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If you find yourself getting angry (or god forbid, agreeing) with something Anon has said, you might be doing it wrong.
Tipping culture should die.
I'd rather have meals on the menu be what I pay. Include tax, service fees, and other garbage fees.
I went to Japanese restaurant in NYC. They took my card and they returned it. I asked about the tip. They said it was all included. Fucking dream.
Not being an American the whole idea of not including tax in the stated price just seems so alien. You expect me to work out what 12.5% of my bill is on the fly as I'm shopping? Fuck you, that's your job. You are the one actually paying the tax to the government, you work it out
Also "They took my card". That is apparently an American thing.
In Canada, they have the wireless chip readers everywhere. It was nice since a large chunk of stolen credit cards are when employees scan it before charging it.
Some places in the USA is starting to do the same thing. But yes, the US is way behind.
They have had wireless chip readers for years, but many restaurants still take your card anyway. Some places bring the payment device to you, which is nice, and some have it there always so you can see exactly what's on the bill (sometimes you order on it too).
But taking the card is a cultural thing, not a tech thing. Even back before wireless readers were a thing, they still had portable payment terminals and could have you swipe there or have you pay up front on the way out. It's not an issue at all.
We generally tip 15% or 20%, depending on quality of service, 10% if it's bad but not atrocious. And that's pretty easy:
Thia is where you should name and praise the restaurant
Sugarfish. They have to two in NYC. I've been to both.
There is a korean place I love in a city in a neighboring state. Worth driving over an hour to get that sweet sweet meal with tax and tip included in the menu price
European here. Tipping is not already included in the price of the meal. Living wage is included in the price of the meal.
Tips is completely voluntary, if you think the service was excellent then you really just round up to the nearest nice round number (something like 22.85 becomes 25)
American here. I understood most of what you said, except for the phrase “living wage”. Could you explain this to me? I’ve never heard of it before.
Livable wage, is that a better term for it?
Cuz noone else pointed it out to you, the comment you responded to was sarcastic. It wasnt a language barrier thing.
Ah. I thought I had used the wrong term.
Nah, all we have are poverty wages and billionaires here.
Oh man how I wish to tell you all about Belgium's healthindex.
Tipping is not already included in the price of the meal. Living wage is included in the price of the meal.
That is the tip. In the US, "tipped" labor often has a reduced minimum wage, under the expectation that they make the difference up in tips.
Yup, something like $2.50/hr, when federal minimum wage is ~$7.50. If a server doesn't make minimum wage, the restaurant is required to step them up.
It's a stupid system IMO, because not leaving a tip is a giant slap in the face, when it really should just mean "you did just okay." If the service is really that bad, I will complain and expect a comp or something on the bill, so the bill should reflect "good enough" service. I'd actually like to pay tips if it actually meant "fantastic service," like putting up with my screaming children, convincing the cook to make something off-menu, or still providing good service when we're not spending much (we don't drink, and that's like 50% of the bill). I'd prefer to tip based on the service, not on the size of the bill.
Oh, and if we had such a system, not taxing tips would make a ton of sense since it's pretty literally a gift.
In the US, if you are never going to return to an establishment, why tip?
To add to that I'd say there's no drama attached to not leaving a tip.
Totally, waiters don’t expect a tip at all. So if it’s given, it’s appreciated even more.
My guy/gal/pal.
We do things differently in different parts of Europe.
You’re right, I made the same mistake as OP. There is no “European system of tipping”.
Pittsburgh has the slang term "Yinz" which is used like "y'all" and I've taken to using the singular "yin" for a gender neutral replacement for "guy" in the phrase "my guy", because "my yin" still carries that condescending tone that's vital (to me, anyways). Not telling you what to say or anything just fun to come across some grappling with the same language problem
But that means if I don't tip they'll think I thought the service wasn't excellent :(
In the US, sure. But in Europe, a tip isn't expected, so any tip you give means "better than average service." As in, what tips should've been all along.
I have no problem giving tips, I have a problem with tips being expected.
someone once told me tips where invented to skip the queue at the bar... and apparenty its also some witty acronym for that as well (the brits supposedly invented the concept and they famously like to play with their words)
edit: "To Insure Promptness", but apparently that's just a backronym that someone made later... damn, i enjoyed that factoid, never should've checked it xD
Ensure would be the right word here, but tep doesn’t sound as nice
Just say it with a New Zealand accent
haha now that you say it... maybe i didn't question it cos it involved money to ensure xD
increase prices
people have to pay more money
How has no one thought of this
Tips included in the price of the meal? You mean the meal being the actual price instead of the tips being part of the payment for the meal?
These places typically tell you that’s the deal, and have the servers tell you that too
There's literally no profit? Like aside from already running a successful restaurant (hard), doing this will earn the business owner no extra income.
It is still based af because then the wait staff gets paid a lot more
Tips aren't included in the meal prices over here (Wales), our servers just get paid actual wages for the actual job that they're doing.
wouldn't this mean less profit? unless you steal all the tips
Yup, that's the joke. And it happens more than you likely think.
And then no one goes because it's too expensive. People are super, super price sensitive when it comes to food and restaurants go into a death spiral very quickly when business drops off.
Aw yeah, this is big brain time