MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. How much should Nigella tip?
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Also to the point is to encourage good service. I wouldn't blame waiting staff who do not get tips for not being motivated to do the job and give a lower standard of service.
Out of interest, what do the anti-tipping people do in scenarios such as making voluntary donations for school trips or to museums - and if they think this is a different case, why?
Simple - the voluntary donation would help pay for the school trip/upkeep of the museum, just as the cost of the restaurant meal would also include the restaurant's overheads including staff wages. You wouldn't expect to tip the teachers or museum staff on top of what you've already paid, just as you shouldn't be expected to further subsidise the restaurant owner's wage bill.
That's all tipping is - restaurant owners know that it's culturally expected, and can therefore save on the wages bill, knowing that their customers will make up the difference. Think about that next time you see the owner of your favourite restaurant in his shiny new BMW - your tips paid for that!0 -
I think the reason for a lot of the controversy on this thread is a misunderstanding of the legal position regarding minimum wage and tipping and a rather unhelpful comparison with the USA where the situation is very different.
I should add that I normally tip around 10% for good service, nothing for poor service and maybe more for truely exceptional service. I also try to mention good service to managers etc if I get great service in a shop or elsewhere. I have myself worked in hospitality (before and since introduction of the uk minimum wage) and so do several people close to me.
Firstly in the UK there is a national minimum wage set at a level which is above the "breadline" it is illegal to pay less than this. There was a legal case which established that restaurants are not allowed to pay staff less than minimum wage on the basis that tips make up the difference.
In the USA this is not the case, staff who receive tips are paid substantially less than minimum wage and tips make up the difference. In utah (where I recently visited) waiting staff are paid $2 an hour basic, the rest is tips. In the uK the waiting staff will receive a basic hourly wage of £5.80ish (I can't remember the exact current figure but someone will chip in).
Further in the usa kitchen staff and cleaners will be paid full minimum wage to reflect the fact they don't get tips. In the UK kitchen staff and cleaners are probably on exactly the same as the waiting staff (even head chefs in many establishments don't get much more than minimum wage).
In both countries tips are subject to tax, but in the USA waiting staff are much more likely to have to complete a tax return. In the UK cash tips are likely to not be declared for tax purposes although systems do vary between restaurants for dealing with tips and are improving.
A great many employees in the uk receive just minimum wage with no opportunities for tips, like nursery nurses, cleaners, school dinner ladies, shop assistants, receptionists, office juniors etc. Waiting staff receiving tips is aan inequality with these jobs and can make waiting staff better paid than others. My friend who used to be a deputy manager at a restaurant used to earn less per hour than his waiting staff as they were entitled to tips but he was salaried. The quality of your dining experience owed just as much to him as to your individual server though.
Personally I think that the introduction of the minimum wage, and the fact that it has increased year on year keeping it at a pretty reasonable level means that tipping *should* be unnecessary and I would welcome legislation/policy changes that make tipping obsolete or only for use in the case of exeptional service rather than being the norm.0 -
I think there is a reasonable level of acceptable service, for which the staff are paid. So tipping has to be for something above that:
1. Putting up with a large /rowdy group
2. Exceptional behaviour, sorting out problems is a way that made the evening comfortable
3. Great service - only really applies in good restaurant, and fast food chains don't leave the staff time to chat.
4. Christmas time
Having said that, I leave a £10 tip in all restaurants, and don't eat in chain store restaurants. £5 in a gastro pub - which is more related to the lack of work required and the cheaper meal. Usually £2 in the tea shop in Hereford where we go for tea and cake.
Not leaving a tip after bad service at somewhere you want to return to is likely to get an unpleasant meal next time. This is disappointing. It does mean I will never return to a restaurant with bad service any time soon.0 -
With regards to tipping in a restaurant, I tend to if the service has been up to a high standard. Some of the waiting staff work really hard and sometimes they do deserve a small reward. However, bad service will get nothing from me other than a complaint :TRubiconCSL wrote: »Taxis are a difficult one. I once worked as a taxi driver, but not using my own car. 12 hour night shift every day. I had to fill the car up with petrol at the end of the shift and split all fares 50/50 with the car owner. Needless to say, I didn't earn much doing that job and for me, tips were hugely appreciated.
I am a taxi driver in Canterbury and tips are very much appreciated - I would say 90% of people say keep the change or they will overpay by a couple of quid, and then again you will get the odd one or two that wait for their 1p change. My biggest tip was £25. All tips go towards my petrol costs, but I am in a better situation than you were, I dont have to pay 50% to the taxi company, I pay a fixed rate each week regardless of how much work I do. But in our trade, tips are a big thing for us - they help us pay off some of our very large overheads.0 -
You know what I hate about tipping taxi drivers? It is when your journey comes to say £9.60, saying keep the change when it is 40p seems a bit patronising but I may not have another quid or so to add or may not wish to leave a large tip......
I know when I was a barmaid customers who used to say in this really overly bountiful way "keep the change" when it was less than 10p used to really irk me..... you end up having to say oooh thank you for 2p..... feels a bit wrong....
Mind the egyptian way of getting tips as a taxi driver is sooo anoying, they never have small change and certainly will never admit to having any coins so even if you have agreed a price of £35 if you only have £40 you end up paying £40 as he won't have a £5.....grrrr just had to keep reminding myself of the exchange rate.......0 -
To say tipping is outdated is to say that the minimum wages doesn't exist. I work as a PA during the week, I also work in a restaurant in the evening to pay off the bills - don't do it for the love of it having to serve ignoramuses who don't have the courtesy to tip. I get paid minimum wage for this and have to do it in the evenings as my little ones are asleep. I am also pregnant so tipping goes without saying, me having to lump your dinner in and out, get your sauces, get your drinks, please sir thank you sir, deserves reward. I assume that you also don't believe in bonuses being paid for good service at work? This is one and the same thing. Have a little respect for your fellows who are trying to bring themselves back to normal financial situation - show me a waitress who loves her/ his job because of minimum wage.....tipping is polite, otherwise stay at home and get your own dinner.
I can't beleive you have posted this conceited rubbish.
Common courtesy with please and thank-you go without saying.
Bonuses at work - Financial incentive to deliver targetted results. Maybe your restaurant manager/area manager should cough up some of their bonus 'you help earn', instead of your bizare beleiving paying customers owe you extra mony for just doing your job (sheesh!!) like ...waiting on tables, bag carrier, hairdresser.
Hairdresser, pah! I'd be more inclined to tip if you shut the hell up with your innane questions and tlking about your saddo life - I don't care !!
Tipping - for exceptional service only. The OP question. 10% of original bill, but *only* for exceptionl service - nothing otherwise.
Regardless of USA pay laws, and it does vary wildly across the states, you actully get very good service there, as standard across the board, from Starbucks, to restaurants, to Gas Stations et...0 -
jaymez_lock wrote: »Also people mentioning America, the wife of one of my youth leaders is American, and he lived over there with her for a while. I'm sure he told me that the reason they expect such a high tip is that restaurants, bars etc are allowed to pay below minimum wage (which in America hasn't been revised for years anyway and is appealingly low if I remember the documentary I saw on it right) as the tips are expected to make it up to or above the minimum wage. So it is different in the UK as all the staff have to be paid minimum wage either way.
Vary's across the states. I some places tipping/wage law is illegal thankfully - Like califonia. Search on USA minimum wage tipping law on Google.0 -
On rare occasions when I don't leave a tip I always make a point of explaining why - if you're not prepared to face it out then you should leave a tip?[/QUOTE]
Absolutely not, nobody should have to explain why they don't want to leave a tip, it's their choice and doesn't need justifying to anybody. Also, what about if you receive bad service, cold food, no cutlery, waiter has forgotten something etc, the restaurant would still expect you to pay your bill even if you haven't enjoyed your meal because the service hasn't been up to standard. Nobody offers to give you a discount if the service has ruined your night out. There's a thought.0 -
What I really hate are restaurants quoting in their menus 'a discretionary 10%, 12.5% or 15% will be added to the bill'. Discretionary means discretion of the diner so why is it added to the bill automatically?
I disagree with people that say waiting staff are paid min. wage so their wage should be topped up with tips. A lot of restaurants are cheapskates. They pay the staff a low basic and then use the service charge to top up the wage so of course additional tips are good but why should the diner pay this?
In Japan, there is no tipping culture and customer service is 101%. That's the way it should be.0
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