tips in restaurants - moral question

kaushal101

My wife doesn't believe in leaving tips. If we are holidaying some place new, she will say "why leave tips, we are not coming here again".

Yesterday she did the same. Food wasn't bad. Service was slow, but okay. The waiter was pleasant and nice. I felt we should have left something, What's the usual practice?

In our town, we go to a restaurant quite frequently. There too we don't always leave tips. which I don't like. If our bill is around £20, what should we be leaving behind?

I don't deny her point that we are in saving mode right now. Then I suggest going for take-away to avoid this dilemma. But she doesn't like that idea either.

View please?

Ebe_Scrooge

It's always a bone of contention. In America, waiting staff get extremely low wages, and it's pretty much accepted that tipping will bring their earnings up to a reasonable level. So tipping over there is pretty much the norm.

Over here, tipping is not so much expected. The standard approach is 10%, but really it's all down to personal preference. I'll tip if the service is good, I won't if the service is bad. But no-one should feel obliged to leave a tip. Waiting staff are not paid large amounts, but it will at least be minimum wage. Having worked as a waiter when I was young, yes tips are very gratefully received. But we never "expected" to receive a tip as a matter of course.

JReacher1

I round up to the nearest obvious figure if the service is good (or the waitress is attractive). If the service is bad (or the waitress is unattractive) I tend not to bother.

They get a decent wage and that should be enough!

GwylimT

If you go to a supermarket do you tip the till staff? If you have your car serviced do you tip the mechanic.

I only leave tips if the service is genuinely outstanding, I will not tip someone for merely doing their job, they are after all paid to be there.

aqua111

When in America we do tip but feel we are subsidising the owners.

ElefantEd

You're in saving mode but frequently eat at restaurants? You may want to rethink that............

Sooler

JReacher1 wrote: »

If the service is bad (or the waitress is unattractive) I tend not to bother.

ever considered that you get bad service because you are ugly? :rotfl:

JReacher1

Sooler wrote: »

ever considered that you get bad service because you are ugly? :rotfl:

Of course. But then I see myself in the mirror and realise that couldn't possibly be the reason

Edwood_Woodwood

JReacher1 wrote: »

If the service is bad (or the waitress is unattractive) I tend not to bother.

Surely your gastronomic experience to your palate isn't determined by whether the waitress who serves you is a beauty or a munter?

Edwood_Woodwood

kaushal101 wrote: »

My wife doesn't believe in leaving tips.

View please?

She's just tight.

When you go to your regular restaurant no doubt the staff will clock you both and think here come the tightwads.

Which is why you may experience unpleasant food and service.

m1kjm

I personally don't believe in tipping and I don't feel obligated to tip anyone. I don't receive tips for doing my job properly and I wouldn't expect to receive them.