To decide myself how much tip to give rather than have 12.5% or 15% already added on to the bill, in England

[Jossse]

I enjoy going out for food and drinks with friends and family. I have over the past 6 months or so, noticed that some establishments have started to add on 12.5% and 15% to the bill total. This is happening even when buying at the bar or and or ordering on an app.
I’ve always added on 10% for good service and more if exceptional, and rounded up most of the time.
We are all aware that food and drink prices are now much higher and also there is a national minimum wage.
I want to choose how much tip I leave for my server/waiting staff rather than have 12.5% and 15% added on to my bill. When I have questioned this, the manager has needed to come along and speak and authorise this, making the whole experience awkward.
Back in the day (pre Covid/2000) before this was happening, I was a waitress and earned good tips. I put in effort to ensure my customers enjoyed their experience. Sadly a lot of waiting staff today do not seem to understand about customer service, I’m guessing because they already are earning the tip from the bill.
One company said the extra 2.5% was so that the waiting staff didn’t have to pay the card payment charge!
So, AIBU to want to add my own service tip or should the establishment add it in for me when presenting the bill.

I think of it as the owner transferring some of the risk of doing business to the staff. Much prefer staff paid a decent wage and the advertised price all inclusive. Why is that so difficult?

nor am I any fan of the kind of striving service intended to elicit an exceptionally large tip.

The set percentage thing is from the US and it is part of their wage.
The percentage here is just a scam to add profit.
In NZ they add an extra 15% to the bill for public holidays, 10% for weekends, and approx 2.5% for card fees. It is added to the price of the meal. And then they ask for a tip. They can ask but I've paid the costs and the penalty rates and I wont pay more unless it is exceptional ie more than their job's worth, literally.
Bloody Americanism, needs to stop.

I would never go to any place that enforced a tip. No-one should be tipping anyone in 2026. It's an outdated practice that has no place in the 21st century.

I also don't understand why the % service is calculated on the VAT inclusive amount. So 20% of the service charge is a tip for the pleasure of paying tax to the tax man.

That's an excellent point, actually. Just goes to show that it's such a lazy, grabby, arbitrary way of calculating a bonus amount based on social pressures, and bears no relation whatsoever to the actual service that you've received (which should, at any rate, be included in the stated price just like every other essential element).

I had a similar discussion with some acquaintances recently. Some tipped like America: restaurant service, sandwich, takeaway coffee, taxis, beauty and hair, delivery drivers: practically everything.
I'm the opposite and I genuinely hate this tipping culture becoming a thing. I'm old enough to remember when tipping was 10% in cash for restaurant table service. I'm not exactly flush with cash like a lot of us and it's the only tip I follow. Eating out is expensive, taxis are horrendously expensive, hairdressing etc. I expect what I am charged is already a fair price. Tipping was never an expectation as it is now.
We have minimum wage and it does rankle that other minimum wage workers do not benefit from "tipping": retail, cleaning, care.

The place I work doesn't add a service charge, but I have worked somewhere that did, from the other side I didn't like it, it made me feel awkward and people got stroppy with me when asking for it to be taken off because I think their own awkwardness, but I wasn't allowed to do it myself - I had to get a manager because they knew staff like me would remove it before it got anywhere near the customer.
Of course they made out like they were doing us a massive favour, and guilt tripped you if your table didn't tip, because in their view, the only reason a table would ask for it removed would be because you'd done something wrong and therefore were letting your colleagues down because they weren't going to get as many tips.

And then of course you'd get the customers who lay into you about it, all in all it's shit from both sides, why should my income rely on the belief or whim of someone else? I've known tables men leave a large tip to later find out they've groped the 16 year old waitress and she didn't say anything, when they do say something and the table is asked to leave because of it they certainly don't leave a tip, usually create a scene!

However I really don't think that upping wages and prices would go any better, people have said on this thread how expensive it is to eat out, but how businesses should pay their staff proper wages and put the prices up - that's a bit contradictory to me, it's already too expensive that people aren't going, but I don't like tipping as a concept so you need to put the prices up.
At least with an optional service charge you can have it removed, imagine paying that extra 12%(for example) in with the menu price and getting really shit service but with no option but to pay it because it's now not optional.

I just really wish people would keep their assumptions to themselves, it's horrible being accused of standing there having your hand out of only doing a good job because you want a tip. I don't agree with the service charge but if where I work applies one I've got no option to change it, moaning at me won't do anything - except of course release your frustration onto me.

I had the most ridiculous one the other day where we had a service charge added in a buffet restaurant where we ordered by app, paid by app and twice had to chase up glasses for our drinks. Yet we actively had to remove the service charge from the bill. Ridiculous.

I had something similar in a hotel in central London more than 20 years ago: ordered one beer at the bar counter, carried it to the table myself, and when I went back to sign the chit to bill it to the room discovered that 15% service charge had been added. It took the price of my pint of Stella to over £6 when my local in Manchester wanted £2.20 for the same stuff.

Thankfully, the bartender removed the charge immediately and had the good grace to be slightly embarrassed himself.

But why is it a scam to add profit if it goes directly to the waiting and kitchen staff? Legally they must still be paid minimum wage.

If the company take some of it off then yeah that's a scam. I try and check and if in doubt I just give cash only directly to waiter.

10% is the minimum in the UK?
I always tip 10%, rounded up to the nearest £.
That said, I dont object to the 12.5% bieng added to the bill if the service is good. I rarely have cash to leave.

I don't think there's a legal minimum. Ie you can't be made to pay it. Though some unscrupulous places put small print on menu saying they can force you to. I'd never eat in a place that did that.

The 12.5 seems to be what they add on to the bill. Some people get angry about this but I like that they do it for you. If you don't want it just say please remove it. Then leave it in cash the same, less/more or none. No decent staff member would be rude about it.

But yeah I would never leave nothing. Unless it was literal Fawlty Towers.

Because even if nobody tipped the staff would still be paying minimum wage. If the money not given as extra to the staff then it's a scam

Sorry, I don't really understand. They legally must pay them minimum wage. Every employer must. Then they can get tips on top of that.

As I say, if the employer takes a proportion of the tip I'd boycott the place and only give cash direct to staff.

Exactly. I'm sure some places do cream of the tips or at least a percentage of them . And if I tip a member of waiting staff I want it to go to them. Not shared out amongst everyone.

Unless it’s a larger group booking that states a service charge will be added you can always ask for it to be removed. I’ve never seen over 12.5% added in the uk, more commonly 10% but most local independents here do not add and a couple state categorically that there’s no need to tip as staff receive a percentage of each receipt anyway, so much better

I think it should be split between chefs and waiters. As both created the experience. But management shouldn't be pinching it. If I especially liked the service I'd give an extra cash tip for them.

So yeah, if in doubt cash tips only.

So you had attentive service from 5 serving staff and amazing food and got a 20% discount, but you find the service charge presumptuous and rude?

How much tip would you leave, £1?

I agree. A place where our family eat a few times a year has a service charge. We pay it as we really like it there, but if the service charge wasn't on the bill, we would tip more, so the staff are actually losing out.

I always used to leave 10-12% as standard on all bills, unless food or service was awful. I've become a lot meaner in last couple of years as prices have gone up so much. Combined with our son reaching an age where he eats like a horse so bills are more expensive as buying 3 adult meals.

I don't leave tips often now, especially if it's a quick take order, bring one course and done, as it adds such a chunk onto the bill.

I left a tip the other night as the staff were lovely. But I no longer leave them routinely

I do tend to pay the service charge if it is on. I need to start asking for it removed when service is just basic/standard.

There seems to be very little service involved these days. As far as I’m concerned bringing a menu, taking an order, bringing food, taking plates isn’t service it’s what is expected doing the job and I expect that to be included in the prices. Given most
pubs seem to now be charging £18+ for any meal including fish and chips and burgers which is just pre packed food shoved in a fryer, I don’t think extra service is needed either. I don’t expect to top a ‘chef’ that’s re-heating/frying food.

Can you tell I don’t go out much these days. Mediocre/often poor food and no service, just no.

I dont know why they dont add it on to the price of food and drinks and then give the staff the percentage of the days or weeks takings or whatever

But I think they should clearly show their policies on a sign or on the menu and stick with it, customers can decide from there what they do from there

Why? If I'm tipping someone I want the money to go them. Not other people. And if they spread tips out evenly then there's no incentive for anyone to put the extra effort in if they are going to gain tips on the back of someone else's good work

That's fair enough. In that case leave a cash tip just for the waiter. I often do that on top if they were good. I know some people see it that way and if so just check and then decide accordingly.

To me a restaurant is a team. The waiter wouldn't have been good and worth a tip if they handed you an empty plate?