The bloody service charge!

[Ilovemychocolate]

Went out to eat twice yesterday…we are in Bath for a festive visit.
Both times our bill came with service charge added.
Both times I sent it back and requested they remove the service charge.
Now I know it’s Christmas, but adding the service charge, without informing the customer it’s completely their choice to pay it, is a year round practise.
I am not against tipping, but it infuriates me when it’s automatically added to my bill with the expectation I will pay it!
An I unreasonable to ask the restaurant to remove it every time?

Wow, what a terrible place. I would give them a shitty review to warn others not to go there.

We have sometimes asked for the service charge to be removed - only when really unhappy with the food or service and to be fair, each place has removed it without making a fuss.

@Gall10 see also delivery driver, hospital cleaner, checkout staff or anyone who does a low paid job, especially in the public sector.

I don't tip. Nobody ever "tipped" me for doing my job.

The £5 is more insulting than not tipping at all.

I wish restaurants would abolish the service charge and just add whatever money they would miss from it, to the meal prices.

Then we'd find out who is doing well , and who wanted to eat out on the cheap but can't really afford to 😆😈

Did dickens write a book about you op?

https://www.gov.uk/tips-at-work/tips-and-tax

just for pp who says tips are tax free

they’re not but how they are paid to the server will change how it is taxed

I always ask for it to be removed!!

The cheek of these people.

HCA do not get tips. Cashiers do not get tips. Care home workers do not get tips.

I will only tip if I think the service has been excellent, and only then, if they haven't added a service charge first.

I’m going out for a meal on Xmas eve and expect the bill to be around 170 -200 for two people
I’ve been there before several times and the food and service is first class

I will tip probably £20 as I know they only put a service charge on for tables of 6 and more

I own a restaurant. We stopped charging service charge. For people to complain we dont allow tipping. We do allow tipping. Just ask and you can. But our staff are paid well above minimum wage and get free meals and family discounts. We aren't a chain but a small family business.

We ger Reviews complaining we dont allow tipping and that our staff are on minimum wage. But if we did add service charge, that would be a problem too. They assume all staff are on minimum wage. They aren't. And actually min wage is quite high now where people on similar wages wouldn't of had a pay rise when the min wage went up!

Just ask to remove it. There's no drama. We aren't in the US where tipping is mandatory. But people just like to find something to complain about.

Also to add. Tips are charged tax and not all staff want it. Its nice for you to offer but sometimes makes things harder as its more tax to pay and work out and divide out. I have heard staff ask for tips to be paid in cash before.

Hospitality isnt easy. You cant make everyone happy. We work 7 days a week. Miss all the holidays and weekends and work long hours apart from Xmas day, for people to complain.

We are selling up soon. Can't deal with the stress nay more.

How generous of you.

It’s now 12.5% where I live!

Why on earth would anyone think that not adding a service charge would mean you didn’t allow tipping? Are they being deliberately thick? Restaurants didn’t use to add this to the bill, and everyone knew tipping was allowed.

Then you're incredibly mean

But why should it be!!

Imagine going to Lidl and spending £100 only for you to be asked to pay £112.50.

We are not the US. We don't pay our staff $2 a hour. They are on over £12 an hour in a relatively easy job (I waitressed for 2 years).

I would be happy to be insulted by hundreds of people every year giving me a fiver for simply doing my job.

Another one who has never received a tip.

We pay minimum wage in this country, so the service charge is a discretionary extra. Some pay it, but there is no reason to. There's no reason to villify people who chose to pay a different amount, not to pay it at all or just pay it cos its on the bill.

Your guess is as good as mine! We get people from all walks of life. And many many people who like to pick at things. They get a good service. Leave a great review. But will deduct a statement for not having service charge.🤣 Just add a couple of pounds if you are that bothered.

We cant win either way.

Had someone the other day order rice, then complain she didnt want rice... I took the order so I know it wasn't a mix up.🤣

The only person I ever tip is my hairdresser 😬

We have eaten out in Bath a few times (dd was at uni there) and the prices are already much higher than they are in other places. We don’t pay the service charge, we can’t afford too and we don’t expect to have too. Eating out for us is a rare treat that I have to save money for, I don’t want to have to pay an extra £10-£20 on what I expected to pay.

Why is it? The waiter gets paid the same regardless. £5 extra for less than an hour is fine

It’s fine to ask for the service charge to be removed and it’s fine not to tip. Tipping is something that should be discretionary if the customer feels the service warranted it.

I hate how tipping is supposed to be based on a percentage of what was ordered. It makes no difference to the service received or waiting staff workload whether they bring out champagne and lobsters or a baked potato and Diet Coke. Percentage tipping is pretentious bollocks.

10% would be bare minimum, £5 is leaving barely more than nothing, or an insult, on a £200 bill.

Where’s that?

tips are not compulsory - I tip for good service but not a %

DS is a bar manager of somewhere that serves food and says the same

Why? 25% that’s obscene amount of tip! We aren’t the US!

Me too!

My job we aren’t allowed to receive any money as thanks. even as a team. Any ‘gift’ over £20 value also must be declared.

Where I work we have a 7% service charge. It literally says on the bill please ask if you want it removing, it's totally optional. It is on the menu too.

Every single day I get some idiot ranting and raving at me about how dare I presume I am getting a tip etc etc. How dare we not tell them first! But we do? It's on the bill - I always circle it with a pen too.

Without the money I get from the service charge I wouldn't and couldn't work there - I can't live off minimum wage, and we have to do a lot more work than other minimum wage jobs (I know, I've worked plenty). I would rather simply earn all my wages from my employer, but as it is, it's minimum wage plus tips. You don't tip in Next, but I wouldn't work in Next because I would know I wouldn't get tips. I would need to work somewhere that paid me the same I get with tips - around £14.50 per hour.

Basically, if you don't want to pay it just say. Don't kick off at someone who has zero control over the service charge - and who would also probably prefer to simply get paid that amount by their employer!