Tipping At Sushi Bars?

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BreezyCooking

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This past Sunday husband & I popped into a local sushi place, & for the 1st time sat at the sushi bar instead of at a table.

We had 2 waitresses who brought our soup & beverages & bussed our placesettings, plus, of course, we were seated at the bar with the 2 sushi chefs working away.

Since this was the 1st time we'd dined at the bar, we were at a loss as to how to tip. There was a large glass bowl on the sushi bar counter - obviously a tip jar for the chefs, but then there was the waitresses as well. My husband ended up leaving 15% for the waitresses, & we put another $4.00 into the tip jar.

Frankly, we don't know if we were considered average, extravagant, or cheapskates :LOL: . Any ideas here?
 
The norm for waitstaff AT the sushi bar and the sushi chefs is to share everything 50/50. I've found that to be true so far in every sushi restaurant I've been in - it may be different in a very high-end sushi restaurant though.
 
i have wondered the same thing, breezy, so i often leave 10 to 15% on the bill that the waitstaff brings, as well as another 10% in the jar.

even when i get takeout, i leave 10 % in the jar. i feel i sorta owe it to them, since dw ALWAYS orders some modification on the selections from the menu.

i frequent a few of the same places, pretty much every week, and i've found that i am rarely disappointed with what i'm served. i hope this is due at least in part to my good tipping practices.
 
It certainly is a quandary. Like I said, this was the first time we've eaten at the sushi bar. Even though we've been visiting Japanase restaurants frequently since back in the 1980's, we normally sit at a table & leave the usual 20% tip.

This time, at the bar, we didn't order anything special or itemized - just one apiece of the lunch specials for "tuna lovers". Consisted of 3 pieces of tuna sashimi, 3 piece of nigiri sushi, & one roll (6 pieces) of tekka maki. Also ordered a bowl apiece of Miso soup.

So nothing out of the ordinary, but we still weren't sure what to do what with 2 waitresses + the sushi chefs.
 
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