3% surcharge in restaurant, but "keep tipping as usual"
May 18, 2019, 11:36 am
#106
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May 18, 2019, 3:06 pm
#108
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May 18, 2019, 5:07 pm
#109
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,838
That said, I haven’t come across discounts/surcharges in a few years. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for “our card machine is broken”, particularly in southern Italy.
May 18, 2019, 5:58 pm
#110
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: DTW
Programs: Alaska, Delta, Southwest
Posts: 1,663
I certainly sympathize with these costs making a big difference to small businesses, but the credit card fees should be more than paid for by the increase in business that comes with accepting credit cards - charging those fees directly to the customer seems like double dipping. To use a Flyertalk analogy, it’s like a hotel reaping the benefits of being under the Marriott brand but then not honoring award bookings or elite benefits.
May 19, 2019, 7:29 pm
#111
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I went to a Japanese restaurant with some friends and they included an 18% gratuity to the check but still provided a tip line. We all crossed that out. I normally leave 20% but I won't when the restaurant already includes the gratuity.
May 30, 2019, 11:44 am
#112
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: ELP
Programs: AAdvantage, Amex MR
Posts: 2,314
The restaurant business clearly has a lot to learn from the airline business.
Unbundled dining concept: the price of the dishes only covers the dishes themselves, the service charge is the YQ.
Basic dining? No problem, but expect a table by the door or the toilet. Better table? Just select your table for 20, 40, or 100$.
Did you bring a jacket? Sorry, it can't hang from the chair, but the coat check is free with the Dining+ package (which also includes breadsticks) or with the restaurant branded credit card (use of the credit card to pay the bill incurs in surcharges).
Obviously cancellation of your reservation is not possible (surely you understand), but you can purchase our insurance which will refund 10% of the mandatory charge in case of death of the main diner only.
Thank you for choosing to dine with us!
Unbundled dining concept: the price of the dishes only covers the dishes themselves, the service charge is the YQ.
Basic dining? No problem, but expect a table by the door or the toilet. Better table? Just select your table for 20, 40, or 100$.
Did you bring a jacket? Sorry, it can't hang from the chair, but the coat check is free with the Dining+ package (which also includes breadsticks) or with the restaurant branded credit card (use of the credit card to pay the bill incurs in surcharges).
Obviously cancellation of your reservation is not possible (surely you understand), but you can purchase our insurance which will refund 10% of the mandatory charge in case of death of the main diner only.
Thank you for choosing to dine with us!
LOL and lets go a step further. Have the restaurant have a frequent diner program.
Eat 50 meals in a year with us and you dont have to pay for dishes and silverware and your coat check is free regardless of dining package.
Eat 100 meals in a year with us and you can select your table for free.
In all seriousness when I dine in a restaurant I am only willing to pay 3 things on the bill. Menu price, tax, and tip. I always tip 20% regardless of quality of service because it just makes my dining experience simpler. The only thing that will make me tip less than 20% is add on surcharges and junk fees.
Slap on a 3% surcharge plus a 2% credit card surcharge and my 20% tip now becomes a 15% tip.
May 31, 2019, 3:56 am
#113
Join Date: May 2015
Location: South Florida
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My wife and I went to Olive Garden last night and I usually tip 18-22% depending on the service. But last night, the server was a complete disaster with me having to remind her of the breadsticks, cheese for the soups/salads (she did not forget for the main dishes), no offer for dessert, and no chocolates with the check. I ended giving her only 10% and left. One of our regular severs stopped by as we were leaving (a trainer) and I told her how bad it was so it didn't have to go up to management directly, and I hope she will improve.
However, I did get points on my app.
However, I did get points on my app.
Jun 2, 2019, 10:21 am
#114
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,838
LOL and lets go a step further. Have the restaurant have a frequent diner program.
Eat 50 meals in a year with us and you dont have to pay for dishes and silverware and your coat check is free regardless of dining package.
Eat 100 meals in a year with us and you can select your table for free.
In all seriousness when I dine in a restaurant I am only willing to pay 3 things on the bill. Menu price, tax, and tip. I always tip 20% regardless of quality of service because it just makes my dining experience simpler. The only thing that will make me tip less than 20% is add on surcharges and junk fees.
Slap on a 3% surcharge plus a 2% credit card surcharge and my 20% tip now becomes a 15% tip.
Eat 50 meals in a year with us and you dont have to pay for dishes and silverware and your coat check is free regardless of dining package.
Eat 100 meals in a year with us and you can select your table for free.
In all seriousness when I dine in a restaurant I am only willing to pay 3 things on the bill. Menu price, tax, and tip. I always tip 20% regardless of quality of service because it just makes my dining experience simpler. The only thing that will make me tip less than 20% is add on surcharges and junk fees.
Slap on a 3% surcharge plus a 2% credit card surcharge and my 20% tip now becomes a 15% tip.
I admire your consistency, but let’s be honest 20% is a evolving construct of expectation set by the industry, you might think you’re in control but by never varying it, you’re not.
Jun 4, 2019, 8:21 am
#115
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: ELP
Programs: AAdvantage, Amex MR
Posts: 2,314
Actually yes, I started tipping 20% all the time about 10 years ago. Before that I would leave between 10 -20% depending on how i felt about the service and overall experience but it just became annoying having to keep track of everything. I'd rather think about what I am going to do later, have a conversation with friends, etc rather than keep track of the server's performance and do some math problem and employee evaluation when the bill comes. Far easier to just enjoy my meal, then tack on a 20% tip at the end. The math was easy enough, truncate the last digit of the bill then double to get 20%. I just considered it an unbundled labor charge. If the service was bad or I didnt like some aspect about the restaurant, I just didnt come back.
Today a 20% tip is considered good, reading server places on Reddit with them always complaining about their tips they seem thrilled if they can get 20%, seems most people still leave 10-15% so at always tipping 20% I should be good for quite a while. Can't see a time any time soon where a 20% tip will be seen as cheap.
Oh, and I only tip on the pre-tax amount. Sales tax is not an item you can order and irrelevant as far as service is concerned so therefore it has no bearing on the tip amount.
Today a 20% tip is considered good, reading server places on Reddit with them always complaining about their tips they seem thrilled if they can get 20%, seems most people still leave 10-15% so at always tipping 20% I should be good for quite a while. Can't see a time any time soon where a 20% tip will be seen as cheap.
Oh, and I only tip on the pre-tax amount. Sales tax is not an item you can order and irrelevant as far as service is concerned so therefore it has no bearing on the tip amount.
Last edited by Dadaluma83; Jun 4, 2019 at 8:23 am Reason: Clarified tipping pre-tax
Jun 8, 2019, 12:17 pm
#117
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I do have some sympathy for smaller businesses with regards to surcharges for CC processing. Not so much for those who want to impose such to "cover the increased costs of doing business" or to try to shame guests into not supporting fair pay/benefits for employees.
Jun 8, 2019, 1:05 pm
#118
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,875
(if you think they delivery is a big deal you should try Carl's Jr, which delivers for free with no expectation of tipping!)
Jun 13, 2019, 1:38 pm
#119
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If a restaurant pre-tips for me, I am almost always going to tip less overall. Hit me with nothing, I tend to be around 20% of the pre-tax total. Sometimes more for bartenders. But pre-charge me 18%, and I'm not adding anything else. Pre-charge me 3%, which really seems like shooting yourselves in the foot, and I'm likely adding another 10-15% tops. It's just annoying as hell, leaves me in a crabby mood when I'm signing the check, and consciously or not I'm kind of rounding down and don't feel guilty about it.
Apply a credit card surcharge and I'm likely to tip 0% and give someone an earful about it. Thankfully, this has not happened to me at a table-service restaurant.
I've also never run into variable prices in Europe for credit cards. Some restaurants will try the DCC scam, and some will add a fixed gratuity to the check (often a very small amount). Some give the option to tip; if they do that, I'll follow whatever the local custom is. Some do not give any option to tip at all.
Apply a credit card surcharge and I'm likely to tip 0% and give someone an earful about it. Thankfully, this has not happened to me at a table-service restaurant.
I've also never run into variable prices in Europe for credit cards. Some restaurants will try the DCC scam, and some will add a fixed gratuity to the check (often a very small amount). Some give the option to tip; if they do that, I'll follow whatever the local custom is. Some do not give any option to tip at all.