NAME AND SHAME. Restaurant service charges

Anybloodyid

Had to reply to this comment

if you cannot afford to tip you should not be eating there in the first place

Tips are voluntary, if you can afford the meal but not the tip then this doesn't exclude you from eating there. Only snobs would take such a Dickensian attitude.

marleyboy

Imagine the driver coming out with that corker in a black cab. "It'll be £12 plus tips............ No tips, No journeys Guvner"

Sharon87

Anybloodyid wrote: »

Had to reply to this comment

Tips are voluntary, if you can afford the meal but not the tip then this doesn't exclude you from eating there. Only snobs would take such a Dickensian attitude.

I agree. Sometimes I go out for a meal, for someone's birthday say, but I'm skint. I usually buy something cheap on the menu, no alcohol, I wouldn't be able to afford the tip.

I find I tip a bit more when I've had more to drink... I think it's related.

One place I went to queried us about why we didn't leave the full service charge, so we told them (took ages for one person's meal to be given and gave us the wrong drinks).

Once I left a 5p tip in Pizza Express, cause the service was so dire, I would have left nothing, but I didn't have the right change!

mangomangotree

I hope tipping isn't going to be expected like it is in the US.

mangomangotree

Anybloodyid wrote: »

Had to reply to this comment

Tips are voluntary, if you can afford the meal but not the tip then this doesn't exclude you from eating there. Only snobs would take such a Dickensian attitude.

This is the attitude in the US. I don't know why people want to bring that over here.

Azari

Tips are voluntary, if you can afford the meal but not the tip then this doesn't exclude you from eating there. Only snobs would take such a Dickensian attitude.

mangomangotree wrote: »

This is the attitude in the US. I don't know why people want to bring that over here.

LOL. Which is the attitude in the US?

That you shouldn't eat if you can't afford thee tip or that the tip is voluntary?

Your post seems to imply the latter but I suspect you mean the former as:

a) Tips have always been voluntary over here.
b) They can get quite snarky if you don't leave the 'expected' tip over there.

Valli

student100 wrote: »

Aren't tips (even in cash) technically taxable income? So employers are legally requried to take some of any tip to pay the taxman...?

Poppy9 wrote: »

RE taxing tips I thought the IR assumed a certain level of tips for all catering service staff and adjusted their tax code.

Out of curiosity who else do you tip - the ones that spring to mind for me are :

Taxi drivers
Hairdressers (not anymore the prices they charge!)

Tips are definitely taxable and must be declared; tax is paid by the employee. When I worked in a customer facing role in an industry where it could be assumed I might have received tips I had to declare, on my tax form that I did NOT receive tips and the reason I did not receive tips was that it was company policy we were NOT tipped.

arcon5

If a service charge is automatically added to my bill you can bet any chance of a tip has been blown at this point! It's discretionary and a thank you to your waiter/waitress for going that extra mile, it shouldn't be forced on to people automatically.

We was in Tobys Carvery yesterday, the food was amazing! However, it was our first visit and after 5-7 minutes waiting for somebody to take our drinks order we wrongfully thought you had to order at the bar! When we finished our meals, it was actually a chef passing that took away our plates (we was sat near the kitchen) and brought us the bill over at our request! Waiting another 5-7 minutes we eventually went to the bar to pay. TIP = £0.

Cafelatte1

Hi. Not meaning to appear dumb..but perhaps I am.. When a restaurant adds the "discretionary" service charge onto the bill, is that then mandatory to pay. I thought discretionary was at "the discretion of the person" paying the bill. I have been at restaurants where I have not paid the full service charge and the staff have inferred that I have not paid the bill.

I welcome someone to sort out my confusion.

Azari

Cafelatte1 wrote: »

Hi. Not meaning to appear dumb..but perhaps I am.. When a restaurant adds the "discretionary" service charge onto the bill, is that then mandatory to pay. I thought discretionary was at "the discretion of the person" paying the bill. I have been at restaurants where I have not paid the full service charge and the staff have inferred that I have not paid the bill.

I welcome someone to sort out my confusion.

Well, discretionary means at someone's discretion. Obviously, in the absence of any qualifying information it would be assumed to the the customer's.

I think that if a restaurant attempted to bring a civil case for non-payment when a 'discretionary' charge had been mentioned they would fail.

It may be that the restaurant staff on duty are unaware that that element does not have to be paid.