Tipping in Britain.

"Jim Ley" <jim@jibbering.com> wrote in message
news:423d9116.221268947@news....
> On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 09:54:13 -0500, "James Silverton"
> <not.jim.silverton@erols.com> wrote:
>
> >I have not been there for a few years but I shall probably be going to
> >Britain in the near future and hosting several restaurant meals with
> >friends and relatives. Am I correct that, unlike on the mainland,
> >service charges are still not added to bills as a matter of course? In
> >the case of no service charge, what is regarded as a decent tip
> >percentage these days? I can remember when it was 10% and my British
> >mother regarded 15% as ridiculously overgenerous.
>
> 10% is fine, lots of places do add it to the bill automatically,
> they'll tell you on the menu, it's probably about 50% that do, and
> when they do it's normally 10%..
>
> Jim.

Another quick question. Does the wait person usually get that tip, or is it
sometimes taken by the management? Never have been too sure about that in
the past, especially when it was added automatically.

Joe in Texas

James Silverton wrote:
> percentage these days? I can remember when it was 10% and my British
> mother regarded 15% as ridiculously overgenerous.

When I was there, tipping was regarded as an odd custom practiced
by American tourists, or maybe those weird Londoners.
People I knew might leave the change, but not calculate a percentage
as the N. Americans do. Has that all changed?

BTW, please do NOT tip in Australia. the practice seems to be creeping
into parts of Sydney, and just drives down waiters wages.

Mr. Pink.

Joe Pessarra wrote:

> Another quick question. Does the wait person usually get that tip,
or is it
> sometimes taken by the management? Never have been too sure about
that in
> the past, especially when it was added automatically.

It differs. Sometimes the waitperson pockets it; sometimes it goes into
a pool to be shared among them; sometimes it goes to the management. If
you want to be sure it goes to the waitperson, give it to them
directly.

To add my twopenn'orth (now there's a mean tip) to the percentage
debate, I normally leave around 10%, or 15% if I feel a
larger-than-usual tip is in order. I certainly wouldn't leave more than
that.

On 20 Mar 2005 10:48:20 -0800, barney@cix.co.uk wrote:

>
>Joe Pessarra wrote:
>
>> Another quick question. Does the wait person usually get that tip,
>or is it
>> sometimes taken by the management? Never have been too sure about
>that in
>> the past, especially when it was added automatically.
>
>It differs. Sometimes the waitperson pockets it; sometimes it goes into
>a pool to be shared among them; sometimes it goes to the management. If
>you want to be sure it goes to the waitperson, give it to them
>directly.
>
>To add my twopenn'orth (now there's a mean tip) to the percentage
>debate, I normally leave around 10%, or 15% if I feel a
>larger-than-usual tip is in order. I certainly wouldn't leave more than
>that.

Likewise - and nothing at all if the service has been lousy and/or the
food manky.




Keith, Bristol, UK

DE-MUNG for email replies.

"James Silverton" <not.jim.silverton@erols.com> wrote in message
news:i4ydnTKbkp8JE6DfRVn-1w@...
> I have not been there for a few years but I shall probably be going to
> Britain in the near future and hosting several restaurant meals with
> friends and relatives. Am I correct that, unlike on the mainland, service
> charges are still not added to bills as a matter of course? In the case of
> no service charge, what is regarded as a decent tip percentage these days?
> I can remember when it was 10% and my British mother regarded 15% as
> ridiculously overgenerous.
>
> I suppose it is possible that there has been a gradual creep upwards in
> tipping just as in the US where the once traditional 15% seems to have
> become 20% for no good reason.

Depends on the type of restaurant you visit. If you are in an English
resaurant (not pub) where they serve 'posh' food, then you should probably
leave a tip, 10% should be fine.

In all other cases tipping is not necessary. I haven't been to a resaurant
and tipped anyone since I was in the USA two years ago. I generally eat out
once every 2 or 3 weeks here.

My advice, unless you really feel the need to, do not tip. You will be
making things worse for the rest of us. Certainly around here in Newcastle,
no tips are given and none expected, it might be a different situation in
London.

"James Silverton" <not.jim.silverton@erols.com> wrote in message
news:i4ydnTKbkp8JE6DfRVn-1w@...

<<I have not been there for a few years but I shall probably be going to
Britain in the near future and hosting several restaurant meals with
friends and relatives. Am I correct that, unlike on the mainland,
service charges are still not added to bills as a matter of course? In
the case of no service charge, what is regarded as a decent tip
percentage these days? I can remember when it was 10% and my British
mother regarded 15% as ridiculously overgenerous.

I suppose it is possible that there has been a gradual creep upwards
in tipping just as in the US where the once traditional 15% seems to
have become 20% for no good reason.>>

If you feel you have been treated exceptionally well by the waiter and feel
like leaving a tip, leave some money on the table or, better still, hand it
to the waiter when you leave. On no account should you add a sum to the
credit card slip where it says "Gratuity" or something similar. In fact, you
should make sure you copy the amount into the "Total" line at the bottom.

This is just a scam and goes straight into the owners pocket without
touching the waiting staff on the way.

"Ross Lyn" <Rosslyn@Google.com> wrote in message
news:113t9cmgp9h4g77@corp.supernews.com...
>
> "James Silverton" <not.jim.silverton@erols.com> wrote in message
> news:i4ydnTKbkp8JE6DfRVn-1w@...
>
> <<I have not been there for a few years but I shall probably be going to
> Britain in the near future and hosting several restaurant meals with
> friends and relatives. Am I correct that, unlike on the mainland,
> service charges are still not added to bills as a matter of course? In
snip
> in tipping just as in the US where the once traditional 15% seems to
> have become 20% for no good reason.>>
> On no account should you add a sum to the
> credit card slip where it says "Gratuity" or something similar. In fact, you
> should make sure you copy the amount into the "Total" line at the bottom.
>
> This is just a scam and goes straight into the owners pocket without
> touching the waiting staff on the way.
>
Not all the time!!! When I used to do the payroll for a pub.restaurant, a large
percentage of my time was spent working out the amounts from these c/card
gratuities and adding it to the staff's wages. There was quite a complicated
system of percentages so that everyone responsible right down to the dishwasher
got a percentage of all the gratuities. Management didn't get any as we were all
on salaries.
Elise

"The Reids" <dontuse@fell-walker.co.uk> wrote in message
news:ljmv31lnc8j9a0vol4su0ffouf141oaaob@...
>
> Right, so you're now talking about pubs and "greasy spoons". Sure
> in a corner caff or in a pub tipping is not the norm. In any
> restaurant it is the norm. One way for an American to judge which
> was which would be the availability of wine (caff not pub).

Nope, not at all. It may be the norm for you, but for those of us who live
in reality..

"The Reids" <dontuse@fell-walker.co.uk> wrote in message
news:f9sv31ps7fbs453ooha1jk0ifl807oo7is@...
>
> "live in reality" what nonsense.
> In UK you tip taxis and restaurants, you don't tip in pubs except
> that the line between the two is rapidly blurring.
> Your comments about London and "posh restaurants" make me suspect
> you might have the "professional northerner" attitude expressed
> as contempt for all things you perceive as "southern" or "posh".
> Don't use your prejudices to confuse visitors with a genuine
> query.

The very fact we are having this debate says that the 'rules' regarding
tipping are not as clear cut as you hoped.

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 07:51:33 +0800, Mike wrote:

> Not at all! Maybe its a regional thing. I lived in England some years
> ago, and tipping was _not_ the norm in restaurants.

It must have been a sod of a long time ago then.
Tipping was commonplace back in 1981 in the places I used to go to, and
with all my acquaintances. Average to low end bistros and curry houses. The
normal stuff.

> Taxis expected it though.
The always do. Everywhere.

> London is not England, BTW.
Shock! Horror!

--
Tim C.