What happens to tips in a restaurant?

stockhausen

stockhausen

stockhausen

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The largest union in the UK, Unite, has launched a campaign to stop restaurants abusing the tips paid to staff.

Lack of transparency means that service charges may be diverted into the firm's takings without the customer knowing, the union has claimed. Some firms keep a percentage of every service charge paid, the BBC has learned. Others, including the Italian chain Carluccio's, expected customer tips to take pay up to the legal minimum - link
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I think that this practice is a disgrace. Restaurant staff should never have a basic pay level below the minimum wage, even if it is then topped up with tips.

Does anyone know whether a customer has the right to deduct the Service Charge which is typically added to bills in restaurants, pay the balance of the bill by credit card and leave the Service Charge in cash - in the hope that the waiter / waitress pockets it?

I will certainly try this when next I eat at Pizza Express.
 
if the service charge is stated before you order, usually on the menu, then you have to pay it. Otherwise you don't have to.

They will be paid at least minimum wage.
 
Taxation on tips is equally appaling, any tips which get taken are supposed to be declared and taxed - yeah right lol..

When I go out for a meal, and the waitress gives me the machine, if it asks "do you wish to leave an electronic tip" I always select no and leave money on the table, the tip is supposed to reward their induvidual effort in serving you, not the entire restaurant or Hector.
 
Absolutely the best way. One restaurant I used to work for collected all the tips for the year to pay for a 'christmas party' for staff, consisting of a couple of cans of lager and some paper hats.

If youve had good service, give the tip directly to staff or leave it on the table.
 
AcidHell2 said:
if the service charge is stated before you order, usually on the menu, then you have to pay it. Otherwise you don't have to.

They will be paid at least minimum wage.
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Aren't service charges optional? They were when I worked in a restaurant. The till receipt had 2 prices, and we circled the one with the service charge added, so that people just saw that.

Mind you, the restaurant used to take all the tips and we got nothing.

The place my missus works in part time makes the waiting on staff split the tips they earn from their section between them, the bar and the kitchen staff.

Tip in cash and tip the person you feel worked best at your table.
 
ALLI said:
The place my missus works in part time makes the waiting on staff split the tips they earn from their section between them, the bar and the kitchen staff.
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Honestly, that's more or less what I like to see. I want to reward all the people who made it a good meal, not just the wait staff. The cooks should get something too.
 
A2Z said:
why should we even have to pay tips?

they already have their basic wage - why should they get 'extra'?
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Thats the entire point though, you don't have to pay a tip if you don't want to...
The idea is that your rewarding the waiter staff for their efforts in being polite and delivering the food/cleaning up/etc.... if you don't feel they did a good job, or simply don't want to tip them, then don't...

If the bloke comes round at dinner and cleans my car and does a damn good job, then i'll either chuck a few quid his way for doing a fine job or let him keep the change.....

What annoys me is being "asked" for a tip, for example the card machine which asks before you enter your pin... really annoys me.
 
there are also places that don't allow staff to have money on them or accept cash tips, so even then the restaurant takes a cut. i thought this was disgraceful this morning when i heard about it - i tip the staff for serving me well, not the restaurant for giving me a comfy seat to sit on.
 
I always ask the staff if they get the tip. If so then I tip.

On a side note the whole practice of tipping just goes into the pocket of the company. Big market in tips mean the company ends up paying less and expecting the employee to make their earnings via tips.
 
1) Always tip in cash. Then it has to be handled separately and can't as easily be diverted into the wrong place.

2) Of course tips should be taxed. They're earnings from employment, after all. You wouldn't give them the tip if they weren't doing the job, ergo they are earnings from employment and fall within the charge to tax.
 
I used to work for 'ASK' as a waiter to fill in some spare time I had a few years back.

They actually paid below the minimum wage and any tips taken were then added to the payroll to make it to the minimum wage. If the tips were not enough to compensate the low wage, the company would then top up the cost to reflect the minimum wage.

I think it is absolutely absurd that the catering business can get away with this, especially with such a higher mark up on food than there was 8-10 years ago when I was a Hotel Manager.
 
during college I worked at a silver-service restaurant where I was on a fairly poor wage- nonetheless, the tips shared out at the end of each night usually ended up about the same as our wage.

Around the festive periods it wouldnt be unusual to take home £60-80 for an evening's shift. :D

All tips were shared between the 6 members of staff (two of those shares were going to the owners who happened to be the chef & restaurant manager).

Tips are a vital part of a restauranter/restaurant staff's earnings :)
 
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