Real-life MMD: Should I ask to keep my tips?

oldtrout

I would discuss this and explain some of the suggestions above about customers having a say in where their tip goes, etc.

Also, I would find out who actually keeps this money separate and who is keeping account of it, to make sure that it was all going to the charity.

gemmaj

Is this Christmas lunch elsewhere or at the pub? If at the pub, then they get double bonus - seen to be doing charity and get paid full price for these meals. I would be less happy if that were the case.

gaily

Grrr - This makes me mad!

If I've earnt a tip, then I want to keep it. OK, happy to pool with colleagues - especially where we've all had a hand in serving a customer, but we are being rewarded for good service.

Does my employer know if i Tithe to my church, or donate all my spare cash to charity, do they know if I have 5 kids under 3, who all need new shoes (OK, pushing it there, but you get the point).

If my employer wants to help charity, then why don't they tell us that on 'a monday before christmas' they will be closing the pub to the public, and inviting a group of people who wouldn't normally get a good meal to come and eat for free.... Would we be happy to come and work for free that night? - because I'd be far happier doing that that never getting a tip in the year.

morg_monster

First of all I thought, don't be so tight; but then realised that was a bit rash. Especially if the christmas meal is actually at the same pub?! I mean - they are taking your tips to provide something that presumably the pub owners get credit for - do the underprivileged families get told that it is the generosity of the waiting staff that has paid for their lunch? Do the pub owners keep the menu cost of the meals or just the cost of ingredients?

Also personally I'm really wary of any "charity" which isn't a registered charity, which is presumably the case here, unless perhaps we have got the wrong end of the stick and the money is donated to a third party charity who provide christmas meals.

However, taking this up with the owners could be a minefield. They've probably been doing this for years and never been questioned. If you can get the other wait staff on side that'll be good... and practice what you want to say so it doesn't just come across that you are uncharitable (there are finer points at play here I think than just the basic facts). Maybe ask if you can get the tips and each pledge donate £X amount to the pot at Christmas? I suspect the amount collected from a whole year's worth of tips would pay for pub-style Christmas lunches for a LOT of families, not just a few. They really should account for this properly, I think. I also wouldn't be happy to know my service tips were being used for this, I support quite a few charities and am happy with how much I give. I don't want someone else deciding that my tips to reward good service should actually be used for another purpose.

stmartinsdiver

I can only speak as a customer in this situation, and if I left a tip it would be because we had received good service and would expect it to go to the individual - I don't even like the idea of tips being pooled as that can mean someone who has made little or no contribution gets a share - not what I'd want at all. Likewise I'd be very miffed if I found out what I'd left as a tip was being given to charity if there was no prior indication that this was the policy. HMRC certainly seem to expect service staff to top up their wages from tips and my understanding is that most bars and restaurants pay staff less per hour than other jobs as there seems to be a general understanding that the better the service they give, the more they earn by way of higher tips.
I would suggest that as this affects all the staff that you discreetly take a straw poll of the views of some of the other staff and if they feel the same as you, then a joint approach to the management to express your collective views would be the safest way of raising this.

Brian_Steele

Is service "included" or "not included". In other words, are the customers leaving money over and above what they need to? That should go hand in hand with whether the rate the staff are paid is intended to be complete in itself, or set at an artificially low(er) rate because it will be supplemented by tips.

From a tax point of view, tip income is declarable and I am fully confident that all waiting staff keeping the tips given to them complete tax returns to ensure that they pay the correct tax, just as I do for all the money I get for doing my job.

nettie1xoxo

As a customer I am tipping my servers for their service, not the company charity ...... unless the company display they are doing this, it is completely out of order.

PegasusPJ

well, I agree that it's strange, but then as in this country tips are 'compulsory', you can't claim it means people are happy with YOUR service.. (as in you get hassle from people you eat with if you dispute it and even most of the time it's added straight to the bill meaning you have no 'discretion' if you don't want to pay it or pay it in full as you need to request a new bill :mad:).
So it's not really your money unless a client personally ask you to take it (in which case I'd keep it).
the only time I see people actively refusing to tip is when the service was particularly bad (and even not always then), so basically you get paid extra for just doing your basic work.. which is what a wage is for!

kb42

I would definitely say something to the management. Firstly, speaking as a customer, I want all of my tip to go to the person serving me as a thank you for particularly good service. Pooling tips seems to be a bit unfair and doesn't provide any incentive for really exceptional service, as staff who go the extra mile don't get any extra reward for it but instead everyone benefits from their hard work. And I would *definitely* want to know if my tip wasn't actually going to the staff at all!

Secondly, the management has no idea as to whether their employees already give to charity and how much, whether they have dependents, what their financial circumstances are like and how much they rely on those tips... etc etc. I could imagine the staff being a bit resentful at the expectation that they're supposed to just give up this money with no complaints.

auntymabel

I think the management are taking money under false pretences if customrers aren't aware. There should be a notice in the restaurant.

If it was me I wouldn't want to confront the manager. I'd speak to Trading Standards or just mention it to friends or customers (discreetly). I'm sure the word would soon get out.