Upsetting restaurant staff and then suffering the known or worse than that, the unknown consequences

[Dave7]

Many years ago, as a young guy, I was in London on business (new experience for me).
I went into a steak house (another new experience).
When I got the bill there was a 10% table charge on it.
Now remember I am a scouser. I asked what it meant, he told me and I told him to remove it.
I didn't leave a tip.

 

[fossyant]

Lots of places add 10% especially if there are 6 or more. I'll leave a tip unless I've had bad service, but I've never treated any member of staff badly - it's a job, just like we have jobs, it's hard enough without having a 'shoot' customer.

What's his face deserves the back lash - he's not that 'nice a person' he'd have you believe. The yanks can keep him, it's not that he's a good actor or anything.

 

[Dave7]

Lots of places add 10% especially if there are 6 or more.

I have never understood that. Surely the bigger the (arranged) group the better it is for them.

 

[Beebo]

I have never understood that. Surely the bigger the (arranged) group the better it is for them.

It’s much harder to serve a big group well.
Getting 15 meals ready at the same time is tricky.

 

[winjim]

Many years ago, as a young guy, I was in London on business (new experience for me).
I went into a steak house (another new experience).
When I got the bill there was a 10% table charge on it.
Now remember I am a scouser. I asked what it meant, he told me and I told him to remove it.
I didn't leave a tip.

'European Capital of Culture 2008'

 

[Dave7]

It’s much harder to serve a big group well.
Getting 15 meals ready at the same time is tricky.

I understand that. However, when I ran my own company, if I told my customers there was a surcharge because we were busy, we wouldn't have lasted long.

 

[vickster]

I understand that. However, when I ran my own company, if I told my customers there was a surcharge because we were busy, we wouldn't have lasted long.

Maybe you and your staff earned more than the minimum (or living) wage however...
There are many businesses that will hike the price when busy or they don't especially want the business but that's different to not paying staff very well

 

[Dave7]

Maybe you and your staff earned more than the minimum (or living) wage however...
There are many businesses that will hike the price when busy or they don't especially want the business but that's different to not paying staff very well

Yes, I get that......BUT if you are mad busy and quote eg 10% more thats fine. But not once you have the customer on the seat.

 

[ColinJ]

As a teenager, I read Orwell's Down and out in Paris and London. After that, I have been very wary of upsetting anybody cooking or serving food for me!

In this country I'd say tipping was discretionary although a modest amount should be expected

I had lunch with my stepdaughter in Birmingham a couple of months back. I was expecting the bill to be around £32 but was surprised by it being £36.50. I thought that I must have cocked up the mental arithmetic. I paid £40, to include a tip.

I could not understand how I had made such a big mistake so I double checked back at our table - they had sneaked a 15% service charge onto the bill!!!

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

Some UK restaurants are more up front than others about their service charges. The worst ones seem to print it in minute text on their menus.

 

[T4tomo]

Yes, I get that......BUT if you are mad busy and quote eg 10% more thats fine. But not once you have the customer on the seat.

You have to be pretty stupid not to realise that in the UK there will normally be a minimum of 10% service charge added onto or assumed will be added to the bill. they aren't increasing the price once you've sat down, as you infer.

I have no grumbles about paying a service charge / tipping provided the service was fine. as mentioned, it sometime takes a bit of working out whether its included or not.

My main bug bear is a number of places don't add it on and then tap the exact amount into the card machine and there then isn't a chance to add on a tip. If you only have a £20 note and for £25 bill that can awkward. I also hate those places where 10 /12% is added onto the bill but the card machine is then thrust at you with a "add gratuity" option open in front of you.

On the rare occasions there has been a food issue, I would look to get that knocked off the bill but still add a tip, as that isn't the waiting staff's fault.

I dislike the US model where 15-20% tips are expected to make up for poor wages, which is out of sync with Europeans expectations. I also hate the false fawning of some hospitality staff, with a have a nice day but a shitty scowl if you actually ask them to something.

 

[Deleted member 35268]

Following on from the story of the quote "tiny cretin of a man" mouthing off over a 'ruined' omelette🧐, have any of you been on the receiving end of such verbal, even physical abuse, or been the one who's dished out such abuse, while either working in or eating in a restaurant, cafe, etc? 🤔

We once were in our local eatery and after 40 minutes of waiting for our food we mentioned it to the owner in passing we were still waiting. He'd forgotten to put the order through. All polite and friendly. There is never justification of staff abuse.

 

[Jameshow]

Goes both ways.

I was in a local cafe wearing a hi vis jacket, and a girl I know is a barrista said to me,

"I wouldn't miss you in here!"

Thanks I thought same to you!!

 

[Chris S]

A self-service restaurant in central Birmingham tried to charge people a 10% service charge. They didn't stay open long.

 

[Oldhippy]

When we arrived at a hotel in Tokyo we went to tip the staff member who brought the cases to our room. He politely declined and told us that, in Japan, tipping can be seen as an insult and implied that you weren’t being paid adequately for your job.

Never had bad service anywhere in Japan despite them not taking tips.

Japan is almost perfect in customer service. In my ten years there it always impressed me. Always a bit surreal having the garage forecourt staff rushing across to the exit standing in a line and bowing as you drove away.