To think that restaurant service charges are getting out of hand?

[Comcor]

Does anyone else object to a service charge being added to their restaurant bill? I’m more than happy to tip, and would usually leave around 10 percent. If it was crap then I won’t.

I have noticed that “discretionary” service charges at restaurants are going up and up (as well as food prices).

I recently ate out and it was a 15% service charge PLUS they charged for water.

I worked in london restaurants for 20 years from mid 80s as wait/bar staff and manager and there was always an optional 12.5% service charge. It wasn't always fairly distributed but with tips we always did well. I always pay service charge unless there have been specific issues

DD and DS have part time waiting jobs in the same local restaurant as they are full time students. They are on just over minimum wage (fair enough) but there is a 12.5% service added to every bill. Unless you opt out, all the service payments are divided equally between all waiting staff and kitchen porters at the end of every week. It broadly takes their pay up from around £6.50 p/h to £8.50 p/h.

Ideally the restaurant would pay them the £8.50 to start with but they don't. It's busy, the staff there work hard and that extra £2 p/h (on average) makes a big difference, so I don't begrudge paying it when we eat somewhere else (unless something is really wrong/bad/unacceptable).

We went out to a Indian and they added services charge, I didn't realise then tipped them too! Put me right off. They didn't point out my mistake either.

Eating out except as say a birthday treat is getting prohibitly expensive. We went for a pub dinner which came to £170. I was si shocked at how fast amd much eating out has got. Can't ifford takeaway either now. I know everything is going up, but wages fir us hasn't so can't magic up that money. I'd rather heat the house

In the country where I live, there is no tipping and no service charges. Meals are priced high enough to include the cost of staff pay, and restaurants who don't pay enough won't get the staff, end of. It makes things easier for customers. I also don't see why waitstaff get tipped and kitchen staff don't? Horrible patronizing custom.

I'm quite a generous tipper but if I see they've added a service charge/gratuity I don't add a tip, as they've decided on the amount, so be it.

Sometimes though I haven't realised that they've added their own service charge and I've inadvertently tipped them too!

Also I don't always think tipping is fair. Prices are high enough in this country, everyone gets a minimum wage, unlike for example the USA. So if you ordered an expensive bottle of wine, rather than several individual cheap drinks, the tip would be more as it is on percentage, although arguably bringing over separate drinks all the time is more work.

Also to me it seems a generational thing. I tip as feel it's the done thing, as I child I never remember my parents tipping (other than a token amount sometimes) and my in-laws currently don't often tip and probably wouldn't think anything of it if they didn't. I do feel some places ramp up the prices of drinks and desserts, compared to main courses, that's where they seem to make the money.

I wouldn’t say this is most restaurants at all, I have worked In 5 in the past 5 or so years and it’s always gone to the staff. It does happen in some restaurants though but definitely not most.