Workers must keep all tips from customers under new law

16 comments

1. Superb – easy and simple change with zero downsides. If a restaurant wants to charge more, then they need to set their prices accordingly.

   > However, while she supported the legislation, she believed it would hit some companies that were unprepared.

   Good. Literally, good.

   Are there any massive loopholes, does this include the “12.5% service charge” etc, or is that separate?

   > But she claimed the policy was “another example of costs being placed on a sector that can least afford it”.

   Oh get off! In what world – it’s simple, in business you state a price to the customer, they pay the price. Job done. If you’re relying on tips to operate your business, you are doing it wrong.

2. I always ask if any of the management get any of the tip I’m about to give, if the answer is yes, I’ll either try sneak the money to the waiter/ress or make a point of telling the manager that I think they are a POS.

   After working in bars and pubs in restaurants in London, there was nothing better than sitting down at the end of the shift with a cold beer and splitting the tips amongst us. If it was a Friday or Saturday night most times we’d just put the tips in a kitty and go out on the piss.

3. >Many have welcomed the change, but some warned it could burden businesses with extra costs.

   I’m curious what the extra costs might be, since you know it’s tips.

4. Now make it illegal for restaurants to add gratuity by default. Hickory Smokehouse, looking at you. As much as you like to pretend it is, this isn’t actually America.

5. Look out for price rises coming in at cafes, restaurants, etc.

6. Was in a Brewdog at the weekend in London – ordered by phone QR code.

   Cheeky buggers wanted to take a “tip” with the order…

   No – that’s not how “tips” work.
   Given the extraordinary prices, they got nothing. Food was decent – but it cost enough and the only service I got beyond the cook preparing it was one waiter walking out with 3 plates and drinks. No, no where in my universe does that deserve a “tip”.

7. Good but I don’t tip anyway we aren’t America people are paid a minimum wage

   Tipping makes zero sense to me there’s plenty of jobs that pay the same as waiting tables that don’t get tips

8. If I’ve ever given tips, I gave cash anyway, but employers shouldn’t have been allowed to do this in the first place

9. My bill is £100, so I add a tip of 10% and pay £110. The restaurant is cashless so I pay £110 to the restaurants business bank account. HMRC determines £110 entirely as restaurant revenue and it’s subject to corporation tax. Then the business takes the £10 and gives it to the worker, and they pay income tax on it?

   How does this work?

10. > ‘The tips are for their service’

    This is one that always baffled me.

    Why are people so insistent on giving the tip to the person that took the plate from the kitchen to their table, and not the people who actually made the meal?

    I’ve seen people argue that kitchen staff get paid slightly extra so don’t deserve any of the tip.

    The only fair way is to divide all tips between all members of staff on shift.

11. I remember I went into a pizza hut, must have been around 6-7 years ago, and we were asked to pay AND tip at the point we ordered, before we even received our food and drink. The staff were very apologetic asking us this and said it was a “trial” their premises was doing. Obviously they didn’t feel comfortable asking.

    You don’t tip before service even in America I believe.

12. > Tom William works in property development, but he used to work for a chain restaurant which took 3% of the value all the food and drink that serving staff sold off their salary – regardless of whether or not customers had tipped.

    Jesus fucking Christ, that should be imprisonable.

13. Now just remove the automatic opt-out service charge, and make it so that if people want to pay it, they can request it rather than the opposite.

14. Tips in the restaurant industry are still a bad thing giving places that rely on tips to pay staff a commercial advantage of apparently cheaper menu prices as tips aren’t included in a menu price vs wages & NI which are.

15. > Tom William works in property development, but he used to work for a chain restaurant which took 3% of the value all the food and drink that serving staff sold off their salary – regardless of whether or not customers had tipped.

    Having never worked in a restaurant, is that normal? I can’t imagine working anywhere where they took a portion of what I sell from my salary

16. Good, I worked in a restaurant for a number of years. always kept my Tips!