Leaving a Tip in a Restaurant

[londonscalling]

I've been out for dinner tonight with family.

Although the meal was nice and the staff were friendly enough, the service really wasn't great.

We were given menus and all decided what we wanted. Only when we put our order in, were we told that a number of our chosen dishes were off the menu. This happened on the main course and desserts.

We were given dessert menus before they'd cleared all the dishes from the main course.

The wrong dessert was served.

It wasn't a cheap meal.

I decided against leaving a tip. I'm now feeling guilty. Was I wrong?

Not at all, tips aren't mandatory, usually only for good service and if you're in the UK they're earning at least the same as a ship assistant and you don't tip them.

YANBU - I don't tip anyone, ever. There is a national minimum/living wage for everyone. Why should you tip a waiter to do their job that their already being paid to do?

If you do tip, where does it end?

• Postman or woman
• Delivery drivers
• Shop assistants
• Teachers
• Dentist

Etc.

YABU and bloody miserable.

YANBU, tipping is not really an expected custom in the UK and it really depends on the place/service there.

It depends on service, sounds haphazard and not very good.

We tip for good service, DH is especially generous.

YANBU

YANBU

I’m a waitress and I wouldn’t have expected you to tip based on the errors in the service. I would have removed any service charge if required and bypassed the add grat option on the card machine. Don’t feel guilty!

I never tip for bad service. And any restaurant that automatically adds a tip to the bill I ask to remove it even if the service was good because quite frankly I think it's rude.

I do too well for good service otherwise though. Not as good as Adele who I see left a $2020 tip the other day

My husband tips no matter the service. (American). Except this one time; they never gave him his garlic bread with his pasta, no matter how many times he asked for it. And they told us the dishwasher was broken and could only give us a plastic fork each. They never bothered refilling our drinks either. All this and yet he was desperate to give them his usual big tip - until I threaten to kill him. That is the only time he has never tipped.

I've stopped tipping - it's patronising. And I need the money more than the waiting staff!

I'm in north America and when my Dad was visiting from the UK he paid a restaurant bill. The card machine asked if he wanted to add a tip. He entered "20" meaning $20 but he should have entered 2-0-0-0 so instead he added $0.20. The server came over and asked what she did wrong that he only left a 20 cent tip.

I never tip for a normal meal (unless the service is exceptional).

Sometimes I will if we got for a super expensive meal because I assume the servers are still only going to be earning the same as anywhere else but are generally much better at it, and if I'm spending a lot anyway and extra few quid isn't going to make a massive difference.

YABU and bloody miserable

Why should she tip for poor service?

YWNBU, OP.

Yanbu!

I think a service charge of generally 12-1/2 pct is automatically added in almost all restaurants (London) so I never leave anything extra.
The places that don't add a service charge tend to be pubs and small cafés where we'd usually leave around a couple of quid for a £20 meal. But not if the service is poor, which is unusual these days.
In the OP's case I wouldn't have left a tip either.

Definatly NBU. DH tips generously but less so if the service isn't do good and only once Dudnt tip at all because the service was shite

PaprikaPringle - if you’re eating meals out, you almost certainly don’t need the money more than the waiting staff. By all means don’t tip (although I think not tipping is stingy), but don’t try to justify it by saying it’s patronising and that you need the money more than they do!

Tipping isn't necessary in the UK. If you have good service and you want to, go ahead. But the workers are paid the same any any other NMW job and none of those receive tips.

YANBU OP. Tipping isnt mandatory and the service you recieved wasnt good. I tip about 50% of the time, if there service was actually good. I dont understand why restaurant workers should recieve extra money when they arent even doing a good job. Whereas someone else in a minimum wage job (e.g. retail) could do a fantastic job but would never get tips.

YABU and bloody miserable

You must work in hospitality then. If the service is shit there’s no way I’d leave a tip...

if you’re eating meals out, you almost certainly don’t need the money more than the waiting staff.

What a ridiculous comment. So people who are strapped for cash should have to tip if they stretch to a meal out for a friends birthday?

PaprikaPringle - if you’re eating meals out, you almost certainly don’t need the money more than the waiting staff

See how patronising you are, @FourEyesGood? You think waiting staff are poorer than everyone else and need your 15%? Waiters get paid at least the minimum wage, are you saying they and other min wage earners shouldn't be allowed to eat out unless they tip?

No, you were not wrong.

I never tip; there’s no need for it and I don’t agree with it.

DH and I are generous tippers (clearly not to Adele standards though!) and tend to feel awful if the service is so bad it doesn't warrant a tip. When we went out with a large group of notoriously difficult and excessive friends we got our bill seperately as we know what they can be like, paid and left a nice tip. The large group were cringingly tight and so rude to the staff that they refused to leave a tip even after sincere apologies were made for a simple mistake, and a free meal and a free bottle of expensive wine were given to apologise for it after they were pretty much bullied into doing so. After we had all left we made our apologies, went back to the restaurant and left a tip for them as well, which we are pleased we did as we found the waitress in tears due to their rudeness. Our tipping probably comes from spending many years living abroad where it is the norm. I still tip hairdressers, postal workers and refuse collectors from habit. Now I think about it perhaps we do tip too much! Hard habit to break though but if times were tough and we had saved for a treat such as meal out or hair appointment then in the UK I would be happy knowing it isn't necessary as they are paid a minimum living wage. YANBU.