Over here in the UK we routinely tip people in restaurants it seems to be the done thing, pubs might have tip jars if they feel they can trust the clientele not to steal them, and folk slinging burgers in a fast food shop would look at you oddly if you tried to tip them. I guess our wages may be better.
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Plus there’s the whole weird “And one for yourself” thing in pubs.
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“Why thank you, I think I will sample a large glass of the Château Mouton Rothschild.” 
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They don’t tip fast food here either. Basically if you sit down and some one brings you the food and takes your order, you tip.
As I said, I’d be fine doing away with it. It doesn’t serve much of a real purpose.
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It hadn’t occurred to me before, but that is what I’d like in a restaurant experience. The serving staff to bring me some standard nibbles before taking my order. It would save on that portion of the evening where you sit around waiting for your starter while hungrily watching other patrons tuck in.
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Some places bring you bread or other things like peanuts when you sit down.
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This is what happens in civilised countries.
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That’s true, but taking advantage of service workers obligated to interact with you in order to ply them with religious spam is despicable.
We don’t have to wait for fully automated luxury gay space communism to become a civilized country that pays waiters enough to live on. Most of the world is capitalist and doesn’t let restaurants make their employees work for tips.
I’d rather just pay more for the food like I do in most countries. Having been a waiter, I tip well when I’m not abroad and heartily agree everyone should, but I nonetheless deeply resent restaurant owners for making me decide how much to pay their employees when it’s their damn job to build that in to their operating costs. Expecting me to subsidize their adventures in wage slavery is a big reason I do most of my own cooking. /rant over (also, not ranting at you, just riffing off your comment)
It should be, but until it is, here in 'Murica not tipping is still theft. I realize you’re trying to remind us that not everyone lives in the US, but that’s where the original post is about.
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Most places I’ve been it isn’t turned down, but neither is it customary or expected. Whether tipping gets you a frown or a smile depends on the local culture and the person you’re tipping, but rarely will it get turned down (I have seen that politely happen in Japan, thought not to me since I’ve never tipped while in Japan).
As with many things, it’s a good idea to research the local customs before traveling.
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Don’t forget when you put it in the collection plate to make change. $19 change. Ideally attend the church whose parishioners left it.
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Well I would hope that goes without saying. If you did it in a different church that really would be full-on dickery.
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The simple fact that restaurants in Washington State still exist despite the requirement that wait staff here get paid the state-mandated $11.00/hr minimum wage is proof that the “but if restaurants had to pay their employees an actual wage instead of making them rely on tips, they’d go out of business!” argument is flaming horsepuckey.
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Your point is well-taken, and I don’t entirely disagree. However, when I have frequented an establishment, the servers know I tip well and give me excellent service. That’s a good system for me. If they got all their money in wages, and none in tips, I would get average service.
But if the tip system went away, I wouldn’t mind so much.
And do you enjoy the exercise of your financial power?
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Blimey, I’ve just realised I’ve not been to a Balti House in flippin’ yonks. Some lost corner of my brain must have been flagging up a shortage of “complimentary poppadoms” that made me think of this.
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I agree, said as much the first post. You can pair it with a tip, but in lieu of one, you are an asshole.
I can’t find the original blog posts where the guy goes through what happened in more detail. But you can get an overview here.
Ironically, the people most upset with it were some customers. I think some people naively think that tipping is the only way to get good service. But in Thad’s Experience, servers did the best they could all the time. They knew if one person didn’t or under tipped, the next person would tip/over tip. No one is killing themselves for your 20%.
I’ve seen several articles where tipping is slowly being done away with. I think it will eventually happen as it really is just a PITA for everyone.
Personally, I tip, but I don’t like doing it. I’d rather just have the base price. Exception would be struggling places I enjoy I put in money, like the archery range my kid goes to.
Restaurants are notorious for having thin margins. But yes, if one increases the pay roll, and then increases the prices, while removing the tip, then it all evens out.
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Just to include a personal anecdote, to show how direct pay can be better than tipping…
I had a couple at my table once, who I visually witnessed put in 50/50 and a tip before the lady went to the restroom. He got up to meet her as she exited the bathroom and then deftly steered her toward the door, wide of the table. When I went to the table to gather the check, there was no tip.
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I want to go to there.
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