Would you accept a service charge from a pub?

redcard

balletshoes wrote: »

because a table of 6 should expect to have their meals served to them at approximately the same time, which makes more work for the kitchen staff, compared to 6 invidvidual tables who would get their meal when it was ready, individually.

Nonsense.

Ask any chef if they'd prefer a table of 6 to six tables of one. They'll all give the same answer.

C_Mababejive

I do not pay service charges anywhere..simples. Unless of course it is stated on the menu as for example where there is a large party. I may choose to leave a tip but thats different. I really dont give a to$$ who i upset.

balletshoes

redcard wrote: »

Nonsense.

Ask any chef if they'd prefer a table of 6 to six tables of one. They'll all give the same answer.

which answer would that be?

jackyann

Of course tipping is a minefield!

I understood that the logic of adding a "service charge" to a large party was because it saved a lot of messing about and *seemed* simpler. Indeed a lot of restaurants (and really many pubs are almost in that category) do it.
If you like the pub, keep going, but say either at the outset, or when requesting the bill "please don't add the service charge, we'll leave a cash tip".
I always ask the waitperson if the staff would prefer the tip in cash or on the card.
Most places I know, the staff put all the tips in a "tronc" to be shared, unless someone has said it was specifically for one person.

sarah69696pink

As others have already said a service charge is different that a tip. My husband works in a restaurant and his wage is made up of a percentage of service charges, so if these are not paid his wage goes down.
Tips are something he gets at the end of the week extra on top of his wage. Service chargers will also likely go to all staff involved (e.g. chefs, cleaners etc) whereas tips can sometimes just be the person serving you or sometimes shared among all. If you are unsure if the charges will go straight to the servers or what they are for ask - staff are usually happy to explain the system to you.
I agree that in a pub I would not really expect to pay a service charge, however these do appear to be coming more popular as establishments are able to cut wage bills.

redmike123

I will not pay a service charge, and I always ask for it to be removed from my bill. I am happy to tip for good service, always in cash and always to the server.

sarah69696pink

redmike123 wrote: »

I will not pay a service charge, and I always ask for it to be removed from my bill. I am happy to tip for good service, always in cash and always to the server.

Some places do not do discretionary service charges so you could not ask for it to be removed and sometimes giving cash to server does not mean to goes to them either - they sometimes still have to put it into a shared pot.
With so many places doing different things it can be really hard to ensure your money goes where you want it to go.

MrsE_2

sarah69696pink wrote: »

As others have already said a service charge is different that a tip. My husband works in a restaurant and his wage is made up of a percentage of service charges, so if these are not paid his wage goes down.
Tips are something he gets at the end of the week extra on top of his wage. Service chargers will also likely go to all staff involved (e.g. chefs, cleaners etc) whereas tips can sometimes just be the person serving you or sometimes shared among all. If you are unsure if the charges will go straight to the servers or what they are for ask - staff are usually happy to explain the system to you.
I agree that in a pub I would not really expect to pay a service charge, however these do appear to be coming more popular as establishments are able to cut wage bills.

It would be better if restaurants offered an all inclusive price & paid staff a fair wage in the first place, then your husband would know what he has coming in every week.

suki1964

balletshoes wrote: »

which answer would that be?

As a chef i can tell you tables of one to four

Tables of six and above are a lot more complicated , the more people the more shared sides and sauces

However we ( my place of work) don't expect to be tipped. We send out good food as a constant. Tips are an added bonus, waitressing staff have done a great job

Service charge is contentious. We have seating for 38 in mixes of 2' s and 4's. We can make much more money on 2's and 4's then on 6's and above. I can oh guess that over the holiday period this pub has had to cover staffing etc and so therefore slapped the service charge on

A table of six will sit a whole lot longer then a table of two, yet will drink no more, often ordering jugs of water. We need the soft drink and alcohol sales to keep us in profit

paddedjohn

I don't tip the checkout at Asda or the bloke in the post office when im buying my morning paper so I don't see why I should tip for a meal or when I go for a pint. Call me a miser but I don't give a flying one.