Rubicund

No, the tip is where the rubbish (garbage) ends up. It's like lots of words in the Uk, same spelling, different meaning.

So don't tip a cough off a bough.

Nonconformist

I tip taxi drivers 10%ish usually (unless I think they've gone the long way round and charged more than they should, but that's only when I know the route).

hollywoodsc

Not a defense here but simply some information for you...the reason people in the US are expected to tip is due to the fact that our minimum wage is NOT a living wage.
Could you survive on $2.13/hour? That's $85/wk.
No, I dare say you couldn't.

The reason it is so low (every state sets it's own wage rate) is because an estimated 15% tip/gratuity is SUBTRACTED from the waiters hourly wage.

So you, the customer, is expected to make up that difference and that waiter is depending on you to make up the difference.

Do I wish our waiters and other minimum wage people could earn a Living Wage? Hell yes!

Now you understand why we Americans are always asking if we should tip or not. We're not trying to usurp your culture, we're making sure we're not insulting someone by NOT leaving a tip.

Off my soapbox. Carry on.

annhig

hollywoodsc - I think we all get that. but are the pan washers, short order cooks, and other staff paid substantially better than the waiters?

one trouble with tips is that often, they only go to front of house.

uruabam

>Could you survive on $2.13/hour? That's $85/wk.<

Except of course for all the states where that isn't the minimum and you're still expected to tip at the same rate as elsewhere.

http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm

hollywoodsc

annhig, the "minimum rate for tipped employees" is for tipped only i.e. wait staff. The kitchen staff, dish-washers, hostess, etc, would make the state's minimum wage.

Definition of Tipped Employee by Minimum Tips received (monthly unless otherwise specified) - is an average of $20-30 PER MONTH.

uruabam - I'm just trying to enlighten as to why we have a "tipping culture".
If it's against someone's religion not to tip, I'm not out to convert them.

Graziella5b

Américans tend to over tip , which is kind of silly. For instance,. In Rome going from the airport to the Trastevere I was specifically told by an Italian friend do not tip the driver.
So this nice car picked us up , the pleasant driver was waiting for us at the Airport, took us to our destination,put down our lugagge,
I made an effort not to tip and simply paid the pre agreed fee. No tip. From that day on we have beeing in and out of Rome airports 6 times, each time he came smiling, we never tipped him. We always chat with him,he volunteers Information on different subjects. A lesson to be learnt.
There is a saying when in Rome do as the Romans do, I guess is valid for England too.Right?

jamikins

Thanks for the explanation hollywoodsc.

That certainly isn't the case in Europe so there is in general no need to tip in the same cases here!

Padraig

annhig wrote: "... but are the pan washers, short order cooks, and other staff paid substantially better than the waiters?

one trouble with tips is that often, they only go to front of house."

There is a practice known as "tipping out" (well, it's known to me as that, but there might be other names for it). Servers are expected to pay tips to other staff like bartenders, expediters, and kitchen workers. So the 15% gets shared out.

It even became an American economic model under the label "trickle-down".

annhig

There is a practice known as "tipping out" (well, it's known to me as that, but there might be other names for it). Servers are expected to pay tips to other staff like bartenders, expediters, and kitchen workers. So the 15% gets shared out.>>

in theory. the UK system of adding a 10% service charge to restaurant bills isn't much better as it's up to the employer whether they share it round. However it does have the virtue that everyone knows that it's there, so it's harder for the management to refuse to pay it.

I thought that "trickle down" was supposed to be from the "top" to the bottom, not from people at the bottom to people even further down the food chain.

Dickie_Gr

Padraig

I am a little confused as to who is running these restaurants, the owners or the serving staff? Would appear to a labour agency within a business.

Dickie_Gr

I was on a Sea Island near Charleston last October.

Had breakfast frequently at a tiny place on the beach. Run by a husband and wife (I think they were) .

Was I supposed to tip them? Didn't do but if I was .....why?

PalenQ

If I know that owners are operating something themselves I do not tip - but if the help is only getting $2.30 minimum hourly wage allowed for waiters then of course you must.

So I think you were right in not to tip in that case.

sofarsogood

How does one enquire if wait staff earn the $2.30 minimum Is it acceptable to ask the management or is there a sign on the restaurant door stating employees' rates?

I would hate to overtip those earning a decent wage. Or does that never happen?

PalenQ

all hired restaurant workers who actually serve tables get the federal minimum wage of about $2.30/hr so I always assume that when I go to a restaurant with wait staff - I do not think any restaurant owner would pay more than required - you know let the patrons pay for the cost of service.

so it never happens IME unless at some Mom and Pop food stall perhaps.

nytraveler

Yes, but wait staff in the UK dosn;t get $2.30 per hour do they???

I'm sure the staff gets the actual legal minimum wage - at least - not some fictitious amount based on the fact that they get a "free" dinner - and tips. (Wait staff are taxed on "anticipated" tips by the IRS - no not tipping is definitely cheating them.)

annhig

nyt - i'm sure that there are some places in the UK where the very lowest of the low don't get the min wage - they may have immigration issues for example so are ripe for exploitation - but by and large, yes, the staff will get the legal minimum wage, presently £6.19 per hour gross for an adult.

https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates

that works out at £247 gross per week, probably about £175 net after they've paid tax and NI.

the latest idea is that the tax threshold for lower earners will be £10K so if that came in, it would be worth more like £200/week. however, rents are very high so even that won't go very far.

PalenQ

I would hate to overtip those earning a decent wage. Or does that never happen?>

In expensive restaurants wait staff can get a princely wage as the % is based on the total of the bill - most restaurant workers all share in the tips - cooks, bottle washers and all I understand.

annhig

Pal - if you're talking about UK restaurants then yes, the staff should benefit from the service charge [I said 10% but in higher end places it's often 12% or more] and obviously, if the bill is high, then the service charge is going to be more.

in fact in some jobs, like postmen, the tax man assumes that they will get tips at Christmas and taxes them accordingly. I suspect that the same applies to restaurant staff. in fact, they even have a special word for arrangements where tips are divided out between staff: a TRONC.

"A tronc is a special pay arrangement used to distribute tips, gratuities and service charges". there's a whole HMRC leaflet about it, running to 9 pages.

nytraveler

so waitstaff in the UK is getting a salary about 4 or 5 times what they do in the US. Hardly a princely amount - but at least a rationale that a 20% tip is not necessary.

Not sure what the poverty line is there. In NYC it's $25K per year - so a waitstaff in a modest restaurant might earn about that. (And people want to give them less??)