Do you usually Tip on top of the bill when you eat out?

[LunarLass]

Hi everyone,
Just curious, how many of you usually leave a tip when you eat out?
I generally don't, but the other day, we went out with some friends who always tip. This time, I stuck to paying just for what we ordered—no tip—and you should've seen the looks on our friends' faces! Our bill came to £55, so it wasn't exactly cheap, to be honest. The meal was lovely, no complaints there; it's just that I don't usually tip out of principle, since they're getting paid for their job like anyone else

I tip if I receive good service and service charge hasn’t already been added.

It’s not my experience that it’s expected where I live. I’ve not had service charges added when eating in local restaurants and wait staff normally press no tip on card machines before they hand it to me.

My daughter works in hospitality at the moment and she’s dealt with some right shitty behaviour - someone threw a knife at her face a few days ago - she finds she tends to get tips left from tables nearby who have witnessed she shitty behaviour, maybe out of solidarity or something.

There seem to be a lot of people who ask for the service charge to be removed. I wish I could be that assertive. I’d much rather leave a cash tip but I’d be too embarrassed to ask them to remove the service charge.

I don't mind tipping when I come over to the UK because it's so much less than they expect in the US (20-25% and for everything). So I do tip in the UK but it's not normally a whole lot unless I felt like the service was particularly good.

I was out with a crowd of people and the lady who organized it all asked for the service charge to be taken off ! They did it , but I know that I wouldn't do this myself as I they will probably say ' no' ! Can you ask for it to be taken off ?
What's the law around it all ?

You can absolutely get it taken off, as I have done many times - the charge is completely optional! Why would they force you to post it if you didn’t want to @the80sweregreat ?

I've done this many times in restaurants where I'm not convinced my tip will be given directly to the waitress/waiter, and I then give them 10 or 12.5% in cash.

I wasn't sure how it worked with these service charges add on.
Next time I'll get it taken off the bill ( not that I eat out that much anyway !)

I've started not tipping if I'm encouraged to pay online (DD will insist I do- don't ask! ). Wagamamas and Pizza Express for example.

Also, I've been to a couple of restaurants recently and haven't been offered the option of leaving a tip when paying by card, and so have had to leave a £10 note. What's going on there?

If the service is good, yes.
Otherwise, no.
Always in cash. Never an "add on" on our card.

Why? The service staff don't care

I would never tip if the service charge is already included as that is the whole point of service charge - and always tip if it is not included (unless the service was beyond dreadful).

I don't have cash on me so it goes on the card. No one has ever complained, although I have heard about waiting staff in the US getting stroppy if the tip is on a card. I'd just tell them to remove it completely if anyone said anything!

When I was a waitress, the nicer you were to customers, the less you got tipped. Seriously! Customers think you like them, so they don't need to bother impressing you with a big tip. Being off hand (not rude) gets you much more money.

Always tip here if service is good.