Tipping in a restaurant is a very precise form of social etiquette. We guide you through the process, and what is and isn't acceptable. By Alex Larman
In 'Reservoir Dogs' when the crooks are discussing the ethics of tipping, Steve Buscemi announces he won't tip 'because society says I have to - all right, if someone deserves a tip, if they really put forth an effort, I'll give them something a little something extra. But this tipping automatically, it's for the birds. As far as I'm concerned, they're just doing their job."
In the context of the film, this automatically marks out the Buscemi character as untrustworthy and weaselly. In America, the service culture is such that it's not uncommon for waiters to walk out of the street after customers who haven't tipped sufficiently, harassing them for their meanness and penny-pinching. A normal amount to tip over there is 15 per cent, but higher tips, of up to 20 per cent, are not uncommon, and those not tipping are regarded as ungrateful and mean. However, you wouldn't want to go to the other extreme like Phil Spector; on the night that he allegedly shot nightclub hostess Lana Clarkson, he left $700 in tips. The prosecution claimed this was clear evidence of drunkenness or insanity.
In Britain, the situation is less clear cut. Although there is no legal requirement that customers should tip in a restaurant, a large number of places include a 12.5 per cent 'suggested gratuity' at the bottom of the bill, which they assume that most people will either not notice, or be too embarrassed at the prospect of causing a fuss to ignore. This has been controversial, both because it removes an element of autonomy from the customer (who may, of course, wish to tip more than 12.5 per cent) and also because most people, paying by the ever-popular chip and PIN, are invited to leave a further gratuity, and may end up tipping twice.
This would not matter if the money was going directly to the hard-working waiters and waitresses who serve long hours for often pitiful salaries. However, as a landmark ruling in 2002 made clear, tips paid by cheque or credit card belonged to the employer, which could then be counted towards the minimum wage that the staff were paid. If an employer is reasonably scrupulous, then staff can be expected either to keep their tips, or, more often, to a share of the communal balance at the end of the day. However, the greedy and unscrupulous view it as another source of income - and possibly a very profitable one, as tips are often untaxed.
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