What does it mean when a guest leaves a coin on the side table?

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In Canada, leaving pennies is often considered an insult, which is why it can be upsetting when a guest leaves a table full of pennies. But a single penny, left face up as a tip is to indicate that the person liked the service but didn't have the means to leave a tip, a nice thing. Pennies as part of a full tip have no significance..
That's what I remember from my childhood. A nice penny was a way to thank someone and let them know you would tip them if you could. It came from my grandparents and I think it has gone the way of the two bits.
 
I think if the penny was placed deliberately this means bad service, but I agree that across different areas and/or cultures it could mean different things. I can't imagine just a penny being a compliment, though.
My grandmother left a single penny when dining out and the server was rude to her or the food wasn't good.
My son worked in the restaurant industry and goes out of his way to leave a larger tip than usual because he says he knows what a typical night is like for the servers, and the servers take a lot of flak for things not under their control such as underdone or overdone food..
Gusts leave a con or two often - I think it is just overlooked coins. Now if it is n my mantle, I know it was meant for the bubblegum machine but they did not want the gumballs. The only sing in the guest area other than wifi password is on the mantle by the gumball machine - all coins go to the Lord's Pantry Food Bank.
 
In Canada, leaving pennies is often considered an insult, which is why it can be upsetting when a guest leaves a table full of pennies. But a single penny, left face up as a tip is to indicate that the person liked the service but didn't have the means to leave a tip, a nice thing. Pennies as part of a full tip have no significance..
My memory is pretty fuzzy- might be that I have left a small paper tip and added one penny to say I wish I could have left more.
 
I'm glad this thread was brought up again. This always puzzles me when people leave a single penny. I still am not sure if I did something right or wrong when that happens.
 
I'm glad this thread was brought up again. This always puzzles me when people leave a single penny. I still am not sure if I did something right or wrong when that happens..
Around here, usually something wrong. But thankfully, we no longer have pennies.
 
I'm glad this thread was brought up again. This always puzzles me when people leave a single penny. I still am not sure if I did something right or wrong when that happens..
Around here, usually something wrong. But thankfully, we no longer have pennies.
.
Many hundreds of years ago, when I was in high school, I was a waitress at a pizza restaurant ( Mother's Pizza, if that means anything to anyone )
Anyways, I was finishing up a table at which a family had been sitting. The young boy had won some award at his school that day, so I kind of fussed over him and drew a cartoon picture of him onthe bill. The father called me over and told me that he was going to leave a penny on the table, and went on to explain that it signified excellent service and that it came from an old English tradition (?).
I thought he was letting me know that I wouldn't be getting a big tip,but when they left, they had led the one of the biggest tips I'd ever gotten!
So, in other words, the single coin must mean different things to different cultures. Hopefully, they were paying a great compliment.
 
I'm glad this thread was brought up again. This always puzzles me when people leave a single penny. I still am not sure if I did something right or wrong when that happens..
Around here, usually something wrong. But thankfully, we no longer have pennies.
.
Many hundreds of years ago, when I was in high school, I was a waitress at a pizza restaurant ( Mother's Pizza, if that means anything to anyone )
Anyways, I was finishing up a table at which a family had been sitting. The young boy had won some award at his school that day, so I kind of fussed over him and drew a cartoon picture of him onthe bill. The father called me over and told me that he was going to leave a penny on the table, and went on to explain that it signified excellent service and that it came from an old English tradition (?).
I thought he was letting me know that I wouldn't be getting a big tip,but when they left, they had led the one of the biggest tips I'd ever gotten!
So, in other words, the single coin must mean different things to different cultures. Hopefully, they were paying a great compliment.
.
It's the single penny with nothing else, just a single penny tip. There is the legend of it being face up versus face down. But I can just imagine how a wait person feels when they get a single penny.
 
Having just returned from vacation, I can say that I left a few small coins every place we stayed. I don't want to carry them. I'll carry dimes and quarters and up, but I leave the nickels and pennies. Not worth filling my pockets with them, but I'm just not able to pitch ANY money into the trash! So I leave them for the housekeepers.I hope they understand they're a small gift, not intended as a comment on the accommodations.
 
Having just returned from vacation, I can say that I left a few small coins every place we stayed. I don't want to carry them. I'll carry dimes and quarters and up, but I leave the nickels and pennies. Not worth filling my pockets with them, but I'm just not able to pitch ANY money into the trash! So I leave them for the housekeepers.I hope they understand they're a small gift, not intended as a comment on the accommodations..
we get this with our international guests - airports etc won't change coins back they are basically worthless so they leave them behind, nothing else to do with them really.
 
Having just returned from vacation, I can say that I left a few small coins every place we stayed. I don't want to carry them. I'll carry dimes and quarters and up, but I leave the nickels and pennies. Not worth filling my pockets with them, but I'm just not able to pitch ANY money into the trash! So I leave them for the housekeepers.I hope they understand they're a small gift, not intended as a comment on the accommodations..
we get this with our international guests - airports etc won't change coins back they are basically worthless so they leave them behind, nothing else to do with them really.
.
Joey Camb said:
we get this with our international guests - airports etc won't change coins back they are basically worthless so they leave them behind, nothing else to do with them really.
Yes, I left a lot of Euro and British coins behind on my recent trip over there. My brother had a huge pocket full of coins and found a nice innkeeper who took them all and gave him paper money. He was really grateful.
 
Having just returned from vacation, I can say that I left a few small coins every place we stayed. I don't want to carry them. I'll carry dimes and quarters and up, but I leave the nickels and pennies. Not worth filling my pockets with them, but I'm just not able to pitch ANY money into the trash! So I leave them for the housekeepers.I hope they understand they're a small gift, not intended as a comment on the accommodations..
we get this with our international guests - airports etc won't change coins back they are basically worthless so they leave them behind, nothing else to do with them really.
.
Joey Camb said:
we get this with our international guests - airports etc won't change coins back they are basically worthless so they leave them behind, nothing else to do with them really.
Yes, I left a lot of Euro and British coins behind on my recent trip over there. My brother had a huge pocket full of coins and found a nice innkeeper who took them all and gave him paper money. He was really grateful.
.
When we were overseas a couple of years ago, we gave the waiter all our foreign coinage (that we didn't want to give to co-workers as souvenirs) then had him bring us the balance of the check to pay with our credit card.
 
I'm glad this thread was brought up again. This always puzzles me when people leave a single penny. I still am not sure if I did something right or wrong when that happens..
Around here, usually something wrong. But thankfully, we no longer have pennies.
.
Many hundreds of years ago, when I was in high school, I was a waitress at a pizza restaurant ( Mother's Pizza, if that means anything to anyone )
Anyways, I was finishing up a table at which a family had been sitting. The young boy had won some award at his school that day, so I kind of fussed over him and drew a cartoon picture of him onthe bill. The father called me over and told me that he was going to leave a penny on the table, and went on to explain that it signified excellent service and that it came from an old English tradition (?).
I thought he was letting me know that I wouldn't be getting a big tip,but when they left, they had led the one of the biggest tips I'd ever gotten!
So, in other words, the single coin must mean different things to different cultures. Hopefully, they were paying a great compliment.
.
It's the single penny with nothing else, just a single penny tip. There is the legend of it being face up versus face down. But I can just imagine how a wait person feels when they get a single penny.
.
My step-father a;ways said, "if you cannot afford to leave a decent tip, you cannot afford to go out."
 
I'm glad this thread was brought up again. This always puzzles me when people leave a single penny. I still am not sure if I did something right or wrong when that happens..
Around here, usually something wrong. But thankfully, we no longer have pennies.
.
Many hundreds of years ago, when I was in high school, I was a waitress at a pizza restaurant ( Mother's Pizza, if that means anything to anyone )
Anyways, I was finishing up a table at which a family had been sitting. The young boy had won some award at his school that day, so I kind of fussed over him and drew a cartoon picture of him onthe bill. The father called me over and told me that he was going to leave a penny on the table, and went on to explain that it signified excellent service and that it came from an old English tradition (?).
I thought he was letting me know that I wouldn't be getting a big tip,but when they left, they had led the one of the biggest tips I'd ever gotten!
So, in other words, the single coin must mean different things to different cultures. Hopefully, they were paying a great compliment.
.
It's the single penny with nothing else, just a single penny tip. There is the legend of it being face up versus face down. But I can just imagine how a wait person feels when they get a single penny.
.
My step-father a;ways said, "if you cannot afford to leave a decent tip, you cannot afford to go out."
.
gillumhouse said:
My step-father a;ways said, "if you cannot afford to leave a decent tip, you cannot afford to go out."
Coming home Sunday from vacation, we spent 4 hours in the Philadelphia airport and ran across a restaurant that had an iPad mounted at every single chair in the place. You scroll through the menu on the iPad, tap things you want to order, it brings up check boxes where you can add mayo, lettuce, remove the fries and add onion rings, etc., then swipe your card to place your order. Fifteen minutes later your food arrives. While you wait, you can surf the web on the iPad.
It was expensive, even for an airport, but I loved it. Before you swipe your card, though, it asks you to enter the tip. It seems to defeat the purpose to tipping by giving the tip before you've even met a human in the place! But I paid my tip up front and the service was still friendly and efficient.
 
I'm glad this thread was brought up again. This always puzzles me when people leave a single penny. I still am not sure if I did something right or wrong when that happens..
Around here, usually something wrong. But thankfully, we no longer have pennies.
.
Many hundreds of years ago, when I was in high school, I was a waitress at a pizza restaurant ( Mother's Pizza, if that means anything to anyone )
Anyways, I was finishing up a table at which a family had been sitting. The young boy had won some award at his school that day, so I kind of fussed over him and drew a cartoon picture of him onthe bill. The father called me over and told me that he was going to leave a penny on the table, and went on to explain that it signified excellent service and that it came from an old English tradition (?).
I thought he was letting me know that I wouldn't be getting a big tip,but when they left, they had led the one of the biggest tips I'd ever gotten!
So, in other words, the single coin must mean different things to different cultures. Hopefully, they were paying a great compliment.
.
It's the single penny with nothing else, just a single penny tip. There is the legend of it being face up versus face down. But I can just imagine how a wait person feels when they get a single penny.
.
My step-father a;ways said, "if you cannot afford to leave a decent tip, you cannot afford to go out."
.
gillumhouse said:
My step-father a;ways said, "if you cannot afford to leave a decent tip, you cannot afford to go out."
Coming home Sunday from vacation, we spent 4 hours in the Philadelphia airport and ran across a restaurant that had an iPad mounted at every single chair in the place. You scroll through the menu on the iPad, tap things you want to order, it brings up check boxes where you can add mayo, lettuce, remove the fries and add onion rings, etc., then swipe your card to place your order. Fifteen minutes later your food arrives. While you wait, you can surf the web on the iPad.
It was expensive, even for an airport, but I loved it. Before you swipe your card, though, it asks you to enter the tip. It seems to defeat the purpose to tipping by giving the tip before you've even met a human in the place! But I paid my tip up front and the service was still friendly and efficient.
.
Had a place like in YYZ, except you didn't prepay. Thankful for that. 45 minutes later we still had no food and had to leave for our flight.
 
I'm glad this thread was brought up again. This always puzzles me when people leave a single penny. I still am not sure if I did something right or wrong when that happens..
Around here, usually something wrong. But thankfully, we no longer have pennies.
.
Many hundreds of years ago, when I was in high school, I was a waitress at a pizza restaurant ( Mother's Pizza, if that means anything to anyone )
Anyways, I was finishing up a table at which a family had been sitting. The young boy had won some award at his school that day, so I kind of fussed over him and drew a cartoon picture of him onthe bill. The father called me over and told me that he was going to leave a penny on the table, and went on to explain that it signified excellent service and that it came from an old English tradition (?).
I thought he was letting me know that I wouldn't be getting a big tip,but when they left, they had led the one of the biggest tips I'd ever gotten!
So, in other words, the single coin must mean different things to different cultures. Hopefully, they were paying a great compliment.
.
It's the single penny with nothing else, just a single penny tip. There is the legend of it being face up versus face down. But I can just imagine how a wait person feels when they get a single penny.
.
My step-father a;ways said, "if you cannot afford to leave a decent tip, you cannot afford to go out."
.
gillumhouse said:
My step-father a;ways said, "if you cannot afford to leave a decent tip, you cannot afford to go out."
Yep
 
Wow! A lot of people "answer" or simply speculate when they have no idea, don't they? I can tell you what my grandmother told me years ago. A single penny left in the room is a compliment, and means that you intend to return. It's pretty old fashioned, but I still do it.
If I were to speculate myself, the "lousy tip for lousy service" theory holds no water, since it's not always customary to leave a tip for maid service anyway.
I do leave a tip sometimes, for exceptional service, but that's in addition to the single penny.
 
Wow! A lot of people "answer" or simply speculate when they have no idea, don't they? I can tell you what my grandmother told me years ago. A single penny left in the room is a compliment, and means that you intend to return. It's pretty old fashioned, but I still do it.
If I were to speculate myself, the "lousy tip for lousy service" theory holds no water, since it's not always customary to leave a tip for maid service anyway.
I do leave a tip sometimes, for exceptional service, but that's in addition to the single penny..
Thanks so much for this explanation. I won't follow suit, because it could cause confusion or hurt, but if someone ever leaves a penny here I will be happy.
 
Wow! A lot of people "answer" or simply speculate when they have no idea, don't they? I can tell you what my grandmother told me years ago. A single penny left in the room is a compliment, and means that you intend to return. It's pretty old fashioned, but I still do it.
If I were to speculate myself, the "lousy tip for lousy service" theory holds no water, since it's not always customary to leave a tip for maid service anyway.
I do leave a tip sometimes, for exceptional service, but that's in addition to the single penny..
Thanks so much for this explanation. I won't follow suit, because it could cause confusion or hurt, but if someone ever leaves a penny here I will be happy.
.
Anon Inn said:
Thanks so much for this explanation. I won't follow suit, because it could cause confusion or hurt, but if someone ever leaves a penny here I will be happy.
I seriously think that comment was from a spammer testing the waters.
 
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