Tipping Servers and Bartenders?

B B

buckshot

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 Aug 2009
Messages
12,014
Location
USA! USA! USA!
Where I live servers and bartenders have a separate minimum wage of £2.21/hour ($2.83) so if they don't make tips they are screwed. When you visit the US (and assuming you haven't been shot) do you tip your servers? Do you tip your servers in England? I get the impression tipping isn't big in England since I've had a few of you tell me to knock it off when I'm travelling internationally.
 
Totally different over here. In the states as you said, and as I understand it, service workers are paid peanuts but get to keep their tips which is factored into the bill as a given.

TIpping has never been a cultural thing here really. Probably wise because as you say, since it is over there employers give them terrible wages because they can make it up, which leads to a need for it
 
Yes where the culture is to tip (USA, Canada, India etc) mainly because they get paid bugger all. Definitely not in parts of the far east as its seen as disrespectful.

As for mainland Europe and the UK it just depends on the service, its certainly not automatic for me but if they are friendly and seem to do a good job then yeah I leave a tip or at least round it up to the nearest reasonable number.
 
buckshot said:
Where I live servers and bartenders have a separate minimum wage of £2.21/hour ($2.83) so if they don't make tips they are screwed. When you visit the US (and assuming you haven't been shot) do you tip your servers? Do you tip your servers in England? I get the impression tipping isn't big in England since I've had a few of you tell me to knock it off when I'm travelling internationally.
Click to expand...
When I moved to Manchester in 1980, I heard the term "take your own", when a local bloke bought a Pint.
In South Wales (where I was brought up) and Hull (where I lived before Mcr), this would have seen the bar staff having an actual drink e.g. a Pint. This meant you only said it once in an evening.
In Manchester, though, "take your own" was said by locals, every time they bought a round. I soon found out, as the barstaff only took 10p, this was a different custom.
Not sure if it is done so much anymore ?
 
Platt Lane 59 said:
When I moved to Manchester in 1980, I heard the term "take your own", when a local bloke bought a Pint.
In South Wales (where I was brought up) and Hull (where I lived before Mcr), this would have seen the bar staff having an actual drink e.g. a Pint. This meant you only said it once in an evening.
In Manchester, though, "take your own" was said by locals, every time they bought a round. I soon found out, as the barstaff only took 10p, this was a different custom.
Not sure if it is done so much anymore ?
Click to expand...
It is but its 20p. Great idea but unfortunately contactless is killing it.

As for the daft yanks I'm with Mr Pink.
 
Platt Lane 59 said:
When I moved to Manchester in 1980, I heard the term "take your own", when a local bloke bought a Pint.
In South Wales (where I was brought up) and Hull (where I lived before Mcr), this would have seen the bar staff having an actual drink e.g. a Pint. This meant you only said it once in an evening.
In Manchester, though, "take your own" was said by locals, every time they bought a round. I soon found out, as the barstaff only took 10p, this was a different custom.
Not sure if it is done so much anymore ?
Click to expand...
Worked in pubs in and around Manchester when I was a student c.2000s and "one for yourself" was said regularly enough but never knew it they meant a pint or a quid.
 
Always tip in the US. Never less than 15%. More often than not 18-20%, but always on the pre-tax total. Some unscrupulous chains put a 'suggested tip' amount on the total amount including tax.

If I'm in a coffee shop I pay for the drink on card with no tip and then chuck a dollar or two in the tips jar.
 
“and your own, love/pal” meant take 20p or similar
“have a drink love/pal” meant you were offering to buy them a drink, usually because you were bending their ear or intended to have a chat with them. Obviously, the latter is in a quiet pub and the former every time you get a round in a busy pub.
And also, obviously, “love” is a throwback to the days when a barmaid would not be offended by the remark ;-)
 
My daughter works in pubs. 10 years ago she’d make more in tips on a Friday and Saturday night than she would in wages.

Now everyone is paying by card or not even coming to the bar and paying on the app, it’s not unusual she’ll do a quiet shift and not make a penny in tips.
 
Stephen230 said:
My daughter works in pubs. 10 years ago she’d make more in tips on a Friday and Saturday night than she would in wages.

Now everyone is paying by card or not even coming to the bar and paying on the app, it’s not unusual she’ll do a quiet shift and not make a penny in tips.
Click to expand...
Ordering drinks and food on apps is terrible. If you are drinking it all starts of ok but as more refreshment is enjoyed the eyesight tends to go a bit wrong, that in conjunction with "Lets give that a try" means you end up with stuff you don't want or do not recognise.
 
At least when almost all tips were paid in cash, tips had the advantage of being largely untraceable for income tax purposes. In the US, everyone knows that a server's income primarily comes from tips so at least subconsciously, the tip amount is not seen as being in addition to the bill but part of it. A good server or bartender in an extremely busy and/or expensive joint can do pretty well. Perhaps it has changed but the average age of the severs at the old NYC steakhouses seemed to me to be at least 60. Those guys never gave up those jobs.
 
We have always tipped well whilst here in Malaysia. So much so that many of the waiters and bar staff still keep in touch. The best story we have is one Philippine couple saved every penny we tipped and this enabled them to put a deposit on a shop back in the Philippines for when they returned home. From this they managed to grow the business and saved enough for the wife to go through University to become a teacher to, in her words "put something back into the world".
 
I remember being back at my old local many years ago and leaving money on the bar for a tip, Mike almost came unglued and told me that I was back in England and he didn't need my charity etc.
I tip heavily over here and get rim jobs
 
I visit a lot of pubs but only really see bar staff tipped (just for drinks) around Manchester, and then rarely.

"And your own" probably exists in the city centre in the Portland St trio of classic pubs.

retiredmartin.com

“AND YOUR OWN”

No post yesterday, just to see if Russ panicked. Actually, I was on a mission to deposit James back in Sheffield in his new digs down the road from the Wellington, and then see the Famous Fu…
retiredmartin.com retiredmartin.com
 
I’m glad we don’t have this bollocks tipping culture here in the UK.

I know in America they do it because of low wages. People should just pay their staff properly.

I never tip in a bar / pub, drinks prices are a piss take as it is, but I’ll always leave about 15% in a restaurant.

Taxi drivers can fuck off, they earn good money as it is. The grumpy **** should be paying me to sit in the back of his piss stained Toyota Prius.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top