I'm an Aussie but not the one Young Native has met :tongue:
However I agree entirely with what he has written. If 'good' service deserves a tip, and 'normal' service no tip, are we [the diners] entitled to get a refund out of the waiter's pocket for 'bad' service?
If you [a waiter in the USA] go to see a movie and the presentation is excellent [no flashes from bad reel splices, image in sharp focus, etc] do you tip the projectionist? And if you think my analogy is poor, try checking up projectionists' wages in the US!{QUOTE} (Yes your analogy is poor.) The projectionist agreed to take a job that pays a straight wage.. If he is not happy with his wage he can look for a better paying job.
Gymfresh, you could not have said it any better then this. I understand where the mostly British responses are coming from but they need to get it in their heads that it is just plain rude to be a guest in our country and argue our customs. Get with it. TIPS- To insure proper service.The difference is that, by tradition here in the US, working "front of the house" foodservice is effectively work done "on commission". Waitstaff get a very basic wage, one that is exempt from the standard minimum wage, so in many cases the bulk of their income is from tips. It's not icing on the cake here in the US. Tips are what waiters and waitresses depend on to make their car and rent payments.
Under "the system" you decry, a typical waiter in the US might make $15,000 a year in salary (under the special reduced restaurant wages in our law) and $20,000 in tips per year for a 40-hour workweek. Because we're a tipping culture, it was decided long ago to factor that into what's paid to employees in service industries, hence the exemption for employers from the standard minimum wage laws.
What do you suggest; that the entire nation of foodservers go on strike for a different system? I admit I like the Aussie system, but ours works fine as long as diners understand that there is an expectation of paying, on average, 15% above the menu's listed prices for consistent and pleasant service. If it's intrusively poor or unpleasant, you leave less. If it is memorably professional and enjoyable, you generally pay more. It's basically pay-for-performance.
This is from WIKIPEDIA on tipping in the USA.Restaurants
Tipping is customary in restaurants offering traditional table service. While the amount of a tip is ultimately at the discretion of the patron, the customary tip until the 1980s was from 10-15% of the total bill before tax, for good to excellent service, and since then has risen to 15-20% before tax.[citation needed] Tipping percentages may fall when the economy is poor.[42]
Waiters, on average, fail to report at least 40% of their tips according to the IRS.[43] For example, an IRS audit triggered by major discrepancies between employee reported tip and credit card slips maintained by the business, it was discovered that employees of Fior D'Italia in San Francisco under-reported their tip income in 1991 and 1992 by 14.4 and 14.29%, respectively. [44] In a 2003 audit conducted in a research report under advise of Ron Worsham at Brigham Young University, it was found that the data collected from sample restaurants had an average tip percentage which ranged from 13.57 to 14.69% between 1999-2002.[45]
When a server has not adequately addressed issues a customer has with service, the patron may choose to speak with management to have the problems corrected before considering reducing the tip.[46] In extreme cases of inferior service, the patron may choose not to leave a tip. Some dissatisfied customers leave a very small tip, such as one penny, as a personal insult, though this is considered impolite and not a standard business practice.
In certain situations, the restaurant may assess a gratuity to the bill automatically without customer input, called an "autograt."[47] This is most frequently applied to large parties, such as six or more. A standard predetermined percent, often ~18%, sometimes labeled as a "service charge".[48] In less frequent cases, an autograt may be placed on every customer's bill. Reputable restaurants post their policy on a sign or the menu, or require servers to inform their patrons of such charges before they order. This charge can be verified by the customer on the bill to avoid tipping in addition to the service charge. Regardless of whether it is labeled a "service charge," it is taxable income.
Legal cases have established that customers have a right to negotiate, alter, or refuse automatic service charges, even if the policy is written on the menu.[49] A customer may choose to include an extra tip for the server over and above the service charge, or, if service is poor, to negotiate an alternate service charge with management.
Many traditional restaurants offer carry-out ("pick-up," "take-out, or "curbside") service, and standards for tipping for such services vary. Tipping is not customary for non-table services.
Tipping at fast food restaurants and coffeehouses that do not offer table service is not necessary, despite the common proliferation of tip jars, which are considered inappropriate by many.[50][51] THis is what WIKIPEDIA says about the UK.... United Kingdom
It is not customary to tip for service at pubs. However bars (as distinct from pubs, for example cocktail bars) will often deliver change on a plate to a customer being served at the bar, and expect some or all of it to be left as a tip. Tips are usual for table service in either pubs or bars.
Tips of 10% are common in restaurants but not expected. It is a legal requirement to include any taxes and other obligatory charges in the price. Service charges, which may be discretionary (although it is very unusual to refuse to pay) or mandatory, are sometimes levied, more often in London and other large cities than regional areas. It is legal to refuse to pay a mandatory service charge if the service was considered inadequate.[32]
Tipping for other services such as taxis and hairdressers is not expected, but tips are sometimes given to reward particularly good service. Although in some large cities it is customary to tip both taxi drivers and hairdressers/barbers.[citation needed]
Tips are welcomed in hotels for good service in housekeeping (particularly for very dirty rooms) reception staff, kitchen, restaurant/bar staff. Tips encourage good service.
A tronc is an arrangement for the pooling and distribution to employees of tips, gratuities and/or service charges in the hotel and catering trade. The person who distributes monies from the tronc is known as the troncmaster. When a tronc exists in the UK, responsibility for operating PAYE on the distribution may lie with the troncmaster rather than the employer.[33][34] (The word 'tronc' has its origins in the French for collecting box.) In June 2008, the Employment Appeals Tribunal ruled that income from a tronc cannot be counted when assessing whether a wage or salary meets the national minimum wage (see Revenue and Customs Commissioners v Annabel’s (Berkeley Square) Ltd [2009] EWCA Civ 361, [2009] ICR 1123)
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