Faiblesse Des Sens Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 I tend to tip around 10% ish whenever I have table service. I find the concept of tipping at the bar utterly bewildering. The guy turns a tap on for 10 seconds, then turns it off again, or worse, gets a bottle out of the fridge and opens it for me. Why on earth would I pay extra for that? What if you're at a cocktail bar? Also considering the sheer amount of shit they have to take and the speed that bartenders have to do things on busy things I have no problem tipping well at bars. It typically results in free drinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 Cocktail bars I do tend to tip, especially if I have ordered two or more cocktails. In the UK, if you tip at the bar you will almost always be met with confusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 I generally tip a dollar a drink if I order from the bar. It's just polite. Plus the bartenders are likely not paid a living wage and depend on tips. You don't have to tip everywhere, ThursdayNext. Just table service (although there is a small, but growing trend for medium-to-high-end places to ban tips and to pay their staffs high wages), cabbies (but not Uber drivers), valets, coat room attendants, porters, non-independent barbers, and food delivery people. I prefer the European system, but I nonetheless try to tip well. 10% for table service here is low. The standard here is 15%-20%, depending on where you are and the expense of the service. In NYC it seems like 20% is standard even for adequate service, while elsewhere 1% is standard. 10% is cheapskate territory, unless the service was awful. If the food was awful, you can also tip 10%, but I always try to let the server know that s/he should take the tip and cut out the kitchen, even though that's almost never possible due to staff tip pooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 Table Service - Fine, I'm literally being waited on, and if the service is good, friendly waiter, not left hanging about etc, I'm happy to tack on a ~20% premium. Cabbies - I'll tend to let them keep the change, but if it's a round figure, and I have the note I don't tip. Valets - Never used them, not sure if it would be something that I would tip for, probably would in advance out of concern for the safety of my car if I didn't, but I'd feel like I was paying protection money rather than offering a discretionary bonus. Coat Room Attendants - It would never occur to me to tip them, I'd rather hang my coat on the back of my chair so I can make a hassle free exit. Porters - Don't tip. I actually find it a bit rude when they insist on taking my luggage from me. I don't like other people handling my stuff more than is absolutely necessary. Barbers - I tend to tip in the UK, normally £1, regardless of independence. Food Delivery - Another "keep the change" situation. See, this is where the cultural disconnect comes in. I tip for good service and above, not by default. When I'm told that wait staff don't get paid a living wage, I tend to think that is the fault of a broken system and it's not my job to fix it. Service industry staff could unionise and strike, or quit en masse until they are rehired at a proper wage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 Coat room attendants actually vary. I've had them refuse tips at a variety of places, from museums to restaurants. I upon reflection, I think they're tipped positions at fussy and stodgy places, like country clubs and athletic clubs. You really should tip the 20% on food delivery in the US. Otherwise you're really acting like a jerk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faiblesse Des Sens Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 I tip for good service and above, not by default. Unfortunately, most people care too much about social norms to do it this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFlyingGerbil Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 But if (most of) the server's wages are not included in the cost of the food in USA then it's not really fair not to tip because you're saying they don't deserve to be paid for what they've done for you so unless they spit in your food at the table they deserve to be paid even if the service wasn't a delight. Only in places like UK where servers are paid a full wage should a tip be discretionary. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staySICK Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 You really should tip the 20% on food delivery in the US. Otherwise you're really acting like a jerk. I typically aim for 20% and go down from there when the service sucks. I've never had a bad enough experience not to tip at all, I think the lowest I've tipped was like 5%, or a buck. How does it work when you have your waiter/waitress take your order, check on you, offer refills etc but someone else brings you the food? Do they get a share of the tip? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faiblesse Des Sens Posted January 18, 2015 Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 But if (most of) the server's wages are not included in the cost of the food in USA then it's not really fair not to tip because you're saying they don't deserve to be paid for what they've done for you so unless they spit in your food at the table they deserve to be paid even if the service wasn't a delight. Only in places like UK where servers are paid a full wage should a tip be discretionary. In my state you can't be paid less than minimum wage. Though tipping certainly does take that closer to a living wage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted January 18, 2015 Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 How does it work when you have your waiter/waitress take your order, check on you, offer refills etc but someone else brings you the food? Do they get a share of the tip? I think they must pool tips. Everyone puts their tips in the pot and then it gets split at the end of the night. I think credit card tips get split at the next paycheck, with taxes withheld. I think, though I've never worked in a restaurant myself, usualyy the majority goes to the waitstaff and a significant cut goes to the kitchen.barbacks/bouncers/etc. I know there are laws in many places that govern exactly how this works. I know it is illegal in the U.S. (in many states/cities, at least) for salaried management or the house to get a cut of the tips if the waitstaff are not paid minimum wage. I think fancier restaurants may do it differently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 But if (most of) the server's wages are not included in the cost of the food in USA then it's not really fair not to tip because you're saying they don't deserve to be paid for what they've done for you so unless they spit in your food at the table they deserve to be paid even if the service wasn't a delight. Only in places like UK where servers are paid a full wage should a tip be discretionary. I'm not the one saying that they don't deserve to get paid. Their boss is saying that. If their boss thinks they deserve to get paid, then their boss should pay them and charge me. I think the conception that I, as a customer, have a moral obligation to pay the wait staff is completely backwards. I didn't hire the staff, I didn't set their wages to below minimum / living wage. If we're going to do it that way, then I should be able to choose who waits on my table, rather than being assigned the person who's serving pace hovers somewhere between glacial and tectonic. In fact, that would be great, I could conduct a brief interview with the wait staff, see who I think is the best fit for my dining experience and then we can negotiate a fair wage for their service over the next hour or so. I mean, if we're reducing the role of restaurant management to that of "wait staff pimp" then I should at least get to choose who is servicing me. Since the attitude is that "gratuities" are mandatory, I would much rather that a 20% Service Charge was automatically added to the bill (a 10% service charge is pretty standard in a lot of UK restaurants, it gets automagically tacked on to the bill), and if I feel service was crappy, I can argue the toss with the management. This would also have the additional benefit of meaning that I can pay tips via my card, as I tend not to carry a lot of / any cash on me, which can often lead to that awkward "Shit, I've only got a couple of dollars... is that ok to leave? Or is it less rude to leave nothing?" moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 Most restaurants here allow you to pay tips via your card, there's just a little line on the signature slip that lets you write how much of a tip you want to give. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 Oh yeah, I forget that you don't do the whole chip&pin thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staySICK Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 While googling chip and pin, I found this: http://www.forbes.com/sites/leoking/2014/10/21/is-the-us-finally-accelerating-a-move-to-chip-and-pin/ It looks like we are shifting in that direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 ITT: ThursdayNext trying out for the role of Mr. Pink in the remake of Reservoir Dogs. But, seriously; because you have a problem with the system you end up punishing those who have very little to no power to change it when you don't leave a tip. Your grievance is with the owner class, yet the pain is felt by the workers. I understand you are a lawyer; please, please, please don't think that obligates you to sociopathy. We get a bad enough rap as it is. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 Of course they have the power to change it. Unionise, down tools, demand minimum wage, write to your senator. You've got the NLRA out there. If a restaurant has the option of paying staff a fair wage, or having nobody to bring food to the tables, I'm pretty sure I know what they would choose. Is there a reason the food service industry can't strike? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) Strikes are largely ineffective when there are 100 scabs with experience waiting to jump in for every single food service job. The transaction costs of unionizing low-wage, low-skill, high-turnover jobs are pretty much insurmountable. Workers can't afford dues, can't afford to strike, and federal laws don't necessarily apply to small-chains or non-chain restaurants or even franchises, so the NLRB can't be of much help. Even when it does help striking fast food workers (who are not tipped), it prompts endless calls for changing the law from the GOP to make it even more owner-friendly. I can do a detailed writeup for you later, since I'm at work right now. But, really, your argument against comes off as uninformed and cruel. Edited January 19, 2015 by Mr. GOH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 On the other end, if you are a good worker and know how to work people then you can make quite a bit more than a decent hourly wage. That is assuming the tips are not fucking pooled that is. I can acceot it though if it is for the back of the house but other wait staff? Umm, no. And yeah, most wait staff jobs could be replaced by 14 years old kids if it came down to it. The only thing is the thing with handling money behind the register and alcohol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted January 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 I do like mispronouncing Reading, pisses people off going to the Reading Festival. "Why are there all these bands going to a Reading Festival, surely you should have authors?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 <- Did not know until this moment that it's not pronounced "Reeding". 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mal Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Ya'll need some diacritic marks at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFlyingGerbil Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 I'm sure it's not just english that pronounces place names differently to how they're spelled, but does anyone know if it is more common in english than other languages? hardly anyone in england (nor wales, tbh) can even pronounce welsh place names, so I think that's unfair putting them in - they're not the same language or alphabet, after all. Not to mention she gets some of them wrong herself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyEthan Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 In the US we have lots of places named from Native American languages, and it's always funny hearing people try to pronounce ones they're unfamiliar with. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 There are many towns in the U.S. named Worcester and pronounces "wuhster." Named reading and pronounced "redding," too. But we also have towns named things like New Berlin and pronounced "Nooberlin." And I know two towns named Medina, but one is pronounced "mah-die-nah" and the other "medeena." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Heart Posted January 23, 2015 Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 I do like mispronouncing Reading, pisses people off going to the Reading Festival. "Why are there all these bands going to a Reading Festival, surely you should have authors?" When I was a (stupid) kid, I wondered why there was a Reading University. True story. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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