Would you accept a service charge from a pub?

jap200

What is even worse - as happened to my family the other day - is when a 'service charge' is added automatically to the bill, but when you are handed the card reader machine there is an option to add a tip/service charge as well!
I wonder how many people who don't read through their bills carefully get stung with that!

SandC

It's quite normal where I live for parties but generally larger than 6, more like 8 or above. I always take each occasion on its individual merits. One of the main issues is how much of the bill is down to drinks? When I'm considering the tip where it's not a service charge I'll base it on the approx food cost only.... a few bottles of wine and some soft drinks can really push the bill up.

The last time I remember being in the 'service charge' situation we were in a large group and had not received particularly impressive service so we did not pay the full %. Nobody came running out of the building after us ....

Ainat

I don't agree with 'hidden' service charges at all. I don't like feeling like I'm being bullied into paying extra. However, if it CLEARLY (not in the teeniest tiniest print) states on the menu that there is one - well, I'm okay with that. I don't feel like it's being hidden from me.

As for tipping - I always tip when the waiter/ess service has been good. I've been in restaurants on occasion where the staff don't seem to care less about their diners - they don't get tipped by me! Simple as.

I prefer to tip in cash, and normally don't like it when the card machines ask you about tipping. I have occasionally tipped using the machine when I've not had cash on me and I've felt the service deserved it, but it does almost guilt trip you in to feeling like you have to tip.

androidgamer

i'm probably going off subject now, but why do chef's get a cut of the tips? granted they cook the food, but they will be on a higher wage to start with and more than likely work a 40hrs+ week, whereas waiting on staff only get part-time hours, minimum wage and get all the abuse from angry customers, the tip would then top up the waiting staff earnings based on their customer service skills

Colin_Hunt

If a service charge is added as a % of the bill, there can only be one reason for not just increasing the cost of menu items.
To confuse the "customer".
If I order two £16 mains and a £16 bottle of wine I expect to pay £48.
If my bill has a 12.5% service charge and arrives at £54, that is no different to charging £18 each for the meals and the wine.
As for tipping in shops like Tesco, I tried it, its impossible.

Happychappy

I totally object to an enforced service charge.

If the restaurant cannot work out and build in its staff costs, they should not be in business. The restaurant should always reflect the cost of the meal etc in the menu and any tip should be purely voluntary depending upon service and quality of the whole experience received by the diner, I object to service charges, it is a cheap and underhand way of poor business people building in staff costs.

Pay your staff the going rate and if the staff provide exceptional service they should be rewarded with a tip and the business will be rewarded by happy and repeat customers.

suki1964

androidgamer wrote: »

i'm probably going off subject now, but why do chef's get a cut of the tips? granted they cook the food, but they will be on a higher wage to start with and more than likely work a 40hrs+ week, whereas waiting on staff only get part-time hours, minimum wage and get all the abuse from angry customers, the tip would then top up the waiting staff earnings based on their customer service skills

Erm I'd love to be on a huge wage. But no I'm on minimum wage same as all the chefs who work here

We are open 70 hrs a week. We need more then one chef. So we are all paid the same - minimum wage

Yes in hotels and top kitchens you have a range of chefs and the executive chef is the one earning the big money

But smaller places like where I work, we all take equal responsibility and run the kitchen without orders from above. We all have our expertise areas and fit those around the day to day running of the kitchen

Waiting staff are on the same pay Yes they might have to deal with awkward customers but if they have done their job properly,and we have done ours, they are very very rare

Bigphil1474

I've always worked on the basis that 10% of the bill is a reasonable tip in a restaurant if the service is good. If the service is bad, I don't feel bad about not leaving a tip, as I won't be going back anyway. Last year we spent 6 weeks going round New Zealand with my brother who lives there, and he told us it was unusual to tip in restaurants over there. If you do tip, they appreciate it, if you don't that's normal. Presumably they get paid differently.

catwoman73

'm probably going off subject now, but why do chef's get a cut of the tips? granted they cook the food, but they will be on a higher wage to start with and more than likely work a 40hrs+ week,

Most chefs will work far more than 40 hours a week, probably for a salary of £16-20k if they are lucky. (A relative has been a chef for a number of years, so I do know about these things.). Their hourly rate is often at or below the minimum wage, and as the quality of the food is down to them, I think that if there are tips, which I don't think they should be, the chefs definitely deserve at least as much as the person who is likely to be on a higher hourly rate than them and simply took the order and placed a plate of food in front of the customer.

I don't see how working part time makes a waiter more deserving of tips. If they want a full time salary, they need to work full time hours - this would be available when lunchtime and evening service is considered. (The availability or otherwise of full time work for those that want/need it is a separate issue, surely).

anotheruser

Why does this keep cropping up?

In the UK, our servers are paid at least minimum wage. They are paid to serve me food. In America, where tipping and "service charge" is the norm, the servers are not paid anything close to our minimum wage because the tips make up the rest of the wage.

I am all for rewarding good service but when it is forced upon me, then surely I should be asking for a discount because I only ate half my food! I work hard, am the lowest paid full time person in the company I work for but I don't get anything extra....

I don't mean to come across as waiters serving the house master if you like, I just struggle with words sometimes.

In answer to the OP, no, I wouldn't accept a service charge anywhere... perhaps only London because it's London. If it's optional, I ALWAYS decline and if it's added, I will ask if it's compulsory.

In fact, if people would like to tip me for my hundreds of "thanked" posts here then I am all for it. Please PM me for my PayPal address.