Money Moral Dilemma: Should I refuse to pay the service charge when eating out?

em34901

Personally, tipping is very outdated and should be abolished all together in my eyes,  especially given the massive influx in prices recently. We all work hard but you dont see people on similar wages like admin/reception staff expecting tips.

Gooner999

This is yet another "Americanism" that is creeping into our society.  Although some of them may add to our society (can't think of any off the top of my head), most produce negative reactions, of which this is just the latest in a long line including "Black Friday" and "Thanksgiving" to name but two.
The next step is that this will become mandatory as it is in the US now. It is just an excuse to pay lower salaries and should be fought against now before it gets a hold countrywide. 
Straight answer to your question. I would NOT pay it unless service was exceptional especially at 12.5%.

philb180

Tipping UK is optional not mandatory. The service charge on a restaurant bill is a suggestion not an invoice. 

If I receive good service, it doesn’t have to be outstanding but in my opinion it should be beyond normal service, then I always ask the member of staff whether the staff gets the service charge or does it go to the house. 

If the staff receive it I leave it on the bill (I leave no additional tip as that is the tip). 

If it goes to the house I politely ask for the service charge to be removed and I then tip in cash. 

Of course, the manner in which my request to remove the service charge is met will, potentially, determine whether I leave a tip or not. 

Pollycat

philb180 said:

Tipping UK is optional not mandatory. The service charge on a restaurant bill is a suggestion not an invoice. 

If I receive good service, it doesn’t have to be outstanding but in my opinion it should be beyond normal service, then I always ask the member of staff whether the staff gets the service charge or does it go to the house. 

If the staff receive it I leave it on the bill (I leave no additional tip as that is the tip). 

If it goes to the house I politely ask for the service charge to be removed and I then tip in cash. 

Of course, the manner in which my request to remove the service charge is met will, potentially, determine whether I leave a tip or not. 

Is it though?

A customer may make different types of payment on top of the basic charge, but usually it will be one of the following:

• mandatory service charge
• discretionary service charge
• gratuity paid to the employer as part of a cheque, credit or debit card payment
• gratuity paid into a staff box or similar
• gratuity handed or paid directly to an employee

Service charge

A service charge is an amount added to the customer’s bill before it is presented to the customer. If it is made clear to the customer that the charge is a purely discretionary amount and there is no obligation to pay, the payment is a voluntary service charge. Where this is not the case, the payment is a mandatory service charge. 

Guidance on tips, gratuities, service charges and troncs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Hodgie

I don't mind tipping but I object to being told how much I should tip (it doesnt make me a bad person, even Stateside).
The dilemma is whether to give the tip in cash or by card. 
Cash means that the other staff (e.g. kitchen/cleaning) may miss out.
Card means that the cash goes to the owners who decide where it goes.
I always give the tip in cash to the server.  It's yhen down to their concience what they do with it.
In an ideal world tipping shouldn't be necessary but....it ain't.

gocurlygirl

Ineedaservant said:

I used to occasionally go to a cafe on my lunch break, and always left a tip for the servers as they were always chatty and helpful.  One day one of them told me that the tips were always taken by the owner and it was a sackable offence to keep the tips themselves.  I never tipped again.  Now I always ask servers if they get the tip, if not I don't tip.

My niece worked a a restaurant in an expensive hotel .At that time the wages were poor.The waiting staff did not get any of the tips,it all went into the manager's pocket.I worked as a waitress as a teenager,the tips helped me start saving for nice things, like shoes!😄

Zopa_Trooper

Tipping is so arbitrary. You get a hair cut to go on holiday (tip). You get a taxi to go to the railway station (tip). Porter helps you with your luggage (tip). Train driver takes 500 people to their journeys end. Its a one man operation, the guy is responsible for your safety, giving you information and god forbid there's an accident or a knife wielding maniac on the train that has to be dealt with.  Anybody ever walked to the front, give them a tip?

JayD

I always like to tip my waiter/waitress, wherever I am,  unless they have given a poor or shoddy service, but I never pay an optional service charge or add a tip to the bill. I like to ensure that the tip goes t the person earning it - and not to the management - so I leave 10% in cash..

thelawnet

Pollycat said:

philb180 said:

Tipping UK is optional not mandatory. The service charge on a restaurant bill is a suggestion not an invoice. 

If I receive good service, it doesn’t have to be outstanding but in my opinion it should be beyond normal service, then I always ask the member of staff whether the staff gets the service charge or does it go to the house. 

If the staff receive it I leave it on the bill (I leave no additional tip as that is the tip). 

If it goes to the house I politely ask for the service charge to be removed and I then tip in cash. 

Of course, the manner in which my request to remove the service charge is met will, potentially, determine whether I leave a tip or not. 

Is it though?

A customer may make different types of payment on top of the basic charge, but usually it will be one of the following:

• mandatory service charge
• discretionary service charge
• gratuity paid to the employer as part of a cheque, credit or debit card payment
• gratuity paid into a staff box or similar
• gratuity handed or paid directly to an employee

Service charge

A service charge is an amount added to the customer’s bill before it is presented to the customer. If it is made clear to the customer that the charge is a purely discretionary amount and there is no obligation to pay, the payment is a voluntary service charge. Where this is not the case, the payment is a mandatory service charge. 

Guidance on tips, gratuities, service charges and troncs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

What this means is that the restaurant gets into expensive tax liabilities if it makes the service charge mandatory, and in practice therefore it will tend to be discretionary, however if they do state that it is mandatory in advance, it is.

Pollycat

thelawnet said:

Pollycat said:

philb180 said:

Tipping UK is optional not mandatory. The service charge on a restaurant bill is a suggestion not an invoice. 

If I receive good service, it doesn’t have to be outstanding but in my opinion it should be beyond normal service, then I always ask the member of staff whether the staff gets the service charge or does it go to the house. 

If the staff receive it I leave it on the bill (I leave no additional tip as that is the tip). 

If it goes to the house I politely ask for the service charge to be removed and I then tip in cash. 

Of course, the manner in which my request to remove the service charge is met will, potentially, determine whether I leave a tip or not. 

Is it though?

A customer may make different types of payment on top of the basic charge, but usually it will be one of the following:

• mandatory service charge
• discretionary service charge
• gratuity paid to the employer as part of a cheque, credit or debit card payment
• gratuity paid into a staff box or similar
• gratuity handed or paid directly to an employee

Service charge

A service charge is an amount added to the customer’s bill before it is presented to the customer. If it is made clear to the customer that the charge is a purely discretionary amount and there is no obligation to pay, the payment is a voluntary service charge. Where this is not the case, the payment is a mandatory service charge. 

Guidance on tips, gratuities, service charges and troncs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

What this means is that the restaurant gets into expensive tax liabilities if it makes the service charge mandatory, and in practice therefore it will tend to be discretionary, however if they do state that it is mandatory in advance, it is.

I know what it means.

I was disagreeing with philb180 who said:

Tipping UK is optional not mandatory. The service charge on a restaurant bill is a suggestion not an invoice. 

If the service charge is mandatory and you choose to order anyway, the service charge is not a suggestion.