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Who do you tip & who's not worthy?

Will only tip dependant on service irrespective of whether it's a meal, haircut etc. I know these people are on low salaries but there shouldn't be an inherent expectation on a tip regardless. Serve me well and I'll tip. Give me "phone it in service" and I won't
 
Lord Tyrion said:
I should add I have been to America and did tip there profusely as culturally it is expected and also they are still in the scenario of bad pay and tips are needed to make their wage acceptable. You tend to find the level of service is vastly superior because of that incentive. I didn't like it but understood the system and it is not the workers fault that it is set up like that.
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That is something that shocked me when I moved here, just how poorly people are paid in the service industry. In a grill house that me and the wife like to go we got chatting with our waitress. She told us that they only get paid $2 an hour. From what I have heard that is one of the better paying waitress jobs. My daughters friend works in a local Mexican restaurant at the weekends and only gets as $1 an hour. So you really are obliged to tip, but on the other hand it is a lot cheaper to go out to eat here, so it's not too bad.
 
Madadey, my wife knew this could be an issue for me on holiday so before we went she sat me down and rationalised it. It will be cheap to eat out so whatever is written on the menu add 10%. If the waiter is great, as per the wonderful woman in Denny's for our first breakfast, then it goes to 15-20%. Do this before you order so the whole bill in your head includes the tip.

Factor tipping into the holiday cost before you set off and it stops being an issue. Understanding the wage / pay structure for those types of jobs also moves the goalposts. It's a very different situation to the UK. My wife can be wise at times 😁
 
I'm happy to tip if I know the money is going to the staff who served and cooked for me, but i really hate those places which automatically add a service charge.

was in Newcastle last week, the two of us went for a curry before going to a show, nice meal, but was annoyed when the bill came with 10% service charge added. straight in the owners pocket, no doubt.
 
Lord Tyrion said:
Madadey, my wife knew this could be an issue for me on holiday so before we went she sat me down and rationalised it. It will be cheap to eat out so whatever is written on the menu add 10%. If the waiter is great, as per the wonderful woman in Denny's for our first breakfast, then it goes to 15-20%. Do this before you order so the whole bill in your head includes the tip.

Factor tipping into the holiday cost before you set off and it stops being an issue. Understanding the wage / pay structure for those types of jobs also moves the goalposts. It's a very different situation to the UK. My wife can be wise at times 
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For god's sake, I hope you didn't tell her that!
 
Lord Tyrion said:
Madadey, my wife knew this could be an issue for me on holiday so before we went she sat me down and rationalised it. It will be cheap to eat out so whatever is written on the menu add 10%. If the waiter is great, as per the wonderful woman in Denny's for our first breakfast, then it goes to 15-20%. Do this before you order so the whole bill in your head includes the tip.

Factor tipping into the holiday cost before you set off and it stops being an issue. Understanding the wage / pay structure for those types of jobs also moves the goalposts. It's a very different situation to the UK. My wife can be wise at times 😁
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Another good tip is to always tip the the person behind the bar after every drink and engage them in conversation to make them remember you. Always leave a dollar if your buying a couple of drinks for you and the wife. Then make sure to get served by the same person next time and do the same again. The next time you go to the bar when it gets busier she'll remember your a tipper and you'll get served quicker.

Coming out to the US with RAF was always funny. Some lads would look at me and ask how I got served so quickly, no coincidence that they're the same people that don't believe in tipping.
 
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Agree with that. Last holiday in mexico, despite being all inclusive and brochure saying tipping not necessary your drink was never empty if you tipped a dollar each round. Far slower early on when I had no change and planned a bigger tip at the end of the night
 
When younger I tipped based on learning, as I got older I tipped on quality of product. Peer pressure or cultural expectations means nothing to me now. Impress me based on what I expect and you get a decent tip...beyond the regular 10%. Anything at that or below that expectation and you get nothing
 
MadAdey said:
That is something that shocked me when I moved here, just how poorly people are paid in the service industry. In a grill house that me and the wife like to go we got chatting with our waitress. She told us that they only get paid $2 an hour. From what I have heard that is one of the better paying waitress jobs. My daughters friend works in a local Mexican restaurant at the weekends and only gets as $1 an hour. So you really are obliged to tip, but on the other hand it is a lot cheaper to go out to eat here, so it's not too bad.
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What they earn is irrelevant, tipping should be a courtesy and not an obligation. Why should customers pay their wages so the restaurant don't have to?
 
Simbo said:
What they earn is irrelevant, tipping should be a courtesy and not an obligation. Why should customers pay their wages so the restaurant don't have to?
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It all evens itself out - in the US the food etc is a lot cheaper to eat out and to balance that out the serving staff don't get great wages so tips are part of the wages for them and it's pretty much expected and part of the norm

In the UK eating out is a lot more expensive to help pay at the very least minimum wage and the serving staff etc get paid a lot more - that's balanced out by the price we need to pay for the food but tipping isn't part of the norm even though most do give a small tip

Either way the customer will end up giving out the same level of money
 
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