Tipping when eating out.

Was at a really fancy restaurant there the other week. Apparently.
Food was good, service was ****e.
We couldnt have spent more money but there was no service. We got our starter and main. Waited 30 mins for a dessert. We were only offered 1 bottle of wine when we ordered first it seems.
Was charged 1160 euro because the waiter made a mistake. Fair enough. Our original waiter had gone off somewhere sometime after the main was served.
When i was being presented the card machine i was pointed at the tip button. I said im grand.
He pointed it out again.
I said no.
I got the 1160 back and paid 116 for the underwhelming experience.
Could have afforded the 1160 but wasnt wearing a suit i guess.
I dont tip unless i get good service.
Screw your tip!

Tipping should be by exception, for particularly good service. It's not an obligation and no one should feel that the have to ever tip.

We pay high prices to restaurants in Ireland, and the staff are employed by those restaurants, so there's no need for us to have to pay them twice.

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

10% in a nice, proper, restaurant? Nah, that’s for cafes and “burger” places.

15-20%, near always 20, in a restaurant.

20% ?? absolute Madness.
Max for us would be 10-12% and thats if everything is good. Place, Service, Food etc. But I would have no issue with just leaving a fiver if thats all the change I had.
IMO service here is far far inferior to somehwere like the U.S.
We are already being ripped off here.
I was out last week with family and after a mediocre meal asked for Choc brownie for desert. Well ... it was the smallest brownie I have ever been serveed in my Life. I was actually embarrased for them and said it to the Waitress and asked her to pass it on to the chef/management. TIP WASNT GREAT

MaryLouMacari wrote: »

I remember a scene in the Sopranos. Waiter followed Paulie and Christopher outside complaining about the lack of a tip. One of them shot him dead.

As I recall, it was only to put him out of his misery after they clocked him on the head with a rock.

RasTa wrote: »

No, because they don't bring my food to my table, top up my glass. Clear plates from my table etc.

Basic stuff here. The barman, waiters and the barber all deserve to be tipped every single time.

If you don't, you're a bum. Simples.

Off topic, but how much do you tip your barber? Curious.

For local delivery drivers i tend to tip up to €5 (min of €3) depending what change i have available, i find i benefit from super fast delivery service from the same reliable drivers with food piping hot right to my door. I value this tip as it ensures im not waiting an hour for food i order and often these drivers can influence the restaurant on which orders to get out quicker than others. I have had orders at my door within 15-20 mins of order being accepted and i like this kind of service.

Restaurants i will tip if the service if really good, server anticipating our needs and interacting quick to top up drinks and such without being overly intrusive, also very friendly attitude and accommodating of reasonable requests. These would be restaurants we frequent regularly and get on with the staff, and often we would receive complementary drinks/desserts and/or larger portions of food from starter/mains. Again there is value there as you get well looked after and tend to tip up to 15% for this kind of service. The 15% would turn out to be cheaper than order those extras we may get or the cost of the complimentary items which they would most likely write off as damaged or similar.

Sour Lemonz wrote: »

For local delivery drivers i tend to tip up to €5 (min of €3) depending what change i have available, i find i benefit from super fast delivery service from the same reliable drivers with food piping hot right to my door. I value this tip as it ensures im not waiting an hour for food i order and often these drivers can influence the restaurant on which orders to get out quicker than others. I have had orders at my door within 15-20 mins of order being accepted and i like this kind of service.

I find €5 for a paid delivery to be OTT.

Also I'd be worried and unimpressed if food arrived at my door 15 minutes after ordering as I'd wonder how it's ready so quickly. I'd doubt it's freshness.

A good delivery service should have good equipment for keeping food hot too.

Restaurants i will tip if the service if really good, server anticipating our needs and interacting quick to top up drinks and such without being overly intrusive, also very friendly attitude and accommodating of reasonable requests. These would be restaurants we frequent regularly and get on with the staff, and often we would receive complementary drinks/desserts and/or larger portions of food from starter/mains. Again there is value there as you get well looked after and tend to tip up to 15% for this kind of service. The 15% would turn out to be cheaper than order those extras we may get or the cost of the complimentary items which they would most likely write off as damaged or similar.

What sort of drinks do you get that are topped up? Never heard of this.
You're also calling stuff you didn't ask for such as larger portions or free desserts as saving but it's not really as you weren't going to order them.

To be honest I would find a restaurant that operates the way you describe as a bit strange.

I just think with the prices we pay that we should get good service and staff should not have to be bribed to do this.

Dav010 wrote: »

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4ZXRlcoEW8

I dont get your point.
I do tip if the food and service is good, I was asking why the other poster did :rolleyes:
Your vid would imply wait staff are scumbags and that the only tip i should be giving is to the inspector

However, the person at the till could be incredibly friendly, make an incredibly good impression, go way above and beyond to be helpful, and yet you'd never dream of giving them a tip.

Meanwhile, you have people on this thread openly saying they tip terrible bar staff and waiters "because I'm not a stinge".

There is no logic to it whatsoever. It's an import from the US where service staff rely on tips to survive, and it got particularly rooted during the Celtic Tiger where people were desperate to throw money at anything. In Ireland, they get paid our decent minimum wage.

By all means, tip to support excellent service. But this whole "you're a mange if you don't tip" is contextually utter nonsense.

Yes, I will alwaya tip unless service is terrible.

murpho999 wrote: »

I find €5 for a paid delivery to be OTT.


What sort of drinks do you get that are topped up? Never heard of this.
You're also calling stuff you didn't ask for such as larger portions or free desserts as saving but it's not really as you weren't going to order them.

To be honest I would find a restaurant that operates the way you describe as a bit strange.

I just think with the prices we pay that we should get good service and staff should not have to be bribed to do this.

Surely you're aware that many restaurant staff go around topping up glasses of wine for the customers. It's not that alien a practice.
You're in a grumpy mood today. Where did the poster say they weren't going to order dessert. They are saying that they got free dessert (sometimes). The alternative is that they order dessert and have to pay for it.
On the larger portions - some places, they charge you for around €3 each for extra chips, vegetables, onion rings etc. If you get a large enough portion, you don't' need to order there - therefore it's a saving.
I don't know how you find all this strange. That happens us in our local many times. Sometimes they drop over a free drink. Sometimes will throw us the complimentary dessert. In return then, as we would have paid over €10 for 2 desserts, we'd give a lot of it back in a tip. Would have tipped anyway. But at least we leave the place with a feel-good factor. And a full belly.