Tips at restaurants

spoffle · 16 Mar 2015 at 05:31

mattyg said:
If your to tight to tip then thats your prerogative however I believe the waiting on staff can have a dramatic effect on how good your meal is.

But hey if you think having a Michelin stared chef prepare your food for a waitress to throw it on your table wont spoil your experience then all the better for you.

So anyone who doesn't tip is tight then?

How exactly does a tip influence or determine the level of service you get at a restaurant, especially if it's your first time going?

spoffle · 16 Mar 2015 at 05:42

areksnumbr1sxylady said:
Leave 20% or you are a pleb.

Why 20%?

Will21st · 16 Mar 2015 at 06:10

spoffle said:
Why 20%?

it's an American thing....

Diddums · 16 Mar 2015 at 06:40

spoffle said:
So anyone who doesn't tip is tight then?

Bang on.

spoffle said:
How exactly does a tip influence or determine the level of service you get at a restaurant, especially if it's your first time going?

It won't. It may however help influence the service the next person gets, which could be anyone, even you so to speak.

Uther · 16 Mar 2015 at 07:42

I have never understood the culture of tipping taxi drivers. My wife used to do this, until I pointed out that you will never see them again, and all they do is drive you around for a few minutes and charge a fortune for the privilege!
She still tips generously in restaurants though, as she used to work in one. Always cash.

G-MAN2004 · 16 Mar 2015 at 07:49

If the waitress is fit, she can certainly have the tip.

spoffle · 16 Mar 2015 at 08:18

Diddums said:
Bang on.

It won't. It may however help influence the service the next person gets, which could be anyone, even you so to speak.

So you're also saying that anyone who doesn't tip is tight, disregarding anything they think with regards to tipping, and imposing your view that it's because they're tight?

ojste · 16 Mar 2015 at 09:07

You tip for service. Your server doesn't simply bring your food, they are in control of your entire dining experience for the couple of hours you are there, catering for your needs. It is not mcdonalds... or maybe it is, I don't know where you like to eat.

Also tipping is customary, not mandatory. You should tip for excellent service, which you will get at decent restaurants.

atpbx · 16 Mar 2015 at 09:31

No I dont tip.

I expect good service as standard, or I wont use that service again.

Paying someone for doing their job properly at a restaurant is not my problem.

arknor · 16 Mar 2015 at 09:49

Nexus said:
It's been years since I worked in a bar, but its pretty infuriating when bar staff aren't paying attention to the people waiting, and thus don't serve those who have been waiting longer.

nexus said:
if somebody tipped me (which was very few) then I would always serve them first when I saw them come back to the bar for more drinks, regardless of whether other people might have been waiting longer.

Me and my group would wave good bye and find a bar with good service where the staff don't expect a tip every drink.

really I'm out and drinking like 10 drinks a night I'm supposed to give the barman a tip every drink? I'll give him a tip get a bloody education and a proper job you parasite

It's not enough we also had to pay to get the in club/bar is it? jesus christ you want some money if I take a crap too ? should I tip the guy giving out sprays in the toilet? maybe set up a trust fund for him

then you get all the women thinking men should buy them a drink so they can go "oh my friends over there bye" lol man some people must be proper mugs spending the amount of money on bribes as they do their own drinks

wez130 · 16 Mar 2015 at 11:09

atpbx said:
No I dont tip.

I expect good service as standard, or I wont use that service again.

Paying someone for doing their job properly at a restaurant is not my problem.

They already get paid to do their job, but they have the opportunity to enhance their poor pay (usually minimum wage), by going over and above to make sure your evening is perfect. If i was a waiter, and nobody tipped, i'd do my job and that's it, nothing more, nothing less. You lot that sit at your desks 9-5 expect a bonus / commision at the end of the month / year, us in the catering trade don't usually get a bonus or any other wage enhancements other than tips, therefore, it is a good incentive for us (chefs) and waiters / esses to go over and above to make sure everything is perfect for the customer.

I tip my barber for doing his job, even though he earns the best part of £40 an hour, same with taxi drivers, and i always make sure i tip for good food / service when i dine out.

pepsilol · 16 Mar 2015 at 11:15

Their job is to be the best they can be representing the restaurant. Nothing more is required from them. For that they are offered a wage, a wage they can either accept to live off or decline and go somewhere else.

Tipping encourages them to think that they are worth more.

Mr Jones · 16 Mar 2015 at 11:37

I don't get the tipping culture but I do tip and only when:

1) I never need to "look" for service staff when I need servicing - either they're quick to make sure I am comfortable, ordered and served but not to the point of constantly asking me anything else when I stuff food in my mouth or a quick glance and they respond.

2) I got something more than taking my order and putting it on my table.
Good recommendations / friendly but not intrusive chats and banter helps.

Or

3) A good enough service in an obviously understaffed situation.

The recent trends of chain restaurants adding service to the final bill by default is getting on my nerves. I tip by choice, not by what's written on my bill - be it optional or not.

estebanrey · 16 Mar 2015 at 11:42

arknor said:
really I'm out and drinking like 10 drinks a night I'm supposed to give the barman a tip every drink? I'll give him a tip get a bloody education and a proper job you parasite

You know a lot of bar tenders are students at the local Uni right? Don't think there is a substantial number of career barmen.

Diddums · 16 Mar 2015 at 12:15

It's not about the money though is it? It's about giving someone who works silly hours at minimum wage with no pension or perks something to brighten up their day in the hope that they provide a better service to the next people they serve.

I worked as a waiter for a couple of months whilst waiting for my qualifications to be converted and it was the most miserable, depressing, degrading job I've ever had to do. Sucking up to people all day long is horrendous but now and then a tip from a customer showing their appreciation would cheer me up a bit, and that's why I tip.

I can't think of a single person who chooses to be a waiter / barman / cab driver / whatever. They're there because it's often all they can do / get.

arknor · 16 Mar 2015 at 12:45

Diddums said:
It's not about the money though is it? It's about giving someone who works silly hours at minimum wage with no pension or perks something to brighten up their day in the hope that they provide a better service to the next people they serve.

I worked as a waiter for a couple of months whilst waiting for my qualifications to be converted and it was the most miserable, depressing, degrading job I've ever had to do. Sucking up to people all day long is horrendous but now and then a tip from a customer showing their appreciation would cheer me up a bit, and that's why I tip.

I can't think of a single person who chooses to be a waiter / barman / cab driver / whatever. They're there because it's often all they can do / get.

most people who are expected to tip these days aren't really earning much more than the person they are tipping.

It's not like the 80s when you were pretty well off if you went to a restaurant.

my step son has worked in a club for about the last 5 years.
No way I'd tip him knowing where all the money goes

Diddums · 16 Mar 2015 at 12:46

Valid point, I hadn't considered that.

acemastr · 16 Mar 2015 at 12:47

It took me a while to learn to tip here, in the UK the service was so poor anyway that tipping didn't even cross your mind, here everyone tips and they work for their tips which is nice.

I normally leave 20% or so depending on how they did

new boy · 16 Mar 2015 at 12:57

I hate tipping. It makes me feel anxious when there's a load of you, and your meal comes to £20.20 and you only have notes...

valkia · 16 Mar 2015 at 12:59

I'm actually not a fan of tipping, I can appreciate good service but when a waiter/waitress is sickly nice to you in the hope of being tipped actually adds a lot of pressure. They are in a job, being paid to do what they do - It's almost as though you are paying to keep them to have a nice attitude. I understand tipping, and of course receiving a tip gives a nice moral boost.

I worked 3 years in a restaurant, so I have been in the situation.