VivoPerLei

I would like to see someone with a Survey Monkey account pose the question as follows to Americans not affiliated with the food service industry in any way other than being customers (don't know if that's possible):

Which would you prefer with respect to tipping at restaurants:

1. The US tipping culture as is, whereby tips are discretionary, but expected to be in the 18-20 percent range for good service, or

2. A typical European style tipping culture where a mandatory service charge has been already included in the bill and nothing further is necessary.


Amen to that. As I mentioned on another thread, during our last trip back to the states a waiter asked us where we were from. When we said we just flew in from Germany the day before he got a deer in headlights look and I thought he was going to cry. I actually had to tell him that yes, we understand the US tipping culture, and then we started getting the song and dance again.

planemechanic

The EMPLOYER is screwing the employee if they don't pay adequate wages, not the customer. Employee wages are not my responsibility.

Time for all states to take the California model, and require at least the minimum wage for all wait staff. No more allowing the Federal minimum of $2.13 an hour for wait staff.

florin

^

mandolino

I'd tip for that. Always loved Bambi. It would beat the "I'm your new best buddy standing in front of the specials board and repeating it word for word" act.

dolcevita

Um, exactly what service is being provided outside of the delivery, which is already charged separately? Tipping for dine-in service is clear enough, but it's not as if the employee is hanging around your room to keep your glass topped off or bring extra croutons or whatever.

will2288

I feel that wait staff who average $15-20 an hour even with base pay of $2.13 should not be entitled to a minimum base pay of normal minimum wage, unless there is an expectation that customers should tip less.

It is my understanding that servers in states like CA are generally tipped the same percentage, meaning their pay is $7ish higher per hour due to the highger base pay.

cbn42

Many states (I believe 8 or 10) have this model. The tipping standards in California and these other states are the same, if not higher, than the rest of the country. Most people don't know the laws, and even if they do, the restaurant industry has done a great job of making it socially unacceptable to not leave a tip.

heraclitus

That is hilarious! Hotels are taking their cue from airlines and basically trying to disguise higher prices to seem like some sort of non-discretionary tax-like charges. Apparently it is too much to ask to have delivery included with the $20 room service hamburger.

Just wait until this spreads... McDonald's will soon start dinging you $1.00 for "Order bagging charges", maybe a $0.50 "Drinking straw levy". The more of this BS there is the less I use services that charge them.

anabolism

German wait staff are paid less than U.S. wait staff? That's surprising to hear. Do you have any details?

cbn42

I think he/she means after factoring in tips.

The sum of wages + tips is lower in Germany than the US.

GatorAir

If I see a % based service charge that goes beyond 15%, I don't tip. The server has every right in this country to find employment elsewhere if he feels the hotel is ripping him off when pocketing that service charge.

Tipping in the USA has veered way out of control.

FlyerTalker683455

6-8 Eur per hour and an expectation of maybe 100-200 EUR per month in tips would be what an unskilled server (yes, normally to get a real wage you should have a diploma in hotel service) can expect.

The expectations of tips for North American staff is completely out of sync with the rest of the world. Worst, those people who can't get their own financial life together think nothing of dropping 20 bucks on a tip. I just don't get it.

Cymro

On average, I think American wait staff earn more than European staff - certainly British and Germans; in countries with even higher minimum wages that may not be the case.

That said, the % convenience fee on top of the delivery charge is ridiculous and almost certainly reduces the hotel staff's earnings. I wouldn't give a restaurant style tip to room service staff but I would probably give around $3 on $30 (non-US based). Service fees are all very well but if the guest chooses not to eat in the room (which may be the preferred option) then the guest may keep walking and explore the neighborhood, meaning they get nothing.

When I do consultancy work (sometimes when I travel for business it's internal only, or *I* am the client and being entertained) I eat in the room most nights. It's a time saver and means I can more easily put in the 16-hour days the project sometimes demands. As such, I tend to order a dessert whereas I rarely do so in the bar, and the margin in the dessert is itself equal to the tray charge.

As such, I am sure that I am worth more as a guest when eating in the room than when I'm out and about. That service fee sometimes pushes me from the first option to the second.

darthbimmer

I am a lifelong US resident. I understand our tipping system and I sympathize with the hard-working people in food service jobs. But when a restaurant imposes an 18% "service charge", to me, that is the tip. I will not tip a cent beyond that. I do not care if there is some lawyerly distinction between "service charge" and "tip" that allows the business to take the entire fee for themselves and give none to their employee(s). At that point it is not my problem. It is the restaurant screwing their employees-- and me, the customer-- and I will take no part in furthering it. (In fact, if I was certain the restaurant was giving employees none of the "service charge" I would complain to the manager on duty, loudly and in front of other customers if at all possible, and never bring another cent to the business.)

anabolism

What if the restaurant imposes an 18% "cooking fuel surcharge?" (Maybe taking a page from the airlines' "fuel surcharge.") If a restaurant wants to impose an additional fee and keep it (as opposed to a mandatory tip as some do, especially for larger parties), they should name it such that there is no ambiguity as to if it goes to the staff.