Restaurants including service charge on bill
Hotgossip
Posts: 22,385 Forum Member
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Went to Giraffe today and the meal was fine ... Expensive diet coke though, £2.45.
Last time I went I didn't realise they included 10 % service charge which they then say is optional but it's not that clear. I think a lot of people see the final amount on the bill and just pay that. Today I just paid the cost of the meal and drinks because the service was only average. The girl looked a bit put out but I like to leave a tip myself not for it to be almost hidden.
Some fellow diners were discussing how much tip to leave and I told them that they had already paid it, so the guy put his tip money away.
Do other restaurants do this?
Last time I went I didn't realise they included 10 % service charge which they then say is optional but it's not that clear. I think a lot of people see the final amount on the bill and just pay that. Today I just paid the cost of the meal and drinks because the service was only average. The girl looked a bit put out but I like to leave a tip myself not for it to be almost hidden.
Some fellow diners were discussing how much tip to leave and I told them that they had already paid it, so the guy put his tip money away.
Do other restaurants do this?
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Comments
Besides, I've paid 10% service to waiters in £100 restaurants and 10% in £30/meal restaurants, with usually the same service - why do the expensive restaurant waiters deserve more if they performed the same job?
Any tip on top of that should be entirely optional.
hmm, don't think so - if the waiter/waitress is likeable - they get a tip - thats about it from me.
If I went to any restaurant and they did this to me and my family, I'd tell them what I thought of their arrogance after the food and drink got paid for. It's incredibly arrogant and rude to include tips on the bill. Tips are left if the customer thinks that the waiter/waitress deserves them.
So you mean you paid £10 tip in the expensive restaurant and £3 tip in the £30 restaurant?
I've never really thought of it like that before, but that's a really good point. Just because the food's more expensive why should the waiter get a larger tip?
Sometimes the tipping part of the meal is enough to put you off venturing for a meal out. I mean, we don't tip the Mcdonald's burger flippers but I'm sure they've done a great service.
They say it's optional ..... Why don't they just leave it to the customer to tip if they want to. It also says staff are paid at least the minimum wage. They have to be by law so why say that?
It is optional. If it's added but you don't want to pay it...don't.
If I went somewhere that had an added service charge, I wouldn't pay it.
here you go - http://www.giraffe.net/tipping
Copy and paste the address into the reply box.
BiB - it is.
It still shouldn't have an 'optional' service charge on the bill though.
The bill should be made up of what's been ordered, food and drink and that's it.
You make a good point. It's largely the same service, so why am I meant to tip more just because one restaurant marks up their wine? In expensive restaurants it's often the alcoholic part of the menu that inflates the bill, which makes the "12.5% service charge" on the bill even more annoying.
Talking of 12.5%, my partner is a prolific tipper and insists on tipping no less than 12.5% no matter what (restaurants, taxis, minicabs, bellboys) while I prefer to tip based on my perception of the serviced delivered. He doesn't like that and if I don't tip "enough" he often rounds up to the "correct" amount :rolleyes:
I tend to agree because it opens up the (oft occurring) possibility of double tipping, however...it is optional and there is no compulsory tipping.
Your partner isn't a Yank is he/she? This is what they do.
If you don't tip the right amount in America apparently they'll come running after you demanding you tip. Just another reason I'd never go to that country
12.5% is an odd exact percentage though, isn't it?
I've been to loads of restaurants where there's an imposed service charge for groups of 8 or more.
The other day I was at Livebait in Waterloo and we were charged £1.95 per head on top of our meal "for bread" - which was dumped in front of us almost as soon as we sat down; we didn't get a chance to refuse!
I'm not aware the optionality of the service charge changes with the size of party. Perhaps it does
And service staff over there actually get angry if you don't tip them enough. The nerve of those people.
So. They take 10% from staff tips for admin costs?! I can maybe understand this for card transactions, but for hard cash??!!
Whereas if you pay the staff any tips direct to them, it doesn't apply.
And
1) you shouldn't pay service charge instead of a direct tip unless you are sure the establishment doesn't pocket the charge
2) why should the server get all the tips? What about the kitchen staff who prepared the meal? After all, were you most impressed with the way they took your order or delivered the food, or by the food itself?
Tips should be fairly distributed. Ask the manager/owner exactly how they are divided. You'll get some very interesting replies, and plenty of tips on how to fluster.