Let’s talk about tipping…

I was a server in various restaurants over the years, both in New York City and in the state of Pennsylvania.  The American standard of tipping is high. We expect 15-20% of the check/bill if we do a good job.  That’s how servers get paid really. The $3 or $4 an hour (not sure what the current wages are)  is enough to cover the taxes and get a VOID pay check, but the tips are our income and how we have the incentive to continue doing quality work and offering a great service to the customers.

London is a little different:

• Tipping at pubs – Not necessary unless it’s a pub you frequent regularly in which case you should occasionally offer to buy your bartender the cost of a drink or two
• Tipping at restaurants – there’s sometimes an “optional service charge” included on the bill which is anywhere between 10-12.5%. If it’s not included, I’ve observed that tipping 10% is acceptable. I hope that the staff is receiving all of the service charges included in the bill and that it’s not going back into the business somehow. Please comment if you’ve worked in a London restaurant or pub. I’d be interested in finding this out.

While I love the fact that I’m saving money by not tipping the bartender every time I get a drink, I hate the fact that service seems to suffer as a result! I’m convinced that this is a major flaw in the system here and from what I’ve experienced, even throughout some other places in Europe.

There’s no incentive to give good service. You (as Bartender or server) get paid the same regardless. So the attitude is, why rush? Why make sure all the customers are taken care of? They have to wait on you, right?  WRONG!! If you’re a restaurant or pub owner, you should realize you may be losing business when service is slow, rude, or inadequate.

I am not a picky customer. I’m usually fairly easy as long as you have a smile on your face when you bring me my drink and ask if I need some ketchup when you deliver my burger. But I will never be satisfied with the service level I have experienced since moving to London. I don’t see much hope of it changing any time soon.

If I were a restaurant or pub owner in this country, I’d make sure my staff is incentivized and that the service standards are higher as a result. I hope other successful business owners in the UK are thinking about this as well and figuring out how to make some changes to increase morale for their staff, and equally increase profits for their own business.