Do you tip? - Clubhouse - Runner's World

Mr Puffy

12/08/2011 at 11:46

We had lunch in that London yesterday, and it was very good. Apart from the waitress being a little surly, and taking our meal to the wrong table.

When the bill came it had a £7.80 service charge included. I asked the waitress to take it off and she said she would have to ask her manager. She duly came back with a fresh bill, and asked if what was my problem with the service. I explained that I often leave a tip, but I didn't like the way they'd added it to my bill without asking.

If someone goes out of their way to make you feel welcome and enjoy your meal, then they deserve a tip, but for restaurants to add it on is just a racket surely?

EdnaModes

12/08/2011 at 11:53

Yep, it's a racket and very little of that money will go to the waitress. It's always best to leave cash as a tip, then it's up to the waiting staff whether or not they share with other folk in the restaurant.

I tip a lot; hairdressers, cabbies, waiting staff. I've waited tables and really appreciated tips.

Corinthian

12/08/2011 at 12:08

I only tip if the service is good - never if they ask for it or include it on the bill.

Sprint Akie

12/08/2011 at 12:08

Tips in cash I do having worked in bars for years through college & uni. Never worked anywhere that they add the charge to your bill but dont like that as heard too many stories of the company keeping 50% etc.

Nessie

12/08/2011 at 12:13

Strictly speaking, if it's added to the bill, or if the company collects all the tips and shares them out amongst the staff, the company has to treat it as income and include it in their profits (and so pay tax on it). A lot of companies then use this to subsidise their wage bill, so in effect none of it goes to the waiting/kitchen staff as an extra.

I tip in cash, and I'm quite happy if there's a sharing system whereby the other waiting staff/kitchen staff get a share.

JWrun

12/08/2011 at 12:17

You have to do an exceptional job for me to tip, and i've worked in bars and been a waitress so i know what it's like.
I always take off the extra on the bill. I don't see why people expect to get it just because they work in certain industries and i certainly won't tip surly staff no way no how, however if i get brilliant service then i'll often go above 10%, not loads but you know if people have made my experience better then i'm happy to show my appreciation.

Grinds my gears when it's expected and I'll quite happily tell managers/staff themselves why i'm not including a tip.

Ian M

12/08/2011 at 12:20

I've never quite understood the concept of automatic tipping. It often gets said that you should always tip hotel/restaurant staff because they are low paid - Which no doubt they are.
But they're are plenty of other low paid jobs when the default isn't to tip, so I'm not too sure what makes them special, or the other people not worthy.

/edit too late. JWrun beat me too it!

Edited: 12/08/2011 at 12:21

Chimney

12/08/2011 at 12:24

If it's included and I've had good service I pay the bill on card and leave the tip in cash. If it's included and the service is standard or worse then it gets taken off and I say why. I did have a restaurant in London try to stop me from leaving because I had paid the bill short. They even threatened to call the police. I suggested they do just that and I'll sue them for false imprisonment. Strangely enough they let me go at that point!

Badly Drawn Bloke

12/08/2011 at 12:34

Generally I do tip. I don't like the auto tip thing though for the same reasons everyone has said. If I'm paying by card, I ask the waiting staff if they get it and if they don't, I don't add it to the card.

I don't quite understand the 10% thing either. I usually go for that but what if you had an expensive bottle of wine, rather than house. Is there any more service involved in opening that and serving it than there is a bottle of water?

I went to a bar in central London once that added a service to charge to drinks at the bar! That was taking the piss.

SuperCaz

12/08/2011 at 12:45

I don't tip as a rule, however if I am paying cash then I will often round it up to the nearest pound, or maybe the nearest fiver because once I have decided that I want to go then I don't want to hang around waiting to pay.

But I will tip good service or if the waitress was particualrly friendly.

I used to work in a cafe and all the tips were put in a pot and divided up at Christmas based on the number of hours you had worked. The most I got was £25, so hardly worth it. I resented that as I worked hard and was the one that most of the tips were given to, but I had to share it with the slackers.

Johnny Blaze

12/08/2011 at 12:49

I always tip but I hate cover charges and service charges.

In Russia and Brazil they frequently scrawl "+10%" on the bottom of the bill to chisel a few roubles more out of Johnny Westerner in the hope he's on exes and won't mind paying.

A colleague I was with kicked off every time they did...

Johnny Blaze

12/08/2011 at 12:57

Actually i don't always tip - if the service is rubbish I wouldn't leave a cent.

GymAddict

12/08/2011 at 12:58

I love how we tip in this country - but only because I have spent so much time in the US and I get very very annoyed about how it works over there.

Just pay people a decent wage you a**holes.

Johnny Blaze

12/08/2011 at 13:00

SC - you've just described the fundamental problem with the communist system...

Mr Puffy

12/08/2011 at 13:07

We were in Greece last week, and I tipped my head off, all the waiters said that the tips were shared out among everyone, including the Chefs so I was happy to do it.

And we usually leave a tip for the cleaner in the room if we've been messy.

Autumn66

12/08/2011 at 13:17

I always leave the same tip...Red Rum...3.30 Aintree

GymAddict

12/08/2011 at 13:29

It's 20% now in the US FFS

Edited: 12/08/2011 at 13:29

Kryten

pirate

12/08/2011 at 13:56

I always tip in restaurants (unless the service is really bad) around 10% but when I am occasionally on expenses from work then I tend to become a lot more generous than normal!

The one thing about tipping that drives me insane though, is when you arrive at a hotel and someone insists on carrying your bag for you whether you want them to or not and then expects a tip. Or worse still they show you around your room and expect a tip – “Yes, I know how to open curtains and turn on the TV, and the room is not that big I'm sure I'll find everything in it soon enough."

Edited: 12/08/2011 at 13:57

CazSoul

12/08/2011 at 14:13

I'll tip if I'm happy with the service and will normally round it up to the next whole £10, then do a quick calculation of the percentage and if its a bit on the low side chuck another couple of quid down. If however the service has been poor then I pay to the penny and I mean the penny.

20% in America now??? Blimey, better take some more money with me.

Stevie G .

12/08/2011 at 15:05

20% tip in america? You have to do that? What if you don't?

I see you lot are obviously all plush with cash! Going out to the type of fancy places where a tip is expected! The types of places I'd go for a drink or food certainly would look odd tipping!

I had the annoyance once of being in a group of people at some restaurant, we all covered the birthday girl's fee which was fair enough.

Then when one girl decided that we'd divide the bill equally (despite them eating like horses, and having booze and me eating lightly), AND then round the amount up to give a generous tip.

Well that was beyond too much