Tip

[Showboat]

Prior to minimum wage coming in few years back some places hardly paid the staff, they knew tips would more than cover it.

As a result staff depended on tips. I don't think my attitudes have changed much, i generally do tip, service has to be pretty poor to not leave a tip.

Out last week and waiter brought 2 dirty wine glasses, gave us meal and disappeared until we had long finished and looking to leave. I decided "don't eat yellow snow" was the only tip this guy was getting. Paid by credit card and the cheeky mofo added on an extra £10 to the bill and asked me to input pin. When i checked receipt and noticed he said "oh sorry, do you want it back in cash or back on card"

Probably not a genuine mistake and intended to pocket my £10... shove yellow snow down his throat next time!

 

[Reginald]

I was at a restaurant the other day...paid the amount and gave a 12% tip. Some random waitress, not even the person serving me had the audacity to come over and explain to me that expected tip was between 15-18%. So I removed some money. *****! I believe in leaving a few quid for decent service and a few more if they were fantastic. However, the one's that bug me get nothing.

 

[Gangster]

tips should be for outstanding service , something above and beyond the call of duty.
tipping anything else degrades the quality of service and as you said they get paid for that. If it wasn't for perpetual tippers the service quality in the UK would be far far higher.

Agree.

Slighlty off topic, but is there a law in the U.S that states you must tip? Some of them insist it needs to be included in the bill, and some even put what their reccomended percentage tip is .

in the US - yes you definately are a cheapskate if you don't tip

Can I ask why you are a cheapskate if you don't tip in the US?

 

[Schizo]

tips should be for outstanding service , something above and beyond the call of duty.
tipping anything else degrades the quality of service and as you said they get paid for that. If it wasn't for perpetual tippers the service quality in the UK would be far far higher.

im with you acid.

only if the service is above there normal dutie's i would tip them.

but what is above and beyond there duties though,any one can be nice for a tip.

 

[dowie]

i'd be a cheapskate in the US the fact that the tip is already on the bill at most places would see me enrage.

Its normally out of ignorance - needless to say you would definately be a cheapskate in the US - in fact you're basically skanking someone who earns minimum wage or less - they get taxed on assumed tips, by not tipping in the US they're still going to pay tax on a tip you didn't pay. Say a waitress brings you a drink in a casino - the drink is free to you, the waitress gets taxed say 20cents for bringing you that drink because it is assumed you will tip her a dollar, if you don't then you are stiffing her personally.

Minimum wage over there is a lot lower than it is over here and it is expected that you tip as tips form the bulk of the wages for the waiting staff, "service is not included" some even earn less than minimum wage or work purely for tips - so in effect you will have paid for your food but you didn't pay for the person who sat you down, took your order, fetched your food, checked everything was OK.

 

[platinum87]

they get taxed on assumed tips, by not tipping in the US they're still going to pay tax on a tip you didn't pay. Say a waitress brings you a drink in a casino - the drink is free to you, the waitress gets taxed say 20cents for bringing you that drink because it is assumed you will tip her a dollar, if you don't then you are stiffing her personally.

I would never believe that until someone gives me a link that proves it completely

Even then id think you have made the entire website

I always tip places i visit often

If someone didnt tip me, well, best not to go there again!!!

 

[Greenlizard0]

tips should be for outstanding service , something above and beyond the call of duty.
tipping anything else degrades the quality of service and as you said they get paid for that. If it wasn't for perpetual tippers the service quality in the UK would be far far higher.

Yeap, agree with that and that's how I roll (yo).

Same goes for chippies, taxi drivers etc. etc.

 

[Murf]

Its normally out of ignorance - needless to say you would definately be a cheapskate in the US - in fact you're basically skanking someone who earns minimum wage or less - they get taxed on assumed tips, by not tipping in the US they're still going to pay tax on a tip you didn't pay. Say a waitress brings you a drink in a casino - the drink is free to you, the waitress gets taxed say 20cents for bringing you that drink because it is assumed you will tip her a dollar, if you don't then you are stiffing her personally.

Surely their tax system isn't that retarded and unfair?

 

[arknor]

oh wow now youve told me that i feel so bad , how would they ever survive without tips?

yea gtfo , not my problem if they get taxed based on "potential tips"

sounds like crap to make you feel like you should tip.

less than minimum wage isnt my problem either they choose the job knowing the wages , goto college or something

If someone didnt tip me, well, best not to go there again!!!

sounds like a protection racket.

"tip me or you better not come here again"

expect your wages dont expect tips you dont deserve a tip just because you work in a bar/club/cafe.

do you tip the guys in mcdonalds?

 

[geuben]

I was a sliver service waiter for a number of years and so have experienced both sides of this discussion.

From the waiter's/waitress' side:

I never expected a tip from anyone, and most certainly never asked for one/questioned when one was not given (I'd have probably been sacked). It was also never added to the bill automatically or even suggested on the bill.

As has been stated already, a tip should be given if you feel that the waiter/waitress went out of their way to provide top quality service (I remember my boss saying that "tips stands for To Insure Prompt Service", now I suspect this isn't actually true, but it kinda hold up). Now you can argue "what is beyond the call of duty", well you could break it down into 3 categories of service.

1. Rubbish - The service is terrible, the waiter/waitress forgets things you asked for etc, generally just doesn't care. This type of service obviously does not deserve a tip, it deserves complaining about.

2. Adequate - The type of service you don't really notice is good or bad, everything goes smoothly etc. Now one could argue that you should tip this level of service, but really this level of service is the waiters/waitress' job, why should they get extra.

3. Excellent - This is the type of service where you should tip, if you ask for something obscure/off menu or something that requires an extra amount of unusual effort on the waiter/waitress' part, or if theres a problem with your meal (that's say the kitchens fault) and the waiter/waitress gets it sorted out quickly and smoothly.

From the customers point of view:

If I was ever asked for a tip, I'd shocked and wouldn't give one, it's just cheeky (If I was in America things may be different).

I'm not impressed when a tip is added automatically to my bill as it really doesn't offer you the option of deciding if the service was good enough to deserve a tip.


Anyway that's just waffling from my experience and is probably a load of rubbish.

 

[Jotun]

I've only ever been to 1 place where tips were done by card, it was a Frankie & Benny's and the service was crap so they got nothing. Normally I see a bowl or box or something next to the till. There's a local restaurant my family visit quite often and there's excellent service & food so we always tip, so we always make sure to take £5-10 in coins to drop in as notes are silent and we don't want to be remembered as that stingy bunch who keep returning

 

[[TW]Fox]

In the US, tips are expected because wages for waiting staff are so low.

In the UK, we have a national minimum wage to protect them against this, therefore any tip should only be for service above and beyond the call of duty.

 

[A2Z]

I have never in my life tipped, and don't plan on ever doing so.

 

[Naamiko_O]

In the US, tips are expected because wages for waiting staff are so low.

In the UK, we have a national minimum wage to protect them against this, therefore any tip should only be for service above and beyond the call of duty.

Also have you seen the level of service you get in the US, it's beyond phenomenal. They're so polite, courteous, friendly and will bend over backwards for you that you actually want to tip them.

In the UK, when a smelling girl comes up and drops the plates on the table, fingers the wrong end of the knife and fork and walks away without asking if anything is okay. Why should I be expected to pay a conditional amount extra?

 

[THFC]

On holiday in mexico everything was all inclusive.

We read that giving tips would get better service though. I believe if somebody is exemplary then reward them above the usual.

Service was exemplary anyhow but -

At the end of the day we tipped a waitress a few Us dollars - peanuts.

As it turned out that's a days wage out there.

We never asked for a drink again they came to us and even had our drink ready.

We tipped the maid, our room was spotless anyhow and each day the towels made into swans etc

We spent little on tips but received so much more.

Also a friend of mine was on exercise with the TA in the Ukraine. On the last night they all had a slap up meal at the best hotel. The Pope had just visited the same place. Afterwards they all threw their spare change in a bag as there was little need to take it home. At the end of the meal they thanked the waitress and offered her the bag. Upon opening it she burst into tears. They were worried she was offended. Reality was the money was more than one years salary to her.

 

[Amp34]

Also have you seen the level of service you get in the US, it's beyond phenomenal. They're so polite, courteous, friendly and will bend over backwards for you that you actually want to tip them.

In the UK, when a smelling girl comes up and drops the plates on the table, fingers the wrong end of the knife and fork and walks away without asking if anything is okay. Why should I be expected to pay a conditional amount extra?

Yet so fake in the US. Maybe i'm the only one to have seen it (as well as a few I was travelling with) but the fakeness of all the smiles and friendlyness really got to me. Add that to the "cheap" food that once sales tax and the practically obligitary 20% tip becomes not even remotely cheap!

Also a friend of mine was on exercise with the TA in the Ukraine. On the last night they all had a slap up meal at the best hotel. The Pope had just visited the same place. Afterwards they all threw their spare change in a bag as there was little need to take it home. At the end of the meal they thanked the waitress and offered her the bag. Upon opening it she burst into tears. They were worried she was offended. Reality was the money was more than one years salary to her.

I would have cried too with a more than £1500 tip!...

I have to say I generally just tip around 10% for any meal I have, however I never work it out properly so if the service was very good it'll be a little over 10% and if average or not brilliant less than 10%. However I never tip by card and if a "service charge"/tip is added to the bottom of the bill i'll usually not leave anything. Being told you should tip really gets to me, and the sooner companies start to realise it's a nasty way of doing business the better.

 

[dowie]

I would never believe that until someone gives me a link that proves it completely

Well thats how it works and you can verify for yourself with a quick search. how else do you expect the IRS to get tax revenue from them when the majority of thier earnings aren't recorded but come in the form of small amounts of cash handed directly to them by customers.

Surely their tax system isn't that retarded and unfair?

its not really unfair, they probably end up paying less tax than they should overall - say someone tips them 5 dollars for a drink - they're still paying the same amount in tax as they would if it was the standard 1 dollar. Tbh.. if you compare the level of service you tend to get in the US in general tipping certainly works.

 

[etom]

i think a small tip of 1pound or something at a cafe or whatever is always nice gesture as long as they have been helpful, will usually give whatever small change a fast food person is giving back to them if they have been quick/ on time. If someone asked for a tip i would definantly say no just like when the delivery man "forgot" to give me the change.

 

[Raumarik]

Recently in the US and Canada and seeing as customer service is generally far better there I wasn't bothered about tipping. If the UK service was close to the standard I recieved there I'd tip more often, in general if someone is good I'll tip 10%, if they're not they'll get sod all.

 

[genan]

Anyone remembers that totally random tipping scene from Reservoir dogs?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qV9wVGb38