Random Rants
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My dad until recently worked in F&B in Dubai; he retired a few months back. Anyway, the custom in Dubai since Covid is that you scan a QR code on your table once you've finished your meal to be taken to a website that presents your itemised receipt and through which you can pay. My dad told me that when they introduced a tipping suggestion - options were 5%, 8% (auto selected/suggested), 10%, or other amount - and around 60% of people go with the suggested tip of 8%. He said that the company he worked for put those tips into a separate account that was paid pro-rata to all restaurant staff according to their hours. Staff on average saw their take-home go up by ~30% in an average month. My dad also said that splitting tips fairly among all staff is far better than a cash-on-the-table system, as it leads to less competition between front-of-house staff for the more lucrative shifts where you can expect more covers, and therefore a more cohesive work environment.
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@EdH that sounds a sensible system, but probably far too sensible to catch on over here!
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A part of the company I work for has a partnership agreement with a company that can work out tips via card that are given and distribute them across the various front and back of house staff, it’s quite a clever bit of tech and has helped one of our biggest customers from delivering a lot of cash once a week to various venues to be distributed and also cut down on the 2 full time staff to calculate it each week
I mentioned before that tipping here isn’t a big thing but the eastern states here are embracing it with more international visitors
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It’s weird that people from elsewhere stress about it. It’s so natural for us. I do not tip just because someone has it on their payment screen. I tip for the traditional items. Restaurants, barber, Ubers. No to carry out or counter service. Absolutely. Big No at sporting events or concert venues. They should be ashamed to ask for a tip on a $20 beer.
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@EdH go to a stadium or fair here and a couple drinks will have you pulling out a $50
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if tipping wasn't a thing, then what are the thoughts of establishments doing a service charge?
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I find it gross when they include the mandatory "service charge" as a line item on the bill. I'd rather they just increase the prices of the menu items by the same % amount and say no tipping. Then at least you'd be able to see the prices and plan accordingly with your budget.
Wants List:
IHSH-20-Red, XL
IHSH-208-Indigo Kersey, L-XL
IHSH-254-Grey Kersey, L-XL
IHSW-45 Black, M
IH-526SV 21oz type III, 38 or 40
IH-777S-SB size 32
IH-777S-142 size 31 or 32
IHJ-142-BLK or IND, M -
I think it's usually countries with no tipping culture as the debate is usually between service charge or tipping.
in singapore, they do service charge plus gst which are 10% + 9%. so any restaurant you go to that advertises ++, you'd know its that price plus 19%. the marketing then gets you in the door
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On a similar rant, when I had my store in downtown Nashville we would get people all the time from other countries that were very confused about sales tax. We'd have something with a tag that said $100 on it and they come to the register with a $100 bill in hand, and it would ring up $109.25. They were understandably confused and sometimes frustrated. I totally get it. I was amazing when we were visiting somewhere (think it was France?) and it was nice just paying the total price that was on the sales tag.
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@chrisjohnnick It's BS. Minneapolis as a city has implemented the 20% service charge and then ask for a tip on top.
I am a trained chef and I would hate to work in a restaurant kitchen now, and I would really hate to be a server.
My wife and I avoid restaurants at all costs these days. We simply don't go out to eat for entertainment or because we are short on time or too tired to cook. Those are salad nights now.
IMO the industry is in huge trouble, but there are still tons of people who use food as escapism, and restaurants (dining in and of course Door Dash) tick that box even if they bitch about the tipping culture soon after.
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@Mizmazzle I thought we were going to have to name it and make it a permanent fixture of the yard
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@SKT Looking good my man. Do you get to keep the wood that landed in your yard? There looks like some nice pieces that could be milled, or a shitload of firewood?
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@Denman-John thanks John, you know I thought about keeping some but it was pithy and eaten up (silver maple) as the tree was mostly dead. Happy to see it carted away
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@SKT And I wanted to ask you for a stump for chopping firewood)) Can you send it by DHL to Russia?))
