[compl3x]

...ugh why do you foreigner?s jump into these threads and bitch about things you dont know anything about? tell you what aussies, if we need advice on how to wrestle crocodiles and get killed by stingrays...we will give you a call.

Imbecilic.

[remixedcat]

I say put a pair of dice on the table and if your so inclined to give a tip have the waiter or waitress roll the dice at the time the bill is presented. Each point is a percentage of the bill.

It pi**es me off when they automatically add a tip because of more then x amount in the party. Once it get to that point it is no longer a tip.

I noticed where I live at certain restaurants if you add a tip, and use your debit card, only the actual meal shows up on your account.

.

they add thar becuyase a laurger [arty is a burden to the establishement.... it's harder on cleanup and it makes other people there uncomfortabnle and more demands on the staff. I understand amnd accept tjat.

[dvb2000]

they add thar becuyase a laurger [arty is a burden to the establishement.

What's the difference between a party of 20, or 5 tables of 4 people?

Most likely the restaurant would PREFER the larger party.

What it boils down to is the restaurant thinks the larger party is less likely to check the bill, so they think they can get away with it!

They probably think individuals will also tip on top of their "share" of the bill.

Typical American greed, where they will try to rip you off shamelessly.

Just look at all their "reality" shows, where people buy rubbish for peanuts, then flog it off to unsuspecting suckers for a fortune, and when the sucker tried to bargain they say "oh, couldn't possibly sell it for that" - even though if they did they would still be making 300% profit!

[remixedcat]

it is when yu gotta clean up spills and crap and when the [arty is noisy and stArts crap. they dpo that specially at ryans... one party had 5 loud kids screaming and thrwing things and making a complete mess of the place. left NO TIP.

[Nashy]

I find it strange that with the amount of halfwits in that country, no one has sued for false advertising.

I'll tip you if I so please, if you're a useless ****, forget it, you're not getting extra. Tips are to tip for good service, not automatically given because you tend to me.

[theyarecomingforyou]

Most restaurants couldn't pay their servers what they make with tips, or they'd go out of business.

I guess that explains why there are no restaurants in Europe! :rolleyes:

Seriously though, restaurants in Europe are required to pay the same minimum wage as ordinary jobs and they are certainly not in short supply. People shouldn't be paid less than minimum wage and then have to work harder to earn what they should be legally entitled to - that's just exploitative.

[Original Poster]

I tip if i feel like it... if you suck I am not tipping and will not tip if a service charge is added on.... its my choice..try and bug me for a tip and you get 0

[thomastmc]

I guess that explains why there are no restaurants in Europe! :rolleyes:

Seriously though, restaurants in Europe are required to pay the same minimum wage as ordinary jobs and they are certainly not in short supply. People shouldn't be paid less than minimum wage and then have to work harder to earn what they should be legally entitled to - that's just exploitative.

If you think that most American servers are making, with tips, as much or less than most European servers with no tips in the vast majority of restaurants, you're wrong.

If American restaurants had to pay each server their average yearly income with tips, most would go out of business.

Servers at 5 star restaurants can pull in high 5 figures, and servers in even 3-4 star restaurants can make 50-60k. A good server at a bad restaurant can make 20-30k.

Restaurants usually have a low overhead, and half a dozen to a dozen or more servers.

Most restaurants in Europe and other parts of the world do not grant the diner this option, they simply integrate a service charge into the price of the meal. As a result, dining in Western Europe is considerably higher and less affordable than in the states. The US tip system is unique in this way- It allows the patron to decide whether or not to pay for service and also allows servers to potentially earn much more than some European servers because income is based off a percentage rather than a set, fixed hourly wage.

http://wiserwaitress.com/the-menu/the-tip-system/

[tuckeratlarge]

You don't tip the pinply faced youth in McDonalds, the server in Argos, the person on the till at Tesco, et al

Why is it that it's expected in a restaurant. I, as a rule, do not and will not tip. Luckily I'm in the UK so it's not demanded. I go into a restaurant and you warm up maybe three or four quids worth of ingredients and then charge me ?15+ for the privilege. Why then on top of that am I supposed to give extra to someone doing there job, when lets face it, all they have done is bring me some food. It's not rocket science.

No other industry demands or relies on tips.

[theyarecomingforyou]

If you think that most American servers are making, with tips, as much or less than most European servers with no tips in the vast majority of restaurants, you're wrong.

I didn't suggest that. My point was that restaurants in Europe are able to pay the proper minimum wage without going out of business. Service is part of the dining experience and should be included in the cost of the meal; tipping should be an optional extra for excellent service. The American system allows employees to underpay their staff while forcing them to work harder; it allows customers to avoid paying for the service they received (like the topic at hand); it also makes customers feel obligated to pay a tip even when it wasn't warranted.

[compl3x]

I'm in Aus, and although tipping isn't common, I do tip some taxi drivers. If they take the most direct route, not the long way to increase the fare, and are on time, I usually round up to the closet ten and they get the extra. Example, if the fare is $34, I give them $40 and tell them to keep the change.

If they get me home safe, and offer me some friendly conversation after a night of drinking, a tip is in order. :p

[spenser.d]

Lol, she'd still get charged that money even if she scratched it off if she paid with plastic - its part of the bill.

These people make $3/hr or less - if they do a good job you should tip them or try to live on that money yourself. I certainly think it would be better if restaurants had to shell out a proper wage in lieu of making everyone tip, but like the girl who posted the pic said, a broken system is no excuse to not tip.

[thomastmc]

I didn't suggest that. My point was that restaurants in Europe are able to pay the proper minimum wage without going out of business. Service is part of the dining experience and should be included in the cost of the meal; tipping should be an optional extra for excellent service. The American system allows employees to underpay their staff while forcing them to work harder; it allows customers to avoid paying for the service they received (like the topic at hand); it also makes customers feel obligated to pay a tip even when it wasn't warranted.

There are restaurants in Europe. They're just more expensive than U.S. restaurants, and the servers earn less, and the portions are much smaller, and there are many less of them per capita. Also, never mind that it's the U.S. tip system that allows for a lot of affordable restaurants, with servers that make a good living, and that can afford to serve large portions to stuff our fat bellies with, and do it at around 530,000 restaurants for 300+ million people.

[Hum]

Waitress fired for posting 'God' receipt

An Applebee's waitress who posted a receipt with a note from a pastor complaining about the automatic gratuity added to the bill on the Internet was fired on Wednesday after the pastor complained to her manager.

Chelsea Welch, the waitress, wrote in an email to Yahoo News that the pastor (who has since been identified as Alois Bell) told Welch's manager at the St. Louis-area Applebee's that the ensuing firestorm had "ruined" her reputation.

Welch, who snapped a photo of the bill from a fellow server and uploaded to Reddit, defended her right to post the receipt. "I thought the note was insulting, but also comical," she told Consumerist.com. "And I thought other users would find it entertaining.?

Bell, a pastor at Truth in the World Deliverance Ministries Church, was not amused, and she called Welch's manager to complain.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/applebees-waitress-fired-pastor-receipt-193820748.html

[theyarecomingforyou]

There are restaurants in Europe. They're just more expensive than U.S. restaurants, and the servers earn less, and the portions are much smaller, and there are many less of them per capita.

The cost of living in Europe is more expensive but that pays for things like better healthcare, regulation, unemployment benefits, education, police, etc. As for portion sizes, that depends on the restaurant and excessive portion sizes are a major contributor to obesity. As for servers earning less, that's economics - if people don't value the service provided then they won't pay for it. As for there being less restaurant per capita, where is your evidence for that? There is absolutely no shortage of restaurants but then again people in Europe don't eat as much as those in America, so I'm not suggesting you're wrong - I'm simply asking to see proof.

You haven't demonstrated how the US system is better; only how it is different.

[+SOOPRcow MVC]

Waitress fired for posting 'God' receipt

An Applebee's waitress who posted a receipt with a note from a pastor complaining about the automatic gratuity added to the bill on the Internet was fired on Wednesday after the pastor complained to her manager.

Chelsea Welch, the waitress, wrote in an email to Yahoo News that the pastor (who has since been identified as Alois Bell) told Welch's manager at the St. Louis-area Applebee's that the ensuing firestorm had "ruined" her reputation.

Welch, who snapped a photo of the bill from a fellow server and uploaded to Reddit, defended her right to post the receipt. "I thought the note was insulting, but also comical," she told Consumerist.com. "And I thought other users would find it entertaining.?

Bell, a pastor at Truth in the World Deliverance Ministries Church, was not amused, and she called Welch's manager to complain.

http://news.yahoo.co...-193820748.html

I'd fire her ass too. Yes the "pastor" was a total bitch, but you can't run a business when your customer base things they may be shamed by one of your employees at any time for whatever reason.

[Wiggz]

Wouldn't get that in the UK ya know....Tips are very very discretionary. I use it as I believe it was intended to be used; as a bonus to show an employee they performed admirably in their task to make me feel relaxed and comfortable during my stay (hotel or restaurant). Under no circumstances should the tip be considered standard, otherwise why bother!

I had a German guy come up to me whilst on business asking why I didn't tip him, and asking if he'd done something wrong. I tipped him as he hadn't, but the fact he considered it something he was entitled to almost lost him said tip!

[theyarecomingforyou]

I'd fire her ass too. Yes the "pastor" was a total bitch, but you can't run a business when your customer base things they may be shamed by one of your employees at any time for whatever reason.

It should be a warnable offence at most, though I can't say I'm surprised given how American businesses treat their employees.

Wouldn't get that in the UK ya know....Tips are very very discretionary. I use it as I believe it was intended to be used; as a bonus to show an employee they performed admirably in their task to make me feel relaxed and comfortable during my stay (hotel or restaurant).

As you say, it really is a reward and therefore the percentage you leave isn't as important as the gesture. Tips are rarely ever written down the in the UK - you usually just let them keep the change when you pay the bill or if you pay by card then you leave some cash. Some places had card machines that allow you to type in a tip amount but they make me feel uncomfortable, so I usually decline that and if I feel a tip is appropriate I will pay it in cash.

[+SOOPRcow MVC]

It should be a warnable offence at most, though I can't say I'm surprised given how American businesses treat their employees.

A warn-able offense for violating the privacy of one of your customers and very publicly shaming them in the process?

[Night Prowler]

Only while the transaction is still processing, which takes about 3 days. Once that is done the final amount is updated to include the tip.

The way it works is that the restaurant swipes your card to get you the bill. So BOA (for example) removes $10 from your account. Now when you add a $2 tip, your waiter goes back and modifies the purchase to include the tip (so your final bill is $12) but they don't swipe your card again because if they did you'd get charged twice. That modification only shows up once the transaction has cleared.

That doesn't look like what is happening, but I'll watch the next transaction to verify.

[theyarecomingforyou]

A warn-able offense for violating the privacy of one of your customers and very publicly shaming them in the process?

Yes. If the pastor genuinely believed that the service was not worthy of a tip then there is no shame in having people know about it. As for the privacy violation, larger breaches are made on a daily basis without people being fired over it. I may not agree with the American-style of tipping but waiting staff in the US earn less than minimum wage and depend on "tips" to earn a living and they can't do that if pompous and hypocritical people like this refuse to pay for the service. You wouldn't go into McDonald's and knock 20% off the price of the food because you didn't like the service, so why is it okay to do the same in a restaurant? That's why tipping should be optional, not necessary to making a living.

[compl3x]

Ultimately, this was an arrogant, passive-aggressive insult to the servers (beyond being stupid and incoherent. WTF does tithing have to do with tipping?)If you thought the service was poor, don't tip. Don't try to use your position as a Pastor to justify your rude, condescending, arrogant behaviour.

I'm sure Jesus tipped the servers at the last supper, follow his example. For a change. (?^_^)?

[jerzdawg]

What's the difference between a party of 20, or 5 tables of 4 people?

Most likely the restaurant would PREFER the larger party.

What it boils down to is the restaurant thinks the larger party is less likely to check the bill, so they think they can get away with it!

They probably think individuals will also tip on top of their "share" of the bill.

Typical American greed, where they will try to rip you off shamelessly.

Just look at all their "reality" shows, where people buy rubbish for peanuts, then flog it off to unsuspecting suckers for a fortune, and when the sucker tried to bargain they say "oh, couldn't possibly sell it for that" - even though if they did they would still be making 300% profit!

typical ignorant person, it doesnt "boil down" to the party looking at the bill. All menus will state somewhere on it if a gratuity is included for X number of guests. That party can choose not to dine at said restaurant if they are against the included gratuity. This topic is going to have a variety of opinions just based on the cultures involved, in the US tipping is a standard, elsewhere.. I guess not. Just as outsiders think its crazy to "have" to tip, a US person thinks it just as crazy not to tip when it comes to a service provided. I tip at restaurants, vallet parking, taxi, luggage carriers (at a hotel), and prob a few others I cant remember at the moment.

[psionicinversion]

tips are bad mmkay... having tips automatically added is BS. if i do tip its just to get rid of some unwanted change in my pocket

[jerzdawg]

I'm not sure what the rub is here. Tips are optional. A person can decide not to tip you for whatever reason they want. Like any gift, it is appreciated, but not expected.

While I agree a person can certainly decline to tip, I think a tip is very much expected (even if it shouldnt be). Just recently I was at a diner and saw that 2 people left $1.50 tip on a $29 bill.. before leaving I left $3 on that table just because I couldnt believe someone would leave such a small tip (normally I tip 20% as long as the service is up to par, I think the lowest Ive ever left was 10% because the service was terrible including forgetting to put an order in for someones dinner).