What are peoples thoughts on this?

Personally I don't like it. Over here in the UK nobody tips really, everything is included - tax, service etc. What you see quoted is what you pay.

I'm off to Vegas on Wednesday for Calzaghe and I'm always unsure of what's expected. I feel that whether the tip is deserved or not I have to give it.

Am I alone on this, what do our American members think?

Most of Vegas hotel/resort/casino employees rely on tips coz they don't make a lot of money. I know that coz got friends working there.

I usually tip $5-$10 at the buffet, 10%-20% of my winning with the table game, $5 for the waitresses that gives me a drink while I play slot machine, etc.. I think that's fair and generous.

There is a very big tipping culture in America, and some Brits don't like that when they go out there.

Personally, I thinks the Americans are really good at customer service and the Brits are the worst in the world. I would think the tipping side of it is not a coincidence.

I would much rather have 15% knocked off all my bills over here, and then pay a decent tip to the person who provides good customer service and fuck all to the pleb that does not. Having a standard service charge instead of a tip just means the service dips.

Good servers make good money from tips in the US, but poor ones do not. I think that's fair enough ........ but it doesn't sit well with the European socialist model, which seems to dictate that the unable and the unwilling are subsidised by the shrinking numbers of people whoactually so work hard.

Originally Posted by X

There is a very big tipping culture in America, and some Brits don't like that when they go out there.

Personally, I thinks the Americans are really good at customer service and the Brits are the worst in the world. I would think the tipping side of it is not a coincidence.

I would much rather have 15% knocked off all my bills over here, and then pay a decent tip to the person who provides good customer service and fuck all to the pleb that does not. Having a standard service charge instead of a tip just means the service dips.

Good servers make good money from tips in the US, but poor ones do not. I think that's fair enough ........ but it doesn't sit well with the European socialist model, which seems to dictate that the unable and the unwilling are subsidised by the shrinking numbers of people whoactually so work hard.

good thoughts X.. thing is, 15% and tipping in general is just second nature to us that we don't really even think of it as a "tip".. it's just part of the whole eating out experience.. with that said, i normally tip 20% unless the service is terrible.. Just about all high class restaurants require 20% anyway.. And if you take a girl out to eat it looks nice if you tip 20%

but as far as drinks at a bar goes, what is the norm in the UK? If i'm by myself and i'm ordering beer after beer i'll throw her a dollar for a beer.. depending on the night, sometimes a dollar every two beers depending on how much cash i have on me.. If they actually make me a drink (gin/tonic etc..) then i normally always throw a dollar.. it's almost expected.. so the best way to order is to order rounds.. a round of 6 beers, and then tip a dollar.. it doesn't make any sense, but that's just how it is haha..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgBGRfSvfxY

Originally Posted by RP33

but as far as drinks at a bar goes, what is the norm in the UK? .

That's the thing dude, we don't tip at all over here. If I sat in a pub all day and night drinking everything from cocktails to beer and never tipped a penny - nobody would think anything wrong with it. It's just not expected, if anything the bar tender would be happy I was spending so much money there.

That said you will get the odd bloke 'buy a drink' for the girl behind the bar, that's effectively a tip but not necessary nor expected.

I guess we seem like little Scrooge's to you guys but that's just the way it is for us.

Originally Posted by Conrad

Originally Posted by RP33

but as far as drinks at a bar goes, what is the norm in the UK? .

That's the thing dude, we don't tip at all over here. If I sat in a pub all day and night drinking everything from cocktails to beer and never tipped a penny - nobody would think anything wrong with it. It's just not expected, if anything the bar tender would be happy I was spending so much money there.

That said you will get the odd bloke 'buy a drink' for the girl behind the bar, that's effectively a tip but not necessary nor expected.

I guess we seem like little Scrooge's to you guys but that's just the way it is for us.

interesting.. i'd be all for that way of doing things.. tipping gets pretty expensive, especially when drinking and not opening a tab..

i hate tipping for bottled beers.. like, wow, you pulled it out of the cooler and took the cap off and handed it to me.. i wouldn't pay any of my friends a dollar to do that.. at least with a cocktail they have to know how to make it and what not.. drinks are so ridiculously overpriced to begin with, when you add tip in it's so expensive..

ready, let's compare prices.. i have NO idea what prices in the UK or other areas of the US are, but for my local watering holes here we go..

this place that me and my friends go to every wednesday night (lately every other cause it's too damn expensive..)

for a sam's seasonal on tap, tall mug (23 oz) $5.50.. i think the watery shit like coors/bud etc for a tall mug is something like $4ish
for a gin/tonic it's something like $6-7 and prob a little bit more if you want tangueray or bombay or whatever..

at a reasonable bar, this place i like to go to after work on friday nights, even though i haven't been in a while.. i'd order a tall sam's seasonal and it's about $3.75 and i think that's a pretty good price cause you're technically having two beers.. so if i get there at 11:30.. and throw 3 of those back til they close an hour and a half later.. that's 6 beers for about $14-$15 when you add tip.. and you leave with a bit of a buzz.. not bad.. plus there is always a band playing, and they have that buzztime trivia thing.. so it's cool shit..

I play music in a lot of bars, and the guys in the band always leave a healthy tip at the end of the night. That always gets us in good with the waitresses and bartenders, so they like to see us come back to play.

A lot of the time, we end up getting free drinks after awhile. Always love that part!

I can only speak for the state I live in, Massachusetts. Waitstaff don't make minimum wage here so they rely on trying to provide good service and receiving a tip for it. 20% seems to be the norm unless the service is poor. I never really thought about it, but maybe it is an American thing. We tip waiters, bartenders, barbers, the newspaper guy gets a monetary gift at Christmas, the postman gets one too, guy carries your bags into a hotel gets slipped some money. Maybe it would be better if the gratuities were factored into the overall price.

Brits are more likely to tip in restaurants but I've seen tip boxes in hairdressers.

The thing is we see as something extra, for good service (btw if you see service included on your bill you can ask them to remove it they're not entitled to it).

In the US you have a different model, service seems to be tipped good or bad, yeah more if it's good but it seems obligatory no matter what. For us that looks like we're paying twice. The store owner is getting their cut and now we have to subsidise his staff because he's too greedy to pay them properly?

Service is tipped Missy, if it's bad you do not get a tip from anyone who has half a brain.


If you don't deserve a tip, I'm not going to give you one.


The tip is the motivation for our underpaid servers

well Mr Pink, it seems everything is tipped.

If I get good service I tip If not I don't I'm not have anyone tell me how much that should be. last year in Vegas we had the cab driver who picked us up from the airport telling us how much you should give for every service you are going to come across while there. I'm sorry that's just not on.

Originally Posted by Missy

Brits are more likely to tip in restaurants but I've seen tip boxes in hairdressers.

The thing is we see as something extra, for good service (btw if you see service included on your bill you can ask them to remove it they're not entitled to it).

In the US you have a different model, service seems to be tipped good or bad, yeah more if it's good but it seems obligatory no matter what. For us that looks like we're paying twice. The store owner is getting their cut and now we have to subsidise his staff because he's too greedy to pay them properly?

your last paragraph reminds me of when i get my haircut.. cause it's not like a chain company, it's just two guys who own the place.. so it's like, why do i tip them, if the $12 is already going to them, why give them $15? doesn't make any sense, but whatever..

but yeah, it is like paying twice.. i mean, bars here are GOLD MINES.. not only is the markup on alcohol absofuckinglutely ridiculous, but then you have to tip.. So if you're a bartender, you make real good money on busy nights, and if you own the bar, you're making a great business if you pack the place....

Originally Posted by Missy

well Mr Pink, it seems everything is tipped.

...well we've got to keep our servers paid up to their drug dealers now don't we