Percentage is a good rule of thumb for most things, since generally menu prices are within a sigma or two of the average. This implies that a higher total is due to more items and more work. This decays at the high and low extremes, although a case could be made that if you’re at an establishment with exceptionally high prices, you’re generally getting exceptionally fine service.
For a cup of coffee though, 15-20% is a joke. Either they just did their job, which justifies 0%, or they earned a tip, which justifies at least $1. For low menu-price items, 0%, 25%, 50%, 100% is a reasonable spread; you yourself tipped what I assume was about 100% on a $5 coffee. I think all four options are valid.
Percentage is a good rule of thumb for most things, since generally menu prices are within a sigma or two of the average. This implies that a higher total is due to more items and more work. This decays at the high and low extremes, although a case could be made that if you’re at an establishment with exceptionally high prices, you’re generally getting exceptionally fine service.
For a cup of coffee though, 15-20% is a joke. Either they just did their job, which justifies 0%, or they earned a tip, which justifies at least $1. For low menu-price items, 0%, 25%, 50%, 100% is a reasonable spread; you yourself tipped what I assume was about 100% on a $5 coffee. I think all four options are valid.