[Closed] Tipping in Restuarnts - Wife Annoyed

Errr... I didn't get a mint.

I always leave a tip unless the service has been awful. This is mainly because service jobs are poorly paid but demand non-stop effort from the staff.

Oh really? First hit from Google for "guide to uk tipping" is trip advisor (the biggest online travel guide);

Tipping
Context

Tipping is not always expected in the UK in the way it is in the United States or Canada. All staff in the UK, must by law, be paid at least the National Minimum Wage (£6.50/hr (2014 rate, lower rate applies to those under 21 years of age) whether they receive tips or not. An employer is not allowed to use tips to top up wages to the legal minimum.Therefore, unlike in much of North America, the need and culture for tipping is much less.

Equally, British people have a reputation in the USA for not tipping, and indeed many object vociferously to the practice, arguing that the cost should be included in the price of the food. Others however feel it appropriate to tip in various scenarios. As a general rule, it is very rarely expected that one tips in the United Kingdom, unless the service is above standard, but it is polite to forgo change, as a comvenience and politeness.

Polite? yes. Convention? nope.

From the source you quoted, but conveniently left out:

[i]"In restaurants where you place your order with your waiter/waitress and receive food, and your bill, at your table, [b]it is usual to tip around 10%"[/b][/i]

Polite? Yes. Convention? Most definitely.

Of course, if we lived in a society where waiting staff were valued, we'd all be happy to bung them a modest fee we could easily afford they would be paid properly in the first place.

Equally, British people have a reputation in the USA for not tipping, and indeed many object vociferously to the practice, [s]arguing that the cost should be included in the price of the food.[/s] on account of being miserable, stingy, joyless tight-arses, with no friends, who then get their calculators out and start arguing over the price of side dishes

FTFY 😛

I guess what it boils down to (in the UK - different in the states with different labour laws), is being a waiter in a bog standard restaurant any more worthy of being more than minimum wage than any other low wage work and should the decision to make that happen be the responsibility of the customer or the employer?

I have done a whole load of low wages jobs in the past - waiter, barman, delivery driver, shop worker, summer camp childcare, cleaner, shelf stacker, postal sorting office worker, vegetable picker. Some job, somewhere is going to be the lowest paid - I'm struggling from my experience of the role to see why it's not the waiter. I've not done the sums but I'd hazard a guess that what I worked for as a waiter back in the day would not measure up to the minimum wage now and at the time time I didn't feel hard done by so I'm not going to be guilted into feel obliged to automatically tipping unless the service is terrible. I'll continue to be British and tip for excellence.

Being relatively low paid myself I'm quite happy to go to the bar for my drinks and I'd also be happy to serve myself and would also be happy to good to the kitchen to order and collect my food.

Isn't that just called 'staying at home'?

From the source you quoted, but conveniently left out:

The expectation does vary from place to place - in fine dining restaurants where you receive personal service, a tip would always be expected (while [b]never compulsory[/b], it would be considered rude unless there was a problem with the service), whereas in the most casual of restaurants tipping is not universal.

And a little more;

In some cases a restaurant may print 'service not included' on the bill or menu. This is a [b]request[/b] for a 'tip'! You are [b]not obligated to offer anything[/b], but 10% would be normal in this scenario if the service warranted any sort of tip..

Being relatively low paid myself I'm quite happy to go to the bar for my drinks and I'd also be happy to serve myself and would also be happy to good to the kitchen to order and collect my food

You do know it's not compulsory to go to restaurants with table service?

[img] [/img]

Polite? Yes. Convention? Nope.

You do appear to have trouble with the meaning of "convention"

From this quote: "In restaurants where you place your order with your waiter/waitress and receive food, and your bill, at your table, [b]it is usual to tip around 10%"[/b]

Does not imply that it is compulsory, or expected in every single circumstance.

Would you like a dictionary?

"You are not obligated to offer anything, but [b]10% would be normal in this scenario[/b] if the service warranted any sort of tip.. "

I see you're still struggling.

Isn't that just called 'staying at home'?

I'll continue to be British and tip for excellence.

That's not being British, it's being tight.

[img] [/img]

You do know it's not compulsory to go to restaurants with table service?

I see you're still struggling.

[img] [/img]

Whilst I understand your defensive stance, seeing as the whole "service not included" rubbish has been identified as bullcock, but there's no need for that now is there?

Defensive?!" It seems the forum tightwads are on the defensive, scrabbling for the limited circumstances in which it's not usual to tip, or trying to claim than compulsion and convention mean the same thing. I can't say I'm surprised, though.

You've just made my point for me binners.

They don't even charge you to bring it to your house never mind a few yards from the kitchen! The delivery is included in the original price 😉

However I would suggest the quality of the cuisine would leave something to be desired which is something I do base where I'd like to eat and what I'm prepared to pay on.

[img] [/img]

Doug - Member

They don't even charge you to bring it to your house. Never mind a few yards from the kitchen!

I'm going to go right out on a limb here, and guess you don't bung a couple of quid on for someone dropping a takeaway delivery off for you?

🙂

I walk down and fetch it myself on the rare occasion we have takeaway. They normally knock a few quid off or add in some free extras on larger orders when you collect round here 😉

It seems the forum tightwads are on the defensive, scrabbling for the limited circumstances in which it's not usual to tip

10% always if food and service good. We've left some great tips when 15 of us have all been out for a meal. No working out of individual bills allowed the bill is divided by how many at the table. The last person who insisted on putting in the exact amount wad told to leave the building had hasn't been spoken to since.Refuse point blank if either food or service is rubbish.

Nurses, bus drivers, shop assistants, police, ambulance crews, fire service etc. etc

This thread is about tipping in restaurants.

This thread is about tipping in restaurants.

Oh I see, waiting staff are are more special than I thought.

I'd also be happy to serve myself and would also be happy to good to the kitchen to order and collect my food.

does this mean i have to tip the wife? if she delivers to the sofa?

Police fire and ambulance staff could make a fortune on high speed, blues and twos enabled pizza delivery runs.

Actually.... I'd be amazed if some Westminster think tank isn't presently trying to make that a Tory manifesto pledge 😀

That wouldn't appear to be difficult.

Nearly dropped my coffee at that last reply binners. Think your onto something there.

does this mean i have to tip the wife? if she delivers to the sofa?

You jest, a friend of mine had her bf round for Sunday lunch, they didn't live together, and cooked a roast dinner. The fella was so impressed he gave her money to cover the food and a bit extra 'cos it was lovely'

They aren't together anymore, oddly.

Not from a diners perspective.

You're going to the wrong places.

You're going to the wrong places.

I agree wages should be higher but there are many other underpaid professions that don't get the extra wage top-up. I just can't see why waiting staff are more deserving.

It's interesting that the most fiscally parsimonious amongst us also appear to be the most spritually impoverished 😀

...there are many other underpaid professions that don't get the extra wage top-up. I just can't see why waiting staff are more deserving.

That was what I said on page one.

And so far nobody has managed to explain a reason why.

And as I also said, I tend to tip anyway, because I prefer an easy life and everyone seems to think that's the way it should be done, but nobody seems to know why, or why the same logic doesnt apply to other jobs.

t's interesting that the most fiscally parsimonious amongst us also appear to be the most spritually impoverished

and the most verbose the most trolly

Tradition is part of it. If I were to hand £2 to my bin man he might feel patronised...

Just a side story on Douglas Adams' bistro drive theory, and how it can backfire. It was my wife's thirtieth, and we invited a party of a dozen or so close friends to a restaurant we both particularly liked. I don't know whether I made it clear right from the start that I was paying, but a couple known for their thrift turned up just as we were about to sit down to eat. We'd all had a couple of drinks beforehand, and looking back I think they were trying to avoid an expensive round of drinks. Anyway, we all ordered, and I noticed that they both ordered the cheapest starter and main course. I raised an eyebrow, but they were of simple tastes anyway, and perhaps they like soup and pizza? We had quite a blowout, but Stuart and Lil declined pudding. I went to chat to the owner, an acquaintance of mine, and discreetly pay the bill. He treated me to a scotch and we chatted for a couple of minutes, but when I got my credit card out, he told me that my wife's best mate Jill had already beaten me to it. No amount of protest from me would stop the inevitable happening, and Jill announced to the assembled masses that they were all to chip in to pay the bill between them. So Stuart and Lil paid steak and seafood prices for a small margherita each. 😆

julianwilson - Member

I take it you are happy also with the way uk plc indirectly subsidises amazon, tesco, sportsworld, wetherspoons and so on through the tax credit system.

Happy by way of supporting said companies with my custom?
Afraid not.

Doug - Member

I'm not a waiter the rest of your statement is irrelevant as is your first reply seeing as you havnt a clue what I do for a living.

So what do you do for a living, and what do you earn? 💡

Happy by way of supporting said companies with my custom?
Afraid not.

julianwilson - Member

But you are a uk taxpayer i take it? So in effect some of your taxes top up the low wages of these people regardless of whether you shop there. But as someone to the left of what you describe as the 'champagne socialists' on this forum, and definitely not a thatcherite i am sure you are just fine with how you support these companies with your taxes.

😆
I currently earn minimum wage pal, I don't think the pittance I pay in tax does much topping up of anything!

(Maybe someone can insert a picture of George Osborne for me, as a way of thanks for the generous personal allowance we all enjoy.)

And I didn't say I wasn't a Thatcherite. 😉

It's simple really, this tipping malarkey.
It's a redistribution of wealth, from those that obviously have more spare to those that have less.

I'm happy to give a little extra to those with less than me, whereas plenty of the pseudo-lefty STWers who earn well in excess would rather keep their money in their own pockets.

That's all it is. 🙂

Time to find some coffee, methinks.
This will not be purchased from [i]amazon, tesco, sportsworld, or wetherspoons[/i].
😀