This year, as every year, we must confront the matter of tipping supers, doormen, cleaning people, waiters and dog walkers who have served us through the year. We know this is a subject of anxiety. What do you give? CityRealty offers good guidance. We do want to emphasize the importance of being generous, not forgetting that inflation has made life more expensive for all of us.

One of our correspondents, Craig McLaughlin, recalls a former life as a waiter at the 21 Club in the 1980s and the importance of tips.

“For a waiter, the money at 21 Club was exceptional,” Craig recalls, “But you had to move.  You had to really work hard.”  And the tips were phenomenal especially during the December holiday season.  To the servers, Christmas tips represented both a pat on the back and an essential part of their pay package.  The management figured them into the workers’ compensation.  

The guy who ran the coatroom concession told Craig that he could make $50,000 in December, though the rest of the year the pay wasn’t great.  “The doormen would also make a lot of money. Those guys were getting limousines for people,” Craig recalls.

 “My first year there I was handed envelopes with ‘Craig’ written on front.  The first one I opened was 200 bucks.  I said, ‘Holy shit!’” 

Adjusted for inflation, $200 in 1981 would equal more $655 in 2024 dollars.  Corporate customers would give $400.  The fancy people in the triple-A section would typically gave the waiters $150 or $200. 

December tipping season is upon us: Time to raid the cash machines.