Service Charge and Gratuity (off topic!)

[gingerjedi]

Is it true that waitresses in the USA are pre taxed on tips? The upshot being that if you don't tip they are actually out of pocket.

[andy]

Is it true that waitresses in the USA are pre taxed on tips? The upshot being that if you don't tip they are actually out of pocket.

Thats true. You will get strange looks if you don't tip in that country.

[Bagpuss]

I thought a tip was somewhere you took you unwanted rubbish, or is that eBay?

[Epiphone]

I always ask for the service charge to be removed. A restaurent makes its money from the profit on the food and drink. If they haven't calculated that correctly then don't start trying to get another 12% out of me for doing your job.

Don't tip your newsagent or friendly IT contractor do you. Why are restaurents so different

[sunnysan]

Tipping in the UK

Back in the dark days of the emerging new South Africa , I worked as a barman and a waitor (This employment was pretty much the equivalalent of being on the dole). It was usually undertaken by uni students and graduates while interviewing , waiting to get your foot in the door (A lot harder in SA than here)

I worked out a couple of things about how people tip from various countries.

1) British. Notriously tight, they where paying about 50p for a beer but would collect all their change after every round. That being said, once they stood at the bar for 20 minutes while you where serving people behind them, the eventually cottoned on and started tipping. The Scots would never tip. Not sure why

2) Germans.
Basically they would want to come into a club/restaurant and say order a bottle of rum/vodka etc and you would serve them the whole night. If they came to the bar you served them promptly and efficiently (Das gut ja) and when they settled by card or cash, most would tip in the region of 50% or more. Nice

3) Italians/French
Tipped well 10% +, but if you ever made them wait they would not tip.

4) South Africans
Load whinging barstards. Complain about every nanosecond they had to wait, but usually ended up tipping 15/20%

5) Japanese
Either they tipped nothing or tipped 100% + . No middle ground.

6) Yanks
Consistant 20% all the time, but would sound off if the service slipped


As far as london goes, I dont really agree with the addition of a mandatory 12,5% charge, But I would expect people to tip 10% for adequate service and 15% if the service was good. If you can afford to eat out for £50 you can afford the tip is what I say.

Perhaps the prevailing culture of non-tipping in the UK has precipatated the 12,5% service, but I still think that its the culture that should change of diners and not the acceptance of a 12,5% service charge

[Vito]

This really is very simple...

If not tipping is going to have any future consequences (i.e. they might spit in your food if you are planning to go there again or shave 'FU' in the back of you hair) then you tip...of not, don't...

Its a hard world out there...

[sasguru]

I always give my manservant a roll of 50s to give to the pleb workers as he thinks fit so I don't have to soil my hands with something as vulgar as money.

HTH.

[Euro-commuter]

As far as london goes, I dont really agree with the addition of a mandatory 12,5% charge, But I would expect people to tip 10% for adequate service and 15% if the service was good. If you can afford to eat out for £50 you can afford the tip is what I say.

Perhaps the prevailing culture of non-tipping in the UK has precipatated the 12,5% service, but I still think that its the culture that should change of diners and not the acceptance of a 12,5% service charge

If I can afford to eat out for £50 then I can probably afford to eat out for £57.50 (which is what you are really saying). But I would prefer to see the real price on the menu. Yes I do tip, even the US's ridiculous 20-30%, because it is really part of the price, the staff depend on it. But I hate the fact that the true price is not posted.

I do wish that "the prevailing culture of non-tipping" had led to honest pricing instead of a service charge. Or maybe I should just go with the flow. How about a mandatory 12.5% service charge added on to my invoices?

[oxtailsoup]

I think most people agree that they tip in one way or another.

What I don't think is right that they add the SC and then there is also a box for Gratuity underneath for you to fill in. Personally I'm happy to pay 10-15% for the waiting staff, but I'm not paying it twice. And they way the above example is laid out on the bill, it can make you feel uncomfortable leaving the gratuity box empty.

[sunnysan]

What I do

I think most people agree that they tip in one way or another.

What I don't think is right that they add the SC and then there is also a box for Gratuity underneath for you to fill in. Personally I'm happy to pay 10-15% for the waiting staff, but I'm not paying it twice. And they way the above example is laid out on the bill, it can make you feel uncomfortable leaving the gratuity box empty.

I will sometimes ask the waitor/ress to waiver the SC and I will give cash for the tip. They usually will and take the cash