For me, going to the restaurant is a rarity; I go about as often as Fabio Capello cracks a smile. But the other day I thought “sod it” and crept out of the shadows of student debt and into one of York’s murkier establishments. The meal wasn’t what you’d call haute cuisine, it looked like Play-Doh and wasn’t as tasty. By the end of the evening I was seriously opposed to tipping the nervy waiter who served me stone cold soup with a dead bluebottle for a crouton (fly-tipping?). When the bill came and service charge had been added, ‘for my convenience’, I turned as grey as my soup.
I warn you now; tipping is a tricky art. If you’re going abroad this summer make sure you’ve done your research because I’ve done a little and blimey its confusing…The Portuguese want 5%, the Germans 10%, the French add 15.5% to your bill then charm you into chucking a few Euros in for good measure and the Spanish – nobody knows. I just say pour all the coins you don’t want onto the dish and make a speedy getaway.
The problem is you can’t get away with this sneaky and stereotypical British tactic across the pond. Our American chums want 20% and they’re not happy bunnies if you don’t oblige. But then why should they? The high tipping in the USA is crucial due to the cheap food, gargantuan portions and the fact that on average, waiting staff only earn $3 an hour (before tips). This figure is 17% lower than the average salaries for all other sectors nationwide.
However, before we sigh, tut and shake our heads at the situation in the ol’ land of liberty we have to realise that this issue is closer to home. The problem of infinitesimal salaries continues despite new rules implemented last year to ban employers using tips to make up the minimum wage. The Government’s aim was that waiting staff would receive the minimum wage as well as tips and in return would have to pay National Insurance on their extra income.
However figures released by The Office for National Statistics earlier this year revealed that waiting staff receive the lowest salaries in the UK. The average annual salary is a mere £11,930 – which is roughly equivalent to two years of student debt.
So whether you are home or abroad this summer I oblige you – if the service and food is good – to dig deep into your pocket and give the waiter a tip of some sort. Here in the UK it is a welcome bonus but is crucial in the USA or in EU countries such as Spain where the average is half of that in the UK, Germany and Holland.
I know money is a little tight at the moment but if you pop into a restaurant for a treat surely you can afford a few quid for the hardworking waiting staff.
As I was leaving the restaurant I held the door open for a little old man; as he shuffled in he thanked me and asked, in jest, if I was the doorman. I joked that he should give me a tip for my exertions; he turned and whispered: “Aye son, don’t stand there holding open the door like a plonker.” And on that note, I think I’ll bring this article to a close.