Tipping in Miami (Miami Beach, Mango, South Beach: sales, insurance, credit card)

[Aned]

Oh, my God! I can't believe a nightclub like "Mango" charges an extra 18% as a Service Charge, which is the tip. Why aren't restaurants and clubs paying a reasonable salary to employees. If these employees only live off tips, that is called "exploitation."

Most likely, the owners of Mango are millionaires, what a shame that they have their workers living off tips, without a decent salary!

Tips should be given as a recognition for good service.

[Coconut1]

Originally Posted by Aned

Tips should be given as a recognition for good service.

I concur. What I have heard, though, is that because Miami attracts many foreign tourist who come from places where tipping is much different than here in the US, that is why it is added. If you've had less than stellar service you can always ask for the tip to be removed.

You shouldn't be having this problem outside tourist areas/the CBD, though.

[Cubanchic]

Most restrurants only pay half min wages and the employees make up the difference with tips. This is what is normal for most restrurants nation wide. In tourist areas like miami beach it is usually tip included.

[doggiebus]

OP this is standard practice for Miami Beach where many tourist do not tip because they don't know how the tipping policy works in the US. Hence why the restaurant automatically puts a tip on bills.

[Aned]

Tipping policy? There is not such a thing. Let alone coming from establishments!

Tipping is a costumer thing, not a restaurant thing. Restaurants have created such idea in order to overcharge costumers, taking advantage of the tipping tradition. What Miami Beach has created is not tipping, but greediness, showing no humbleness at all and disrespecting costumers.

Europeans do know how to tip. Here is where exist the wrong idea and sense of ENTITLEMENT, even the wrong idea indicating how much the costumer should tip.

Actually, what restaurants and clubs are doing by including the tip is telling costumers: "I included the tip because you are a stupid person who does not know how to tip, and we are including the amount we assume should give us regardless of the quality of our service or your impression of it."

[doom1001]

Originally Posted by Aned

Tipping policy? There is not such a thing. Let alone coming from establishments!

Tipping is a costumer thing, not a restaurant thing. Restaurants have created such idea in order to overcharge costumers, taking advantage of the tipping tradition. What Miami Beach has created is not tipping, but greediness, showing no humbleness at all.

Europeans do know how to tip. Here is where exist the wrong idea of ENTITLEMENT, even the wrong idea indicating how much the costumer should tip.

I worked long enough in a restaurant where the tip was not included to know a big percentage of tourists have no idea how to tip,some will tip well while others leave 10% or a couple of bucks or nothing at all.Servers in most major restaurants also have to tip other staff members like bussers and bartenders off their tips usually totalling 5% of their sales,so if you get a check for a $100 and are left a $10 tip you're basically making $5,if they leave you no tip you're negative $5.They charge that 18% because they have to,if they didn't they would have to replace their staff constantly from people quitting.That's just the way tipping is in the U.S,if they had to pay a living wage to these employees everything on the menu would go up in price by 40-60%.All these employees are getting $4 something an hour,which depending on what they declare in tips they might not even see.A normal server working 35 hours a week making $4 something an hour is seeing like $60 in their weekly paycheck,if they're lucky to have insurance through the company they probably don't even get a paycheck.So they do live off tips,if they don't get that 15%-20% on their checks they're going to suffer.Like I said where I used to work the tip was not included except for large parties and I have seen servers sell $500 in a shift and get tourists all day and leave with $25 when normal tips on $500 in sales would usually mean they leave with $65-$85.

[Aned]

It is just abusive. And a place like Mango, on Ocean Drive, doing that?

[MadManofBethesda]

Originally Posted by Aned

Oh, my God! I can't believe a nightclub like "Mango" charges an extra 18% as a Service Charge, which is the tip.

So how much of a tip would you have left if one was not automatically added to your bill?

The standard practice anywhere in the United States is for customers to tip approximately 15% - 20% on the total bill in restaurants and bars. In some tourist areas, it is standard practice for the establishment to add the tip automatically. On a side note, however, one of the things I abhor is the practice of some establishments to automatically add the tip, but then to "hide" it in the principal amount on your credit card bill, thus leaving the "tip" line empty to be filled in again by unsuspecting patrons.

[Aned]

Mango could pay a living salary to its employees. What is preventing that from happening is that the owners are greedy and want to keep a higher living standard, making millions a year while employees have to live off a mandatory tip or "Service Charge."

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by Aned

Mango could pay a living salary to its employees. What is preventing that from happening is that the owners are greedy and want to keep a higher living standard, making millions a year while employees have to live off a mandatory tip or "Service Charge."

And you would pay $18 for a beer. The best run restaurants profit .05 cents on the dollar. Yes, $.05 so that one restaurant is making no one a millionaire.

South Beach restaurants, and all of them do this, add gratuity because of cheap ass tourists who kept stiffing the waitstaff.

If you don't like it, stay out of South Beach.

Don't even get me started on how cheap Europeans are.