How the restaurant chains pocket your tips...

moggylover

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.


Do you really think so? I think it is absolutely disgraceful and that the employers are the worst kind of rip-off merchants possible!! It's not exactly highly paid work in the first place, and trust me it is often very hard work and I think that any employer that takes ANY part of the tip is a disgrace to humanity and should be forced out of business.

The higher up the food chain one goes - the more disgusting this behaviour becomes - because unless one factors in the cost of employing labour then the cost of eating out in this Country is exhorbitant anyway - especially in those fancy restaurants that charge loads for a nouvelle cuisine portion that has you longing for the chip shop on the way home!

marleyboy

I think its shameful not only that companies can get away with this to their loyal staff, but that they would want to. The tip is a "thank you", a gesture, it takes away the privilage and meaning of the tip, when it becomes a necessity.

moggylover

advent1122 wrote: »

Why when someone has a different opinion are they classed as a troll?
Tipping is an American tradition because they do not have a minimum wage and I hate all the false "have a nice day" sh1te we seem to have inherited.
If you want me to have a nice day then just do the job you are paid for.
No more - no less.
Don't expect extra money from me just for bringing me the food and saying "enjoy your meal" and "is everything ok".
By the way........drawing a smiley face with the words "Your server was Debbie (add appropriate name) on my bill is not worth an extra £5.

"ooh! S** it - pressed the wrong button and thanked the idiot! - Although to be fair, I do hate the "have a nice day" in that "give me a bigger tip" voice, and the silly things on bills!

redrabbit29

And in other news:

The pope is catholic, and
Bears sh*t in the woods.

advent1122

moggylover wrote: »

"ooh! S** it - pressed the wrong button and thanked the idiot! - Although to be fair, I do hate the "have a nice day" in that "give me a bigger tip" voice, and the silly things on bills!

Jese, I did it to and thanked the mad cat lady - Although to be fair I do hate cats.

Alias_Omega

Voyager2002 wrote: »

So what do you do in places where it clearly states "service not included". That means that what appears on your bill is simply payment for the food and drink, and the waiter/waitress will not get paid unless you tip. Since s/he has served you in the expectation of getting paid, surely not tipping is dishonest.

I wonder what would happen if you walked into such a place and at the start of your meal told the service person that you were not going to tip.

These people get away with not paying the wages, as they know that people will tip them.

If you dont tip them, then they dont get paid. They dont get paid, so they dont work. The company wants them to work, so they pay them.

Charity has to start and home.. and it does for us.

Danyúl_II

When I went to New York last year I went to the TGI Fridays there (the biggest TGI in the World). Each waiter/waitress had at least 10/15 tables to tend to, and I guess they must have been on about £3,00 per hour and absolutely raking it in in tips. Average American diner gives 10-20% tip.

15 tables per server.. Jam packed in Times Square, so not 1 table staying empty. They must make hundreds per day. Brill!

Who wants to work in a shop again?
Haha.

Altarf

Voyager2002 wrote: »

So what do you do in places where it clearly states "service not included". That means that what appears on your bill is simply payment for the food and drink, and the waiter/waitress will not get paid unless you tip. Since s/he has served you in the expectation of getting paid, surely not tipping is dishonest.

In the UK the staff are paid the minimum wage, whether you leave a tip or not. It would be illegal for the company not to pay their staff minimum wage, whatever happened.

What the trade union are campaigning about are 'service charges' that are added to bills, not cash tips.

Employers are not allowed to count cash tips as part of the payment towards the minimum wage, but they are allowed to count money collected as part of a 'service charge' added to the bill.

Not only does this have the effect of the service charge subsidising their wage bill, but if the service charge is 'voluntary' or 'discretionary' (so if you asked they would take it off the bill - although you will get an 'interesting' response if you try), then they don't pay VAT on that money.

The union wants 'service charges' to be treated the same as cash tips, so the employees get the minimum wage plus the service charge, the same as they get the minimum wage plus the cash tips. Quite simply it won't happen, and even if it does then the restaurants will stop applying a service charge as there won't be a financial reason for them to do so.

robpw2

Altarf wrote: »

Employers are not allowed to count cash tips as part of the payment towards the minimum wage, but they are allowed to count money collected as part of a 'service charge' added to the bill.

quote]
that is wrong my restraunt NEVER CHARGED SERVICE CHARGES
all cash tips were used as part payment towards minimum wage and on a week when tips were bad the staff got less than 18p per hour added to there wages remebering you were 20p down

Employers where tips are involved seem to have a free reign
some weeks they didnt pay tips to us at all but the managers get salaried wages and get a percentage of the tips as well

Lakeuk

BBC have a report on Hard Rock paying below minimum wage

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7513273.stm

Personally I hate giving tips to someone for doing what is their job, in recent years some Holiday Inns have started automatically adding 10% service tip to their bills (this includes the self-service breakfast !) - the chief bar tender told us the in/out's of this charge in that the biggest chunk goes to management and that it was optional - he got a tip from me that night, not for the 10% advice but for recommending a great place to eat in a nearby village. When I booked out I had the checkout person take of the 10% of the bill, the hotel was already charging over odds for the box room (£150), mainly because they can get away with it with the Yanks