waiter unhappy with tip

[Davos123]

21TonyK said:

I have no issue with tipping but I think the straight % is a very crude estimate of what a server should receive.

I could go out and order a £40 main and a £60 bottle of wine taking 5 minutes of a servers time and leave a £10 tip but a couple ordering mains and deserts with no wine could be a lot more work but tip less.

An accepted % of the food bill multiplied by the number of covers would be a better (albeit completely unrealistic) answer.

I find tipping a % bizarre, but if you're in North America just remember that they do a thing called "tipping out" there so a low tip on a big bill can end up costing your server money.

As an example, I had a $900 bill at a restaurant for 4 people where the majority of that cost was booze we poured ourselves and we weren't in the place all that long. I suggested a $50 tip rather than the standard 18% because WTF would you pay someone nearly $200 to bring $300 of food to your table? The people I was with pointed out that he likely has to pay a % (usually around 7%) of his total bills to the kitchen and bar staff, regardless of how much he actually makes in tips. So if you tip 7% or lower, it can end up costing them to serve you. Utterly ludicrous practice, can't believe it's even legal.

[Robertj21a]

Terminator X said:

Robertj21a said:

DickyC said:

tannhauser said:

DickyC said:

Tipping started in Britain and was well established by the 17th Century.

Now it's part of the occasion. It's theatre. If a place expects you to tip and you don't want to, go somewhere else; McDonald's or somewhere.

Sake.

What a load of bks. Theatre?

"Sake" indeed. Wasn't exactly blown away by sake.

We're a fifth of the way through the 21st Century and you want to eat in a place where people are employed to bring food to your table with personal service and be well dressed and agreeable and knowledgable and do a little dance and sing a little song? Of course it's theatre. Non tippers in this situation have joined a club but don't want to abide by the rules. Just tip them.

You'll be telling me next you don't tip taxi drivers.

I'm not sure what century you're living in but the 21st century shouldn't be a party to tipping for just a standard service. It simply ensures that management will continue to pay poorly for as long as they can get away with it. If they can't afford to pay properly they should put up the basic prices, or close down.
By all means, add a tip for service that is significantly over what you might have reasonably expected. Just don't tip for mediocrity.

So by not tipping you think it will force businesses to pay low wage staff more acknowledge it, you are a cheap motherfker.

TX.

Not at all, I tip when I feel the service is better than I had expected. If staff need tips to survive then they need to change to a better employer.

[CustardOnChips]

DickyC said:

tannhauser said:

CustardOnChips said:

DickyC said:

Tipping started in Britain and was well established by the 17th Century.

Now it's part of the occasion. It's theatre. If a place expects you to tip and you don't want to, go somewhere else; McDonald's or somewhere.

Sake.

Tipping is theatre? WTF is that supposed to mean?

Do you make a big fuss and grand gesture of leaving a few quid for the poor urchin that had the honour of serving a gentleman of such distinction as yourself?

My thoughts exactly, but much more eloquently put!

Dinner in a restaurant is theatre. It's entertainment. So help me, we have this every time.

You are such an embarrassment, the pair of you. I am never taking you out to dinner again.

Sorry old bean.

I promise to be good next time.

[DickyC]

CustardOnChips said:

Sorry old bean.

I promise to be good next time.

[The Mad Monk]

Davos123 said:

I find tipping a % bizarre, but if you're in North America just remember that they do a thing called "tipping out" there so a low tip on a big bill can end up costing your server money.

As an example, I had a $900 bill at a restaurant for 4 people where the majority of that cost was booze we poured ourselves and we weren't in the place all that long. I suggested a $50 tip rather than the standard 18% because WTF would you pay someone nearly $200 to bring $300 of food to your table? The people I was with pointed out that he likely has to pay a % (usually around 7%) of his total bills to the kitchen and bar staff, regardless of how much he actually makes in tips. So if you tip 7% or lower, it can end up costing them to serve you. Utterly ludicrous practice, can't believe it's even legal.

Choose an alternative restaurant.

[xjay1337]

Most of you guys would hate South Africa.

You tip for everything here.
Even parking "car guards".

Generally in the UK on a 30-40 quid normal meal for us 2 , we leave a couple of quid by way of standard behaviour

Don't think about it, but if I don't have the money then it's no issue to me.

[soad]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WXXPYxyn5mA

[castex]

Daily Mail said teachers receive an average £300-worth of presents at the end of the year.
I was pleased with my small bag of (6 or 7) gummy bears.

[Fastpedeller]

Just a nice little story......... When I was a child my Uncle used to visit from wherever he was (he worked lecturing all over the World in Universities) and we would go out as a family to a local eatery, He was a very learned man, but remembered his humble beginnings and always treated others well. Uncle was a smoker, and he'd ask a waiter if they'd mind getting him some cigis from the machine. A waiter who was good mannered about this request got a VERY healthy tip (I remember £5 being given 50 years ago!)

[InductionRoar]

matrignano said:

It happened just on Sunday when I ordered an expensive bottle of wine and paid £20+ in tip.
On the way home I thought, why the fk did I just pay £20 for someone to open and pour a bottle of wine for me???

That is a very generous tip. Out of interest what wine did you order? I am always loathed to buy wine out because of the huge markups already added to the price. I am not expecting a bargain but it is nice not to be ripped off because Pierre the waiter tells you that you have good taste.

[Davos123]

The Mad Monk said:

Choose an alternative restaurant.

It's ubiquitous anywhere nice in Canada.

Also, who the fk wants to call ahead to check a restaurant's staff policy on tipping before going?

[anonymous-user]

tannhauser said:

Roman Rhodes said:

boyse7en said:

Olivera said:

~10% tip is the UK societal norm for tipping in a restaurant, so either pay that or stick to McDonalds or the chip shop.

So why do you exclude McD's and Chip Shops from tipping?

How do you decide which establishments warrant a tip? This is the problem with tipping - its a minefield of social expectation and knowledge.


As an alternative viewpoint, as a student I worked for a campsite during the holidays. I used to help some of the more elderly campers with towing their vans onto the site and putting up awnings and whatnot. Was often offered a tip but never accepted them, as my opinion was that I was already being paid by the campsite owner to provide a service. It just felt morally wrong to charge people extra for what they had already paid for.

How is it a “minefield”? Surely you can tell the difference between a waiter and somebody just standing behind a counter who takes your money and hands over a bag of food? If you struggle with that you could simply follow what other people do by asking yourself have I ever seen anyone tip in McDonalds or the chip shop and have I ever seen anyone tip in a restaurant where I was waited on?

Your campsite argument makes no sense either - if you’re offered a tip then that isn’t “charging people extra”.

You’re making it much harder than it really is!

How is taking an order, bringing food to a table then clearing it away, so worthy of a tip?!

I think that if you have to ask then I’m not sure you’re going to understand/accept the answer. Firstly, it isn’t “so worthy” so let’s lose the exaggeration. Secondly, there is an element of convention with tipping. Waiting on tables, taxi driving, hairdressing - all have an expectation of tipping. You may not like it but there are many conventions that help the world go round. Some of these are simply good manners. The ‘trades’ that are tipped are those where typically the individual delivering the service will be low paid and/or are in a position to ‘make a difference’. If you’re going to pay £150 for a meal for two where the staff silently take your order and then just plonk plates on the table before thrusting a bill in front of you then your idea of a nice night out strikes me as a little weird. Should poor service be tipped? - of course not.

[anonymous-user]

Davos123 said:

The Mad Monk said:

Choose an alternative restaurant.

It's ubiquitous anywhere nice in Canada.

Also, who the fk wants to call ahead to check a restaurant's staff policy on tipping before going?

Yes, a mental suggestion equally as loony as the nutty idea that a waiter should just move to higher paying restaurant so that they don’t need tips.

Life is so easy outside of the real world!

[talksthetorque]

markcoznottz said:

No one in the care industry ever gets tipped for example.

Only when the lift fails.

Worked in a bar and in a restaurant when I was younger.
I get the service charge added to the bill automatically if the area is not so upmarket, eg chain eateries in shopping centres. People arent used to leaving a tip generally so might not, even if it has been good.
But my thoughts are that it's just "pay us more money or embarrass yourself by asking for it to be removed"

I had to go to the shop to get some change last night and then return to the restaurant to leave a tip.
( OK, I also bought a packet of biscuits because they didn't do desserts)

[Robertj21a]

Roman Rhodes said:

Yes, a mental suggestion equally as loony as the nutty idea that a waiter should just move to higher paying restaurant so that they don’t need tips.

Life is so easy outside of the real world!

The real world (which you appear to fail to recognise) has a wide range of people, and a wide range of jobs. In the UK at present we have very low unemployment and there are vacancies in a good number of different occupations. A waiter, cleaner, shop worker etc does not have to stay with the same employer, or in the same industry, if they are having to rely on tips.

[That's the real world........]

[GT03ROB]

Good god....so much hot air & pent up anger.....

...for as long as I can remember, which is longer than some of you lot have been alive.... it's been the norm in the UK to tip around 10% in restaurants. Tip going in cash to the waiter. If the service is mediocre to poor nothing or very little, exceptional it's more. It is however optional. If you don't want to do it you don't.

Adding a service charge I don't like. Do I tip in bars in the UK... no. Do I tip in bars in the US... yes. Different countries.... different practices. I tend not to tip in pubs for food, though if the place is leaning more to a restaurant than a pub I probably will. Do I tip anyone else..... postman - no, Dustman - no, taxi driver - maybe, usually not, barber - yes.

Not consistent I know, doesn't need to be, it's just the way I was bought up.

[RTB]

Does anyone remember what happened to the French waiter in Sopranos who remonstrated with Chris a Pauly for not leaving a tip? That should be a warning to all uppity restaurant staff

[soad]

RTB said:

Does anyone remember what happened to the French waiter in Sopranos who remonstrated with Chris a Pauly for not leaving a tip? That should be a warning to all uppity restaurant staff

It was a small tip. Ended up as a free dinner.

[Cotty]

GT03ROB said:

Good god....so much hot air & pent up anger.....

...for as long as I can remember, which is longer than some of you lot have been alive.... it's been the norm in the UK to tip around 10% in restaurants. Tip going in cash to the waiter. If the service is mediocre to poor nothing or very little, exceptional it's more. It is however optional. If you don't want to do it you don't.

Adding a service charge I don't like. Do I tip in bars in the UK... no. Do I tip in bars in the US... yes. Different countries.... different practices. I tend not to tip in pubs for food, though if the place is leaning more to a restaurant than a pub I probably will. Do I tip anyone else..... postman - no, Dustman - no, taxi driver - maybe, usually not, barber - yes.

Not consistent I know, doesn't need to be, it's just the way I was bought up.

If someone was brought up to not tip anyone, would that be ok?

[GT03ROB]

Cotty said:

GT03ROB said:

Good god....so much hot air & pent up anger.....

...for as long as I can remember, which is longer than some of you lot have been alive.... it's been the norm in the UK to tip around 10% in restaurants. Tip going in cash to the waiter. If the service is mediocre to poor nothing or very little, exceptional it's more. It is however optional. If you don't want to do it you don't.

Adding a service charge I don't like. Do I tip in bars in the UK... no. Do I tip in bars in the US... yes. Different countries.... different practices. I tend not to tip in pubs for food, though if the place is leaning more to a restaurant than a pub I probably will. Do I tip anyone else..... postman - no, Dustman - no, taxi driver - maybe, usually not, barber - yes.

Not consistent I know, doesn't need to be, it's just the way I was bought up.

If someone was brought up to not tip anyone, would that be ok?

It has no impact or consequence to me, the impact & consequence is between them & the receiver (or not) of the tip. If both are good with that then that is all that matters.