How the restaurant chains pocket your tips...

Piku

From the Independent:

Among the practices, The Independent found: *Carluccio's, Caf! Rouge, Chez Gerard, Strada and Caf! Uno all pay their staff less than the minimum wage and use customers' tips to make up the balance in their employees' pay;
*PizzaExpress takes an 8 per cent cut of tips left on a credit card;
*One chain of Asian restaurants, Georgetown, takes 100 per cent of tips;
*Staff at one London eatery receive no basic wage at all.

Link

What a bloody disgrace. That's the last time I go to any of those restaurants.

uktim29

Can't believe you didn't know.

trisontana

The Daily Mirror and the Unite union have been running a campaign about this for weeks. It seems that the more expensive the restaurant is the more likeley that they will pay below minimum wage and make up the difference with tips. Although I applaud the Independent over their campaign the Mirror got there first.

Voyager2002

trisontana wrote: »

The Daily Mirror and the Unite union have been running a campaign about this for weeks. It seems that the more expensive the restaurant is the more likeley that they will pay below minimum wage and make up the difference with tips. Although I applaud the Independent over their campaign the Mirror got there first.

In fairness, far more would be given in tips at a top-end restaurant than at McDonalds. And there is nothing wrong with a system whereby the waiting staff earn most of their money in the form of tips, so long as everyone knows what is going on. What I find objectionable is i. restaurants that keep money that customers give as tips; ii. restaurants that impose a service charge on customers yet fail to use it to pay their waiting staff at minimum wage or more.

RadoJo

That's why it's becoming more common for people to ask whether the tips got to the waiting staff or to the company - I know do - and also whether a credit card tip is the same as cash. Often cash tips are collected and dished out at the end of the night, whereas credit card tips are a little more ethereal with more potential to go missing!

geri1965_2

Voyager2002 wrote: »

And there is nothing wrong with a system whereby the waiting staff earn most of their money in the form of tips, so long as everyone knows what is going on.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. Staff should be paid the going rate from the profits made by the company, not have to rely on the generosity of their customers.

[Deleted User]

Staff should be paid wages and any tips should be divided between waiting and kitchen staff.

ArmchairTycoon

The sad fact is that historically the whole idea of tips came about because of the practice in the catering industry to pay poor wages, tipping was encouraged by owners so that they could justify paying less to their staff, in an age of minimum wage we shouldn't be tipping, we are actually doing a diservice to the staff in the long term because there is no incentive for owners to pay better wages, with the minimum wage staff can seek employment anywhere, if managers want to keep their staff and maintain standards they would be forced to pay more.

I still think it is disgraceful that any tips to staff would be used towards their weekly minimum pay, it is just a pity that they aren't named and shamed.

I had a boss who tried to pull the stunt that our tips were the property of the company, he soon backed down when we threatened to tell the customers if he forced the issue.

lilac_lady

All tipping should be banned IMO. If employers can't afford to pay a legal minimum wage they should give up their businesses.

advent1122

I NEVER tip.
Why should I?
I pay for my food, job done..
I dont tip the checkout girl at Tesco. I dont tip the spotty teenager in McDonalds. So why should I tip.
Can someone explain it to me.

taxiphil

advent1122 wrote: »

I NEVER tip.
Why should I?
I pay for my food, job done..
I dont tip the checkout girl at Tesco. I dont tip the spotty teenager in McDonalds. So why should I tip.
Can someone explain it to me.

I don't understand tipping either. It seems completely inappropriate in an age where we have a minimum legal wage.

Anyway, whenever I've had a wonderful meal, I feel that the chef is the person to thank for it, not the person who carried it to my table.