A question to the English and Canadians about tipping? (page 2)

RAYZORBLADE

Maverick: I am so ashamed of these idiotic people.

They should KNOW that tipping is absolutely standard here.

When I am in the U.S. or travelling across Canada, I always tip, and when the bunch of us gathered with our Detroit friends, we tipped heavily. Me thinks the Michigan folks who dealt with us: adored us.

I work in a bar/pub/tavern, and customers overall are very generous, and some tip according to the old 15% rule, which is fine by me.

Yes, most Brits do not tip, but.....if you tell them about it, they are simply oblivious, and once you tell them, trust me, they will tip. But generally, when I serve someone from the U.K., I can assume, no tip, but if I sit and talk to them, and ask them if they are familiar with it (tipping) they 9/10 are not.

In some places, it's simply not the custom, and some people when they visit Canada/USA/Mexico, do not tip.

Maverick, I don't know who these Canadians are, but I'd like to hang them by their 'what nots' for leaving nothing.

Don't lump us all together mate, coz I can tell you, there are many Canadians if they were served by your daughter, they'd probably give her a respectable tip. I'm sure of it.

Sorry to read that, but I can assure you, not all Canadians are like that.

Abaddon

I think anyone who's in the habit of eating out at proper restaurants (i.e. not fast food) in England will tip 10-15%. In Holland, tipping is far less common. I normally leave 10% for decent service where someones gonna be on a low or minimum wage, 15% or more for good service, and nothing for lousy service.

Working as a barman for five years (in a small city), I got tipped very occasionally. Best tipper were Icelanders; alcohol is so expensive there, they buy a round of drinks for say 7.40, and give you a tenner, as they'd pay 15-20 at home. If you're a woman you'll get more tips and drinks.

Anyone who's visting a country and doesn't know 'Yes', 'No', 'Hello', 'Goodbye', 'Thank you' and 'How much' in the local language, along with appropriate forms of address and tipping habits, only has themselves to blame if their ignorence embaresses them.

Simon

People don't tip much in the UK because they are embarrassed, not sure what to do and frquently the service is non existent.

For instance, you don't get brought drinks in a bar in the UK ... you go get them yourself (and very expensive they are too). So, no reason to tip.

Go in anything but an expensive restaurant and the service is frequently abysmal so you would not tip them (I don't believe in tippnig people whatever ... they have to do a decent job first !)

We do tip well when we've had good service and always tip when abroad in North America ... but then we always get much better service there.

BTW: Remember you are tipping for the service, not the food. The Chef gets paid anyway. If the food is lousy but was brought with a smile, give them something. If the food was fantastic but dumped in front of you and you have to wave like a lunatic to get drinks etc... then not tipping them may encourage them to let someone else have a go at doing a better job.

primitivegenius

i always try to tip but i do remember hearing that when the jws had a convention in town that they come in with the ten commandments and a ten dollar bill......... and dont break either of them. i actually think that was said from the platform to encourage tipping. i always tipped tho so i didnt really pay attention to them............. got some good sleep tho i definately tip for service tho. i have been to nice resturants and had crappy service and not left them but pennies lol. i figure those people were over paid by the two bucks an hour or so they make. now if someone keeps my glass full and checks back occasionally they automaticly get 10% and if they really work at it 20%..........or if there cute lol

Maverick

Simon makes a good point, the waitress, or waiter is your friend. They don't cook the food, just serve it to you. So if the food is late or not right, don't dump on them. Ask for their help and tip them if they are helpful. I have a lady friend who is a waitress and when the owner is cooking, the orders are routinely incorrect. What can she do? Complain to the owner about herself? She will give people free drinks and sometimes their meals, she knows how frustrating a bad cook can make it for the customer and the staff.

Even when I phone order "to go", when I pick the order up I tip the barmaid. All the barmaids love to get my orders ready, and because I tip them they talk to me. I know all their names, their kids names and what is going on in their lives. I never "hit" on them and get great service for my tipping.

After the District Convention this summer a bunch of duds came in and ate at the restaurant my daughter worked at, they left some Mags and no tip. The next day one of the party came in and apologized for the poor tip and gave his server $20. This man had not picked up the check and found out that morning the kind of tip that was left and he was embarrassed. I was impressed that he did the right thing. I've passed on eating with some witnesses who were tyrants with the restaurant staff and then would stiff the server. We always got great service by being friendly, asking the server his or her name and making jokes with them. I'll even tell them I'm a great tipper,"so look after me". They seem to know. I even have given a pre-tip to servers who get me special items or do extra things for me during the meal. You get treated like a celebrity. I've gone up to the manager after very good service and told them how well I've been treated and what a good job they are doing, and naming names.

Tipping and being nice can really make the whole dinning experience fun. I am not above talking to the staff at banquets. My ex was big in Mary Kay and we went to forty or so of those. These are real people. They don't climb into a closet at the end of the day, coming out in the morning only to serve you. So make in fun for the staff and they will make it fun for you.Maverick

Englishman

So would you tip in, say a McDonalds in the US? How about a bar?

Englishman.

xjw_b12

I always tip. A tract or even an Awake magazine.

Seriously. Mav, I doubt your daughter is a bad waitress. If it was Canadians, she waited on, and they did not leave a tip, it is not because they are not aware of the custom.

It is the same in Canada, as in the U.S. to leave a percentage of the total as a tip.

But I have to agree with AlanF. It used to be 5%, then 10%, now 15%. Haven't seen the 20% "suggestion" yet though.

CJ used to work as a waitress. So I have been "fine tuned" in the area of tipping. My policy. If the service is adequate, 10%. If the service is very good, 15%. if it is exceptional, (and there have been a few occasions, and it had nothing to do with the waitress's placement of the napkiin on my lap) 20%

And I'm sorry to hear your daughter is making so little in all. At the more popular restaurants here, a lot of the servers are University and College students. The make a starting wage of $6.80 an hour CAN. Ones I have talked to pull in and additional $100 -$200 a shift in tips, and most of them don't claim that on their income tax.

Aztec

Englishman,

So would you tip in, say a McDonalds in the US? How about a bar?

Not in a McDonald's or any fast food restaurant. A bar most definatly!

~Aztec

iiz2cool

I've seen many fast food restaurants put out a dish or cup beside the cash register with "Tips" marked on it. None of the chains like McDonalds though. It's common in coffee shops too.

Walter

acsot

Haven't seen the 20% "suggestion" yet though.

I always tip 15% in restaurants, to taxi drivers, hair dressers, etc. It's expected, at least in large metropolitan areas like Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver. In more upscale restaurants, i.e. where you get four waiters/waitresses hovering unobtrusively filling your wine glass before you even notice it's empty, etc., 20% can be expected as a tip.

A question to the English and Canadians about tipping?

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