To ask IF you leave a server a tip.....

[username77668899]

To ask them (especially with card machines) how much of it they personally get. If you like to tip for exceptional service when you eat out, due to the recent change in the law regarding tips please ask your server if they actually get a decent amount of the money you leave. I'm not here for a debate, I simply want people to know that some companies are distributing it evenly between all staff - which to be honest is grossly unfair when managers and chefs aren't the ones on minimum wage 🙂

I ask individual waiters what the practice is at their restaurant if it's not somewhere I'm familiar with.

I've worked in hospitality and the only proper fair way is for all gratuities to be shared among all employees based on hours worked. It shouldn't matter your role in the operation. The dishwasher works just as hard a waiter or chef, and without one the operation comes to a halt.

Our cc tips I barely get any of. Less than £100 for 3 months. It gets shared out between everyone based on hours. So the GM who is paid exceptionally well gets a large share, despite having next to no interaction with guests. So any cash tip I get, I keep myself and don’t share it.

Exactly. How can it be called fair that people on a higher hourly rate get an even share. Or that another server on the same shift who does a half arsed job and barely gets any tips takes a share from someone who works their arse off to make their customers experience an outstanding one. Basically the way it is now the good servers are paying the bad servers wages 🤷🏻‍♀️

I do wonder if you’ll see those salaries creeping down. Or not going up when increases in min wage kick in. Some places locally advertise salaries as £15.50 per hour. The actual salary is £13.40 but includes an estimate of bonus payment generated by tips which should average out to £2.10 ph over the year. I suspect this will become more common in the hospitality industry.

OR for example someone chooses to work the quiet days of the week getting the same share of the pot as someone who gives up their weekends and works mad busy Friday/Saturday nights. It's literally making hardworking people give money to their colleagues

Who gets to decide who is worthy of the tips or not then? If we are talking about the contribution to the dining experience, you could argue the kitchen porter who peeled all the veg and potatoes is more entitled than anyone.

I agree it shouldn't be shared with the other servers, it's not fair on those that do a great job to subsidised the less competent staff.

Put it on its head ,
if staff A did a great job and got a handsome tip why share it with staff B that was just scraping by.
Would we equally expect staff A to receive a warning / extra training because staff B wasn't up to scratch ?

When I tip I usually ask if they prefer cash or are happy for it to be added to card payment. I try to have some cash on me for tipping and car park. I didn't realise for ages staff were taxed on tips on card and so switched. I stopped tipping at one place when the waitress said don't bother - it all goes to the management even cash!

I leave them a tip if the service was good.

It's not up to me to police what the business does with the tips.

I'm not in this for a debate but let's be honest people for the most part are tipping for the service. The food can be five star Michelin standard quality BUT if the service is bad people will be unlikely to leave a tip 🤷🏻‍♀️

Tips should be shared between all staff. Front and back staff, pot washers, chefs, servers everyone. All

Would you be saying the same about a pot washer on nmw and not receiving tips because they are not a server?

I haven't said they shouldn't receive tips

So you think all servers should get the same regardless of the quality of service or amount of work they do?

Why? The server is doing the easiest part of the whole process!

I hate tipping culture. Especially having just been to the US where I think it's out of control.

Why should the customer have to subsidise the business owner? We already pay for the product.

I feel if you have the best steak (for example) ever, then that is down to the chef, not the person who brings you the plate and so the chef should get the lions share.
Plus if I have a bottle of wine that costs £30 or one that costs £300 pounds I don't see that a tip should be a percentage of the price as the 'service' in bringing the bottle and taking the cork out is the same.

Not fully RTFT but to clarify, No VAT is applicable on TIPS, however it is due on a Service Charge.

One thing that many possibly haven't considered is that when a tip is left on a card machine, even though 100% of that tip is due to the staff, the actual card transaction will have a fee attached to it, which the business owner is liable to pay, and therefore ends up out of pocket. So I would always recommend leaving a cash tip if you can.

I can't quote the comment I am replying to as it is already a quote but being a server in a restaurant that's rammed busy with a queue all day long is definitely NOT easy and that attitude to be frank is quite sad. I guarantee you couldn't keep a section ticking over as well and efficiently as I do but as you were 😃

Exactly this

FWIW I'm another who tips in cash direct to the serving staff, but beyond that I don't insert myself into other people's employment issues any more than I'd expect them to do it with mine

No matter what the regs are we all know some businesses will ignore them, but IMO that's something for employees to address direct - especially when customers who ask aren't guaranteed an honest answer

I've been a server. It's a lot easier than being in the kitchen, which I've also done.

You obviously haven't worked in the type of restaurant I work in then. You're entitled to your opinion though.

I always give cash tips too, unless they auto add a service charge, then I just cave and pay by card.

There's no restaurant where serving is 7 times harder than being kitchen staff.

If you think serving is so very difficult perhaps you're just not very good at it?