Here’s a tip – Get another job!
Terence Pillay thinks it’s rude for restaurants to impose an automatic tip on bills for service, especially if the service is bad.
Five friends and I went to lunch at a restaurant in Westville last week and the bill came to R891.50. But the waiter had put on a R91.15 as his tip bringing the total bill to R982.65. I didn’t see this at first and was working out the tip on the big total when my friend pointed it out.
This is unacceptable, as far as I am concerned. I should be the one to determine what the waiter gets based on his competence and standard of service, which in this case was not that great.
South African restaurant owners get away with not paying their staff a decent wage and so waiters rely on tips to make ends meet. But why does this expectation even exist? Have we not reached a place in the restaurant trade where staff is paid a reasonable wage?
People argue that this is the case in Europe and the United States, but waiters are salaried overseas and the gratuity is exactly that: a gift. I chatted to two restaurant owners, Sean Roberts of Café 1999 and Andrew Draper of Harveys, who have very different opinions on the issue.
Shaun feels it's fair to impose 10% when it's a bigger group, but he says the majority of the time the waiter would be getting shot in the foot with 10% automatically being added to the bill if it's a smaller group, as often people will tip more than 10%. He adds the tip should match the service. He says when he eats out, he will tip 10% for bad service, and will tip up to 20% for good service.
Andrew, on the other hand, feels that in South Africa tipping is at your discretion and if you did not get the service you required you don't have to tip - but should explain why. His restaurant adds 10% to the bill if the table is over a certain number of people, but customers are told this up front and are welcome to opt out if they didn't get the service that they expected.
Attorney Reg Thomas of Reg Thomas and Associates says customers are not obliged to pay this “tip” amount if there are no signs in the dining area of the restaurant or on the menu advising you that this is the case. In this way, you the patron, can determine what gratuity you would like to leave for good or bad service.
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What do you think?
You can follow Terence Pillay on Twitter at @terencepillay1 or email him at [email protected]