Would you boycott restaurants that include a Service Charge

KhanTheMan

As if eating out in Ireland is not already overpriced now eateries are increasing their already pointless service charge.

Read here.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...629608081.html

Myself and my friends have already decided to boycott anywhere with a service charge. If you want to tip its up to you. It should never be assumed (which it is with a service charge) that you are going to pay a percentage of the bill as a tip. I thought tipping was to reward the waiter for service above and beyond what they already get paid for (we're in Ireland, not America). It seems now that waiters expect a tip before they start, even though they are on a minimum wage already.

Read here
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055368653


What we do when we ring up now is ask if they charge a service charge. If they do we just say, "sorry but im looking for somewhere, where its my choice of how much i leave for a tip" and ring the next place.

So would you boycott places that charge service charges, where they are effectively taking the decision to tip away from the customer?

partyatmygaff

Khan you know what i think of this already so........

A service charge is the only way a waiter is guaranteed a fair pay (My restaurant has none so...)


10% isnt too much to ask for,
You want food with no extra service charges get some fast food
you want service?

THEN PAY FOR IT.

KhanTheMan

partyatmygaff wrote: »

Khan you know what i think of this already so........

A service charge is the only way a waiter is guaranteed a fair pay (My restaurant has none so...)


10% isnt too much to ask for,
You want food with no extra service charges get some fast food
you want service?

THEN PAY FOR IT.

This isnt about tipping or not tipping. This about the customer having the choice of tip amount. They can still tip if they want to but as much as the CUSTOMER feels is deserved, not the as part of the bill.

Ste.phen

Something my boss noted recently:
Restaurants are the only place where you not only don't get a discount for buying in bulk, they actually increase the price!

Sam Vimes

partyatmygaff wrote: »

Khan you know what i think of this already so........

A service charge is the only way a waiter is guaranteed a fair pay (My restaurant has none so...)


10% isnt too much to ask for,
You want food with no extra service charges get some fast food
you want service?

THEN PAY FOR IT.

i already pay a lot more in a restaurant before any service charge is added on

a restaurant that charges a service charge is really just trying to make themselves look cheaper than they are by printing their prices at 90% of their true amount

maybe the restaurants should pay them a fair wage rather than having them depend on hand outs

EKRIUQ

Something my boss noted recently:
Restaurants are the only place where you not only don't get a discount for buying in bulk, they actually increase the price!

To be honest I think its false advertisement of there prices.

For a a party of 7
Steak in menu for €20(WRONG)

Steak €20 plus €2.50 service charge(12.5%) so the real price you have to pay €22.50

If your going to charge for it do it in the Menu list

Sam Vimes

and with service charges i always wonder how much of it the waiters see. Do they keep track of all their customer receipts throughout the month and submit them for 10% of the figure to be added to their wages

A Dub in Glasgo

partyatmygaff wrote: »

Khan you know what i think of this already so........

A service charge is the only way a waiter is guaranteed a fair pay (My restaurant has none so...)


10% isnt too much to ask for,
You want food with no extra service charges get some fast food
you want service?

THEN PAY FOR IT.

Are you for real?

Pay the staff minimum wage, price your menu to reflect that and leave the choice of tipping up to the customer.

Pretty strange business model you work on

Rowley Birkin QC

It really bugs me also when the service charge is included.

I base my tipping on how the waiter or waitress has performed, simple as that really. For instance I was in the Hilan resturaunt yesterday on Capel St. and the service was excellent, the tip reflected this.

Colonel Sanders

I brought up the same point here

jhegarty

partyatmygaff wrote: »

A service charge is the only way a waiter is guaranteed a fair pay (My restaurant has none so...)

So you don't get paid minimum wage ?

Rowley Birkin QC

partyatmygaff wrote: »

A service charge is the only way a waiter is guaranteed a fair pay (My restaurant has none so...)

No, if the waiter does his job well he should get a decent tip. Sorry if that sounds harsh but if it's not paying well enough find alternative employment.

xbox36016

bigkev49 wrote: »

No, if the waiter does his job well he should get a decent tip. Sorry if that sounds harsh but if it's not paying well enough find alternative employment.

whare you evar a waiter its not ass esay ass you might think and i nead to get my 10% to make ends meat so thare

tSubh Dearg

I've asked in restaurants where the service charge goes to. If I am told that it goes to the staff, then I leave, but I won't add any extra tip, unless it was exceptional service.

If, however, I'm told that it's going in the management's pockets (and waiters generally tell the truth about this, or give you the answer "we're not allowed to discuss this") then I demand that the service charge is taken off the bill. I've not had one restaurant refuse to do this yet.

cgarvey

xbox36016 wrote: »

whare you evar a waiter its not ass esay ass you might think and i nead to get my 10% to make ends meat so thare

Go back to school and then worry about whether you want to be a waiter or something else.

Cleaning toilets is not easy either. Plenty of "not easy" jobs, but because they are unskilled jobs the salary/wage reflects that. A legal minimum wage ensures that there is no abuse in that.

Davidth88

If there is a service charge I don't tip .

What really gets my goat is when they charge service , then leave a space on the CC slip for a tip.

There are places in the UK that do not pay the minimum wage and use the tips to make this up ( believe it or not that is legal for now in the UK ).

We have virtually stopped eating out now because it's so expensive.

xbox36016

cgarvey wrote: »

Go back to school and then worry about whether you want to be a waiter or something else.

Cleaning toilets is not easy either. Plenty of "not easy" jobs, but because they are unskilled jobs the salary/wage reflects that. A legal minimum wage ensures that there is no abuse in that.

no s.hit i am in school buy the way no dont tack to like that in italy a waiter is a skilled job buy the way you have to go to school for it so thats my 0.02 cent

Climate Expert

Service charges are discretional. If you don't like the service or just dont want to pay it ask for it to be removed off the bill.

KhanTheMan

xbox36016 wrote: »

no s.hit i am in school buy the way no dont tack to like that in italy a waiter is a skilled job the way you have to go to school for it so thats my 0.02 cent

We all make mistakes in our posts, but that post is a classic Frame it.

UsedtobePC

xbox36016 wrote: »

no s.hit i am in school buy the way no dont tack to like that in italy a waiter is a skilled job buy the way you have to go to school for it so thats my 0.02 cent

No doubt there's a recession when even the good auld 2 cent have devalued to 0.02 in the space of a post.

Red Alert

I won't leave any tip in any establishment where there is a service charge.

Biggins

Yes, I would and do avoid them.

daheff

waiters get paid to do their job by their boss. Why should I have to pay the resturant to pay the waiters & top up the waiters income as well by paying a service charge??

I dont tip and I dont pay service charges. I dont agree with resturants adding a "sneaky" 10% to their bills for service...no other profession could get away with that....imagine going to your local shop to buy the paper and the person at the till asking for a 10% tip....you'd laugh them out of it (or complain to the manager!)

Biggins

daheff wrote: »

....imagine going to your local shop to buy the paper and the person at the till asking for a 10% tip....you'd laugh them out of it (or complain to the manager!)

Well said.

axer

cgarvey wrote: »

Cleaning toilets is not easy either. Plenty of "not easy" jobs, but because they are unskilled jobs the salary/wage reflects that. A legal minimum wage ensures that there is no abuse in that.

Exactly, I would rather be a waiter than a toilet cleaner. I don't see how a waiter or restaurant worker is any more deserving of a tip than any other profession.

The way I see it is, I will pay a tip if I get service anywhere that is above and beyond what I paid for AND if I wanted it i.e. I am not going to tip someone for opening the door for me when I could have (or wanted to) just opened it myself.

Rowley Birkin QC

xbox36016 wrote: »

whare you evar a waiter its not ass esay ass you might think and i nead to get my 10% to make ends meat so thare

No, never a waiter but I was a barman most of the way through school. I would almost be embarrassed at taking a tip when we got them at Christmas.

I mean a wage is a wage. Do you tip the guy that works in the chipper? Do you throw a bit extra to the guy in the car park?

Get a different job if it's not paying enough. Also, learn to spell.

JJ

I don't mind if theirs a required service charge for tables of X (usually 7 or 8+) amount or more. I remember what it's like being a waiter and big tables are a lot of work. I wouldn't like being required to pay a service charge if it was just a table for 2 though.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

xbox36016 wrote: »

no s.hit i am in school buy the way no dont tack to like that in italy a waiter is a skilled job buy the way you have to go to school for it so thats my 0.02 cent

xbox36016 wrote: »

whare you evar a waiter its not ass esay ass you might think and i nead to get my 10% to make ends meat so thare

Xbox as you're only in 5th year you are not depending on a waiting job to make anything meet. If you want to make a living as a waiter then train professionally for it in the caterering or hospitality business, but you would really need to spend more time studying and learning the basics of spelling than going out to a part time job.;)

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

bigkev49 wrote: »

No, never a waiter but I was a barman most of the way through school. I would almost be embarrassed at taking a tip when we got them at Christmas.

I mean a wage is a wage. Do you tip the guy that works in the chipper? Do you throw a bit extra to the guy in the car park?

Get a different job if it's not paying enough..

+1

If certain professions rely on tips then they should do something about their basic pay. I will tip for exceptional service but generally can't see how their wages don't cover the reward for doing their job like everybody else.

xbox36016

no i do it as a parttime job and i like but yous assholes like paple on this topic thank thare god one thay go out to eat

Rowley Birkin QC

xbox36016 wrote: »

no i do it as a parttime job and i like but yous assholes like paple on this topic thank thare god one thay go out to eat

Do you accept though that plenty of people work in service industries and don't expect any tips? Also there are plenty waiters who simply don't deserve a tip.

You don't have an automatic right to a tip, do you understand that much?

Also, once again, get a new job if it doesn't pay enough.