NAME AND SHAME. Restaurant service charges

SteveRST

Just to name and shame another restaurant that is taking the mick with service charges.... Went to the Butcher and Grill in Wimbledon village last night. They were doing a Tuesday special, with 50% off steaks. Excellent I thought, me and my girlfriend both ordered steak - and fabulous it was too.

Unfortunately settling the bill left a sour taste in my mouth... Not only had they added a 12.5% service charge to the bill (and presented me the card machine with this amount already entered), but the service charge was on the normal price of the bill, not the reduced amount due because of the special offer on the steaks.

So a bill for £45 had a £9.50 service charge added on. I asked to have this removed which I could tell caused a little agro and bad feeling, then I left a £5 cash tip but went away still feeling bad about the experience.

Steve

Dukesy

I used to work in a 'gastropub' that only put service charges on parties of over 12 people. It was always optional and rarely paid. I used to hate having to put it on the bill, though.

On the note of how tips are shared, at this same pub, all tips were to be put into a jar behind the bar and divided up at the end of the night. It used to irk me no end that the owners used to take their share of the tips too - it would be divided between the bar/waiting staff and the owners in equal measure. I am SURE they shouldn't have been doing this but unfortunately it seems to be rife as practice.

Poq

Wow, interesting. Would be a good idea for y'all to put this on Yelp, TripAdvisor, or somewhere like that?

catkins2

Myself and two friends went into this wine bar early this morning ahead of the boxing match and ordered two rounds of drinks at the bar.We knew the prices in this bar were expensive (4.20 330ml Budweiser) but we were outraged to discover that they took the liberty of adding a 12% service charge on top of this.The first round should have totaled 14.00 but came to 15.70 and the second round should have been 13.30 but came to 14.90.They used to put the change on a little silver plate but now it seems tipping is compulsory.

gayleygoo

I have no read all the posts, but I found this thread interesting as I've noticed this before. One restaurant menu said "Statutory service charge of 15% for groups of 6 or more". Luckily, there were only four of us so I didn't have to question it. 15%, seriously? Our £80 bill would have required a £12 tip, food for 6 people would have worked out at even more. The service was okay but you could have had another main course for that (if we'd had to pay it.) Also that it said it was "statutory" made me think you'd have to pay it - can they insist?

I understand with large groups - 6 people is no bother, but at the restaurant I used to work at we'd get large parties of up to 20 people, and they were certainly the worst offenders when it comes to tipping. As a waitress I made sure that people no a night out had good service, and a table of 20 people is hard work. It was disappointing to not get a penny extra, but I'd have felt embarrassed handing over a bill that insisted the customers pay more.

We normally leave a couple of quid if it's just the two of us, or a fiver if there's more of us...is that stingy?

wealdroam

gayleygoo wrote: »

One restaurant menu said "Statutory service charge of 15% for groups of 6 or more".

They used the wrong word.

Simply put, statutory means that there is an obligation backed up by legislation.

There is no legislation that specifies the service charge you mention... as far as I know.

The word they should've used is compulsory.

gunsandbanjos

gayleygoo wrote: »

We normally leave a couple of quid if it's just the two of us, or a fiver if there's more of us...is that stingy?

Really depends how much the bill is but generally I'd say its a little stingy. My friend and I went for dinner just the two of us and tipped £10. The food was great, the service was great and we had a lovely time.

A 6 can be hard work, certainly more work than a 2 or 4 top, and they can easily rack up a £150 - £200 bill, so I think a service charge on a 6 is acceptable.

visidigi

catmiaow wrote: »

Giraffe automatically add 10% tip on the bill, I think it's a disgrace. I don't mind tipping but the fact they automatically add it on boils my blood!

They are owned by Tesco after all, every little helps

Poppy9

gunsandbanjos wrote: »

Really depends how much the bill is but generally I'd say its a little stingy. My friend and I went for dinner just the two of us and tipped £10. The food was great, the service was great and we had a lovely time.

A 6 can be hard work, certainly more work than a 2 or 4 top, and they can easily rack up a £150 - £200 bill, so I think a service charge on a 6 is acceptable.

but the real issue is that the waiter is paid to provide great service and the management should factor it into the food price not leave it for the diners to ensure the staff earn a decent wage.

Do waiters receive min. pay?

I wouldn't tip £10 for two of us for a meal. I also ask waiters if they pool tips or keep it an depending and my tipping will depend on the attitude of the waiter and any other staff I've encountered. I particularly hate bossy, fussy managers barking at waiters!

A lot of restaurants now limit you to 2 hours at a table so if a waiter has 10 tables of 4 and gets £10 per table thats an extra £50 an hour!

Renya

A few years ago I went to a Chinese buffet shortly after it opened with some friends which was completely self-service, even if you wanted a drink you'd be given a glass and have to get it yourself (no alcohol, soft drinks and water only).

Anyway, of course they added on a 12.5% service charge, which we all thought was ridiculous, and just left a couple of pounds as a 'tip' and left. One of the waitresses then chased after us and told us we had to pay the service charge! We tried arguing with her but after a while the manager came out and backed the waitress up. We eventually gave up and paid.