Originally Posted by
AADFW
Untrue. I spent most of the past decade living in Asia- mostly in Hong Kong - where a 10% service fee was standard.
While standard for hotel or western restaurants, I've rarely seen service charges in local Chinese restaurants. Recently, a Cantonese restaurant assessed a 10% service charge on my bill, which I don't recall ever having seen the past several years. Not sure if it was something new or adapting to the challenging times.
Originally Posted by
POatParker
Those electronic devices add tip with tax and fees. I have seen the option to choose at 20%, 25% and 28%. Most people choose the middle one. Grrrrrr. I tip on the food only, at 18 to20% depending the service. Buffets or counter ordering get 10 to 15% (After all, I am doing mostly self service!)
I recently experienced this at Applebee's in NY. Cashier said, "20% ok?" I replied, "no, lower it to 18%." The service was excellent, but if it had been less than stellar, I would have instructed lowering to 15% or even 10%.