Tipping from credit card

Bill G

Some American friends were over, staying in a Dublin hotel. They ate in the hotel restaurant and paid for the meal with their credit card. Not being a chip and pin card, they were presented with a receipt to sign. The receipt was a typical one that had a blank "Gratuity" line and a blank "Total" line. They put in an amount for the Gratuity, added up the total and signed. When the waitress picked up the receipt, she told them next time not to fill in the gratuity, she said "I will never see that tip". Is she just chancing her arm by not having to split the tip with the rest of the staff, or do people think hotels/restaurants really just keep the gratuity part?

John Mason

if the tip is included on the credit card receipt it will not be passed on the to waiteress.

jor el

Tips are normally distributed to all staff through payroll, when given in this manner. What she means is she can't get all of the tip.

It's only right that it be distributed to all staff, as it's not only the server that deals with you. Some might say that the backroom staff deserve the tips too (if not more of it), for cooking, cleaning pots and pans, mopping floors, etc, but they won't see a penny of a tip from a customer otherwise.

P. Breathnach

I think that what jor el says is true for most establishments, and I also feel that any extra reward I give should be distributed among the staff generally.

I do check, though. When presented with the option of adding a gratuity in that manner, I ask if whatever I add goes to the staff.

Bill G

My guess was that she just didn't want to share the tip with other staff. I would be surprised if the restaurant just keep the tip themselves as irishbird suggests, as they would be opening themselves to potential legal action.

groovyg

I would never tip using my credit card you can never be sure that the staff would get it. Generally if I'm paying by card will give a tip in cash.

Hunchback

Bill G wrote: »

Some American friends were over, staying in a Dublin hotel. They ate in the hotel restaurant and paid for the meal with their credit card. Not being a chip and pin card, they were presented with a receipt to sign. The receipt was a typical one that had a blank "Gratuity" line and a blank "Total" line. They put in an amount for the Gratuity, added up the total and signed. When the waitress picked up the receipt, she told them next time not to fill in the gratuity, she said "I will never see that tip". Is she just chancing her arm by not having to split the tip with the rest of the staff, or do people think hotels/restaurants really just keep the gratuity part?

i presume the american customers enquired about who gets the tip? because it's very cheeky of her to offer that information if they didn't ask. well, i think it is anyway

Bill G

No, they didn't ask first, she just flat out told them. Yes, very cheeky indeed.

jor el

Tipping by card would be very common in the US, and the funds get distributed in all staff's pay. It's the fairest way to do it.

Quite cheeky, if not a bit ignorant, of someone to just come out and say it to the customers.

If the restaurant are keeping the tips for themselves, then it's up to the staff to do something about that by confronting management, not by telling customers.

ShooterSF

I have worked in a hotel where there was no distribution of tips and you never seen ones done this way ever again. I actually had to take the cash from the till and leave a note when lodging takings or it would be gone for good so it does happen in at least some places.

ShooterSF

jor el wrote: »

Tipping by card would be very common in the US, and the funds get distributed in all staff's pay. It's the fairest way to do it.

Quite cheeky, if not a bit ignorant, of someone to just come out and say it to the customers.

If the restaurant are keeping the tips for themselves, then it's up to the staff to do something about that by confronting management, not by telling customers.

It's usually two pronged. Ongoing dispute with management and also trying to save a customer a few quid that will only go into the pocket of the place you are disputing with, especially if they seem like a nice customer.
In times like these restaurants know that people need to hold onto their job and so can't rock the boat on such issues so they drag their heels.

seagull

There are a significant number of places where tips entered like this just go into the management's pockets, and aren't distributed to the staff.

mikemac

She was cheeky to say it.

But she was correct, a lot of places pocket the tips.
I didn't do food service but I was a hotel porter and dealt with tour groups.
Try lugging eighty bags down to the bus from upstairs, the sweat was pouring off me :P

A cheque would be left at reception for "porterage", straight into managements pocket and they use it for general expenses or maybe the owner spends it themself

If you wish to tip, cash straight to the staff