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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU about baby incurring a service charge at restaurant table?

89 replies

AliBingo · 15/05/2016 22:39

We recently ate out at Bella Italia, 5 adults and a 3 and 2 year old who ate off the kids menu, and a 7 month old who slept through the starter and main course in her car seat on the floor and then used a restaurant highchair to eat some puree and yoghurt we'd taken with us.

Meal was lovely and service good but when we got home I was surprised to see that we were down as a table of eight and had been charged a 10% service charge as a result. Looks like this was discretionary not mandatory and we could have asked for it to be removed if we'd been more careful in checking the bill.

I think that it's unreasonable of them to count the baby as one of the party being served, do others agree or AIBU?

OP posts:

badg3r · 15/05/2016 23:11

Service is always discretionary, even when they whack it on and print the final amount plus tip in huge letters at the bottom You don't have to pay it. As for only larger tables having it added, it is often added to all bills in my town, whatever the number of covers. Sometimes even just for a coffee. Sorry but I think it's a lesson learned to always check the bill properly!

notapizzaeater · 15/05/2016 23:17

Did you leave a 10% tip as well ?

BlueMoonRising · 15/05/2016 23:21

A service charge is instead of a tip.

10% is not unreasonable.

Meh.

badg3r · 15/05/2016 23:25

Ah, yes, what notapizza said. I would be annoyed (mainly with myself) in your position if I had paid 10% on top!

HisNameWasPrinceAndHeWasFunky · 15/05/2016 23:41

Surely the service charge was a percentage of the spend so how many "heads" there were was irrelevant?

Or did you get charged a rate per person and they counted the baby?

Even if they add the service charge to your bill it is still discretionary. If you don't want to pay it then don't but don't you usually leave a tip anyway?

LetsDoTheYogiBear · 15/05/2016 23:48

I never py the service charge that is added to the bill- I doubt it goes to the people who served me. Much prefer to leave 10% in cash on the table and then the waiting staff can collect it and split it however its done (some places waiting staff keep their own tips, others tips are pooled and split evenly so the kitchen staff get a share too)

frami · 15/05/2016 23:59

I never pay service charges as having worked in restaurants know we often didn't get them, especially if added to credit cards. Also YANBU to query the charge as in my experience a baby would never be included. I expect it was just a mistake. Instead of paying a service charges I make a point explaining that this is a principle and not a comment on the standard or service and then leave what I think the service was worth in cash. If ppossible I quietly seek out the server and try to pass it to them unobserved. What they then choose to do with it is up to them.

alleypalley · 16/05/2016 00:02

Gratuity is based on how much you spent, not how many you were

No, most restaurants add a service charge onto the bill for larger tables, either 6 or 8+, so of course it makes a difference.

I have never heard of a restaurant adding service only for larger tables. Obviously it happens as the OP has said this was the case, but I certainly don't think it's most. I know many will add a cover charge for larger tables (which you have to pay), but in my experience they either add service charge to all, or to none, and service charge is always optional.

OP, if you say you would have paid 10% anyway, if you hadn't checked the bill how did you know whether to leave a tip or not, or do you mean you left a 10% tip and then realised you already been charged the service charge and so paid it twice?

AndTakeYourPenguinWithYou · 16/05/2016 00:08

Its been in nearly every restaurant I've ever been in.
Cover charges in restaurants in the UK? I think not.

NeverNic · 16/05/2016 00:09

I think it's cheeky because including your baby automatically entitled them (as per their policy) to add a service charge, thus removing you the option to add a tip of your own choosing. I doubt it makes any difference to you financially because you'd probably have tipped the same, but you'd probably think twice about going back. For what it's worth I would consider a spot on the table (where a diner could have a seat) part of your headcount, but I don't think you should be charged a service fee for no service

MiddleClassProblem · 16/05/2016 00:10

Like others have said, I pay 10% (or round up on top of that) anyway as a tip and always check if service is as it seems pretty common these days no matter the party size. If it's on, I just pay it unless the service was hideous.

If you would pay 10% anyway then it makes no difference re the baby unless you didn't notice and left a tip too.

JassyRadlett · 16/05/2016 00:13

Seriously? It's pretty widespread for bookings of 8-10 plus in my experience.

fatmomma99 · 16/05/2016 01:18

ugggh! hate Bella Italia misses point

ThisShitIsBananas · 16/05/2016 03:33

Apparently the government is bringing in legislation to ban the "discretionary" automatic adding of the tip at the bottom of the bill, hear hear I say!

FoxyLoxy123 · 16/05/2016 06:57

YABU.

Your use of a high chair meant another customer may not have been able to and thy still had to clean that after use too.

Witchend · 16/05/2016 07:00

Did you book/ask for it as a "table for 8"?

If you did then I think it's perfectly reasonable for them to treat you as a table for 8. If you didn't then I think there's arguments either way. However we'd expect to tip around 10% unless we were unhappy with the service, so I wouldn't get worked up about it.

Veterinari · 16/05/2016 07:11

So you were charged 10% (which you say you would have left anyway) of your 7 person bill ?

The 8 person thing is irrelevant really isn't it? The amount is the same as it's based on your spend. The only difference is that the restaurant added it to the bill as a discretionary charge rather than leaving it to you to calculate.

So there's actually no difference to what you would have spent, only in how the tip/service charge was presented.

I don't see how anyone could possibly get worked up about this

Muskateersmummy · 16/05/2016 07:18

I would have considered that a party of 8 so would have expected to get the service charge. You would have left a 10% tip anyway and it was discretionary so you could have asked to have it removed so really you are being a bit unreasonable. It's not like it was only one or two people ate and the rest were babies. 7 people at from the menu, there was an 8th person at the table, in a high chair, that the waitress would have had to clean and put out and away again.

Felyne · 16/05/2016 07:24

Beside the point, but highchairs I have used in restaurants have often been filthy so I'm not sure the 'restaurant has to clean it' argument adds up!

murmuration · 16/05/2016 07:25

Yeah, I'm wondering if you didn't notice at the time, did you then tip 10% onto the bill+10% total? Giving them an effective 21% tip? I'd be annoyed at that. Or did you just only now notice it was there because of number of persons served?

20thcenturybitch · 16/05/2016 07:30

Totally misleading thread title. The charge wasn't incurred by your baby, it was incurred by your party of 8 (or 7 whatever). So for that YABU.

Service charges being added automatically is a whole different issue, I would pay around 10% regardless of number of people unless service was poor.

ohtheholidays · 16/05/2016 07:56

YANBU but that's really strange we've never had that happen at a Bella Italia before,I wonder if each one makes they're own rules maybe?That or someone has made a mistake.

I'm surprised about the 10% charge as well,on the receipts we've received it says something about a suggested 10% tip but it's not something that is charged and were normally a table of 7 all eating,me,DH and our 5DC.

Marynary · 16/05/2016 08:33

I don't get why this would be an issue. The service charge wasn't incurred for you baby. It was incurred because you were a table of eight. Considering your baby took up space without eating any food I think it is a bit much to complain. Anyway, you don't have to pay the service charge and if you do then consider it the tip.

namechangeparents · 16/05/2016 08:42

As someone who has worked numerous restaurants, it doesnt matter if she left the high chair spotless - we still have to clean it. I personally think its taking the piss

if you've worked in numerous restaurants you doubtless know that service charges are not compulsory.

Please try and educate yourselves. Many restaurants add a service charge for larger tables. Often these are not discretionary

yes they are although the restaurants would have you think otherwise (they can say it's compulsory but if you are unhappy with the service you can refuse to pay regardless) - which is why the government is looking into service charges, tips and gratuities at the moment (mainly as a result of the revelations that the staff often don't get them - which is a scandal in itself and I won't now give a tip unless the staff get it)

MLGs · 16/05/2016 08:44

Isn't the service charge optional anyway?

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