On 19 Jun 2008 at 7:47am service charge wrote:
why do so many restaurants have an "optional" service charge added to the bill? also it's added after drinks. i don't think there is any other trade where a charge like this is made. can you imagine going to tesco and paying 100 for your shopping and seeing another 10 added?
On 19 Jun 2008 at 8:26am zola wrote:
If it says 'optional',does that mean we have to pay it then?
On 19 Jun 2008 at 9:11am Taff wrote:
RTFM before you make any selection or leave!
On 19 Jun 2008 at 9:53am zola wrote:
Not another abbreviation...What is RTFM Taff?
On 19 Jun 2008 at 10:05am Lord Landport wrote:
In My experiance RTFM means read the F ing manual
but in this day and age could mean anything.
On 19 Jun 2008 at 10:07am Taff wrote:
In this case 'read the ****ing menu' though it is generally used when people want someone else to do something for them such as helping tune in a vieo player, that sort of thing in which case it becomes 'read the ****ing manual'
On 19 Jun 2008 at 10:56am zola wrote:
Aha...Thanks for explaining Taff. Thought it was restaurant speak...
On 19 Jun 2008 at 10:56am sashka wrote:
if I remember rightly they changed the law about service charges approx 15 years ago, and restaurants have to follow certain requirements. One is to put 'service charge is optional' if they are following a particular way of charging, but I can't remember what it is!
RTFM is the kind of thing someone says when they don't know either.
On 19 Jun 2008 at 11:05am zola wrote:
MILF had me wondering too....
On 19 Jun 2008 at 1:09pm Enoch wrote:
If you do not want to pay it you are in your right not to. Just ask them to remove the service charge - especially if the service has not been up to standard. As it says "optional" surely it is your option to pay it or not. I had a set too with a surley waiter in Rome once who wanted to know why I was not leaving him a tip, after a long list of the things which were wrong I finished with "and you didn't smile!". Sometimes it is as simple as that - if he smiled a bit more and was nice I would have tipped him.
On 19 Jun 2008 at 2:21pm sue wrote:
oh zola you r so funny!!!! milf from what i remember has nothing to do with resturants more about mums!
On 19 Jun 2008 at 3:10pm Thicko wrote:
So what is MILF?
On 19 Jun 2008 at 3:13pm Emma Roid. wrote:
Mothers I'd like to ****! Think you knew that already...
On 19 Jun 2008 at 4:20pm Toenail wrote:
I would have thought Zola was a GILF person.
On 19 Jun 2008 at 4:48pm zola wrote:
Oh God..What is a GILF?
On 19 Jun 2008 at 4:50pm Zola wrote:
Grandad,Grandma,Girl,Gorilla...??
On 19 Jun 2008 at 5:01pm Thicko wrote:
Thank you for explaining as I did NOT know that.
On 19 Jun 2008 at 5:31pm zola wrote:
I didn't know either and I'm still waiting on a explanation of the GILF.
On 19 Jun 2008 at 6:21pm Janet Street Preacher wrote:
I think in means - Granny I'd Like to F***
On 19 Jun 2008 at 10:00pm zola wrote:
Ha! Got it. Doh....
On 20 Jun 2008 at 9:20am sashimi wrote:
The add-on service charge goes to the restaurant and not to the staff - or at least it goes to the staff but allows the restaurant to reduce staff wages below the minimum wage level as the service charge shareout counts towards the min wage calculation. The same applies to a tip added on to a credit/debit card payment. If you want to tip you should ask the restaurant to remove the service charge and leave cash as this does not count as part of the wages.
On 20 Jun 2008 at 9:38am Local wrote:
At the risk of stating the obvious, wouldn't it be best if we got rid of tipping completely and made sure people in the trade were paid a proper wage? As others have said, we don't expect to drop the extra 10% when we go to Tescos so why should we do it in a restaurant?
On 21 Jun 2008 at 2:29pm sashka wrote:
Its what they do in Australia, where working in a restaurant is a respected career.
On 22 Jun 2008 at 11:51pm expat wrote:
There is generally no tipping here in NZ, not even taxi drivers. I was totally confused when I came 'home' recently as I didn't know who expected tips and who didn't. It just isn't an issue here and there is a minimum wage so everyone knows exactly what they are getting as an income, and there is never any resentment about who gets what.
On 24 Jun 2008 at 12:38pm Miss Daisy wrote:
I think tipping is a good thing. If you get good service, you should tip. I've worked as a waitress and tips make a difference to your pay. If people don't tip, there is no incentive to give good service. That is just how it works.
On 24 Jun 2008 at 12:42pm Taff wrote:
Equally Miss Daisy if tips are freely given then the restaurant has reason to keep the wages down too.
On 24 Jun 2008 at 12:47pm Hopeful wrote:
So Miss Daisy,
Do you tip anyone that gives you good service? How about barstaff, shop assistants, bus drivers, lawyers, teachers, council employees, nurses, doctors?
If not, why do you discriminate?
On 24 Jun 2008 at 1:05pm Miss Daisy wrote:
Barstaff do usually get a share of the tips. Shop assistants and bus drivers are on a higher hourly wage. Lawyers, teachers and doctors DEFINITELY get paid more and as for council employees...they could probably do with a bit of good service training if you ask me. Nurses are the only ones I agree deserve to be paid more - but that is the govts dept, not joe publics. Tips are part and parcel of a going out. If you dont want to tip, go to McDonalds.
On 24 Jun 2008 at 3:29pm Janet Street Preacher wrote:
Miss Daisy
Whatever happened to taking pride in your work?
Other jobs don't get tips and the workers still give good service or they either get sacked or don't get pay rises.
I always tip waiters, taxi drivers and hair dressers btw.
On 24 Jun 2008 at 3:45pm Miss Daisy wrote:
So if you tip waiters, taxi drivers and hairdressers - why do you bother tipping if you think they should just take pride in their work? I think it is a lovely, if slightly quaint and old-fashioned notion. If only the world was like that now, it would be lovely I agree. Where everyone smiled and said hello. Where the words 'can I help you?' was the automatic response you got when you walked into a shop. Where most people cared about their job and cared about providing a decent service. Sadly it now seems to be the exception rather than the rule. So, to encourage and inspire people to provide better service - you need to pay, like everything else in life.
On 24 Jun 2008 at 3:46pm Bad tipper wrote:
So how far should we take tipping...do we tip the barman after serving us a pint, what about a shop assistant after selling us some shoes for example, should we tip the lifeguard after taking a swim.
They all get wages and should stay with that.....i don't tip any of them