Do you tip in restaurants?

Cleo&tammy

I always tip in restaurants, unless the staff are rude.

katebrooks

I only tip when the staff is nice and helpful. If I feel uncomfortable or not well served then I don't

gazzak_2

LunaaLouuby wrote: »

I've previously worked in a take away and know how stressful it can be dealing with hungry customers!

If they weren't hungry then they wouldn't be there surely?

BakingC

I will tip if I am going out for a meal as the focal point of the evening and staying there for a longer period of time e.g. multiple courses lots of talking between courses (unless the service is lacking)

If I am just going to say w*g*m*mas for a quick ramen prior to going to the cinema I will be less inclined to tip but if I have a particularly cheery and friendly server I still might but more like up to the nearest £5/10 depending on size of the bill.

Nasqueron

The best example of entitlement I saw was in Canada in Quebec, in a restaurant the service was average at best and the waitress said towards the end, three times, that service wasn't included in the bill. Might as well have been begging.

I tend to do about 10% in most places where staff are nice or where we are regulars, our local curry house usually gives us a free drink each at the end so the tip for the staff is a nice way of saying thanks. Staff can struggle to survive on minimum wage so if they are above and beyond then that's worth rewarding. I tip the hairdresser a quid as well (only ever have a head shave that takes maybe 10 minutes and costs me about £12). I don't go in for the US nonsense of tipping everyone, a barman expects you to leave a dollar just for providing drinks even if it's just opening a bottle!

For what it's worth, the urban myth of "TIP" being an acronym for "To Insure Promptness" was mentioned way back on page 2. This isn't true, it's one of these words that people have retrospectively added this to (like POSH being Port Out Starboard Home). If you think about it, paying after doesn't "insure" prompt service and paying in advance doesn't guarantee the server will be good, plus "ensure" is much better English. Tip as a verb comes from the 1700s relating to rich people giving servants a reward, though the word tip goes back to 1610 - originally underworld slang for giving or sharing among petty criminals.

RyanEzio

Ever since the minimum wage was increased to £7.50. A lot of restaurants do not allow their staff to keep the tips.

So we careful when giving out the tips.

DamnMoon

It all depends on the situation.

Paying on a card - no, unless the service has been incredible.

Someone else who has not been the main server doing the bill - no.

Paying by cash - maybe, but only if I have a lot of loose change or would only get loose change from paying with notes.

ViolaLass

I've been a waitress a few times. I never expected tips (what a way to ruin your own evening if it doesn't happen) or relied on them.

I was also very unlikely to remember precisely what repeat customers had tipped, if at all, last time. I'm not sure I would have been impressed with any customers who expected me to remember. I also never held it against anyone who didn't tip (again, if I even remembered). Maybe they didn't have cash, maybe they could only just afford the meal, maybe they earned no more than me, maybe they didn't like the tipping culture, maybe...

Maybe they just said thank you instead and were polite.

Vet

If service and food is great then typically 10% - If food average/service average then typically i'll just settle what is owed.

lisyloo

We usually tip unless there is a reason not to, but we live in London where there is a tipping culture.

I always say that I don't get tips for doing anything extra and providing good levels of service in my job

I find in London that we usually get excellent service as a result of the tipping culture, so there is a benefit.
Often it's included as a service charge, which makes it simple.


I have also seen the same in Egypt on holiday and travel companies I know well say this is how you ensure good service.
Perhaps some think good service is a right, but i think it's just human nature.
Perhaps your job is different where there are other motivations such as intrinsic job satisfaction which perhaps other more dogsbody roles don't benefit from?


Personally I see the benefits.
The vast majority of serving staff in London are discrete and don't make a big deal of hanging around for a tip.