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Original poster

Will you continue to tip in cafe's now prices are going up?

60 replies

CheeryTulip · 09/07/2022 13:11

My local cafe used to have a separate jar for tips, it has now added a screen to the card machine that says 'Leave a tip 10% or 15% or no?' And you have to choose - whilst the assistant stands before you & can see what you're doing. A standard lunch in there with drink is £14 (up from 12). I will no longer be able to go as it's just too expensive and I hate the added pressure of being watched while I decline to tip. I know people will probably pile on telling me I'm being unreasonable. But that cafe has just lost my business at a time when they need it more than ever surely? How do you feel about tipping?

OP posts:
LadyCatStark · 09/07/2022 13:13

We can’t afford to eat out at all anymore so no, we won’t be able to tip as we won’t be there.

WouldJudasLeaveIt · 09/07/2022 13:14

I tip when I want to, if the service has been good. I don't like the current trend of it being asked for, and also at the self service tills to round the sum up to the nearest pound for charity. I feel mean pressing no, especially if the assistant is hovering.

OnaBegonia · 09/07/2022 13:16

I don't like the expectation of a tip or an added service charge, a tip should always be a choice.
I've been to some expensive places (overpriced) and had no choice but to pay 15% service charge,
they could just pay their staff a decent wage.

roarfeckingroarr · 09/07/2022 13:16

Nope. My local cafe / bar adds 10% service as standard so if I'm just going for a beer I go up to the bar so no excuse to add it on.

Partypoooooper · 09/07/2022 13:17

I refuse to tip when it is presented to me at the pay machine like this. I actually find it very rude.

scissorsandsellotape · 09/07/2022 13:18

LadyCatStark · 09/07/2022 13:13

We can’t afford to eat out at all anymore so no, we won’t be able to tip as we won’t be there.

This is me tbh

ApplesandBunions · 09/07/2022 13:21

I will, I usually round up, but there's bound to be less of it happening. And it might be that tips are smaller. DB was at the barber, normally a cut and shave is £18 and now has gone up to £19. He always says keep the change and only had a twenty, so the tip this time will have been £1 not £2. Probably a lot of people did that, add it up over the course of a week and it's going to make a big difference.

KweenieBeanz · 09/07/2022 13:46

I've never understood why some occupations are deemed deserving of a tip but not others. In the UK we have a minimum wage so tips shouldn't be needed on top surely, and why is a waitress more deserving of a tip than the (also poorly paid) care worker who looks after your elderly mum?

ApplesandBunions · 09/07/2022 13:52

It is an odd etiquette really.

coodawoodashooda · 09/07/2022 13:55

I don't tip. It's massively expensive to eat out and if we ever do I think that is a big enough contribution.

Simbobbly · 09/07/2022 14:09

That's a good point. We are also eating out a lot less these days. It may be more "polite" than eating there and not tipping, but the waiting staff are the worse off for it in the long run.

Sallypally0 · 09/07/2022 14:11

Never tip in cafes. Very very rarely tip in any food establishment.

SavingsThreads · 09/07/2022 14:13

How is that any different from a jar where you have to decide to put in it in front of the cashier?

Realistically if you can afford to pay £14 for lunch I'm surprised the extra 10% makes something you love completely unaffordable

Fairyliz · 09/07/2022 14:20

Yes I am in the fortunate position of having some spare money. I don’t eat out a lot but when I do I always tip well unless the service is terrible.
I see it as a tiny way to redistribute wealth to people I come into contact with. Besides which my DD was a waitress at 17 and loved it when people tipped.

FinallyHere · 09/07/2022 14:29

I ask what will be done with any tips.

My expectation is that they are shared out across the whole non-management team, waiters, kitchen staff etc

My preference is to pay a bill which covers reasonable wages for the staff. And much prefer eating out in countries where there are no separate service charges and no expectation of anything more than coppers for a tip.

In the uk, I have grown to expect a service charge , so so long as the service has been good, I still round up the way I would if service were included.

I wouldn't go back anywhere where the staff wages rely on tips to reach minimum wage . I find that inhuman and degrading.

I have not been back to the restaurant which was great but the waitress explained in answer to my question what happened to tips that she pocketed cash but tips included in the bill were shared across all staff. She was surprised that I was happy to include a tip which would be shared across staff. Who were on above mom wages as standard without tips.

KweenieBeanz · 09/07/2022 15:22

FinallyHere · 09/07/2022 14:29

I ask what will be done with any tips.

My expectation is that they are shared out across the whole non-management team, waiters, kitchen staff etc

My preference is to pay a bill which covers reasonable wages for the staff. And much prefer eating out in countries where there are no separate service charges and no expectation of anything more than coppers for a tip.

In the uk, I have grown to expect a service charge , so so long as the service has been good, I still round up the way I would if service were included.

I wouldn't go back anywhere where the staff wages rely on tips to reach minimum wage . I find that inhuman and degrading.

I have not been back to the restaurant which was great but the waitress explained in answer to my question what happened to tips that she pocketed cash but tips included in the bill were shared across all staff. She was surprised that I was happy to include a tip which would be shared across staff. Who were on above mom wages as standard without tips.

In the UK it's not legal for staff to only be on minimum wage when tips are included. So whether you tip or not, in the UK, waiting/restaurant staff will be paid at least the minimum wage, tips are a bonus. I've never understood why people somehow think bonuses for waiting stuff are obligatory but not for any other category of low paid staff

Rainbowshit · 09/07/2022 15:23

Everywhere I have been recently has added a service charge. Seems to becoming more the norm.

Lazypuppy · 09/07/2022 15:24

I only tip if the service has been amazing, if its just standard i never tip as they are just doing their job 🤷🏼‍♀️

Using474 · 09/07/2022 15:24

That will be a no from me as it ever was.

Rafting2022 · 09/07/2022 15:31

No-one is obliged to pay the 15% service charge that some places add on without asking. Just tell them to remove it. It’s beyond rude.

Using474 · 09/07/2022 15:41

Some people daren't do anything, why would you not press no just because some assistant is watching you

BlueStarfish · 09/07/2022 15:48

The worst part is when they add 15% to the bill without telling you.

Rafting2022 · 09/07/2022 15:50

Most service in this country is average anyway. Why are you paying 15% without being consulted?

DashOfMilkNoSugar · 09/07/2022 15:55

Unless the service is bad I will always leave a tip.

BlueStarfish · 09/07/2022 16:00

I don't think there's anything wrong with service but I'm not loaded so I often pick based on price. When it's time to swipe my card I see a different number to what I'm expecting and that's when I'm told they've added charges. If they want to charge extra they should let me know first so I can decide.

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