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My daughter worked in a pub in a very upmarket part of London, England. She said that, on occasion various well known people would come in and sometimes order a bottle of wine for say, $US800.
Their system was that a 10% service charge is automatically added to the bill, and then shared around to all staff according to a formula. So when these people would spend up on the wine there was great excitement.
This daughter has worked as a waitperson in Canada, US, and here as well as the UK. She much preferred the UK system, with or without the expensive wine purchases. Here in Sydney I remember she would come home some nights and laugh, saying that she had just oozed charm tonight. Then a few people would leave a tip.
Our bill at dinner in Sydney last weekend was $450, for 6 people. The tip decided on was $30. So we find the US practice difficult although we attempt to adhere to it. Unfortunately last year in Utah we saw a noticeable decline in the level of service compared to previous years. Which makes it even more difficult to tip that expected 20%.
Tipping is so archaic. It belittles the recipient by putting every single customer on a higher social plane. Serving is a job. If you do it well the restaurant should pay you a reasonable wage. If you do it poorly the restaurant should fire you. If you are cute and flirty should you get more of a tip? If you are aloof and arrogant should you get a higher tip?
Why not make all customer service tip based if it is such a great idea. Wait more than a minute to get a human on the phone at the government agency? Don’t tip him! (/jk) And what about all those surveys we are asked to complete after everything aren’t they a form of tipping? Maybe restaurants should use that instead and only to help the owner decide if the server should get a raise. Based on a real wage.
Instead of paying a tip for normal service we could get back to having a tip be a bonus for some extraordinary action like cleaning up after your kid who just knocked over his whole meal while having a brief tantrum.
in the job market money is made by by being able to do the things others can't or won't do for themselves ..
the markets value certain job functions so low that tipping is a way of allowing these workers to earn more then the markets would other wise pay them ...
it is in a way an appeal for what amounts to the good charitableness of others to give them more then we value that job at ..
so yeah , not all jobs are viewed as being on equal levels.
many jobs rather have these tips then employer wages .
20% for good service. If it's great service and that's probably 5% of the time, I add extra. If it's great service, I usually ask for the manager and compliment the server and how much it meant to our experience. Having known a number of servers in my day, that means a lot to them as they toil away wondering if anyone really cares at times.
Customer service is so hit or miss these days that I really appreciate it when it's on point.
The specifics of wine bottles ordered were discussed in the article I read
I disagree and suspect I am right. What's the most expensive bottle of wine you, a self-professed 15%er, have ever ordered at a restaurant? Did you include the price of the wine in your generous 15%?
The waiter deserves $344 tip for walking and picking up two bottles of wine?
I think not
You're not tipping the waiter for walking and picking up two bottles of wine. You are tipping the sommelier for the knowledge they have and used to ensure that $800 bottle is proper for you.
You're not tipping the waiter for walking and picking up two bottles of wine. You are tipping the sommelier for the knowledge they have and used to ensure that $800 bottle is proper for you.
Even that isn't worth 344 dollars. A lot of CPAs don't make this much per hour. Why does a waiter think he's worth $344 for recommending a bottle of wine?
Last edited by PriscillaVanilla; 04-12-2019 at 08:23 AM..
Tipping is so archaic. It belittles the recipient by putting every single customer on a higher social plane. Serving is a job. If you do it well the restaurant should pay you a reasonable wage. If you do it poorly the restaurant should fire you. If you are cute and flirty should you get more of a tip? If you are aloof and arrogant should you get a higher tip? .
Well, that's a good point. Our current system of tipping puts servers in a role where they have to hustle for their money. Almost like a commission-only sales job.
I went to an event at a Danny Meyer restaurant last night. (Manhatta, on Liberty Street in the Financial District). It was a fundraiser dinner for a foundation, not the regular restaurant, and I didn't pay for it ($1500 a person!) but someone mentioned that he doesn't allow tipping at any of his restaurants. I didn't know that. Someone even said the coat check people don't take tips, but I gave the guy a buck and he took it.
Just saying, if you don't want to tip, go to one of his. He owns Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Cafe, the one I went to, and he also owns the Shake Shacks.
A lot of his staff quit over the practice, but there was an army of servers there last night, and very efficient, so some mustn't mind.
i have an opinion on it (like anything) but it doesnt really matter to me enough to base my dining decisions on. like i said before, i dont penalize anyone just because of my personal philosophy. im happy to have servers doing well financially. right now, the only thing that i question is the tips for the counter service places. ill tip if that is what is deemed appropriate today but im used to that not being a tipping moment so i feel weird when presented with the option.
i wonder how the no tipping policy impacts the pricing of his food and the income of the staff. it would be interesting to find out the details.
i have an opinion on it (like anything) but it doesnt really matter to me enough to base my dining decisions on. like i said before, i dont penalize anyone just because of my personal philosophy. im happy to have servers doing well financially. right now, the only thing that i question is the tips for the counter service places. ill tip if that is what is deemed appropriate today but im used to that not being a tipping moment so i feel weird when presented with the option.
i wonder how the no tipping policy impacts the pricing of his food and the income of the staff. it would be interesting to find out the details.
I wondered how much the staff get paid, too. I'm sure it impacts the pricing of the food.
Here's the Manhatta menu. Looks as if it's only prix-fixe, and you're probably paying for the view, which is magnificent.
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