"Service not included"

[Oobis]

Am I completely wrong in my thoughts on this? I really, really hate seeing this printed on bills in restaurants (in this country), as as far as I know, it is completely untrue. Unless the restaurant is contracting self employed waiting staff, in what possible way is the cost of the service not included in the bill? And if it is not, how am I to know that the waiting staff are receiving the full amount I choose to pay them?

I'm not averse to tipping staff for good service at my discretion, but I confess that where they claim service to not be included in the prices they have calculated they need to charge to cover their costs and make a profit, I choose not to - I don't like this way of demanding tips. I've not worked in hospitality for many years, so if I am completely wrong and I am sending these poor, destitute staff home penniless, I shall change my ways. Or at least eat at establishments who have the decency to pay their staff.

What about hairdressers? Do you tip your hairdresser?

Sniffs and Sneezes: I think that's why London restaurants are more likely to add a service charge rather than rely on tips.

I tip hairdressers. £10 for the colourist, £10 for the stylist and £5 for the person washing my hair and bringing me a glass of wine making me a brew.

Yes I tip my hairdresser and my nail technician 10%. Also tip bar staff and taxi drivers but usually just round that up to nearest pound.

I tend not to tip in restaurants unless I've got change in my purse.
I don't add on extra for service charge when paying by card, when I eat out I expect the service to be brought to my table as part of the price. My local Indian restaurant is more expensive to eat in than to use the take away part, I assume to cover the service. If the staff get minimum wage then it's no different to any other worker getting minimum wage, I don't top their wages up.
I've worked for minimum wage and that's the only wage I got.

I think the thing that puts me off giving tips automatically is that there are so mant jobs that are paid at minimum wage or just over, and the vast majority of them never attract tips. I can't see what's so special about working in a restaurant that means people deserve tips when most other low waged people don't get them.

I don't mean to sound like I'm a proper tight arse, I'm really not and do often tip in restaurants. I just have no qualms about not leaving one if the service was basic.

I think we tip people who do a job that puts them at our beck and call. I don't think a supermarket till operator is at my beck and call, so I don't tip him/her. But a waiter, a taxi driver, a hairdresser, I give the orders and they comply. I definitely don't mean it to be offensive but the relationship is one of master and servant. Hence, the privilege of being 'master' means you are obliged to 'take care' of your staff.

Does that make sense? Anyone I tell what to do, I tip them for doing it. Cut my hair like this, bring me that pizza, drive me there.

I usually tip 10%, but like other pps have said, I feel uneasy about why im doing it as I dont tip people doing other nmw jobs. And I don't tip my hairdresser - it's never occurred to me to do so. I don't add an additional tip if the bill adds on "optional" service charge as I see that as the tip.

Also, I don't understand how the tax on tip money gets paid. Do all the staff have to declare it separately for tax purposes, or does the employer/restaurant owner add the tips to the wages so tax is paid automatically?

That's an interesting way of looking at it that I hadn't thought of, and I see your point. I can't entirely agree though because as a TA I get plenty of parents asking me to do things with their children, it doesn't mean I expect a tip. My friend works as a carer and her clients ask her to do things, she doesn't get to expect a tip either. If I hire a tradesman to do something in my home I'm asking them to do specific things, and they don't get tips. I realise they aren't on minimum wage or just above, but then neither are hair stylists or colourists.

So I think Ill stick with tipping for particularly good service, and not tipping when I only receive the minimum.

We're not in the UK, and I've lived most of my adult life overseas, but when we were back in the UK a while ago I used the same policy that I've always used, tip if the service is good or exceptional and if it was average, OK, or bad I ask the waiter/waitress what they did to deserve a tip.
It sounds horrible but I've been in restaurants where the food was dreadful and the service was too, but when I asked it was down to the chef or kitchen staff, and the waiter had been doing all they could. In those cases they shouldn't miss out on a tip, but I wouldn't know unless I asked.

I hate the whole idea of tips. If I'm paying a decent amount for a meal, I expect the restaurant to be paying their staff out of the profits. I don't expect to have to pay additional money to do this for them.
My opinion is coloured by the fact that at Uni I worked as a waitress in a restaurant where we received none of the tips. All of them went direct to the managers.

When it says 'service not included' I always tip less and I doubt I'm not the only one. I dislike the grabbiness off it and I expect they have missed out on a lot of money by doing this.