Am I a soft touch or are my friends tight?

[Smokin Joe]

What is the protocol on tipping when one does a runner?

Should one still leave a gratuity for the waiter?

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Often I have a question about the menu, and sometimes ask if I can have a certain item but with or without x item.

I suppose the kitchen have the final say in that latter point, but yes you're right. A really good waiter can answer any question about the menu, and in a decent establishment he will take a real interest in the food served and will have tried most of it.

Some of my most enjoyable meals were had on a good waiter's advice. Why would anyone deny a tip for that?

 

[Speicher]

Yes, sometimes the waiter does have to ask the Chef. I understand that, and if the Chef said no, fair enough. I like spiced food, but sometimes have to ask just how strong it is. I would not ask for unreasonable changes to be made, it is tweaks rather than a major change to the menu.

 

[slugonabike]

You're not the only one. But like the others, unfortunately you are a tightarse.

Waiters aren't on much money... (minimum wage of just under £6 an hour in a lot of cases).... if they make your evening more special, if they add to the general experience with their efficiency and good humour, if they provide sound advice on menu choices, if they accomodate odd requests with good grace, if they appear exactly when needed, and keep out of your way when not, then why not show your appreciation for that professionalism with an extra couple of quid?

They could always have served you with a sullen look on their face, they could have been a bit surly, standoffish, they might have had no idea what any of the dishes were like.... yet the good ones choose not to, and try to go the extra mile for you. Even when getting the same basic wage as the poor ones.

If your policy is to not tip poor service, then I'd agree. But I get the impression that's not your policy.

I agree, if someone goes out of their way to make my meal special I will gladly tip. I won't tip if the staff have simply done their job though, and not done anything extra. There are many people out there who do low paid jobs to the best of their ability who don't get tips.

 

[Renard]

It seems strange on a night out that anyone would be wanting three quid change back out of the thirty they would've put on the table. Who would want to be weighed down by the shrapnel? As for the one paying by card - who cares about an extra three quid on a monthly bill, especially at Christmas? Only a total stinge

 

[iAmiAdam]

You're not the only one. But like the others, unfortunately you are a tightarse.

Waiters aren't on much money... (minimum wage of just under £6 an hour in a lot of cases).... if they make your evening more special, if they add to the general experience with their efficiency and good humour, if they provide sound advice on menu choices, if they accomodate odd requests with good grace, if they appear exactly when needed, and keep out of your way when not, then why not show your appreciation for that professionalism with an extra couple of quid?

They could always have served you with a sullen look on their face, they could have been a bit surly, standoffish, they might have had no idea what any of the dishes were like.... yet the good ones choose not to, and try to go the extra mile for you. Even when getting the same basic wage as the poor ones.

If your policy is to not tip poor service, then I'd agree. But I get the impression that's not your policy.

I fail to see how I'm a 'tightarse' as you put it. I don't have a job, I don't get EMA and I'm still a student, I bet the waiters have a damn sight more money than me. I've never felt the need to tip at all because I've never received exceptional service. Infact, last time I went out for a meal, we waited 15 minutes before we even got a waiters attention, over an hour for food, never got the second lot of drinks we asked for and one persons meal was wrong. Yet we still had to pay nearly £30 each, which is a hell of a lot of money to me atm. When I'm paying that much for food, I expect to get good service all the time.

 

[badkitty]

I don't have a job, I don't get EMA and I'm still a student,

You ever thought of getting a job as a waiter? The good ones make loads you know...

 

[iAmiAdam]

You ever thought of getting a job as a waiter? The good ones make loads you know...

Thought about it, but I can't be bothered to deal with the idiots who don't tip.

 

[slowmotion]

Thought about it, but I can't be bothered to deal with the idiots who don't tip.

Very good

 

[slowmotion]

What is the protocol on tipping when one does a runner?

Should one still leave a gratuity for the waiter?

It is best to leave a gratuity and a cryptic note suggesting that you left more in another part of the restaurant. This gives you a few more seconds to leg it before the posse comes after you.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Great humour there Adam! I appreciate it.

What I'm saying is that service doesn't have to be exceptional for a tip. It just has to be good.

I get the feeling we dine in different places, but even in Pizza Express, the waiter has a good margin for earning an extra quid or two. Making you fel welcome, making sure you don't wait too long to order, making sure you don't hang around for drinks orders etc. Pay the man a pound or two if he's been good! What's wrong with that?

I sympathise if you're a student. But many students earn their wages by waiting tables, and some of the good ones earn a good living from it. And good on them.

 

[thomas]

I fail to see how I'm a 'tightarse' as you put it. I don't have a job, I don't get EMA and I'm still a student, I bet the waiters have a damn sight more money than me. I've never felt the need to tip at all because I've never received exceptional service. Infact, last time I went out for a meal, we waited 15 minutes before we even got a waiters attention, over an hour for food, never got the second lot of drinks we asked for and one persons meal was wrong. Yet we still had to pay nearly £30 each, which is a hell of a lot of money to me atm. When I'm paying that much for food, I expect to get good service all the time.

Being a student is an instant reason to be a bit tight and request the pennies back from any bill

I don't generally 'tip', but I am happy to leave money...so if it's a bit under a tenner I'm not bothered about my change. So, if I was out with the OP may leave it...but quite happy to wait for the change, haha. That three quid could buy a pint and some crisps another day . Certainly from the op's description they are tight, where as being a student I would call myself frugal .

It should be pointed out that a lot of jobs don't pay well and workers of these jobs don't get tips. Certainly in the retail world it would be very unlikely that anyone would tip, even if they did have a very enjoyable shopping experience. Why should the catering industry be any different?

 

[slowmotion]

Why should the catering industry be any different?

One of Life's huge imponderables is why everybody is supposed to lob huge tips to London cabbies. They are a miserable bunch and earn huge sums of money while living in mansions near Potter's Bar.

What the heck is that all about?

 

[Hover Fly]

...because tips are allowed to be classed as part of wages and a boss who pays the minimum wage can (and they often do) pay below this and make the rest up from the tips pool.

So you need to think who is actually getting the benefit of your tip before you leave it.

Not now, tips are excluded from the minimum wage. The law was changed in May 2009.

 

[Andy in Sig]

I don't agree with tips being 10% of the cost of the food as the quality of the service is independent of the cost of the meal. The way to look at it is was each individual satsified with the service? If so, then the round up to 30 quid was indeed peanuts and your friends have indeed shown themselves up. I would have let the tight cow pay with her card and then demonstratively left a fiver on the table as you left.

To go very slightly off topic: I would make it illegal for restaurants to attempt to impose service charges as they should be paying their staff a decent wage, the tip being between the customer and the waiter. They cannot force you to pay service charges BTW.