Tipping is common, expected, encouraged and relied upon. Tip everyone – waiters, bartenders, taxi drivers, bell people, anyone who is likely to be working for minimum wage and depending on tips to make their rent. The bare minimum at a restaurant where someone takes your order (you don’t need to tip at fast food joints where you order from the counter) is 15%. A tip of 20% is good, but certainly not outrageous. A bartender will expect a $1 per drink minimum. Bellhops will expect at least a dollar per bag and, in a good hotel, they’ll expect quite a bit more. Keep in mind that those working in the service industry make very little on their monthly paycheques, that the government taxes them on their tips, and that they work very hard. Besides, in Los Angeles, the odds are good that the person delivering your food will someday be more famous than you are.