TruBrit

yes we always have tipped in any country we visit, my OH in particular is a very good tipper. it is somewhat annoying though when it is expected of the customer to make up the waiter's salary....surely that should come from their employer? i feel so sorry for the waiting staff here. anyway, that's the way they do it in america and so yes when we have good service we tip accordingly.

Kaffy Mintcake

I am guessing of course, but either way I would suspect that the customers would have to pay the waiter's salary, right? In the UK it must be included in the price of the food (i.e. obligatory) vs. the the US it is paid separately. I do feel bad for those who wait on people who wouldn't know that it is customary to tip unless you've received very poor service. On the flip side, if I receive exceptional performance I tip at a higher rate (maybe 30%) - so it's a sort of pay for performance isn't it?

Poppy girl

I used to have the guy come into the seafood resturant I worked in he would show up every other Friday alone and ask for me..
He would make polite conversation to chat no flirting, then he would say "I am going to eat now please leave me to enjoy my food" again very nicely.

You bet I did he would give me $100 tip every time I used to say that it was too much but he would not hear of it.

TruBrit

but some peeps like has been said on here don't tip at all and so poor wait staff on that table. at least if it's all in the price of the meal the wait staff get their cut and anything else is a bonus.

Kaffy Mintcake

and now they can share that information!

http://www.badtipper.com/

(looks like they have a "sh*tty tipper database" here!)
http://www.bitterwaitress.com/

and an interesting blog on the subject - I have heard the advice before that you can tell a lot about someone based on how they treat those in the service industry

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/...r_waitres.html

I would never pi$$ someone off who served my food or drink!

Poppy girl

I have not read the link yet but believe me evil things happen to food when you get nasty customers remeber that folks lmao

TruBrit

and that's annoying here also. because we tip well yes we get good service at our favourite restaurants but the wait staff never leave us alone to enjoy our meal in piece! it's nice to have a chat but then pi$$ off and leave us alone. we even receive wedding invites and shower invites from the wait staff

your $100 tipper had the right idea!

Poppy girl

Yep he did lol wish there were like him then.

I agree it does get up your nose when they won't leave you alone I mean ask once when the meal has been served then get out of my face and don't come back.

franc11s

I'd like a hot plate please

And don't take my plate till the misses' as finished her meal..

Ask me for Desert before my wife finish and I'll poke ya in the eye with me fork !!

Ask me more that once if my food is OK and Salt will hurt..

Ask me if me food is nice before I've lifted me fork will result in Hot Horseradish poked up ya nose (the creamy sh/t don't ave any effect)..

No my soup spoon is not the same spoon I'd choose to eat my desert with..

And why do I get frost bite when I touch me salad plate ?

Oh, well... Yes, despite my britishness, I do tip (typically 20%.. - 15% for average) because I know, cheap food, don't come cheap..

Bon UP-ya-Tit.

britvic

very good.

Thydney

I'm mentally scarred now

cindyabs

yeah but you got a smile on your face and a song in your heart.

Maz

franc11s, brilliant post, thank you! And I completely agree.

NC Penguin

... and you wonder why Americans don't like you...

Yorkieabroad

We basically always tip - I can only remember once since I first came here in the late 80's leaving a restaurant without leaving any tip at all. It was at a lunch with work colleagues who were all USC and me, as a bemused foreign onlooker. The service had been pretty crap, but the decision to leave no tip at all required a 10 minute round the table discussion, fairly heated at times, followed by a blind vote (N or Y on folded napkin) which resulted in a 5 to 4 vote against tipping. As we were heading out to the cars, one guy remembered he needed a leak, so went back in. The others were convinced he'd dropped a tip.....led to a fairly frosty drive back to the office, I can tell you!

But at least it taught me the lesson that tipping is serious here. I don't particularly like it, but I go with it because thats how its done here. At our table, I am trusted with calculating the 15-20% tips for the smaller bills, but anything over about $100 gets passed over to the missus, especially if we're dining with other friends.....I struggle with the percentages at that sort of level.. We had a dinner a couple of weeks ago that came to about $500 for 6 of us - the waitress (who had been absolutely top notch) pocketed close to $100 for waiting our table for 3 hours. Thats not a bad whack......