Forced to tip in (not so fancy) restaurant... card payment...

[Forforkssake1]

Aibu to think it's so awkward when you pay a bill and the waitress stands there and hands you a card machine which asks if you'd like to leave a tip? The service was ok, the food was ok, but the glasses were dirty, and one of the meals came much later then the others and one of the sauces had congealed goop on it... because I have no backbone didn't want to make a scene I don't complain, and tipped 10%. Because I felt PRESSURED in to it. When did tipping become such a regular thing in the UK?

Aibu to think the should just up the cost of meals so you don't have to tip?!

OliviaStabler, I'm sorry, I wasn't actually referring to you as a thick-wit, I've heard this comment more than once myself and it is always uttered by thick-wits, usually in the hospitality business, who think that they have the right to do this. I recall a programme about this and it was truly disgusting.

It is a disgraceful thing to do to somebody's food/drink and I don't ever agree that non-tippers should beware for fear of this. That's a terrible attitude.

it is akward and i dont like it either

Tiping in the UK is OPTIONAL. I do usually tip, unless the meal was just ok (as you describe) or if service is already included. But that isn't true of all my friends, some of whom never tip. I try not to eat with them again.

DH and I actually got thrown out of a restaurant in the UK for refusing to tip! The food and service was truly awful, so we told them why we weren't tipping. My DH can be quite eloquent in this situation.

I do tip for meals if service was good - but will asked for service charge to be removed from the bill if they add it on. Tipping should be optional - same with yes/no button on card machine - hate it and always press NO. I’ll leave tip on the table for the server.

Just press “no” button.

Me and DH were in Giraffe in Reading and the waiter asked if we wanted the change when we paid,, CF,,,!!

I only ever tip in cash to the waiter who served me.

Tipping in UK must be a regional thing, I have never tipped, it just isn't a thing.

I used to be a nurse and worked as a well-paid agency nurse in private nursing homes.

The care staff worked harder than any waiting staff. They cleaned, bathed, fed, dressed, exercised, entertained and comforted the patients, many of whom had advanced dementia and were very difficult. All for minimum wage, even for nightshifts. They never got any tips.

I had a stand-up row with a New York yellow cab driver who demanded a tip. I gave him nothing. Nobody tips me for doing my job so I don't do it.

It's very common to press no. Leave cash for the staff always!

I never tip on the card machine because I don't know if the server gets to see the tip. I press no, then leave cash if I feel the service merited it.

Years ago I refused to pay service charge because the restaurant was horrendous - the owner went potty and threatened to call the police until I pointed out it was voluntary and then he just barred us from his restaurant ... errr we weren't going back anyway .

My son's friend worked in a lovely greek restaurant that isn't cheap and told us she or other staff don't get the tips - the management take them all and all they get is minimum wage - that annoyed me so much!

I meant that even if they leave the cash for the waitresses/waiters they still can't have it, they have to give it over to the management

If asked, rather than just handed the machine yourself, you can say something like "not by card" to avoid the British awkwardness of outright saying no. I think a lot of servers prefer cash tips tbh.

I do think tipping is getting more common the UK. I'm pretty surprised people don't tip when visiting theUS - when in Rome and all that. US serving staff don't get paid the minimum wage, as they're expected to make it up in tips, so not tipping them is really unfair.

Always tip. Never tip on card.

No. They get paid don’t they?
No one tips me for just turning up and doing the job I’m paid to do

Yes! I regularly ask for service charges to be removed. Unless it’s VERYclear it’ll be added from the offset.
I then tip my chosen amount in cash.

Sometimes my chosen amount is nothing!!
Especially in a chain pub/restaurant where I do half the waiting work myself - or worse have to supervise my children doing it!!!! (Harvester & Nandos especially!!!)
No issues tipping for good & excellent service though!

@InsuranceGirl
I work at frankie and bennys and that is DEFINITELY not okay!! Your GM must have been an absolute shit show. We tip up for the bar staff and kitchen staff depending on what we make, so if we make shit cash tips they get very little

I think tipping should be stopped. When I was a waitress there was no minimum wage so we got very low wages and worked for tips. Now there's minimum wage and presumably menu prices went up to cover it. Why tip waiting staff but not checkout staff, cleaners etc?

My daughter is regularly given tips at a takeaway and the owner keeps every one. Even those specifically handed TO HER.

I ask if tips are going to person or owner.

On other threads here, it's clear that some waiting staff have no pockets, so any tips you leave just for them are still going to be found by management. A lot of managements are sound and respectable and will make sure tips go through. But some aren't.

Meanwhile there's the Kitchen staff. The posh name is kitchen porter, the actual reality is Washing Up. And making the desserts.

I almost went into shock when a very big party thrower insisted on coming through to the kitchen to hand out the tips in person. I'd had no idea that the people I'd been serving for nearly 2 years had been leaving money for us that I'd never seen.

I recently ate at a Bill's restaurant with my toddler and a friend. When the bill came there was a 10% service charge added. I really hate when restaurants do that, particularly for just 3 diners. The food was ok, service was ok, but the prices aren't cheap. I asked the server who gets the tip and was told they aren't allowed to say! So I told him to take it off then. Then he started backtracking and said it all gets put towards staff Christmas parties etc. So then I was thinking why the eff are customers paying for staff do's instead of the company as staff appreciation?!

Anyway this business of automatically adding a service charge annoys me because they are relying on you either not noticing, or noticing but being too polite to ask them to remove it. I feel like we are being pushed into an American style tipping culture where it's pretty much compulsory rather than it being based on service quality. At least in North America they work hard for the tips, here service can be pretty shoddy because they are getting paid either way. so to expect a tip on top for just doing their job is a cheek imo

Personally I never tip unless I know it's going to be shared out equally between front of house and back of house staff. The waitress only serves you and brings you your meal, she doesn't do the rest of it! A place we frequent actually asks people not or leave tips because it's not just about the wait staff who serve you.
The tax taken off card tips I think is true and as regards to the tax evasion thing, they are supposed to be declared by law and tax paid on them I read somewhere. I'm not saying I agree with that,(I don't) I'm just stating what I've read elsewhere.
But I wouldn't have paid that tip OP.
We recently went to Frankie and Bennys and there was 8 of us and the place was practically empty yet we had a long wait for the food and a dessert menu was requested afterwards and yet the member of staff who was asked was just cleaning menus nearby and he said he couldn't give it to us we had to ask our server so yet another wait. No one left a tip.
As to the poster chased for a tip in the West End, I've heard of that in the US but not in the UK!!!!!