Restaurant are keeping tips and not paying the waiters!

ChrisCobra

jasmine_lotus_flower wrote: »

Where i live its £5.80 - £6.00

I guess they should all make 300 quid a week talking dirty to saddos on the phone instead of being a waiter then!

zzzLazyDaisy

rumbaba wrote: »

Sorry, Peter - YOU'RE wrong. <snip>Like he is wrong. What is it that you can't grasp?

I'm sorry, that made me laugh out loud!

Peter Davies is a reputable consultant in the real world, and an expert on these matters. But hey.... what does he know? :cool:

PeterJDavies

Thanks Lazy Daisy, you come on here to try and help........!!

BritRael

Sorry to be pedantic here (as several have mentioned removing the service charge) but what is the legality of this charge? You know, when a menu has a statement like "we add a 10% service charge..." and it is added to the bill, can we as customers simply legally remove it?

Like as has been suggested, I never pay a tip electronically. I always give cash to the waiter for good service.

pickledpink

You're perfectly entitled to deduct the service charge, particularly if you feel you had bad service; so these people who insist the service charge is not meant for the waiters have sort of shot themselves in the foot.

If the service charge is like some kind of breakdown of the restauarant's running costs i.e. electricity, gas bill, crockery etc, then I'd like to see a full breakdown of everything: rent, rates, laundry bills...............oh please!:rolleyes:

EVERYONE who dines out is of the impression that the service charge is a TIP for the waiter's SERVICE. Restaurants are being very crafty by adding on a service charge, knowing full well they're going to pocket the money themselves! In actual fact, I think the service charge should be made illegal because no-one seems to know what it's for.

The restaurant is just adding on an extra 12.5% to YOUR bill; you pay it - and you're not getting anything for it! It's not going to the waiters who you assume it's going to - it's going to the owner of the restaurant to pay towards his Ferrari! Some owners of busy restaurants must be raking in about £1000 a NIGHT - for nothing! You're just paying for their holiday homes in Barbados!

I'm finding this topic rather interesting, and I think I'll contact the papers about it. People should be made aware of what's happening.

So Britrael, yes, you are perfectly entitled to remove the service charge. I do. Every time I dine out. I then pay the waiter by cash.

Jomo

If it was me and I was aware that the service charge that is automatically added to the bill was not going straight to the waiter I would not pay it...simple.

It does make me think that I should start refusing to pay it like that and tip any good service with cash.

Fly_Baby

Is it really that simple then? If you do remove it then the whole bill will be amended and the waiter taking the payment WILL say that "it is our standard service charge etc" and will not just easily accept. So you will have to explain why you don't want to pay it etc.

I did have an experience of quering this service charge and it was a BIG deal of waiter consulting the other waiter, then consulting the manager, then consulting somebody else. It was embarrassing, expecially since other visitors were looking and since I was explained nicely yet insistently and loudly that it was a standard sur-charge.

Jomo

Well I do know a waiter who does receive this service charge on top of his wages so it probably depends on the employer but I think it is worth asking the waiter to make sure they do get it.

LastPenny_2

Thank you everyone for your replies. I have spoken to my brother and told him the advice on here but he is still too scared of asking his boss as he's scared of losing his job.

He has never received any of the money from the service charge and only ever takes home his basic pay as do his work colleagues. He has spoken to friends who work in other restaurants and none of them receive any money from the service charge either.

To be honest I am still a bit confused about it all:o The way I read it was that the service charge was to go to the waiters from a separate bank account but the restaurant seems to be ignoring this or I read it wrong.

rumbaba

That's right I'm afraid. Greedy bosses are keeping your brothers tips just like nearly all places do. This new law is a joke coz the waiters still arent getting their service charge tips. Does anyone know the next step to take? It's THEFT as far as I'm concerned. Theft AND EXPLOITATION.