Tipping at Restaurants and Bars, Yes or No?

Careful With Money on 06/09/2022 - 21:26
Last edited 09/09/2022 - 16:50 by 1 other user

Does anyone else feel obligated to tip when the waiter that's been looking after you all night hands you the payment terminal asking if you'd like to leave a tip?

Now he's standing there waiting for you to click yes or no, smiling as he was the whole night with you.
Your date is behind you and you've had a great night, you were funny, cracking jokes with everyone.

As much as I don't want to support the American tipping culture, I feel rude not paying that extra money before leaving.

OzBargain, what should I do?

Poll Options expired

  • 97
    Yes
  • 1130
    No
  • 54
    Only in big groups
Food & Grocery

Comments

  • SF3 on 06/09/2022 - 21:27
    +42

    OP’s user profile pic checks out.

  • tomsco on 06/09/2022 - 21:28
    +185

    No. Just no.

    • PumpkinHater on 06/09/2022 - 21:58
      +18

      Seconded. No. Just No.

      • TilacVIP on 07/09/2022 - 08:05
        +9

        Hell no!

        • capslock janitor on 07/09/2022 - 11:41
          +5

          (profanity) no

          • Antikythera on 07/09/2022 - 21:56
            +11

            @capslock janitor: hell no.

            and I've worked my entire career in hospitality.

            I like getting paid by my boss. (profanity) the tipping culture of the States. its just a way for bosses over there to screw workers.

            • SwarleyAUS on 08/09/2022 - 08:36

              @Antikythera: no, as above

              • UFO on 10/09/2022 - 14:22
                +1

                @SwarleyAUS: Afrikaans: Nee (nee-uh)
                Arabic: لا or La (lah - “a” as in “yacht”)
                Bengali: না or Nā (nah - “a” as in “yacht”)
                Dutch: Nee (nay)
                French: Non (noh)
                German: Nein (nine)
                Greek (modern): Όχι or óchi (oh-hee)
                Hausa: A’a (ah-ah - “a” as in “yacht”)
                Hindi: नहीं or Hahin (nah-heen - “a” as in “yacht”)
                Italian: No (noh)
                Japanese: いいえ or iie (ee-eh)
                Malay: Tidak (dee-dah - “a” as in “yacht”)
                Mandarin Chinese: 不是 or bù shì (boo-shih)
                Nepali: होइन or Hoina (hoh-eye-nuh)
                Polish: Nie (nyeh - “e” as in “net”)
                Portuguese: Não (now)
                Punjabi: ਨਹੀ or Nahi (nah-hee - “a” as in “yacht”)
                Romanian: Nu (new)
                Russian: Нет (Nyeht)
                Quechua: Mana (mah-na - “a” as in “yacht”)
                Spanish: No (noh)
                Swedish: Nej (nay)
                Telugu: ఏ or Ē (ay)

                Or just plain old NUP!

      • Jolakot on 07/09/2022 - 21:05
        +38

        If you're eating at a fine dining restaurant, then you're paying for their wages through the additional cost of your meal, are you not?

        The only justifiable reason to tip is to compensate for low wages, and I'd never want to support a business that underpays its workers

        If they'll go out of business without underpaying staff, then they deserve to go under so a better run business can take its place, natural selection

        • AS2035 on 13/09/2022 - 18:06
          -1

          You really don't get it, do you?

          • Jolakot on 13/09/2022 - 19:00

            @AS2035: Clearly not, what exactly am I missing here?

    • npnp on 07/09/2022 - 22:19
      +14

      Tipping in my humble opinion is disrespectful hence should not happen. For anyone who'd say 'tipping is just a token of our appreciation for better service' then my question would be 'would you tip your GP for the same reason then?'. Australia, as a country where everyone is treated equally, must not take those 'pitiful' practices onboard. I've received tips in the past (have respectfully refused every single time) and I've always felt uncomfortable when that happened.

      • kaleidoscope on 08/09/2022 - 10:39
        +1

        can’t change some people’s opinions :-)

      • drfuzzy on 09/09/2022 - 15:02

        This is the view in Japan also.

  • USER DC on 06/09/2022 - 21:31
    +20

    IF i was a millionaire, Sure. But I gotta take care of my poor finances first before that. Ofcourse dont wanna look like an a**hole either, will depend on situation mate, may be a little tip if something really extraordinary good. Otherwise they are just doing their job, and so am I paying for the stuff I ordered, and taking/consuming the stuff.

    I think most will simply accept polite answers, Honestly speaking if you simply have a nice polite chat that usually good enough for people who had a bad day, or going through a tough time (like any karens or etc).
    I had previously been offered tips working at fast food when I was kid, didn't think that time it was okay, thought that time as a kid that manager etc. would accuse me of stealing money etc. Nevertheless I never accepted any tip, always told everyone nicely 'I think that you deserve it more, you've worked hard for it'.

    And you simply deciding to leave money at no one's attendance doesn't help at all either, you don't know what's happening behind the scenes (like boss takes it, or some stranger sees it and take it. So always best to give it directly to the person whom you want to give to, and explain them why.

    • BigBirdy on 07/09/2022 - 09:25
      +13

      Millionaires and billionaires, still No. Who wants to go to a business where the staff are tripping over each other to serve someone wealthy, and ignoring all other customers?

  • onetwothreefour on 06/09/2022 - 21:34
    +112

    They get paid a liveable wage unlike Americans.

      • pegaxs on 07/09/2022 - 07:53
        +29

        Especially if that tip has to be put through an EFTPOS terminal. There is little to no chance that that employee is getting that tip.

        If I can’t hand it to them in cash and tell them to pocket it, then no tip.

      • tomsco on 07/09/2022 - 09:41
        +15

        Can confirm working in a restaurant - the tip jar just got emptied into the register at the end of night.

        If anyone does feel the need to tip (which I do not, even as ex hospo), please give it directly to your server.

    • snynx on 07/09/2022 - 17:32
      +4

      Should be noted also that even in high minimum wage (pre-tip) states in the US like Cali or DC, waitstaff will still get pissy with you if you don't tip, or tip below 15%.

      It's really just entitlement and culture. The largest reason why tips have stayed in the US is because waitstaff like it and oppose changes. Then they try to deflect blame to the restaurant owners.

    • Chmmr on 08/09/2022 - 07:29
      -5

      $12 an hour is not liveable.

      • [Deactivated] on 08/09/2022 - 09:17
        +7

        Minimum wage here is $21.38/hr for full time, 25% more if they're casual.
        ~$12/hr might be the case if they're 16-17

        • Chmmr on 08/09/2022 - 10:12
          -4

          I've worked at three restaurants and they do cash-in-hand for waiters / kitchen hands. Only chefs get paid on the books. This was for all ages (I was early to mid twenties at the times)

          • ripprind on 08/09/2022 - 16:58
            +17

            @Chmmr: This is exactly the kind of places that shouldn't be propped up and kept a float by tipping.
            And people who work in these places and don't report to Fair Work are part of the problem and ruining it for the rest.

            • yyhazy on 09/09/2022 - 13:29

              @ripprind: Yes people who are aware of such exploitation should help put a stop to it but sometimes they have to choose between earning less than the minimum wage or not having a job at all.

              • cookie2 on 10/09/2022 - 20:45
                -1

                @yyhazy: I don't believe that. It's people dodging visa max work hours rules and other avoidances.

    • zruins on 08/09/2022 - 18:00

      Imagine thinking this, 62IQ take.

  • peppet on 06/09/2022 - 21:48
    +15

    Well I'm glad I've never been asked that… Pls tell me tipping isn't becoming a thing here

    • 900dollaridoos on 07/09/2022 - 09:57
      -1

      It's already here. Most coffee joints have it as a default on their Ipads.
      I'd say 1/4 of mid level restaurants seem have some form of request, though not as obnoxious as the coffee/brunch type spots.

      It's especially prevalent in beach holiday towns in my experience.

      • Nebargains on 07/09/2022 - 12:47
        +6

        Do you have an example of a cafe that asked you for a tip? Personally I've never experienced that in Melbourne.

    • [Deactivated] on 06/09/2022 - 23:01
      +14

      if $21 an hour is way too high, what do you think it should be?

      • Scrooge McDuck on 07/09/2022 - 16:48
        +4

        Username checks out.

      • ajr5k on 07/09/2022 - 17:25
        +2

        0

        • StarvingOat on 08/09/2022 - 21:40
          +9

          ^ This is what happens when you let your kids skip school. We need better education and teachers.

          • Serapis on 09/09/2022 - 09:45
            +1

            @StarvingOat: Should also make a mandatory subject to teach some basic form of economics, business and law.

        • Serapis on 09/09/2022 - 09:41

          You forgot your /s (I hope)

        • greatlamp on 10/09/2022 - 12:21

          Lowering the wage floor isn't going to lower average wages or make houses more affordable. It's just going to make wages lower for people who already cannot afford houses.

    • USER DC on 07/09/2022 - 02:48
      +3

      you probably haven't worked as a child getting junior wages which are like a percentage of adult wage,
      you do exact same work as an adult, same pressure etc. just a lower pay rate. Try working on a junior wage then say that statement.

      Even for an adult living and working here $21 is barely enough dude, there's a reason as to why fair work lifted wages (because of cost of living, inflation etc). And even then many many people like me are left with NO INCREASE in PAY RATE AT ALL

      • Scrooge McDuck on 07/09/2022 - 16:49
        +1

        We want children to be studying not working.

        • USER DC on 07/09/2022 - 17:37

          this suggests otherwise.

    • coffeeinmyveins on 07/09/2022 - 09:17
      +3

      The Australian minimum wage is $21+ which is way too high.

      Lol, ok mate let's do the math. Min wage works out to be about $2500 in your bank account every month assuming you're working 8 hour days.

      Could you live on that? I don't know about you but mortgages tend to be a fair bit more than 100% of that income, and there's a lot more to life than a mortgage/rent.

      • Davelovesdealz on 07/09/2022 - 11:01
        +19

        If you are on minimum wage you shouldn't have a mortgage…..

        • [Deactivated] on 07/09/2022 - 14:33
          -2

          why shouldn't people on minimum wage have the right to own a home?

          • Davelovesdealz on 07/09/2022 - 14:38
            +8

            @[Deactivated]: because owning a home isn't a right….

            • coffeeinmyveins on 08/09/2022 - 10:36
              +5

              @Davelovesdealz: ah yes, home ownership is only for the rich and privlidged. The rest of us need to rent forever and then just die when we can't work anymore. Gotcha.

              • Davelovesdealz on 08/09/2022 - 12:44
                -1

                @coffeeinmyveins: Who said anything about rich and privileged? If you stay on minimum wage for more then a few years then you shouldn't be able to buy a home. Go get a job in MacDonald's - try a tiny bit and you'll be on more than minimum wage pretty sharpish….

            • TheKas on 08/09/2022 - 11:55
              +2

              @Davelovesdealz: I encourage minimum age workers to get a home loan that they can afford so that their repayments account for an asset of their own, and not spent away in paying off someone else's home through rent.

              • Davelovesdealz on 08/09/2022 - 12:45
                -1

                @TheKas: or crippling debt that they don't fully understand the consequences of…. Why not get them into crypto and spread betting while you're at it…. They also need a brand new shiny car on finance

            • Drakesy on 08/09/2022 - 17:12

              @Davelovesdealz: At least not for the last decade.
              It was a plaything of rich gamblers who complained and lobbied to ensure conditions never allowed them to lose.

              • lancesta on 09/09/2022 - 08:01

                @Drakesy: Pretty much any monkey that's bought a house in the last 10 years will have made capital gains on the house if they sold today. We've basically propped it up so there's little risk because it'd be a vote loosing issue if they didn't.

          • lancesta on 09/09/2022 - 07:58
            +1

            @[Deactivated]: I honestly cannot believe you're being downvoted for this. That wage even just got renting doesn't go far. Even if you don't "have the right to own a home" surely you've got the right to have affordable accommodation (just like affordable healthcare). Aren't they the values most of us believe in? Or have I missed something

      • [Deactivated] on 08/09/2022 - 09:27

        I think it would be closer to $3100.
        $21.38 * 38 * 52 = $42,246.88
        Tax for over threshold ($18,200) is 19%
        $24,046.88 * 0.19 = ~$4,568.91
        $42,246.88 - $4,568.91 = $37,677.97 after tax per annum
        After tax, monthly: $3,139.83.
        (Although they might round up on what is to be taxed and it might be off $0.19.)

        There are certainly places in Australia this wage simply isn't enough for anything.

    • Ghost47 on 07/09/2022 - 13:03
      +1

      I guess you could say minimum wage is too high, if you assume the person receiving it lives at home where mum and dad pays for everything and they don't ask for board (or the board they ask for is low, like $200 a week).

      It would be very difficult living on the minimum wage and renting, especially considering landlords everywhere are just passing interest rate increases onto their tenants. This siutation would lead to a very frugal life and not having much left over for savings.

      Saying "minimum wage is too high" whilst clearly not considering everyone who earns minimum wage are not homogenous is pretty ignorant.

      • Jolakot on 07/09/2022 - 21:09
        +1

        If they're living at home with no bills, then that's just the parent paying for it instead of the business. Someone has to pay for the person to be alive, and I can't understand why people don't expect that to be the people employing them

      • [Deactivated] on 08/09/2022 - 09:32

        It is a problem because there are some areas in Australia where minimum wage would be something you could easily live like a moderate king with (some regional parts of Australia where you can purchase a home for 40k-115k) and then there are places like Sydney where minimum wage could yield a room in a share house 2 hours from the city.

        • lancesta on 09/09/2022 - 08:04

          Honestly can't think of anywhere you can live like a king on it. What like Dubbo or something?

          I don't see anything wrong with that either though. If you're any other form of worker you just go where the jobs are and that's the suitable wage. If it was so good heaps of people would leave to the regions, you don't get some tax incentive or higher wage just to live in a big city.

          • buckster on 09/09/2022 - 21:41
            +1

            @lancesta: Not even Dubbo is that cheap, affordable housing doesn't exist in 95%+ of Australia (said as a home owner)

            • lancesta on 11/09/2022 - 14:22

              @buckster: Glad I'm not the only one that thinks this. Even if I get an affordable house, no doubt most will be nowhere near my workplace lol. So makes it almost impossible to manage.

              I'd settle for affordable rent at this stage. Even though I'm doing everything I can to get a decent paying job (and have one lined up when I'm done studying), buying is a pipe dream at best while single.

        • greatlamp on 10/09/2022 - 12:57

          This only exists in the USA. The only places in Australia that are that cheap to live will be a poverty trap.

    • robbyjones on 07/09/2022 - 13:26

      You sound fun

    • lancesta on 09/09/2022 - 08:08

      If it was too high there wouldn't be a shortage. I honestly have nothing wrong with it being high. Buying a coffee/going out for lunch isn't a necessity it's something I do when I can afford it, if I couldn't I wouldn't do it and I'd still survive. I don't think we need a race to the bottom on hospo wages when a lot of employers don't even follow the award.

  • bmerigan on 06/09/2022 - 21:49
    +2

    No way

  • [Deactivated] on 06/09/2022 - 21:52
    +33

    Absolutely not. If I believe (and I haven't come across this situation yet) that they have gone above and beyond their job expectations, then I will leave a tip, but this ridiculous practise of shifting the onus to pay the employee onto the customer should be nipped in the bud before it gets worse.

    You don't tip the mechanic, the McDonalds worker, the plumber, why should a waiter or waitress get a tip just for doing their job?

    Some restaurants have started doing this greedy practise of automatically adding "gratuity" to your bill, if that happened to me, I would just refuse to pay it.

    Frankly, I'm not convinced it's necessary even in the US, they have laws which mean that if the workers don't get enough tips to pay for their shift, the employer has to pay the difference; lets say they work 8 hours at 11 dollars an hour, if they don't get 88 dollars in tips, then the employer has to pay them the difference.

    • sjj89 on 06/09/2022 - 23:00
      -1

      No. False.

      You’re talking about a couple of states in the US that have implemented that. The majority of the USA does not have that.

      • [Deactivated] on 06/09/2022 - 23:25
        +4

        False. It's federal law.

        https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/wages/wagestips

        A tipped employee engages in an occupation in which he or she customarily and regularly receives more than $30 per month in tips. An employer of a tipped employee is only required to pay $2.13 per hour in direct wages if that amount combined with the tips received at least equals the federal minimum wage. If the employee's tips combined with the employer's direct wages of at least $2.13 per hour do not equal the federal minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference. Many states, however, require higher direct wage amounts for tipped employees.

        • sjj89 on 06/09/2022 - 23:33

          Nope.

          US federal minimum wage is still $7.25 p/hour, and the law you are referring to, only applies to the fed minimum wage.

          So if your state mandated minimum wage is $11 p/hr, and you only earn in a shift (with tips) $8 p/hr, the employer doesn’t have to do anything under that law.

            • [Deactivated] on 07/09/2022 - 00:47
              +9

              @[Deactivated]: it's your opinion that waiting isn't a career and is only a side job. people who work as waiters should be paid enough to live, what a ridiculous comment you've made.

                • [Deactivated] on 07/09/2022 - 01:08

                  @[Deactivated]: who cares if anyone can do it? it needs to be done, and the people who do it deserve to be paid a wage they can live on.

                • sjj89 on 07/09/2022 - 07:05
                  +1

                  @[Deactivated]: There are plenty of restaurants in the USA that pay a living wage, and even well above that, in the USA.

                  Even ones with a no tipping policy, because they pay their staff such high wages

                  • [Deactivated] on 07/09/2022 - 08:52
                    -7

                    @sjj89: So they can go work at one of those, though I'd hazard a guess that they charge higher prices than most.

                    It's still not a career.

                    • cookie2 on 10/09/2022 - 20:51

                      @[Deactivated]: Waiting can be a career and there are plenty of people that become very good at it. Whether or not it's a career is subjective but ofcourse it can be…if it pays ok. Same as retail worker.

                • jcsteadman on 07/09/2022 - 13:17
                  +2

                  @[Deactivated]: Lollll what a naive comment.

            • Sunshines bright on 07/09/2022 - 07:48
              +1

              @[Deactivated]: Wrong 😑 wrong 😑 and wrong again!

            • 2esc on 07/09/2022 - 09:21
              +3

              @[Deactivated]: Its not a career what a bizarre statement. By extension of that statement your saying there no demand or need for restaurants. Theres plenty of people who love their jobs in the hospitality trade and the interaction with people and have spent decades in that industry.

              I personally wouldnt want to work in hospitality as the public can be rather unpleasant or look down on hospitality workers.

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