Do you tip in restaurants?

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  • Katapolt
    Katapolt Posts: 291
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    I try to leave a little but its hard to find the balance between what i have available to tip with and what isnt insulting. I wont tip via a card machine because i've heard awful stories from friends in the restaurant industry who never get the money, or not much of it.
  • NBLondon
    NBLondon Posts: 5,517
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    lisyloo wrote: »
    Just something to think about - your attitude.
    Maybe you should think about your habit of jumping to conclusions...

    You originally said
    In London we get better service because of service charges.
    I challenged the implication that having a service charge (rather than tipping) leads to better service. A poor waitperson might only choose to give mediocre service if the service charge is included (and customers might pay it without noticing or thinking) - a good one will give good service to all customers. I have observed an increase in the number of restaurants with an automatic service charge over the last few years - I haven't observed that this leads to better service compared to those which haven't.
    I am certainly no pushover. I’ll take off a service charge or complain if necessary,
    Of course - if you haven't received the service you are being charged for - you should raise the issue politely. A decent business makes it clear on the menu what the service charge is and if it is optional.

    I probably said way upthread that I have asked for a service charge to be removed and then tipped the waitperson in cash. Because their service was good - but not the business's.
    A lot of truth in what the queen mother said - walk softly with a big stick.
    Theodore Roosevelt was the Queen Mother ??? - you live and learn....
    Being nice or a little charming tend to get better results whatever situation you’re in.
    As opposed to being passive-aggressive, you mean?

    The last restaurant I was in was the First Dates Restaurant (in it's day time guise as Paternoster Chop House). Our main course took a longish time coming, we assumed it was just being busy but it turned out that the order ticket system was playing up and the chefs hadn't known. We got two apologies (waitperson and duty manager) and they comped the dessert and a glass of prosecco. They had an automatic 12.5% service charge and I had no qualms about paying it.
    Wash your Knobs and Knockers... Keep the Postie safe!
  • lisyloo
    lisyloo Posts: 29,582
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    NBLondon wrote: »
    Maybe you should think about your habit of jumping to conclusions...

    Not a conclusion at all, just a suggestion of what might be at the heart of the matter.

    Your observations are different to mine.
    I accept that but you should also accept that people have different experiences.
    I merely suggest (not conclude) that how you treat people may well affect how they treat you.
    As opposed to being passive-aggressive, you mean?

    No idea never used those words.

    Interesting (and slightly amusing anecdote) from Mexico.
    We were on a scuba diving boat mainly full of Americans.
    There was no way being British that we were going to pay the suggested tipping amount which was many hundreds of dollars each.
    The crew summised this (can’t really blame them as they were correct).
    When we arrived for breakfast they didn’t serve us in order, but they served the Americans first because they knew that they’ve have a much greater chance of being rewarded (and they were right).
    We did tip to then tune of hundreds of dollars but not 10% of the holiday as suggested as it was a huge figure.
    I chose to be amused by it and couldn’t really complain as the staff were almost certainly right, but everywhere I go the service is better the higher tips you pay.

    Second slightly amusing anecdote.
    Went to a British restaurant at a hotel.
    The bill was £68, so my partner added £7 tip making the total £75 but the 7 had a slight curve on the bottom and the staff decided he’d left a £25 tip despite it being in the “total” box.
    They were ALL OVER us.
    We were somewhat bemused until we’d figured out what had happened.
    Amazing how little it takes.
  • NBLondon
    NBLondon Posts: 5,517
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    edited 10 May 2019 at 3:08PM
    lisyloo wrote: »
    Not a conclusion at all, just a suggestion of what might be at the heart of the matter.
    The matter you seem to be discussing is not the one I questioned.
    Your observations are different to mine.
    So is it your observation that having service charges leads to better service? Your Mexico anecdote seems to be demonstrating and admitting that a tipping approach led to better service for the higher tippers ??? Or were you just clumsily making the rather obvious point that service charge or tipping is better than fixed prices with no reward to the server?
    I merely suggest (not conclude) that how you treat people may well affect how they treat you.
    A truism but irrelevant to the point I was raising - so you appear to have turned it into a passive-aggressive insult.

    Aha - on re-reading... I was making the point that the number of places defaulting to service charge instead of free-form tipping has increased. Did you think that I meant the percentage the service charge is set at has increased? I'd have thought that was a whole different issue taking in the restaurant's location, target clientele, perceived level of quality and customer's expectations of service level.
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  • arnoldy
    arnoldy Posts: 505
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    Yes. around 10% for good service, a bit more for exceptional but that's rare. If I have a poor experience I will not tip and that's about 1 in 10?


    Lots of posts here about why it should be 'all in' but the fact is its NOT in UK. Therefore I think we should not be tight/mean about it but factor it in. And yes I don't get tipped for my job but I'm not on zero hours, minimum wage no pensions etc. So I do emphasise with the folk doing these jobs.
  • Mr_Singleton
    Mr_Singleton Posts: 1,891 Forumite
    arnoldy wrote: »
    Lots of posts here about why it should be 'all in' but the fact is its NOT in UK. Therefore I think we should not be tight/mean about it but factor it in. And yes I don't get tipped for my job but I'm not on zero hours, minimum wage no pensions etc. So I do emphasise with the folk doing these jobs.

    It IS all inclusive.... the 'service charge/tip' is purely discretionary. Its done this way to A) dodge tax and B) embarrass people into paying.

    How can it improve service if you only know your getting a tip at the end?

    I don't pay tips or service charges.
  • klew356
    klew356 Posts: 1,130
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    I don’t tip unless its exceptional and/or in a large group and its easier as you say. They are just doing their job at the end of the day. I have also heard the stories of the guys not getting the tips from the card tips so I avoid that if possible. I’m not tight, well maybe a little, I’m realistic. I have waited on myself. We were fed lovely food on Sunday but after asking to see the dessert menu my friend then waited a further 20 minutes to get her order taken. It wasn’t busy they were milling around by the bar. Definitely no tip.
  • dan958
    dan958 Posts: 770
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    If I am in a large group, we will generally all put down a quid each if the service was good.
  • Askalaba
    Askalaba Posts: 61
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    I (almost) always tip at least 10% sometimes more depending on service. If the service is terrible and i mean TERRIBLE then I won't tip. There's only been on place I haven't tipped before but there were numerous reasons why this was.

    Does anybody else get a little annoyed when a tip is automatically added to the receipt? I'm not sure if it's just me being grumpy and I need to lighten up but for some reason it get's on my nerves. :D
    Absolutely love a good bargain. If anybody has any money saving tips please send them my way :j
  • nalimcc
    nalimcc Posts: 23
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    I always tip, I'll feel guilty if I don't. It would have to be particularly woeful service for me not to tip.

    It's a bit weird when you think about it though, there's plenty of minimum wage jobs out there that aren't expected to receive tips.

    I used to work in a shop which had a cafe attached, the cafe had a tip jar but the tills didn't. Wouldn't have said they worked particularly harder than us or spent that much longer with the customer. Is what it is, I guess.
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