dbd33

Completely disagree. In deciding to eat in a restaurant or drink at a bar one does so knowing that the staff in that establishment need and expect 15% of the pre-tax bill to be added as a tip. That's the custom in Canada and people who do not wish to follow the custom should stay at home.

NotTooShabby

Also agree. One can follow a custom despite beliving it is wrong.

dbd33

Fair enough. It makes me cringe to be on a tab with someone who doesn't tip.

triumphguy

I was talking to my regular Ozzie waitress about tipping, and she suprised me by relating this:

She has to pay 15% of her take to the manager, who splits it between the chef/kitchen, and the bar manager and staff. Whether or not she gets a tip!

15% means she doesn't OWE (WTH???), more than 15% she gets to keep the difference!

She is highly motivated to serve well!

It sounds a bit like bondage to me!

jericho

I don't mind tipping for decent service in a restaurant, but I find it a bit much when sandwich shops and fast food places have their hands out too- usually the only service they provide is taking your order, probably getting it wrong and then handing over the debit machine.

I was out for dinner with my wife and 2 kids recently. My kids are young, so we tend to leave a mess, and i'm more than happy to tip a little extra in those curcumstances. However I'm starting to see a trend now where we're getting personalized messages on the bill. One waitress gave us a card with the bill saying how beautiful the kids were and that it had been a pleasure to serve us... Now, as nice (but sickening) as the sentiment was, I think this is bordering on ridiculous.

G77

That's borderline begging....

jericho

Well, he's going to say that isnt he!

Steve_P

Even worse with someone who adds up everyone's contributions to the bill and then decides the tip is too large and pockets some it for himself.

Butch Cassidy

Sorry Steve, I wont do it again

Jingsamichty

Think I said on here before, but is a good point to say again: I was told by a barman - in downtown Calgary - that he made $11/hr basic, then usually made about the same again in tips. Regardless of what he actually made in tips, he had to pay a certain amount in tips to the kitchen staff, the waiting staff etc. based on his total $ sales, not on the tips he actually took.

Generally I tip 15% rounded up to $5. If I get that wrong, as I can often do, then tough. More if the service is really great. If I get bad service, then 0-10% depending on how much I want to get the point across.

el_richo

The custom is alive in the UK (didn't the concept originate there?) too so it's certainly not alien. Just because people disagree with the whole aspect of expectation doesn't mean they don't partake.

woodworm

not heaving read through the whole thread, I just wanted to add my 2 cents to the original question..
I just came back from a trip to the US with a group of 40 people, and last Thanksgiving Thursday we had a turkey dinner in a nice restaurant. I paid the bill for the whole group and they automatically added 18% tip on top of it, that seems to be the going rate in the US, but seemed a bit stiff to me. In Canada they usually add 15% on top of the group bills.

I work in a job that is heavily dependent on tips and we get people from all over the world. The Australians , British, Spanish, Germans and French (in that order) have the worst reputation for tipping and therefore don't seem to get the same level of attention as our American guests, who are very generous. Canadians are somewhere in between. That maybe explains why my senior colleagues will refuse to work with Australian or European groups and those get left to the newbies...

el_richo

But surely the tip is compiled with the rest of the nights "takings" to be shared amongst all staff? So it shouldn't matter who serves the tight assed ingrates?

TheBestUsername

A discount should be given on the meal, rather than the tip, if the service is particularly poor. That should be expected of the restaurant. There should also be a room where the victims of poor service or food can go into, take one breakable item of choice from the table and then smash it in the aforementioned room. Protective clothing should be provided by the restaurant.

If a restaurant places a tip of above 0% on the bill, without my consent, I will expect to pay 100% of the meal, minus how much they expected as a tip. By demanding a tip, they are essentially saying - if I decline - "you are an ungrateful, bigoted idiot who has no semblence of respect." I do not expect to be spoken to in that manner, when I go to a restaurant or other place which uses bills. Subliminal or not. Having said that, considering that I would probably not have the courage to make such demands, I'd probably just pay for the meal sans the tip and leave...quickly.

As someone mentioned earlier, if there is a problem with wages, it is a matter for the employer. I don't like this underhanded begging.

G77

My FIL cracks me up, he's Scottish and generally doesn't understand tipping, so when he's here, he'll give them a tip and then say "are you happy with that?", they then look at him like this