Service Charge in Restaurants

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Don_08

Registered User
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What are your opinions on these?

In a restaurant on Sat night - pretty overpriced for what you got as it was. And had an automatic 12.5% service charge attached on top of the bill. Which don;t normally mind to be honest.

However, the service was appalling, rude waiter, waiting for ages, trying to push extras on us, never even got asked about tea and cofees etc etc.

So I asked the manager for the bill and said to remove the service charge and we would decide what to pay ourselves - as prob would have tipped something but the service did not warrant nearly €40 of a tip.

She tried to tell me that only 50% of the service charge went to the staff anyway - so effectively 50% was going straight into the restaurants coffers. I said that did not matter as it was classed as a service charge. We did get our bill with 0% service charge, though it was flung onto our table by our waiter and removed all chance of him getting a tip.

I'm just wondering though about this 50% of service charge only going to staff, so you are paying for something you think is a tip, but its not really. Can restaurants get away with this?
 
I would think that it is taken that the restaurant are paying the staff to provide a service so they could be quite entitled to take some of that charge to go towards wages or training etc.
I'm sure technically where it is supposed to go though. I myself always assumed it went to staff. But personally if I'm paying with laser or credit card I always leave a cash tip as I 'm never sure if the staff get the tip or they may have to wait weeks to get.


I'm glad you had success with having the service charge deducted from the bill as I too was somewhere in town last Sat week that had an automatic service charge. It was quite a pricey restaurant and the service was just ok. It didn't warrant the full amt. I must remember in future to ask them to take it off so I can tip myself.
 
Don_08 said:
And had an automatic 12.5% service charge attached on top of the bill.
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Was it on stated on the menu/price list in advance?
 
niceoneted said:
I would think that it is taken that the restaurant are paying the staff to provide a service so they could be quite entitled to take some of that charge to go towards wages or training etc.
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That's stretching it a bit - how/why are staff costs any different to all the other overheads already included in the menu prices?
 
I don't agree with those standard service charges. Surely the cost of having one's food served to the table is already factored in to the cost of the food? I'm quite happy to leave a tip when the service warrants it, but I truly hate having that tip included as part of the bill. Especially when the staff then point to the space to enter an additional "gratuity", as happened to me in one rather pricey restaurant. When I replied that I was already paying a 12.5% service charge, I was told that the waiting staff don't get that. So it would seem to be standard practice that the only extras the waiting staff get are the tips or gratuities that the customer pays on top of the service charge.
 
The 12.5% was mentioned on the menu ( for all people not large groups) - but I asked for it to be removed even before we got the bill as the service was so bad.

We were being charged €30 for a curry and rice as it was!!

Just won't be back there.
 

Agreed, I hate when service is added on top of a bill. I'm quite happy to leave a large tip when I'm happy with service but loathe paying it on a bill and in addtion to that I want to tip the person who served me well and not the restaurant.
 
I was in a small tapas style restaurant a couple of weeks ago, there were 3 of us in for an early dinner. When we got the bill, they had added 10% service charge. I was gobsmacked although my friends didn't seem to think it was a big deal. I would have tipped anyway, but I thought to charge the extra as standard when we were only a table of 3 was a bit cheeky. We didn't leave anything on top of the service charge as I also thought it went to the waiting staff - although either way, I'm not going to tip after having to pay a service charge of 10-12.5%. Also, it was not mentioned on the menu. Went back to the same place last week (yes, the service charge didn't stop me going back ) and I was with one friend and there was no service charge, so really can't work that one out.

I was in another restaurant on Friday night and we were also charged 12.5% service charge (for 4 of us) - more expensive restaurant so I wasn't as surprised. Only noticed as we were leaving that the two restaurants are linked (was mentioned on the menu) - one is a tapas style separate eaterie but obviously owned by the same people.

M
 
I have tried to have the service charge removed in a restaurant because I wished to pay a tip wth cash, due to the VAT ruling. Restaurant refused to do it so very simply will not be going back. The price of the food is one matter. The service charge should be a completely separate issue.
 
Anywhere that automatically adds on the service charge, I resist with arrogance. More often than not if a service charge is not included in the bill we leave a tip that would exceed the standard. It is a terrible charge and often proves to ruin a good night out. Restaurants should have the cop on at this stage to allow customers to tip as they want to. If the service is good, we will tip well but if the service is poor then, like the OP, we give them the two fingers.
 
I have noticed of late that the places that automatically add service also seem to be soliciting a tip as well. I was handed a credit card machine in a well known place last week, and the message "add gratuity" came up wehn I entered my pin. I hate the automatic adding of 10 or 12.5% service charge, I resent it and try to avoid these places where possible.
By the way, it's not just in Ireland that this happens. I was in a fairly upmarket restaurant in the USA a month or so ago. The bill came to 400 dollars, and the waiter informed me that he had assumed a 10% tip and had added 40 dollars! This wasn't a % service charge, just an initiative by the waiter. Rather than make a scene with the people I was with, I paid it, but I'm still annoyed about it. If it's happening over there, it's just a matter of time...watch out for similar stunts here in the future!
 
Register disapproval with your feet.

Plenty of good restaurants don't engage in this. I refuse to eat in a restaurant that has an automatic service charge.
 

Most restaurants in America automatically add in a suggested 15% tip before giving you your bill.
 
markpb said:
Most restaurants in America automatically add in a suggested 15% tip before giving you your bill.
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Watch out for Wilmington, NC and Boston then as they seem to think that 20% is the going rate! I nearly fell off me chair!

I too resent 12.5% service charges. You've chosen to eat in their restaurant and then are made to feel that you should pay them over-and-above the bill for doing you a favour and bringing the food to the table?

I avoid these places in favour of where I can elect to tip what I feel appropriate to the level of service offered.
 
Ancutza said:
Watch out for Wilmington, NC and Boston then as they seem to think that 20% is the going rate! I nearly fell off me chair!
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Tipping up to 25% of the bill for excellent service in the US is not unusual. Just look at any of the US "tipping etiquette" guides online.
 
Lollix said:
I have noticed of late that the places that automatically add service also seem to be soliciting a tip as well. I was handed a credit card machine in a well known place last week, and the message "add gratuity" came up when I entered my pin.
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I thought this was the default setting with the credit card handheld machines. Can the restaurants change the configuration, so that it never asks you for a tip ?
 
lukegriffen said:
I thought this was the default setting with the credit card handheld machines. Can the restaurants change the configuration, so that it never asks you for a tip ?
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Probably can but they won't. It is shocking the way they cajole customers to leave a tip that it leaves the voluntary element out of the equation. Had a situation in Galway when I told the girl at the desk that I had left a tip at the table and she got disgruntled that I did not leave one on the hand held machine when paying by credit card. And that was after I had complained about one aspect of the meal!
 
in my experience the majority of restersaunts override this setting and present the machine without the "add gratuity" screen showing.

If you dont want to add gratuity on your CC all you have to do is enter a zero and leave the tip in cash (or no tip if youprefer)
 

Not my experience lately. The tip is forced by many restaurants if you are vulnerable enough to play ball. Even out from work at lunch time, some restaurants try to enforce a 10% levy if we come as a group in excess of six! How mad is that. We have refused to pay on all occasions.
 
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