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Restaurant WITHOUT service charge? Dublin

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  • 02-04-2013 7:13am
    #1
    lynski
    Registered Users Posts: 1,585 ✭✭✭


    Looking for somewhere for a family meal out in the coming weeks for a party of about 12/15 and I am shocked that restaurants are charging 10 - 15 % service charge for large groups.
    I just cant understand it, surely a large group is easier to deal with then 5 to 8 individual tables of 2/3 people?

    Anyway, aside from my little rant, does anyone know anywhere in dublin for a good family lunch, European cuisine is preferred, and no service charge?
    Tagged:


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    #2
    reprazant
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,417 ✭✭✭reprazant


    Pretty sure all places have a service charge for groups over 6-8.

    It is generally harder for the kitchen to handle large groups than smaller tables. For example, you will have 12-15 people all ordering at the same time and needing all the dinners to be served at the same time. That is not really the case with separate tables.


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    #3
    schemingbohemia
    Registered Users Posts: 5,606 ✭✭✭schemingbohemia


    I know in Milanos I asked the waitress if it was better for her if we paid the service charge or just paid a tip (we were a group of 8), she smiled and said just tell me you're refusing to pay the service charge and then leave the tip on the table. We actually tipped more than the service charge but it meant she got the money and not the company.

    Would you not be tipping around that amount anyway? I'm really not sure about the legality of a strictly enforceable "service charge", you could question it when booking?


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    #4
    Ravelleman
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 3,635 CMod ✭✭✭✭Ravelleman


    I always thought that service charge was a way of effectively guaranteeing a tip for the staff after the extra effort of serving a big group. Perhaps that's naive though.


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    #5
    ProudDUB
    Registered Users Posts: 11,569 ✭✭✭✭ProudDUB


    lynski wrote: »
    I just cant understand it, surely a large group is easier to deal with then 5 to 8 individual tables of 2/3 people?

    A bigger group is much harder to deal with as they all want to order at the same time, get their drinks at the same time, get their meal at the same time, get the bill at the same time and pay at the same time. With smaller tables, that would all be staggered, so they would be much easier to deal with. Larger groups are logistically harder to deal with and generally take more time to get in and out the door than smaller tables do. They also tend to linger longer after the meal to chit chat than smaller parties do who will normally leave after they are done eating. Not being able to recycle the use of the table quicker and more often means less money for both the restaurant and the waitress over the course of the evening. Hence the service charge.


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    #6
    BeerNut
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,778 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    AFAIK L. Mulligan Grocer and WJ Kavanagh's don't charge large groups for service. Kavanagh's is open for lunch every day.

    My beer blog | The Twitter | My other beer blog



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    #7
    Agent Smith
    Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 21,502 Mod ✭✭✭✭Agent Smith


    Automatic Service charges are something that really grinds my gears.

    I was in an un-named resterant last week with the G/f. and When i went to pay i saw the service charge. The service wasn't actually that good, (not bad, but not good) and I just hate the pre-sumsion that i have to give more. I would have actually left more then the service charge as a tip.


    I do understand if its for a large group. Large groups generally take much longer to eat and leave (meaning your tables are occupied) and as stated before, people want their food all at the same time


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    #8
    Mr Simpson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,332 ✭✭✭Mr Simpson


    Ravelleman wrote: »
    I always thought that service charge was a way of effectively guaranteeing a tip for the staff after the extra effort of serving a big group. Perhaps that's naive though.

    I never ever saw a cent of a service charge. And I've worked in restaurants for quite a while


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    #9
    deconduo
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 4,281 Mod ✭✭✭✭deconduo


    Agent Smith wrote: »
    Automatic Service charges are something that really grinds my gears.

    I was in an un-named resterant last week with the G/f. and When i went to pay i saw the service charge. The service wasn't actually that good, (not bad, but not good) and I just hate the pre-sumsion that i have to give more. I would have actually left more then the service charge as a tip.


    I do understand if its for a large group. Large groups generally take much longer to eat and leave (meaning your tables are occupied) and as stated before, people want their food all at the same time

    Wait, the restaurant had a service charge without telling you about it? Where was this?


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    #10
    Bandara
    Registered Users Posts: 3,282 ✭✭✭Bandara


    deconduo wrote: »
    Wait, the restaurant had a service charge without telling you about it? Where was this?

    Extremely common in high end places, and standard in pretty much every restaurant on the continent and in the UK.

    Ireland will very soon have it as well. That and the requirement to give your credit card to make a reservation, will the understanding that if you don't turn up you will be charged a fee per head. If you ring to cancel then you won't.


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    #11
    reprazant
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,417 ✭✭✭reprazant


    Hammertime wrote: »
    That and the requirement to give your credit card to make a reservation, will the understanding that if you don't turn up you will be charged a fee per head. If you ring to cancel then you won't.

    That's fair enough. It is not difficult to ring and cancel if you cannot make it. Doing a no show is very bad form.


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    #12
    Cathmandooo
    Registered Users Posts: 17,324 ✭✭✭✭Cathmandooo


    MarkMc wrote: »
    I never ever saw a cent of a service charge. And I've worked in restaurants for quite a while

    The service charge isn't a tip that goes to the wait staff? :eek:


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    #13
    snickerpuss
    Registered Users Posts: 2,055 ✭✭✭snickerpuss


    I never realised the Avoca in town has a mandatory service charge and had also been leaving a tip. Need to start reading my receipts more carefully.


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    #14
    lynski
    Registered Users Posts: 1,585 ✭✭✭lynski


    I hear what you are saying about the justification of service charge now, but surely the costs are the same if a group is handled ? Even if it is more difficult.
    Thanks for the answers


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    #15
    Caliden
    Registered Users Posts: 5,982 ✭✭✭Caliden


    Hammertime wrote: »
    Extremely common in high end places, and standard in pretty much every restaurant on the continent and in the UK.

    Ireland will very soon have it as well. That and the requirement to give your credit card to make a reservation, will the understanding that if you don't turn up you will be charged a fee per head. If you ring to cancel then you won't.

    The reason for the card upon reservation is that some people (from personal experience, PA's to 'high-up' executives) will make several reservations at different restaurants for the same day&time and then the executive has a choice of where they want to eat and have a corresponding reservation.

    Some PA's fail to call the other restaurants to cancel, which is a dick move in my opinion. Any time I've had to cancel, the restaurant has been very grateful.


    In the U.S. anyway they add a service charge for tables of 6 or more (normally) and this then goes to the waiter/waitress as a tip. An additional tip can be left on top of the service charge (18% service charge is what I've seen it at when with large groups). Don't know why, that's just the way it is. Could be something to do with splitting the bill 6/8/10 ways and the restaurant having to pay the service fee on each card transaction. (Same reason why some shops say "minimum 10 euro for laser" - not legal but that's another topic)


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    #16
    Jev/N
    Registered Users Posts: 3,456 ✭✭✭Jev/N


    Agent Smith wrote: »
    Automatic Service charges are something that really grinds my gears.

    For charges that aren't mandatory on the menu and being attributed to large groups, you don't have to pay the service charge on the receipt and can request it be removed in totalling the bill.


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