Giraffe Restaurant Service Charge

Ianwzzz

I visited a Giraffe Restaurant for lunch with my family and was shocked when a 10% service charge was added onto the bill. I always tip good service but being told to pay 10% is not right.

I complained after we had left and their customer service told me I could have asked the waitress to remove it, and she would have discreetly called the manager over to take it off.

They said it is clearly printed on the menu that there is a service charge,none of my family noticed it at the time.

I have looked on Tripadvisor and a lot of people complain about the service charge.

Do you guys think it's right to have a service charge?

^!£$&

We go to our local Giraffe and always ask them to take the service charge off. That way we can tip what we feel is fair.

Giggles_Fairy

I find this quite typical of many restaurants, usually if there are 6 or more people in the party. I don't really agree with it but don't mind they do it - I just ask for it to be taken off / don't pay it and leave a tip we feel is acceptable.

giroux321

if it is a large party 8+ then I think that its acceptable. But as a standard practice I don't agree. Wait staff get paid min wage here and any tips should be based on the quality of their service. Its important as well to see if the person serving you actually gets the tip if its paid on a card as well. I know places like Prezzo keep the card tips and give the server 1% of them in their wages! A disgusting practice and I think its theft! When I tip...I am giving it to the server!

catwoman73

giroux321 wrote: »

if it is a large party 8+ then I think that its acceptable. But as a standard practice I don't agree. Wait staff get paid min wage here and any tips should be based on the quality of their service. Its important as well to see if the person serving you actually gets the tip if its paid on a card as well. I know places like Prezzo keep the card tips and give the server 1% of them in their wages! A disgusting practice and I think its theft! When I tip...I am giving it to the server!

Do you tip all the other minimum wage earners that provide you with services?

Shop workers, fast food workers, cleaners, care workers etc?

I've never understood how taking orders and carrying plates of food around is considered worthy of tipping when many similarly paid, equally hard work and often far more important or unpleasant tasks (care work and cleaners) aren't.

And if you work out how much 10% of everyone's bill adds upto over a shift, it must double or triple their actual wage!

momoney2014

Service charges should not be added automatically to your bill. It should be up to the customer if they wish to tip.

If the server works on a table of 5 people, they could make £10 easy for little work on the table.

danielanthony

catwoman73 wrote: »

Do you tip all the other minimum wage earners that provide you with services?

Shop workers, fast food workers, cleaners, care workers etc?

I've never understood how taking orders and carrying plates of food around is considered worthy of tipping when many similarly paid, equally hard work and often far more important or unpleasant tasks (care work and cleaners) aren't.

And if you work out how much 10% of everyone's bill adds upto over a shift, it must double or triple their actual wage!

But they're having to deal with members of the scummy public all day with a smile on their face and directly influence how good a time you have whilst eating out. If you don't want to tip these people, then don't, I don't know what the penalty is for not tipping in this country. But in America, I've seen people challenged by their waiter/waitress for not tipping at all or enough, it's seen as a much more formal transaction over there.

paulharding150

danielanthony wrote: »

... in America, I've seen people challenged by their waiter/waitress for not tipping ...

There's something completely wrong with that concept.

If someone challenged me for not tipping/not tipping enough, them notgetting a tip would be the least of their problems.

Paul, who tipped in Ask last night before you ask and who works a second job ina pub/restaurant at the NMW.

kwmlondon

I expect a 10-15% service charge to be added when I have food at a restaurant and am quite surprised when it isn't and always add that amount myself as a tip if it's not automatically put on the bill. I'd only consider not paying it if the service had been truly dire.

I would actually end a friendship with someone if they said they didn't pay the service charge, I'm actually holding myself back from my view of those who don't pay this but let's just say I have a low opinion of such people and leave it there.

paulharding150

kwmlondon wrote: »

I expect a 10-15% service charge to be added when I have food at a restaurant...

Why?

When you go in a restaurant and order a meal and wine, you're paying not only for the food, but for someone to serve it to you and the atmosphere, service is part of that.

Yes reward someone for being good/kind/going above and beyond by all means, but for a restaurant to charge a % of your bill as service I find is completely wrong.

Danceswithhorses

danielanthony wrote: »

But in America, I've seen people challenged by their waiter/waitress for not tipping at all or enough, it's seen as a much more formal transaction over there.

I once went to a particular Mexican restaurant in Manhattan.
My meal and service was poor, so i only left a small tip, and i was subsequently blocked from leaving by the waiter at the exit door.
In order not to cause a scene, i paid a little extra just to get out of the place, but am still peeved by it 15 years later lol.
In my eyes, poor meal/service=poor tip, great meal/service=large tip.
Unfortunately, in my experience, in the US, large tips are expected irrespective.