We are all accustomed to dining out and having a great time, but when the bill arrives at the end of the evening we have all come to expect that an extra 12.5-15% ‘discretionary’ service charge will be added. Who actually gets this additional percentage has never been clear. Is it the restaurant or the staff? It’s always seemed to be one of those taboo questions that you don’t really want to bring up at the table; the only time I ever queried the charge was out of interest rather than due to bad service and yet the restaurant manager looked at me like I’d just insulted his mother.
For many years now there have been stories of restaurants using the charge to make up for paying such low wages, which leaves you in the position of having to leave an additional tip for your waiter either out of guilt or pity. It was therefore nice to see the D&D group amongst others abolish this ‘discretionary’ charge at the beginning of October. Despite my hopes that this move would pave the way and others would follow suit, it so far seems that very few restaurants are keen to get rid of the charge.
After a very memorable dinner earlier this year I overheard a diner at the table next to me querying the service charge on the bill. He was dining in a large group and the charge had increased the total by GBP 400. Whilst the manager assured the gentleman that the service charge would go to the waitress, the diner then asked whether it was appropriate that the young lady serving them was tipped more for three hours work than a nurse would earn in a week. A very good question that makes you wonder whether adding service as a percentage of the bill is fair. Are you in fact being penalised for spending more?
I’m the type of person who will always tip the waiter regardless of the service charge but I certainly think a percentage may not be the way to go. I would prefer not to have the service included and instead be able to leave a cash tip and know that it’s going to the right person. Hopefully we will see more restaurants change their policies; I think service will improve as a result.
