so where did this mandatory 10% tipping thing start??
Discussion
I've been to one restaurant in this country where the service deserved a tip. Went to the pub for lunch on sunday and the miserable nametag dropped our food off (an hour after we ordered it) by simply reeling off what it was, then putting it on the table. No enjoy your meal, anything else you need, is that all etc.
Conversely in America they're practically sucking you off as soon as you sit down, and we always tipped 20%. In fact, the only person that didn't get a tip was the taxi driver who i had to navigate for...
Conversely in America they're practically sucking you off as soon as you sit down, and we always tipped 20%. In fact, the only person that didn't get a tip was the taxi driver who i had to navigate for...
Feel free to shoot me down (as I’m probably wrong) but a quick bit of maths, simple numbers in a Pizza Express type place:
Say a waiter runs 6 tables @ 1.5h per table over a 7.5h shift; therefore they have the potential to work 30 tables over the course of an evening. Say an average bill of £50 with a 10% tip, so over the course of the evening they could potentially make 30 x £5 = £150 per shift or £20 per hour tax free?
Say a waiter runs 6 tables @ 1.5h per table over a 7.5h shift; therefore they have the potential to work 30 tables over the course of an evening. Say an average bill of £50 with a 10% tip, so over the course of the evening they could potentially make 30 x £5 = £150 per shift or £20 per hour tax free?
I tip if I feel they deserve a tip for making it a particularly good experience. That can be in any 1 of many ways but just by the book take my order, bring my food and take it away is baseline.
I'll tip if the server is nice, very helpful, if the get the food out on time when it's busy etc. I will however decide myself how much to leave. I'bve left more than 10% before but I've also left less.
I'll also directly tip the chef. I was a chef for a few years in Uni and they never get any love and hardly see any tips as the waiters pocket it before anyone else sees it.
Chefs do the core task (after all, it's not much of a dinner without any food) so I think deserve the lions share of the tips, espeically as it makes or breaks the dinner.
A chef will usually be happy to hear praise too as they don't get it often straight from customers, waiters are crap at passing praise along and they just spend all night slogging away in the back. I'm a firm beliver in praise where it is due, could be the boost that guy needed today or the good feedback a new start needs to impress the boss.
I'll tip if the server is nice, very helpful, if the get the food out on time when it's busy etc. I will however decide myself how much to leave. I'bve left more than 10% before but I've also left less.
I'll also directly tip the chef. I was a chef for a few years in Uni and they never get any love and hardly see any tips as the waiters pocket it before anyone else sees it.
Chefs do the core task (after all, it's not much of a dinner without any food) so I think deserve the lions share of the tips, espeically as it makes or breaks the dinner.
A chef will usually be happy to hear praise too as they don't get it often straight from customers, waiters are crap at passing praise along and they just spend all night slogging away in the back. I'm a firm beliver in praise where it is due, could be the boost that guy needed today or the good feedback a new start needs to impress the boss.
Type R Tom said:
Feel free to shoot me down (as I’m probably wrong) but a quick bit of maths, simple numbers in a Pizza Express type place:
Say a waiter runs 6 tables @ 1.5h per table over a 7.5h shift; therefore they have the potential to work 30 tables over the course of an evening. Say an average bill of £50 with a 10% tip, so over the course of the evening they could potentially make 30 x £5 = £150 per shift or £20 per hour tax free?
Never works like that in reality. Some people tip, others dont and rarely 10%. IME usually a fiver at most on up to £100, tenner above sometimes more.Say a waiter runs 6 tables @ 1.5h per table over a 7.5h shift; therefore they have the potential to work 30 tables over the course of an evening. Say an average bill of £50 with a 10% tip, so over the course of the evening they could potentially make 30 x £5 = £150 per shift or £20 per hour tax free?
And tips are normally shared between staff. So divide it up between front of house and kitchen.
That said in my place with two on the floor and three in the kitchen they often go home with an extra £30 each on a Friday and Saturday night, maybe £10-15 at lunch as well.
It does add up quickly.
As for 10%? For me it depends on the meal and service. Had an okay meal a few weeks back, me & mrs, think the bill was about £100, left a tenner. Yesterday had a cracking meal with 3 bottles of wine between 6 adults and 2 kids. Total bill £180, was fully expecting £250 and it would have been worth it in terms of quality and service. So left the two waitresses who really looked after us £30+ tip
I very rarely tip, unless I am drunk or it was very good service.
I get tips at work, I have no idea why, its my job to do what you've asked (delivery driver for home delivery food). It's often only £1 or £2, but sometimes more around Xmas, its nice, but not at all expected. The offer of a drink of water never goes amiss though if its a hot day.
I get tips at work, I have no idea why, its my job to do what you've asked (delivery driver for home delivery food). It's often only £1 or £2, but sometimes more around Xmas, its nice, but not at all expected. The offer of a drink of water never goes amiss though if its a hot day.
Type R Tom said:
Feel free to shoot me down (as I’m probably wrong) but a quick bit of maths, simple numbers in a Pizza Express type place:
Say a waiter runs 6 tables @ 1.5h per table over a 7.5h shift; therefore they have the potential to work 30 tables over the course of an evening. Say an average bill of £50 with a 10% tip, so over the course of the evening they could potentially make 30 x £5 = £150 per shift or £20 per hour tax free?
It's not tax free. There's an assumption that you'll earn a certain amount in tips and that goes into your tax code - at least it did when I was at PizzaExpress!Say a waiter runs 6 tables @ 1.5h per table over a 7.5h shift; therefore they have the potential to work 30 tables over the course of an evening. Say an average bill of £50 with a 10% tip, so over the course of the evening they could potentially make 30 x £5 = £150 per shift or £20 per hour tax free?
longblackcoat said:
It's not tax free. There's an assumption that you'll earn a certain amount in tips and that goes into your tax code - at least it did when I was at PizzaExpress!
I wasnt aware that any employer or tax office could make assumptions based on a voluntary contribution you may or may not recieve.... exactly how would that possibly stand up in court if they were pressed on the matter??longblackcoat said:
Type R Tom said:
Feel free to shoot me down (as I’m probably wrong) but a quick bit of maths, simple numbers in a Pizza Express type place:
Say a waiter runs 6 tables @ 1.5h per table over a 7.5h shift; therefore they have the potential to work 30 tables over the course of an evening. Say an average bill of £50 with a 10% tip, so over the course of the evening they could potentially make 30 x £5 = £150 per shift or £20 per hour tax free?
It's not tax free. There's an assumption that you'll earn a certain amount in tips and that goes into your tax code - at least it did when I was at PizzaExpress!Say a waiter runs 6 tables @ 1.5h per table over a 7.5h shift; therefore they have the potential to work 30 tables over the course of an evening. Say an average bill of £50 with a 10% tip, so over the course of the evening they could potentially make 30 x £5 = £150 per shift or £20 per hour tax free?
Out of interest, how much did you make a night if you don't mind me asking.
Tyre Tread said:
It didn't. It's a misbelief based upon US custom that some people belive exists in UK.
Fact is that many US 'servers' income is their tips. They don't get a wage or at least none to speak of.
In some US restaurants the waiters PAY to work there, on the basis that the tips provide enough to cover the cost of working there and provide an income. Fact is that many US 'servers' income is their tips. They don't get a wage or at least none to speak of.
I have been involved in tipping in my various jobs in customer service over a 44 year working life.
My first manager,Swan and Edger restaurant,Piccadilly Circus,told me that tips were not to be expected,but could be generated by performing not just my job but the little extras that I could offer to enhance the customer experience.At least I think that's what he said.
Mechant Navy,steward on passenger liners.Very good tips occasionally exellent.The passengers were with me for long enough to get to know them a little which always helped when 'envelope' day arrived.
Best filled envelope? 100 dollars,worst filled envelope? two folded envelopes within, but no cash.
Airline cabin crew.Tips not encouraged but often was bought something from the duty free from a grateful passenger.Cash money was refused,No, there's no need to tip! Oh you insist,Thank you!
There is no tipping in Japan and is actively discouraged in Australia.
Years ago in Chicago, at a restaurant, I got talking to the manager about tipping.She did say that the serving staff earned Five dollars an hour and relied on tips to survive.I suggested that what if the service and meal had been bad, would they still expect the 25%? Yes was the answer.I believe that the expected tip in the US currently is 30%.
In Jo'burg ,at a steak restaurant ,upon settling the bill,I was told, in a loud voice, that the tip was not enough.They got no more.
Exiting a San Francisco(that's enough place name dropping,thank you)taxi after paying and tipping,the driver threw the tip money out of the window at me saying.'keep it, you Brits never tip enough'.Perhaps 25cents was insufficient!
Happy Tipping!
My first manager,Swan and Edger restaurant,Piccadilly Circus,told me that tips were not to be expected,but could be generated by performing not just my job but the little extras that I could offer to enhance the customer experience.At least I think that's what he said.
Mechant Navy,steward on passenger liners.Very good tips occasionally exellent.The passengers were with me for long enough to get to know them a little which always helped when 'envelope' day arrived.
Best filled envelope? 100 dollars,worst filled envelope? two folded envelopes within, but no cash.
Airline cabin crew.Tips not encouraged but often was bought something from the duty free from a grateful passenger.Cash money was refused,No, there's no need to tip! Oh you insist,Thank you!
There is no tipping in Japan and is actively discouraged in Australia.
Years ago in Chicago, at a restaurant, I got talking to the manager about tipping.She did say that the serving staff earned Five dollars an hour and relied on tips to survive.I suggested that what if the service and meal had been bad, would they still expect the 25%? Yes was the answer.I believe that the expected tip in the US currently is 30%.
In Jo'burg ,at a steak restaurant ,upon settling the bill,I was told, in a loud voice, that the tip was not enough.They got no more.
Exiting a San Francisco(that's enough place name dropping,thank you)taxi after paying and tipping,the driver threw the tip money out of the window at me saying.'keep it, you Brits never tip enough'.Perhaps 25cents was insufficient!
Happy Tipping!
Edited by WD39 on Thursday 23 October 21:24
The only reason for not tipping is if the service has been bad, that's taxi drivers, hairdressers, restaurants ..wherever. It's only a couple of quid to me, but over a course of a shift it makes a difference to someone on minimum wage.
I own a restaurant and would never take a percentage of tips, it does happen though.
Make someone happy......tip them.
I own a restaurant and would never take a percentage of tips, it does happen though.
Make someone happy......tip them.
brad40 said:
Make someone happy......tip them.
I don't think it's the responsibility of the customer to make the staff happy?But a happy and satisfied customer will normally leave additional payment in the form of a tip.
Can't stand all of this new "Service charge" nonsense. It's just a marketing tool adopted from the US to disguise prices to make the menu pricing look more competitive. Just display the actual price required to pay your staff how you much you intend to pay them without all of the percentage shenanigans!
Creates a nightmare when filling out expense claims too. Probably explains why the US seem to like the Per Diem system.
I do indeed hate the 'mandatory service charge' added to a bill - and also I cannot fathom the 'parties with 6 or more people will have a 10% charge added to the bill' charge. I also don't believe for one second it goes anywhere near the servers or other staff.
wait. what? We bring good custom en masse to your restaurant and you charge 10% for that? If we got a dedicated service - maybe - but no one ever does. How does that make any sense?
I do tip - delivery drivers will always remember who tips well and I know they will multi drop and I want my food first! Therein is the perfect example of it working.
I also find it hilarious that Americans make such an issue of tipping. When I was a student and delivered food to support myself I never received a tip from a person with an American accent, ever. If anything they were the most sneery (if thats a word).
wait. what? We bring good custom en masse to your restaurant and you charge 10% for that? If we got a dedicated service - maybe - but no one ever does. How does that make any sense?
I do tip - delivery drivers will always remember who tips well and I know they will multi drop and I want my food first! Therein is the perfect example of it working.
I also find it hilarious that Americans make such an issue of tipping. When I was a student and delivered food to support myself I never received a tip from a person with an American accent, ever. If anything they were the most sneery (if thats a word).
WD39 said:
Years ago in Chicago, at a restaurant, I got talking to the manager about tipping.She did say that the serving staff earned Five dollars an hour and relied on tips to survive.I suggested that what if the service and meal had been bad, would they still expect the 25%? Yes was the answer.I believe that the expected tip in the US currently is 30%.
Seriously 30% 
I lived in Texas early/mid 90s and the expected tip then was 18%, a restaurant I ate at regularly had a rule (clearly printed in the menu) that groups of eight or more the service charge was added to the bill, less than eight you tipped what you wanted.
The service was always first class and I tipped between 15 and 20%.
boyse7en said:
What do you do in small restaurants, where the waiting staff are usually the family/wife/children of the owner?
We went to a really nice restaurant recently, and our waiter turned out to be a partner in the business. Through chatting, found out he and the chef had invested a considerable amount of their own money in the venture. Somehow, giving a £10 tip to someone who just spent £150k on setting up the place seemed a bit odd.
Why stop there and just limit it to people who are potentially business owners? Waiters/waitresses come from all different backgounds, rich and poor. I worked in Aberdeen's only 5* hotel (at the time) for 6 years or so and the staff car park was full of BMWs, Mercs etc because a lot of the staff came from affulent families. Some worked hard and deserved tips, others were lazy as hell. Tip on level of service provided not circumstance of the individual is how I've always look at it. That said it's common knowledge that as a waiter wanting tips, don't wear expensive clothes/jewellery/watches as that does put people off tipping. We went to a really nice restaurant recently, and our waiter turned out to be a partner in the business. Through chatting, found out he and the chef had invested a considerable amount of their own money in the venture. Somehow, giving a £10 tip to someone who just spent £150k on setting up the place seemed a bit odd.
longblackcoat said:
Type R Tom said:
Feel free to shoot me down (as I’m probably wrong) but a quick bit of maths, simple numbers in a Pizza Express type place:
Say a waiter runs 6 tables @ 1.5h per table over a 7.5h shift; therefore they have the potential to work 30 tables over the course of an evening. Say an average bill of £50 with a 10% tip, so over the course of the evening they could potentially make 30 x £5 = £150 per shift or £20 per hour tax free?
It's not tax free. There's an assumption that you'll earn a certain amount in tips and that goes into your tax code - at least it did when I was at PizzaExpress!Say a waiter runs 6 tables @ 1.5h per table over a 7.5h shift; therefore they have the potential to work 30 tables over the course of an evening. Say an average bill of £50 with a 10% tip, so over the course of the evening they could potentially make 30 x £5 = £150 per shift or £20 per hour tax free?
Gareth1974 said:
When a service charge - say 10% - is added to your bill, is VAT then payable on top of this? Effectively making it 12%?
Depend how you look at it.The cost before the tip includes VAT, you are tipping 10% on the value including VAT, but VAT is not then added to the tip.
brad40 said:
The only reason for not tipping is if the service has been bad, that's taxi drivers, hairdressers, restaurants ..wherever. It's only a couple of quid to me, but over a course of a shift it makes a difference to someone on minimum wage.
I own a restaurant and would never take a percentage of tips, it does happen though.
Make someone happy......tip them.
I'll ask again as I still haven't really seen anyone answer it - why is "hospitality" so different?I own a restaurant and would never take a percentage of tips, it does happen though.
Make someone happy......tip them.
Do you tip the checkout assistant in Tesco? Do you tip the girl in the shoe shop where you spent 20 minutes trying on several pairs of shoes? Do you tip the Saturday girl at the hairdressers? Do you tip the pot washer at the restaurant?
It's a bit bizarre hearing some of the reasoning on who's deserving
b
hstewie said:
hstewie said: Do you tip the checkout assistant in Tesco?
NObhstewie said:
hstewie said: Do you tip the girl in the shoe shop where you spent 20 minutes trying on several pairs of shoes?
NObhstewie said:
hstewie said: Do you tip the Saturday girl at the hairdressers?
YES or at least I hope some of the tip I leave when paying goes to herbhstewie said:
hstewie said: Do you tip the pot washer at the restaurant?
YES, kitchen staff generally get a share of the tipsbhstewie said:
hstewie said: It's a bit bizarre hearing some of the reasoning on who's deserving
It is custom and habit.Corpulent Tosser said:
WD39 said:
Years ago in Chicago, at a restaurant, I got talking to the manager about tipping.She did say that the serving staff earned Five dollars an hour and relied on tips to survive.I suggested that what if the service and meal had been bad, would they still expect the 25%? Yes was the answer.I believe that the expected tip in the US currently is 30%.
Seriously 30% I lived in Texas early/mid 90s and the expected tip then was 18%, a restaurant I ate at regularly had a rule (clearly printed in the menu) that groups of eight or more the service charge was added to the bill, less than eight you tipped what you wanted.
The service was always first class and I tipped between 15 and 20%.
Never once seen above 25% which is already too high.
A tip is discretionary just as a bonus may be.
I just came back from the states and tipped most of the time but on a couple of occasions, our waiter was slow, rude and very forgetful so I didn't leave a dime. I don't think that person would last long. My other half said that wasn't right of me not to give anything but why should I pay somebody to be rude to me, forget items on my order, not bring my condiments when I asked for them and taking an age to bring my bill. (It took over 30 minutes and we had to find another person).
Generally however, US waiting is superb and worth the tip you pay as like many have said, it's the backbone of their wages. But you still have to work for it and no tip is given. No matter what country you're in.
Short of the long. No matter what country I'm in, I tip for great service and don't for crap. I rarely tip a barman unless they've done something extraordinary or given me advice on my drinks.
I just came back from the states and tipped most of the time but on a couple of occasions, our waiter was slow, rude and very forgetful so I didn't leave a dime. I don't think that person would last long. My other half said that wasn't right of me not to give anything but why should I pay somebody to be rude to me, forget items on my order, not bring my condiments when I asked for them and taking an age to bring my bill. (It took over 30 minutes and we had to find another person).
Generally however, US waiting is superb and worth the tip you pay as like many have said, it's the backbone of their wages. But you still have to work for it and no tip is given. No matter what country you're in.
Short of the long. No matter what country I'm in, I tip for great service and don't for crap. I rarely tip a barman unless they've done something extraordinary or given me advice on my drinks.
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff