. Here are two different opinions. 1.) If you buy wine at the liquor store, you don’t tip. If you have wine at a restaurant/bar, most likely you have food, too; you receive service, and you are expected to tip for the whole experience, not the wine alone. How do you exactly decide how much to tip for what?  2.) In my opinion, no matter if the bottle is $50 or $500, servers are expected to put the same effort into it—it’s their job. Does that mean that they should be happy they made $10 on the first, but disappointed if they made less than $100 on the second? If the servers do their job properly, 9 out of 10 will make even more than 20 percent in both situations. To answer your question, yes, I think it is OK to tip less than 20 percent on expensive bottles, like it is recommended to tip more than 20 percent if you bring your own bottle(s) [in most cases of very high value], knowing you were only charged a $20–$30 corkage fee, and you still received top service.”

Alisha Blackwell-Calvert, CSW, Advanced Sommelier, Madrina: “What is ‘expensive’ for one guest may not be ‘expensive’ for another. Whether I’m selling a bottle under $100 or over $1,000, my guests are all receiving the same high level of care and service. The guest should expect full service, regardless of bottle price. I hope the guest would see the value and hospitality I put forth and compensate accordingly.”

Eddie Neill, Café Provencal: “The short answer is, yes, it is OK for less than 20 percent on wine. The long answer is not so pretty. Sommeliers have to prove their value. Knowledge is obviously important. But price/value will also be appreciated by the end-use client. Too often, wine is overpriced. Retail stores normally charge 1.25 times the cost of the bottle. Restaurants mark up the same wines three to five times. The inner workings of a restaurant are interesting. The food comes in the back door, and the process of putting these items on the plate is quite complicated. Wine is quite easy: Very little labor goes into wine service. Store properly, clean glass, serve. At the moment, I am consulting with a store/restaurant for their wine list. All wines in the building will be priced with a simple ‘corkage’ of $15 over the retail price. A lot of people in the industry should take note. The next couple of years in the restaurant business will be extremely difficult due to surges in prices/tariffs across the board and labor shortages. The business that will survive will have to be smart and agile. Luck is no longer an option.”

Mark Hinkle, O+O Hospitality: “I’m always a little cautious putting my two cents in when it comes to tipping. That being said, there are norms, and I can speak on my experience from both a restaurant and guest perspective. While tipping is at a guest’s discretion, we have a tipping structure in our country in which tipped employees rely on standard gratuity, generally 18–25 percent in full-service restaurants. (Our average falls around 23 percent.) This impacts the labor costs, as well as the cost of menu items. Expensive bottles of wine can fall well outside the normal menu item price and create a dilemma. Clearly, it takes the same amount of effort to serve a $40 bottle as it does a $4,000 bottle. I’d personally say, and this is what I generally see, is normal tipping percentage tends to apply to most bottles of wine, but when you start jumping into the rarer, luxury bottles—say, north of $500 per—it’s not uncommon to see guests leave a generous tip that may still fall short of the standard percentage.”

Aleks Jovanovic, Truffles: “Yes, it is OK, but I will elaborate. First, I have to say that Truffles patrons are exceptionally gracious and kind when it comes to taking care of my staff, and we do sell some super expensive vino. It also seems to depend on where you are coming from, as the customs differ. Most of our ‘lesser’ wine tippers are not our regulars or not from the city or even the state. Also, expensive is relative. For you and I, anything above $100 probably falls into that category, but I would argue that in higher-end restaurants, $500 and above is more defining. Most of our customers tip 20 percent or more on the entire bill when it includes wines under $1,000 per bottle. Over that, it is a bit of a mixed bag. I understand that $5,000-and-such bottles sometimes do not see 20 percent gratuity, but to completely ignore them and basically not tip on the wine is definitely disappointing. Staff lives off the tips, and these high-end wine sales get everyone excited for a little extra payday. I know we say all customers are equally treated, but when someone drops some major funds on a dinner, they get some extra attention from the staff, and I can’t fault them for it. In return, I would expect them to receive at least 5–10 percent on the expensive wine, in addition to 20 percent on the rest of the bill. Of course, I would prefer that the entire bill is graced by 20 percent, as I know how hard my staff works and how happy it makes them. If the guest decides not to tip on vino, it’s OK—that is their choice. It is disappointing, but such is life. Take your licks, and move on. One can argue that anyone who drops thousands of dollars on a dinner can definitely spill a little extra for the staff. That extra $500 or $1,000 is a mortgage payment for some and pocket change for another. As one great friend once told me, ‘The greatness of a person is not reflected in how much they have, but in how much they give.’ So I say if you have it, spread the love!”

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