tips in restaurants - moral question

Nick_C

aileth wrote: »

I tend to tip a couple of quid if it has been an enjoyable experience. However, I think me and my husband have very forgettable faces, because almost 80% of the time we eat out the waiting staff forget about us. They seat us down, we wait 20 minutes for a drink, call them over, "Oh sorry, I didn't realise you were there", and it's the same person who had seated us!

I only tend to tip higher than a couple of quid if the wait staff have gone above and beyond the call of duty, or of course if there's a load of us.

I suspect your faces are memorable. When you return to a restaurant, the staff remember you "as the couple who don't tip", hence the bad service!

Nick_C

Astuteboy wrote: »

I always tip 10% here and abroad unless the service has been especially bad or they've included it on the bill by default. Just a habit I can't break.

You should check the local custom and practice, and not just leave 10%. In France and Portugal, you just leave the change. France especially, waiting is seen as a profession, is well paid, and over tipping is seen as condescending and insulting.

In the States, 10% is insulting unless the service has been very poor.

I have some sympathy with people who say you shouldn't have to tip, but that's not the way it works in this country. Basic pay for waiting staff is poor. A good waiter/waitress works hard, works long shifts and anti social hours. They deserve to be well rewarded for what they do, and that reward is a combination of basic pay plus gratuities.

The plus side of tipping is that it should encourage and reward good service.

duchy

PLog86 wrote: »

God, you do see some piffle talked on this site.

e.g.



Rubbish!

Tipping works in EXACTLY the same way in the states as it does here. Whether or not you tip is up to you and the amount you tip is up to you.

I find the whole idea of the "expected" percentage tip extremely offensive (as do many Americans of my acquaintance). You should also be aware that the "expected" tip percentage varies from place to place, even within the same town.



It's a stupid system that benefits no one except the owner of the business and is something an increasing number of Americans want to see change.

I travel to the US on a very regular basis and have done so for years and consequently have many friends and acquaintances there. My experience is the polar opposite of yours so in my opinion and speaking from personal experience you are the one mistaken .......or as you so charmingly put it...... Talking Rubbish !

Sheldon_Cooper

duchy wrote: »

I travel to the US on a very regular basis and have done so for years and consequently have many friends and acquaintances there. My experience is the polar opposite of yours

This makes no sense. Polar opposite of his experience?

So you found that tipping was mandatory, the expected amount was mandatory and the same everywhere, and that all Americans were happy with the situation.

Not to put too fine a point on it, it seems to me that you are full of it!

JReacher1

totallyrandom wrote: »

Having worked in the USA alongside Americans who have not tipped when service was not acceptable, I think it is still a case of tipping as the service warrants. When in Rome....!


There is a good article on tipping in the USA here and to be clear 20% is not expected :


http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g191-s606/United-States:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html

No but the article does seem to say that 15% is expected. Which is what the waitress was asking for.

A 10% tip seems to be a statement that says you think the service was poor so I don't blame the waitress for challenging you as your cheap tip basically was you saying that you are not happy with the service.

I assume you've eaten out in more than one restaurant in America. Do you normally tip more than 10%?

shaun_from_Africa

PLog86 wrote: »

It's a stupid system that benefits no one except the owner of the business and is something an increasing number of Americans want to see change.

It might well be a stupid system but at the moment, it is the system in use the majority of eating and drinking establishments in the USA.

Some places have changed so there is no longer a tip required (mainly in New York), but all that happened there is that the places in question raised their prices by 15%.

PLog86 wrote: »

I find the whole idea of the "expected" percentage tip extremely offensive (as do many Americans of my acquaintance). You should also be aware that the "expected" tip percentage varies from place to place, even within the same town

Well, I currently spend about 6 months of the year working in Louisiana and have been doing so for the past 5 years and the number of Americans that I have met who think that the tipping culture "offensive" could probably be counted on less than one hand. Yes, some of them think that certain places expect too high a tip but not that the practice of tipping should be stopped totally as they know that is this was to happen then it would just result in prices going up.
As you would now be paying sales tax on everything paid out, the total payable would be more than before as you don't get charged sales tax on the tip.

totallyrandom

JReacher1 wrote: »

No but the article does seem to say that 15% is expected. Which is what the waitress was asking for.

A 10% tip seems to be a statement that says you think the service was poor so I don't blame the waitress for challenging you as your cheap tip basically was you saying that you are not happy with the service.

I assume you've eaten out in more than one restaurant in America. Do you normally tip more than 10%?

I tipped up to 20% frequently, but included sales tax in the calculation so over the net amount. Usually rounded up to the next dollar value that I had on me, so if I only had $10s they were lucky!

George_Michael

PLog86 wrote: »

It's a stupid system that benefits no one except the owner of the business and is something an increasing number of Americans want to see change.

The tipping culture benefits the US government as well as it allows the current inflation figure to be kept artifically low which is why it's unlikely to change.

What do you thing would happen to inflation if all bars and eating places suddenly stopped their employees from accepting tips and increased their prices by 15% to 20%?
Before this was done, there would need to be a change in federal and state laws so that the minimum wage became applicable to all, then the places in question would need new contracts for all of their staff, new menus etc.
All of this would end up costing a fortune and who do you think would be paying for it?
It wouldn't be the government or business owners. It would either be the customers paying by way of increased prices, or by businesses cutting staff to make up the cost.

With the current state of the American economy, I thing that the chances of them wanting to spend a fortune on rewriting and implementing the new laws required will be close to zero.

Money-Saving-King

totallyrandom wrote: »

Having worked in the USA alongside Americans who have not tipped when service was not acceptable, I think it is still a case of tipping as the service warrants. When in Rome....!


There is a good article on tipping in the USA here and to be clear 20% is not expected :


http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g191-s606/United-States:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html

But the article states a 10% means you weren't happy. That means a tip is still expected when you're not happy. This is the precise wording in the article.

" the tip should be calculated as a percentage of your total bill as follows: 10% usually means you aren't totally happy"

topdaddy_2

My policy:deserve a tip, get a tip in proportion to the cost of the meal and level of service given. I work hard for my money, so should anyone who wants it.