Automatically Including A Tip In Your Restaurant Bill? Your Thoughts?

[LoneKiller]

Hey Everyone.

Have you ever been to a restaurant that automatically includes a tip in your bill? I'm all for tipping for a good service, but to just include it in your bill is a little presumptuous and disrespectful in my opinion. Do any of you feel this way?


Thanks for viewing.

 

[EveWasFramed]

Unless they tell you up front.
Some places add a gratuity for large parties. I don't have an issue with it if I'm made aware in advance.

 

[Sci-Fi]

What Eve said. If a place automatically charges a tip I wouldn't go there, my family bases a tip on service and the food. When it comes to a large party I feel it's okay, but when it's just a few people that seems wrong to me. I wouldn't want to tip a poor waitress or poor food. If a waitress and the food is really good I may want to tip more.

 

[Will8285]

I think it's a little shady. I usually tip very well, more than the added gratuity, but I've talked to waiters and waitresses and they have some pretty horrible stories about customers and little to no tips, so I understand.

 

[Lefty Lonely]

In some countries, often the tip is included. I don't know what quality of service that equates to though.

 

[9006]

I tip most of the time, but if they automatically added it to my bill I'd tell them to deduct it.

 

[kamya]

Big groups usually take up a lot of room and resources and when they place their orders they are usually made a priority so they can get their things out together and on time. Anyone working in the food industry can tell you how big groups can really screw up the flow of things create can create a ton of stress for the crew. There is only so much room on a grill or in an oven. On a busy night large groups WILL negatively impact the service of other guests. If you are getting this special treatment and if other guests are getting slightly worse service because of it, then you need to pony up. I don't see the point in forcing small groups to tip though.

 

[LoneKiller]

What worries me is that if you don't tip, they might go into the back and urinate in your coffee or something. Don't think it can't happen. You just never know. I would much rather tip the waiter/waitress with cash when they roll around.

 

[ThisSideOfTheRainbow]

I basically agree with Eve and Sci-fi on this one.

However, there's an old school trick you can use if you get really ****** service or a rude waiter/waitress, and you still feel obligated to tip:

Usually there's a glass of water on the table. Take a few bucks, and put it in the glass of water. Then put your credit card or whatever over the glass and turn the glass upside down on the table. Then remove your card. The only way they can get the money is by lifting the glass.

I'd probably never do that myself, but I laughed my ass off the first time I saw it done.

 

[LonelyInAtl]

There is a local dine-in movie theater called Cinebistro that automatically adds a 17% tip to your check. They say on their website that you can adjust it, but the servers fail to reveal that little trinket.

HOWEVER, there is a catch.

You pay your bill up front when your order is taken, even the tip. Would you really risk reducing the tip amount before your order had been served?

Another thing I hate about that place is that the only thing the servers do it take your order, bring your drinks, and then your food. That's IT. All of this is before the movie starts. During the movie, if you want a refill or anything else you have to go to the bar and order it yourself. Why should I tip 17% for something less service than a dine-in restaurant normally has? I get the same service at a drive through window where I don't tip.

 

[edamame721]

I get annoyed only if the service and/or food is bad. That said, when the place automatically charges a tip, I don't add more to the amount. I have left waiters with generous cash tips before, if they were especially attentive or helpful. Plus, I think leaving the tip amount blank makes wait staff better at their jobs -- at greeting customers, helping with their orders, and even clearing the table faster. I felt really pressured at one restaurant which automatically calculated three different tier tips (I had to choose one and explain why). At another restaurant where the minimal amount is charged, the staff was slow and brusque, but the food was famous enough so the place thrived.

 

[bulmabriefs144]

Yes, definitely.

I think it's criminal what they pay waiters and waitresses. Supposedly, they have a responsibility to raise the (well-below minimum) wage to minimum. But in Nickel and Dimed, they said half the time the employees aren't even told this.

I also think the whole no-built-in system that currently exists leaves the responsibility in the manager (which won't, since alot of restaurants are barely afloat themselves) and in the customer (which winds up feeling like a cad if they don't give beyond what's expected). Just build it in to the system, and anything beyond that, should go under the table and tax-free. None of this crap where in addition to getting like $2.50 an hour, they get to pay taxes for something they earned with hard work.

I've never been a waiter/waitress, and this crap is why.

 

[nerdygirl]

I believe that tipping should be based on service. If that's the job you signed up for, do your best every time. I'm not a waitress, but I work in a service industry, and sure. I'll gripe about clients who don't tip- but that's just life. Keep doing your best, and you'll have customers who tip you enough to make up for that one jerk. Heck, my aunt is a waitress and she often gets $200 in tips during one night. I can't get tips like that in a week.

 

[Syber Tiger]

it all depends on the service

if theres non,bad tip
and if they are anoying (come every 5min) also

and if they bring things fast etc its (Y)
usaly i do like 10-20bigones as a tip

 

[Lilianna]

Yes! I can't stand that they do that. I leave a good tip 99% of the time, BUT if I receive poor service I do not leave one. And when they automatically add a tip to bill, I don't have the choice to give a tip or not.

 

[LoneKiller]

I believe that tipping should be based on service. If that's the job you signed up for, do your best every time. I'm not a waitress, but I work in a service industry, and sure. I'll gripe about clients who don't tip- but that's just life. Keep doing your best, and you'll have customers who tip you enough to make up for that one jerk. Heck, my aunt is a waitress and she often gets $200 in tips during one night. I can't get tips like that in a week.

$200? Holy ****! She must work very hard. Has much charisma too no doubt.