Top UK restaurant blasted for 15% ‘tipping’ charge: ‘Don’t fall for this USA s- -t’
Here’s a tip — dump these ridiculous “service charges.”
Outrage over the “crazy high” gratuities that are being arbitrarily added to restaurant bills is at a tipping point amongst foodies who enjoy dining out.
While a monetary tip is often given to servers as a sign of gratitude for great service at a diner’s discretion, new service charges — nebulous fees that can be tacked on to the bill at the restaurant’s discretion — are becoming annoyingly common.
And cheesed-off customers aren’t willing to tiptoe around the tipping issue any longer.
“Any tipping in UK is not on. Don’t fall for this USA s – – t,” spat an incensed cynic in a trending Reddit tirade over a 15% “discretionary service charge” that was shockingly slapped onto a $63 (£51) check at London’s longtime French hot spot, L’Escargot, over the weekend.
A snapshot of the beefed-up bill was shared to the social medium’s Rant thread, which offers groaning gripers a virtual space to vent. UK residents within the cyber sea of excess-tipping naysayers expressed concerns that unexpected service charges, ranging between 10% and 20%, have recently become a routine add-on thanks to a fresh wave of American influence.
In the US, tips for a restaurant’s waitstaff can exceed 25% of the bill as hospitality workers largely depend on gratuities to make a livable income.
But that doesn’t mean folks are gladly rolling out the extra dough.
A Vietnamese restaurant in California was recently blasted for imposing an 18% service charge “for parties of one or larger” on customers. The unjustifiable fee ignited online uproar, seeing perturbed would-be patrons write: “F – – k that then. Just another place I wouldn’t need to eat out at.”
And refusing to submit to the shakedown is picking up steam across the nation.
In fact, a June 2023 report from mortgage data service Bankrate found that 66% of Americans — namely Gen Zers — have a “negative view” about tipping. The poll, too, determined that 41% believe companies should be responsible for adequately paying their employees — which is how it’s done across the pond.
In London, the average salary for a waiter is around $37,00 per year, according to GlassDoor. There, tips are typically only granted as boons for highly exceptional service.
And bellyaching Brits who frequent buzzy bistros and trendy tourist joints don’t want it to change.
“We need to fight this American-born problem before it becomes ‘the way,’ ” insisted a steaming anarchist on Reddit.
“15% is crazy high,” argued another.
“Make this s – – t illegal. Either state prices up front or f – – k off,” barked a separate naysayer.
“I will happily tip for good service. However, I don’t believe that the restaurant team [should] always receive the service charge,” another said.
“I always tip 10%. However, if there is a service charge, I neither pay it, nor offer a tip,” added a diner.
“‘Discretionary’.. but added without request with psychological tricks and assumptions that you won’t ever ask for it to be removed,” an equally angered commentator wrote.
The newly sparked upset surrounding tips closely trails controversy around whether it is impolite for Londoners to request that service charges be removed from their restaurant checks.
“We should be doing our very best to reject this Americanism,” urged a red-hot Reddit user in August. “[Tipping] has to be one of the worst cultural exports that’s come out of there.”
