Update.. Questions that need to be answered.....

[Lyn]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by flyrr100

Tipping...
15% is normal. 20% if you think they earned it.
Many Brits think that tipping is only necessary if you've had outstanding service. Not true. If you don't tip you'll more than likely be followed out of the establishment and asked about the tip! Most US waiters and waitresses live on 'tips only'.

[/quote]

Are you saying that they get no salary only tips! Even if this is the case I refuse to give a tip for bad service and I have never been followed out of an establishment, but I always say if I think I have had bad service, which is not often.

[steph_goodrum]

Many of them get a minimal salary and the tips are supposed to make it up to minimum wage. As far as I am concerned that is not my fault and the system should be changed, if I am supposed to tip for good service then if I havent had good service I wont tip.

[sunseeker]

Slightly off topic a bit here, but if you do tip with cash and pay the bill on your card make sure you write cash in the gratuity, a server asked me to do this as their managers think they dont get tips for being a bad server.

Dave

[sammibabe]

If we had bad service I wouldn't leave a full tip, I would leave a lesser tip. I feel this makes the point that you haven't just forgotten. That aside we have never felt the need in Florida to do this. We have left a 20% for outstanding but leave 15% for normal service. That aside regarding the system I think it was on here when I first 'joined' before one of our trips that I read that the IRS assumes they are being tipped at a certain level for their taxes.

[steph_goodrum]

What happens is that the employers are allowed to pay below minimum wage on the assumption their tips will make up the difference so the IRS assumes they are being paid minimum wage. Of course if you work in a lousy restaurant with bad food and few customers it may not be your fault that no one tips bit it is assumed you do get them.

[gpullan]

We were followed out of Golden Corral after not leaving a tip. I explained to the lady who stopped us that i had never seen her before in my life, we collected our plates and cups ourselves and on only one occasion when we returned from the buffet was there a coffee pot left on the table. What exactly did she want tipping for??

The bill was approx $80 so to give this stranger a minimum of $12 for nothing just did not add up in my mind. She did not wait on us at all.

She wasn't happy and we never went back!!

[MTP]

In somewhere like a buffet establishment I do not think the standard 15% would be expected, maybe just a dollar or two per person at the table.

[VIOLET]

We have been followed out of a restaurant because we did not leave a tip.... but we had had horrendous service and a very poor meal, the waitress complained that she has to survive only on tips and we said if that was the case she should have been more polite and not made us wait ages for our food and drinks............... [bad language filtered out] British is the reply we got - its the only restuarant we have had to do this at as generally the food and service is fab.

I dont agree in having to pay 15 or 20% just because its expected, it should be deserved.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Our thoughts exactly.

We once left a 1c tip in Chevys for absolutely abysmal service. No surprise, we were not followed out of the restaurant as I think the 1c said everything that was needed [msnwink]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by VIOLET[br
I dont agree in having to pay 15 or 20% just because its expected, it should be deserved.
[/quote]

[flyrr100]

This tipping thing has been hashed over and over. I understand all your points regarding no tipping, and agree why you don't want to leave tips at certain places. But if you lived here you'd eventually get assimilated into the American way of life and understand that many customs here differ from the UK.
We tip at restaurants, bars, barbers/hair dressers, cab drivers, hotel van drivers, hotel maids, bell hops ($1.00 per bag), car valets, ushers, room service, pizza delivery guy, coat check girl, spa personnel, pool boy, grocery baggers that help load into your car, bar piano man..... the list goes on.
We eat out once or twice a month. I really can't remember the last time I had bad service. Yes, buffet joints are usually bad. But you get what you pay for at places like that anyway! Chains like Chili's, TGIF, usually have friendly staff and good food. I'll leave 20%.
Also remember... if you have a gift card for a restaurant, you tip on the full amount, not the discounted price. I took my wife to Ruth's Chris for dinner and had a $50 gift card. When the total came to $156, I tipped on that, not $106 I actually paid.
When in Rome....?