Tipping in Restaurants

Empty_pockets · 14 January 2012 at 4:19PM

Why wouldn't I care?

You are responsible for telling HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) about these tips and you'll have to show them on your Self Assessment tax return (if you fill one in). You'll need to keep a record of the tips you get so you can do this.
Most people don't have to fill in a tax return. If you don't, HMRC will estimate the tips you're likely to get and give you a tax code that will collect the tax through PAYE. Get in touch with HMRC if you think the estimates are wrong.

So the fact is if you don't get tips, simply notify HMRC and they can amend your tax code.

I would be interested to see the list that HMRC use to decide which jobs are liable for tips and which aren't.

Those that get tips pooled and split, is it paid in with wages (and liable to tax & NI) in addition to a lower tax code, or is it paid separately?

Do kitchen staff get amended tax codes? If tips are pooled surely they should.

It's overly complex and would easily be solved by banning these underhand cash for services payments.

birduk · 14 January 2012 at 5:13PM

mcduff16 wrote: »

I`d rather tip the person who made my food, not the one who bought it from the kitchen to the table.

Saying that I only tip if the whole experience was nice or the restaurant has gone out their way to accomodate our needs. For example the chef once came out and discussed with my friend (who is gluten free) what dishes he could cook for her.

Don't always assume the money always only goes to the waiting staff. Where I used to work we used to divide the tips equally between everyone working- that includes waiting staff, chef, kitchen assistant and washer upper. We all got equal amounts. So you might tip £5, but I would only see £1 of that or less.

Waitressing (and kitchen asistant) isn't like other minimum wage jobs though is it? You don't normally work a nice 8 hour shift, with a lunch break. You work all the way through from, say 10-3 without a break, then come back for the evening shift. You don't get to go home at the end of the day because you have to work the evening shift to make a living wage at minimum rate.

Yes I have been a bar maid, waitress, kitchen assistant, office worker etc and the hardest by far was waitress where I had to be polite to, often, some quite awful and rude people that think you are beneath them somehow for doing that job. Now I tip really well as I am working. Unless you have been in that job, don't judge!

BitterAndTwisted · 14 January 2012 at 5:24PM

I once worked for a top-class restaurant and most of my working day was calculating Le Tronc to ensure that every single person who worked on a particular shift got their correct proportion of the service-charge. Cash tips were also shared voluntarily with the kitchen staff. The only people who did not get tips were the manager/front-of-house/greeter who each earned a king's ransom. And that is how it should be.

As an aside I don't think I've ever been in the company of so many skinflints as on this thread.....

Person_one · 14 January 2012 at 5:41PM

birduk wrote: »

Don't always assume the money always only goes to the waiting staff. Where I used to work we used to divide the tips equally between everyone working- that includes waiting staff, chef, kitchen assistant and washer upper. We all got equal amounts. So you might tip £5, but I would only see £1 of that or less.

Waitressing (and kitchen asistant) isn't like other minimum wage jobs though is it? You don't normally work a nice 8 hour shift, with a lunch break. You work all the way through from, say 10-3 without a break, then come back for the evening shift. You don't get to go home at the end of the day because you have to work the evening shift to make a living wage at minimum rate.

Yes I have been a bar maid, waitress, kitchen assistant, office worker etc and the hardest by far was waitress where I had to be polite to, often, some quite awful and rude people that think you are beneath them somehow for doing that job. Now I tip really well as I am working. Unless you have been in that job, don't judge!

The argument that waitressing is harder than other minimum wage jobs just doesn't fly.

I'm not going to play 'tough job trumps' because I can won so easily its not fair (;)) but surely you can't possibly think waitressing is the only minimum wage job that requires you to spend long hours on your feet dealing with difficult people?

Lunar_Eclipse · 14 January 2012 at 5:42PM

We usually do tip, but only because my husband spent time living in the US where it is customary. However, smiling and a positive disposition are key to this and I will not tip if we don't get this, it's so basic! I like to tip for good service, not automatically.

In comparison to the US and Asia, we have no idea what customer service is and should be like in the UK. It is very clear that most high street/chain restaurant staff are clearly going through the motions, behaviour which I do not think warrants a tip. That is one of the reasons I enjoy going to top London restaurants, because you actually do receive some customer service, unlike places such as Pizza Express, Cafe Rouge etc where the whole experience is very mediocre/everyday. In these instances, I usually leave £1/person as a token gesture (which thinking about it, works out at about 10% since our bill is usually c£40)

I think I probably tip more favourably overseas because that is where I notice the service being impressive and making the meal more enjoyable. It's very sad actually.

Person_one · 14 January 2012 at 5:50PM

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

I think I probably tip more favourably overseas because that is where I notice the service being impressive and making the meal more enjoyable. It's very sad actually.

I lived in the US for a while and I actually prefer the more minimal customer service here. I found it weird and intrusive to have waiters constantly hovering and coming to check on us every 5 minutes, don't get me started on the ones that kneel by the table and try to start a completely unrelated conversation.

I do tip here, but only because of the social expectation, I don't like doing it out of principle and I did plan to stop when the law changed and restaurants had to pay NMW. Nobody else stopped though so I was on my own looking tight!

BitterAndTwisted · 14 January 2012 at 5:51PM

Perhaps this antipathy to doing a proper job in British restaurants is the confusion between giving service and being servile? Whatever it is, it often makes dining out such a totally miserable experience in this country except in the most well-run family businesses. Gimme a cheap local family-run Thai or Italian place over one of those loathsome chains any day of the week. Gimme American fellow diners who aren't resentful about putting their hands in their pockets. too!

birduk · 14 January 2012 at 5:52PM

Person_one wrote: »

The argument that waitressing is harder than other minimum wage jobs just doesn't fly.

I'm not going to play 'tough job trumps' because I can won so easily its not fair (;)) but surely you can't possibly think waitressing is the only minimum wage job that requires you to spend long hours on your feet dealing with difficult people?

I didn't say that though did I? Read those words again and read what I wrote rather than what you wanted to read.

ska_lover · 14 January 2012 at 5:56PM

I never tip in restuarants, ever. Yes the waitresses may be on minimum wage, but there are many more jobs you can do as minimum wage and not expect a customer or client to tip. Its weird how some professions expect a tip and some don't. You pay the asked price for a meal ......they really shouldnt expect extra. Waitresses dont actually cook the meal you know..they just dump it on your table. On occasions where waitresses are hovering, i find it rude and intrusive. I really do not want to have a private conversation whilst a stranger is standing 3 feet away, nor do I need constantly asking if everything is OK. If there is a problem I would let them know.

I tip my hairdresser though, as she is offering a personal service, not just whacking a meal in front of you...and a good hair cut is hard to find these days.

Tipping in resaturants is nothing more than a social expectation. Where do you draw the line? there are many jobs who earn minimum wage, do you tip them all?