Do you tip in a restaurant ?

King Of Wishful Thinking

Always, maybe that's why I'm always broke.

mishala

The customer service from a supermarket is not the same as in a restaurant and I think if we tipped check out staff maybe they would smile a bit more and actually make eye contact. Yes they all 'do their job' but what kind of customer service do you expect from check out staff compared to your waiter? I think you expect much more from a waiter.

I worked as a waitress and it is a tough job, working 12-3, 6-finish split shifts 4-5 days a week on minimum wage is hard going, it's busy, stressful, you are on your feet the whole time, you are under pressure and must keep a smile on your face have a pleasant attitude, keep good time management and have good attention to detail etc etc. In my opinion waiters deserve tips, they work hard for them.

I always tip at least 10%, probably because I have been in their shoes and think they deserve it, but obviously if the waiter is rude I wouldn't tip but I haven't experienced that before.

I have a question should we also be tipping hairdressers? I don't know if it's rude to tip them or not to, the last time I went to the hairdressers I tipped but it just felt awkward. I'd be interested in hearing about your opinions on that too.

girl in the striped socks

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

"For good service I always tip.
However I can't stand bad manners, a bad attitude or a sulky face & therefore will not tip for those reasons" - this is fair enough I wouldn't tip on that either,

however ...

"I'm also not fond of someone wearing too much make up"
- what has this got to do with a good or bad service ? Some woman like to wear a lot of make up it has no effect on their work

"too much jewelery" - again this has no effect what so ever on the service they bring

"coloured nail varnish" - That's just ridiculous

Make up caked on a waitress's face looks wrong in my opinion. She could be a dinger at her job but there's a time & place for it & in my opinion a person serving food shouldn't have it troweled on. As I said my opinion. I didn't specify no make up, just not the drag queen look.
More or less the same argument for too much jewellery but I'd also add that it's unhygienic. Hold on there while I lean across the table to place your plate in front of you, just don't mind the chain dipping in it. No thanks. It looks unprofessional.
Coloured nail varnish is fine if someone isn't dealing with food. Again it's a hygiene issue. They could have a gorgeous shade of dark purple painted on & enough dirt under their nails to sow spuds. Clear nail varnish or none at all when working with food.

SunnyDub1

mishala wrote: »

I have a question should we also be tipping hairdressers? I don't know if it's rude to tip them or not to, the last time I went to the hairdressers I tipped but it just felt awkward. I'd be interested in hearing about your opinions on that too.

My good Friend is a hairdresser. Like you said about working long hours and been on your feet for 10+ it's the same circumstances for a hairdresser.
Also when they are only starting the earn sweet fcuk all.
So to answer your question yes, you should tip a hair dresser as long as you are satisfied with the job they done and they where pleasant. JMO

Emeraldy Pebbles

davet82 wrote: »

and before we have the 'its an american thing' its not, its a decent human being thing appreciating a smile with their service from somebody who is on a small wage and takes alot of crap too i'd imagine

Actually, in lots of countries, tipping is not done generally, Australia for example. Yes, they are on minimum wage but so are lots of people who take crap in their job, and who don't receive a tip.

Irishcrx

I only tip escorts , if she really puts the effort in and makes me feel special , you know a good believable hard going over i'd give 10% extra , if she got into some BDSM maybe 15%.

If she lies there like a rag doll looking uninterested I'd have to make a complaint to her pimp.

mishala

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

My good Friend is a hairdresser. Like you said about working long hours and been on your feet for 10+ it's the same circumstances for a hairdresser.
Also when they are only starting the earn sweet fcuk all.
So to answer your question yes, you should tip a hair dresser as long as you are satisfied with the job they done and they where pleasant. JMO

Yeah of course, good to know, thanks.

davet82

Emeraldy Pebbles wrote: »

Actually, in lots of countries, tipping is not done generally, Australia for example. Yes, they are on minimum wage but so are lots of people who take crap in their job, and who don't receive a tip.

whats your point? oz is the same as here, i know that, i'm sure the cheap skates over there use 'its an american culture thing' too :pac:

kilrush

do people tip delivery people?
when i was working during the summer i was making a particularly big delivery to a pub and the old woman running the place insisted on giving me a fiver. i did end up spending it plus a lot more in the pub that night but it still never occurred to me to tip someone like that.

Emeraldy Pebbles

davet82 wrote: »

whats your point? oz is the same as here, i know that, i'm sure the cheap skates over there use 'its an american culture thing' too :pac:

Nope, it really isn't done there. Nothing to do with being a cheapskate.

woodchuck

For me:

Poor service = no tip

Above average service = tip and happy to do so

Average service = tip, but begrudgingly so. In this situation I only tip so that I don't look bad tbh. I don't think average service in this country warrants a tip. The minimum wage here isn't the same as minimum wage in America where they genuinely need it to bulk up their salary to something they can actually live off. If waiters here are so desperate for a tip I think they should go the extra mile to earn it.

Vojera

I always leave a few quid. Only €1-2 if service is really bad, or about 8-10% if it's just average (and, honestly, depending on what sort of change I have on me).

If the service is really good (or I consider our group as having been particularly awkward!) then I'll leave what I consider a generous tip (15-20%).

One thing I don't really like is automatically having service charge added to my bill. I think it should be at my discretion how much of a tip I want to leave (that said, if the service was really good in that case, I will leave extra on top of what's included in the bill).

There is a big difference between a good waiter and a bad one. A good one adds a lot to your night. It leaves you with a good impression of the place. A bad one can leave a sour taste in your mouth, even if everything else with the meal was fine.

muff03

Just to add to the debate:

American waiters/waitresses are usual paid around the $2/hr mark, which is a lot less than the minimum wage being paid in Ireland.

davet82

Emeraldy Pebbles wrote: »

Nope, it really isn't done there. Nothing to do with being a cheapskate.

pffft... hungry gits

flas

Just on the service charge thing people are saying,do you genuinely think any of the staff see the service charge?not a chance!but then again i dont understand how its ment to work!

fishy fishy

davet82 wrote: »

yes i tip, good service equals reward, if you can afford to eat out, you can afford to tip

now we'll have all the mean bastards saying how they cant afford this and that but can spend 60 quid on a meal but cant spare 2 euro

you tip 2 Euro on a 60 Euro meal - scrounger. it's not worth putting down on the table.

snubbleste

No.

Teyla Emmagan

I tip if either the food or the service is good. If they're both **** though they will be getting nothing.

davet82

fishy fishy wrote: »

you tip 2 Euro on a 60 Euro meal - scrounger. it's not worth putting down on the table.

ok 3 fiddy it is then

Potential-Monke

Having done loads of Waiting work in the past (and being a certified waiter, thank you no summer jobs after the leaving cert 2001), tipping is something i used to expect if i feel i had done a good job. I always tried to do the best i could, because sometimes you do rely on the tips.

But, i will look at the menu beforehand and see if there is an automatic service charge (where i worked it was put on to tables of 8 or more). If there is a service charge for individual tables then i usually won't leave much (rounding up to the nearest note), and if the waiters/waitresses don't get that service charge it's something that should be taken up with the management. If there is no service charge and the service was good, i'll leave a tip.

On the make-up/jewelery note, you're not supposed to wear either (well, minimum amount of make-up). As someone said above, it's a hygiene thing.

Shelflife

They have to be paid the same min wage as all the other unskilled workers usually in the retail/hospitality sector. Its not the system we have but its one perpertrated by those in the food industry in order to bump up their wages.

In an example, you go to a clothes shop, try on 6 or 7 outfits and get the advise of the shop assistant.

Why do you feel required to automatically tip a waiter who does their job yet not the retail assistant who does their job.
both are on the same wage wage.

Tipping should always be voluntary, this crap of service not included in restaurants is bull****, imagine if you went into a retail shop and they told you that the cost of the retail assistants wasnt included in the price of the dress you were buying and you were expected to "tip" to meet these costs.

I tip if service i recieve is exceptional and above the call of duty, Doing your job well is not a good enough reason to tip someone.

I work long hours give a very good service to my customers yet i rarely get and never expect a tip. And yes my job is every bit as hard and stressful as working in a restaurant.

blue note

I'm in the depends category - how good was the service? Where am I (I usually would in a nice place, not so much for pub grub) and what's the custom where I am? I was in France a couple of weeks back where I thought the custom was not to tip, so I never did. They must have thought I was a knob! I was in Paris visiting my aunt before and left a tip in a restaurant and the guy came back confused and said I had left too much. I said it was a tip and he looked confused.

If I was in America I'd probably tip basically all of the time - it's essentially part of their wages.

It does annoy me though that I feel I have to tip occasionally. A girl waiting tables in a restaurant might do 10 tables in a night and get a tenner from each? That's a hundred quid on top of her wages. It seems like crazy money for what they do!

mishala

Shelflife wrote: »

They have to be paid the same min wage as all the other unskilled workers usually in the retail/hospitality sector. Its not the system we have but its one perpertrated by those in the food industry in order to bump up their wages.

In an example, you go to a clothes shop, try on 6 or 7 outfits and get the advise of the shop assistant.

Why do you feel required to automatically tip a waiter who does their job yet not the retail assistant who does their job.
both are on the same wage wage.

Tipping should always be voluntary, this crap of service not included in restaurants is bull****, imagine if you went into a retail shop and they told you that the cost of the retail assistants wasnt included in the price of the dress you were buying and you were expected to "tip" to meet these costs.

I tip if service i recieve is exceptional and above the call of duty, Doing your job well is not a good enough reason to tip someone.

I work long hours give a very good service to my customers yet i rarely get and never expect a tip. And yes my job is every bit as hard and stressful as working in a restaurant.

Fair enough, but the main thing here is that you don't expect it because it probably isn't the done thing in your job. If you started a job in a restaurant tomorrow you would expect to get tipped wouldn't you? It's just something you expect from that job.

Shelflife

mishala wrote: »

Fair enough, but the main thing here is that you don't expect it because it probably isn't the done thing in your job. If you started a job in a restaurant tomorrow you would expect to get tipped wouldn't you? It's just something you expect from that job.

But why do you EXPECT to get a tip for doing your job?

Malari

Shelflife wrote: »

But why do you EXPECT to get a tip for doing your job?

I never expected a tip when I waitressed. It was a total bonus!

CianRyan

As someone who's worked as a waiter, I only tip when the service is good.
It's not a hard job and it's not hard to smile, do the job well and I'll reward you, do it **** and you're not getting ****.

Shelflife

CianRyan wrote: »

As someone who's worked as a waiter, I only tip when the service is good.
It's not a hard job and it's not hard to smile, do the job well and I'll reward you, do it **** and you're not getting ****.

But why would you tip someone for doing their job well, but in the example I gave earlier you wouldnt?

Shelflife

Shelflife wrote: »

But why do you EXPECT to get a tip for doing your job?

It's just the system.

In a good restaurant the waiter or waitress is going to be someone who is dedicated to their job, a pleasant and helpful individual who knows what they are about, not bad to look at etc. And getting paid minimum wage. The tips are part of the deal.

The alternative to tipping is a service charge or just an increase in the cost of the food so they can pay them more, or crappy waiting staff because these people will go and do something else.

So on the basis that they expect it, I say give them a tip. Don't be the freeloader who abuses the system by not bothering.

Also don't forget that if you're going back on a regular basis it doesn't hurt to have the staff onside.

CianRyan

Shelflife wrote: »

But why would you tip someone for doing their job well, but in the example I gave earlier you wouldnt?

I don't only tip waiters and despite what you might think there is a bit of skill involved in waiting. That's not to say it's difficult but try carrying 3 drink and 3 plates without touching the food/drink or spilling anything. It takes practice, not to mention the difference in stress levels between working in a busy restaurant and working in a shop.
I'll tip some if they go the extra mile with anything, amp repair, bar man, whatever.

Shelflife

Deleted User wrote: »

It's just the system.

In a good restaurant the waiter or waitress is going to be someone who is dedicated to their job, a pleasant and helpful individual who knows what they are about, not bad to look at etc. And getting paid minimum wage. The tips are part of the deal.

The alternative to tipping is a service charge or just an increase in the cost of the food so they can pay them more, or crappy waiting staff because these people will go and do something else.

So on the basis that they expect it, I say give them a tip. Don't be the freeloader who abuses the system by not bothering.

Also don't forget that if you're going back on a regular basis it doesn't hurt to have the staff onside.

Buts its not the system, In a good restaurant they will have good staff because they pay them well, In any business the staff should be as you describe and in the clothes shop example i mentioned they too are on minimum wage, yet you dont tip them ???

So a person who doesnt tip is a freeloader??

And seriously your last line sounds like a threat.