Do you tip in restaurants?

benten69 · 29 August 2016 at 8:59AM

Wasn't sure if this was the right place to put this, so admin, please move if needed.

Do you guys (and girls) tip when you go for a meal out? Personally I hate the idea, and it's even worse when you've got the waiter standing next to you as you select "No" on the card machine.

However, I always say that I don't get tips for doing anything extra and providing good levels of service in my job, so why should I pay others extra for a basic service their employers should be paying them for. In my previous role I saved the company £20,000 a day in penalties by delivering the project on time (a week early in fact), but I didn't get anything extra for it, because quite simply, it was my job.

Hence, I don't agree with tipping. They are doing a job & getting their hourly rate, so why do I need to subsidize it? Tesco don't tell me to pay extra if I go to a till vs going to the self checkout.

However, if there is a large group of us and say the bill comes out to £18 each, we'll all chuck in £20 and let the waiter / waitress keep the change. That's the only scenario it works in for me, as it saves everyone the hassle of finding change, waiting to get their change, etc.

What are peoples thoughts?

Voyager2002 · 29 August 2016 at 9:31AM

I hate tipping and would far rather pay a fair price that includes a decent wage for the waiter. However, it is customary to tip in restaurants in this country (and far more so in the USA); when the waiter delivers the service s/he expects that there will be a tip and so it is dishonest not to tip for decent service unless you explain this in advance; and when the waiter pays tax s/he will be taxed on the income from tips that HMRC estimates from the volume of work so that s/he will have to pay tax on the tip that you don't give!

Even if you pay by card, if you choose to tip then do so in cash: otherwise it just goes to the restaurant management (who probably make deductions and then share some of it among the staff). And if the bill includes a 'service charge' then you have already paid and so should not tip: although what I tend to do is refuse to pay it and tip the staff instead.

Voyager2002 · 29 August 2016 at 9:33AM

Main thought is that this thread is off-topic and belongs in the 'Arms'. Hope someone will move it.

comeandgo · 29 August 2016 at 10:06AM

Always tip, it's the way I was brought up and would feel very guilty if I did not.

benten69 · 29 August 2016 at 10:17AM

Voyager2002 wrote: »

.....when the waiter delivers the service s/he expects that there will be a tip and so it is dishonest not to tip for decent service.....

To me, that is a bit like saying "if I do a good job an save the company money I expect a big bonus or a raise", but the reality is I will probably not get that.

I also don't understand how it is "dishonest" to not tip. Can you explain that one?

If it's not written into your terms of service, you should not expect anything. Anything that you do get is a bonus. Same with every single other establishment you use. I dont understand why the rules seem to be different for those in the restaurant trade vs every other trade out there.

I mean, I don't give my builder or garage a tip because they gave me an excellent service.

Voyager2002 · 29 August 2016 at 1:40PM

benten69 wrote: »

To me, that is a bit like saying "if I do a good job an save the company money I expect a big bonus or a raise", but the reality is I will probably not get that.

Depending on the industry, that might be a reasonable expectation. People who do well but don't get a pay rise tend to move on to other employers.

benten69 wrote: »

I also don't understand how it is "dishonest" to not tip. Can you explain that one?

I think there is an implicit contract: the custom is that people do tip when they receive good service, and wage rates and tax rules reflect that this is what usually happens. So when a waiter comes to take your order, s/he is in the same position as someone who works in an industry where it is usual to reward good performance with a pay rise. I think if you imagine what would happen if at this point you explained that you never tip, and how the waiter's manner and behaviour would change, you will appreciate the point.

benten69 wrote: »

If it's not written into your terms of service, you should not expect anything. Anything that you do get is a bonus. Same with every single other establishment you use. I dont understand why the rules seem to be different for those in the restaurant trade vs every other trade out there.

I mean, I don't give my builder or garage a tip because they gave me an excellent service.

A lot of things are understood and practiced, without being written into terms of service.

victor2 · 29 August 2016 at 4:13PM

Assuming there is not a service charge included, I always subconsciously add 10% to the price of items on the menu to get a realistic cost. Then when the bill comes, I will happily tip 10% (rounded up to make it easy) if I've had satisfactory service . If the service has been better than satisfactory, I will tip a bit more.
Having had a DD work as a waitress, I appreciate that the basic wage is pretty low and the tips make it more reasonable. That's just the way this particular industry has developed.

KingS6 · 29 August 2016 at 4:39PM

benten69 wrote: »

To me, that is a bit like saying "if I do a good job an save the company money I expect a big bonus or a raise", but the reality is I will probably not get that.

I also don't understand how it is "dishonest" to not tip. Can you explain that one?

If it's not written into your terms of service, you should not expect anything. Anything that you do get is a bonus. Same with every single other establishment you use. I dont understand why the rules seem to be different for those in the restaurant trade vs every other trade out there.

I mean, I don't give my builder or garage a tip because they gave me an excellent service.

Garages and construction are not industries where tipping is expected. It is usually unskilled menial work with an element of personal service.

comeandgo wrote: »

Always tip, it's the way I was brought up and would feel very guilty if I did not.

This. It's just prudent practice.

It's also an excellent way of rewarding good effort and punishing bad effort. It is also good leverage if you're a regular customer somewhere, you can garner a rep for being a good tipper.

A good example is a takeaway delivery driver. They have three drops to make on the same run, all of roughly equal distance. They are incentivised to go to the person who tips over the other two who don't. If you're the one who tips you've got your food hotter. It's quite good MoneySaving if you gain something decent that you would otherwise miss out on. Pushing customer service to the max.

What I firmly don't believe in is rewarding poor service when tipping is still expected, as is the case in some jurisdictions (cough, USA, cough). It defeats the objective. I've yet to travel to the States but I have no compunction in walking out without tipping if I receive crap service. 20 to 25 % is steep too.

warehouse · 29 August 2016 at 4:47PM

I will only tip if the service and food is excellent, and then at 10% of the total bill absolute maximum. If the service or food doesn't come up to par then the tip is reduced accordingly. I have absolutely no guilt doing this, quite the opposite, a tip is earned just as a wage is.

If a restaurant levies a service charge then I will have that removed and not go back.

If you leave a tip because it's the "done thing" then you're just a mug.

Soot2006 · 29 August 2016 at 4:53PM

I always tip ~ 10% for attentive service. I tip ~ 15% for excellent service, esp in cheaper restaurants. The only time I don't leave any tip at all is when the service is poor.

I also like to go the same favourite restaurants so would rather the staff are happy to see me and pay attention.

victor2 · 29 August 2016 at 5:11PM

Soot2006 wrote: »

I always tip ~ 10% for attentive service. I tip ~ 15% for excellent service, esp in cheaper restaurants. The only time I don't leave any tip at all is when the service is poor.

I also like to go the same favourite restaurants so would rather the staff are happy to see me and pay attention.

We were recently in a Harvester with a couple of friends and decided to split the bill over two cards, which the waitress took care of. I knew no tip had been added and realised the other couple were not intending to leave anything, so left a fiver on the table, being about 10% of the bill. The other bill payer asked why on earth I was doing that. OH put it better than I could by saying the waitress deserved it, we were regulars there, and always got good service.

Do you tip in restaurants?

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