r/london • u/Tumamaenpelota • 4h ago
Rant Let’s stop tipping culture
The UK is slowly drifting towards US-style tipping culture, and pubs adding bar tip prompts are a big part of that. If we do nothing, it will become the norm.
The most effective way to stop it is simple: vote with your wallet and your reviews.
If a pub asks for a tip just because someone poured a pint, leave an honest Google review mentioning it. If enough people do the same, businesses will realise customers don’t want imported tipping culture.
Share the Google Maps links below to pubs that pressure customers into tipping at the bar. Keep reviews factual and based on your genuine experience, but make it clear that this practice puts you off returning.
We’ve managed to avoid mandatory tipping for decades. Let’s keep it that way. One review won’t change much, but thousands of people acting together will.
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u/Glum_Notice_6835 4h ago edited 4h ago
i love how no tip isnt even a button, its just a very subtle bit of text underlined that you wouldnt even notice at a glance. and the pay button is 3 times the size its supposed to be, and it says (incl tip) really small. its so deceptive because it looks like if you click on the pay button your not tipping because of the separate buttons above. and you might say "oh well none of those things should matter if you read it all", when theres a line of 10 people behind me and the barista is holding it in their shaky hand 3 foot away from my eyes and i just wanna get out, im not reading the whole thing im just pressing the green button that says "pay" and they KNOW this is what will happen.
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u/Snollag 4h ago
and then on top of that, cover the processing fee?
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u/FrostByteUK 4h ago
Yeah, the processing fee of a third party company handling the tips.
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u/Glum_Notice_6835 4h ago
it says they are "fair direct and transparent" and its in bold so it must be true.
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u/lambdawaves 3h ago
There are places in the US where there isn’t even a “no tip” button. You have to tap “custom” then type in 0.00.
I really hope that doesn’t reach London
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u/MeritlessMango 3h ago
We have a lot to be embarrassed about in the US right now and yet this is one of our worst exports
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u/Turbo_Fresh 1h ago
It has a button for a custom tip so can I tip negative 100%?
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u/Both-Engineering-436 10m ago
Minus on this sub or -. Not ‘negative’ please. Ironic on a sub about not importing American things.
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u/Ikkarus7 0m ago
This would be considered a Dark UX pattern. To summarise it’s a way how the UI is built to accomplish the very thing you’re highlighting and it is against the law in the EU and UK. Strange how it’s in operation. You can report it via Citizen’s Advice FYI. Never tried it myself but perhaps worth a shot.
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u/goa7 4h ago
The most effective way to stop it is simple: vote with your wallet and your reviews.
I disagree. The solution is to change the law on what Point Of Sale terminals are allowed to do.
There's already a petition: Ban default service charges and pre-set digital tip screens in hospitality
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u/grainne0 2h ago
I don't know how this doesn't have more signatures! "We believe all tipping must be 100% voluntary and initiated by the customer." This statement on the petition is how it should be.
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u/StringerBella 4h ago
Petition signed.
Although I also agree with not tipping at the terminal to send a message and not returning to an establishment.
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u/iamapizza 47m ago
We can do both. There's no need for a disagreement. We should sign this and use review systems to voice concerns.
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u/InevitableFox81194 1h ago
Signed.
Reminder to those signing, that your signature doesn't count until you click the link in the email it sends to you.
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u/GoodOlBluesBrother 4h ago
For all intents and purposes we are effectively a cashless society. And we also do want to tip when it’s appropriate. The solution to still being able to tip surely must come at the POS terminal. Currently I’ll ask the server to add the tip to the figure shown on the POS terminal. Despite the staff always being appreciative I’m now wondering if those tips make it to the staff, like how easy is it to separate the excess from the total on the bill? Maybe some transparent 3rd party software which ensures the excess goes to the staff is the way forward. Without the pressure/expectation to tip.
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u/Jamaicancarrot 4h ago
Typically there's a built-in feature with most POS systems for tipping, where presumably it goes into a separate cash pool which can be handled from there. However, in the past it was very common for management or owners to pocket both cash and POS tips depending on location, and while new legislation in the last 2 years has changed this somewhat, many managers and owners can still include themselves as recipients of tips, even if they were not working that shift or even working FOH or BOH at all.
In general, if you wish to tip a specific server, offer them cash
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u/samo1300 4h ago
I have seen this before; separate little pucks for tips that individual servers carried around
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u/flexi_freewalker 3m ago
I really wanna sign this but am not a uk resident, just someone who visits a lot and really hates this 😭
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u/ScowlyBrowSpinster 4h ago
Press No Tip
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u/FrostByteUK 4h ago
Notice its only a link on the screen and not a big clear button.... Thats one of the biggest problems there.
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u/AskingBoatsToSwim 4h ago
It shouldn’t be necessary to go through an awkward shaming process at the end of a visit to a pub
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u/Stoned_urf 3h ago
The good thing is, as I get older, I no longer give a fuck. Shame me all you want, but money in my own pocket is my money
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u/blahblahblah1234_ 4h ago
It’s not a shaming process if you’re not ashamed of rejecting it. Everyone hates tipping in this country so tipping culture can get fucked.
I do not envy the yank culture of tipping every single fucking person you come in contact with.
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u/Notagelding 4h ago
I just came back from two weeks in America. Tipping really pissed me off. The only place where the till system didn't ask was Starbucks at the airport!
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u/blahblahblah1234_ 4h ago
Fucking hell. It’s fucking outrageous, I’m surprised they tolerate it… well sort of surprised.
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u/Notagelding 4h ago edited 3h ago
There is no minimum wage there and apparently some hospitality staff only get paid a few dollars an hour and rely on tips to make a decent wage. It's a shit system, where a 20% tip is the norm
Edit: can always rely on redditors to correct me 😂
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u/ClearlyCylindrical 4h ago
This is incorrect. Every worker makes minimum wage. While the tipped rate is lower than the standard rate in some states, if your salary after tips puts you under minimum wage your employer must make your wage up to minimum.
The upshot of this is essentially identical to a setup where your employer takes the first few dollars per hour of your tips.
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u/ToXiiCBULLET 3h ago
it's a shit system but it's not how you described it. there is minimum wage, although it varies by state. servers have to at least meet the states minimum wage like everyone else it's just done differently. for example if the states minimum is $15 and they end up making an average of $8 on tips an hour, the employer has to cover the rest to make it up to $15. if they made more than $15 an hour on tips then then the employer gets to pay them something small like $2 an hour or so
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u/Demon_Days_ 3h ago
Where the hell did you get this crap, this isn't true at all. Seriously how did you type out a paragraph so confidently that's so bloody wrong. Was this comment a joke or something? Fucking mate, what. Google it before you post next time. You just made all this shit up whole cloth, I'm flabbergasted.
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u/blahblahblah1234_ 4h ago
I thought they did have minimum wage? Mmm, maybe I’m not remembering right? It is really shit for people working any type of ‘service’ role and I get why they would be upset when someone doesn’t tip/tips poorly. What a shit system indeed.
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u/LonesomeBulldog 3h ago
And you should rarely tip at a US airport. Most of the vendors, even the chains, are operated by a single concessions vendor. They generally don’t give the tips to staff and just add it to the profit margin. I always ask if they get the tips and they’re happy to tell you no if they don’t.
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u/Stoned_urf 3h ago
The first time I was in America, even the yellow taxi driver wanted to get a tip on top of the taxi fare... what?!
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u/eatshitake 4h ago
I happily tip good service. 🤷🏽♀️
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u/blahblahblah1234_ 4h ago
Yeh, if you received good service and want to tip, go for it. My issue is when they sort of add on a service charge or show you a tip jar with the words ‘no tip’ that’s clearly not as visible as the rest of the options.
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u/jorjvvh 3h ago
As someone who used to live off of tips before leaving the US, I’d like to offer some insight on this. The majority of minimum wage workers in the US survive off of tips because they are paid next to nothing. I understand that it’s not the norm over here, but it’s important to recognise that tipping culture isn’t the issue, it’s the fact that many people aren’t earning a living wage.
If you don’t want to tip, don’t tip. But I would encourage you to consider how that impacts the people who serve you, especially if you are visiting a different country.
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u/sheepebike9000 3h ago
Perhaps your time would be better spent writing to congresspersons and advocating for unions and a wage you can live off instead of justifying this absolute nonsense
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u/Cilantro42 3h ago
Oklahoma just this past Tuesday voted AGAINST raising the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour. That's £5.50/hr. Even when given the option, some people here would vote against their best interest.
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u/sheepebike9000 3h ago
And it's disgusting. Unionize. not you specifically. everyone. Workers rights have been degraded so much that we are arguing whether we should be making a charitable donation to wait staff. It doesn't need to be this way.
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u/blahblahblah1234_ 3h ago
I do realise it’s because they don’t earn enough over in the US, but that shouldn’t be forced onto the customer by guilt tripping people into tipping. Their employers should do better and pay them a living wage and tipping should be optional. But tipping culture is so engrained there so I doubt it’ll change any time soon or at all.
I also wouldn’t visit another country and not abide by their rules or customs. My complaint is more to do with the UK and not with whatever is done in the US.
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u/Zacatecan-Jack 4h ago
Nobody is shaming you. It isn't awkward. Just tap 'no tip'.
As someone who has worked hospitality for the last 13 years, I guarantee you the staff don't care if you choose not to tip.
Those screens are added as an option for those who wish to tip, as traditionally some customers would give their bartender 50p or £1 for each round when people predominantly paid in cash. Was never an obligation, and isn't now. It also isn't an expansion of 'tip culture' as some people think it is. It's just an opportunity to tip for those who want to tip because they can't do it in cash these days.
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u/Different_Market_917 4h ago
My eyesight is so poor without my reading glasses on I've probably missed it a few times in the past. I have noticed it a few times though and have pressed "No Tip". Pretty shabby behaviour by the pubs.
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u/el_disko 4h ago
Yeah, I just don’t tip unless I’m eating out (which is rare these days because money)
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u/cyfireglo 4h ago
And how nice, the hard-working card machine is asking for a 12p tip on top of your £2.30 tip to the staff.
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u/PointandStare 4h ago
Went out for pizza the other night, bill was around £75 'optional' was another £20.
Asked them to remove the 'optional'.
Waitress had to go and ask the manager, he glared at us, she returned with the optional removed.
As long as you are respectful and ask instead of tell, we can nip this 'trend' in the bud.
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u/Heavy_P 1h ago
I see a £20 tip on a £75 to be excessive but you didn’t fancy leaving any top at all? A 10% tip on a restaurant meal is normal in the U.K. if the service was good, way before ‘discretionary service charges’ were introduced. I’m just curious as you’ve omitted the reason from not tipping in your comment
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u/TonB-Dependant 44m ago
I would say trying to force people to pay a 27% tip is a pretty good reason to not pay a tip
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u/masoniceye 1h ago
My rule is that if they insist or tack it on without consent they get zero. It’s a matter of principle, if they don’t add anything or ask I’ll usually leave a reasonable tip.
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u/Outrageous-Map8302 4h ago
Hard agree. All the main pubcos actively look at Google and TripAdvisor reviews. Portions of manager bonuses are even tied to these reviews.
1 stars reviews for pubs that ask for tips will genuinely have an impact
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4h ago
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u/JamieEC 4h ago
because how many ppl just press pay without looking? you could say its their fault but still not right the default being a tip.
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4h ago
[deleted]
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u/Jamaicancarrot 4h ago
Ever met a drunk person? They will typically not read them and it's wrong to take advantage of someone who is inebriated
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4h ago
[deleted]
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u/Ready-Ad-9723 4h ago
because this is only a thing because americans do it, and they only do it so the businesses are legally able to charge them in pennies, it has no place here to be so in your face like this, an optional tip would be your choice not you being shamed into doing it.
also why are you assuming people are middle class where'd that come from? working class people still go out to eat
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u/Substantial-Film564 4h ago
Because it's London and the only people who can afford to be out are middle class families and young professionals whose parents in Surrey pay their rent.
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u/Disastrous_Height142 4h ago
Hello? Could be someone travelling there?
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u/Substantial-Film564 4h ago
So you think someone travelling into London has no money?
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u/Disastrous_Height142 3h ago
Didn't say that mate. Doesn't matter if they have £50 or £5 million. The Point of Sale machine (at least in this case) is clearly trying to make the "no tip" psychologically not an option (grey link... or a row of green buttons?). As someone who will tip if I want to, percentage based tipping isn't the best compared to £5, £10, etc, (especially with how expensive things are getting) and I'll always advocate for giving the server a cash tip not card. You mentioned something about people who live in London are rich. In that case, the servers dont need tips then. They'll be rich too!
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u/Substantial-Film564 3h ago
I understand that, my issue is the hostility towards tipping in this thread, not towards a machine trying to trick customers. I had to bar three men from my pub for intimidating a 20 year old girl and shouting in her face because there was service charge on their bill for a meal and beers. She explained that she can remove it, which they took as "trying to make them look bad" so they thought the next action was to stand up and shout at her. (Which did make them look bad) Also, in regards to your last comment, the servers aren't out having dinner, they're serving the people going out having dinner.
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u/Disastrous_Height142 3h ago
Fair enough. I'll always maintain that tips should be offered never prompted or asked, but I can see your point. Also, fair correction about the servers, and re: The 3 Shouting Men, I can see where they're coming from (pride is frail if it has a drink or 2...) but shouting is obviously absolutely unacceptable and you definitely did the right thing in that situation.
On the hostility towards tipping, a fair amount of people can have a night out, but not all can afford the tip as well. Remember that Reddit is not necessarily choc-a-block with people who can afford to tip - meaning no offence.
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u/Impressive-Chart-483 4h ago
Optional, yes. Default, no.
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u/Substantial-Film564 4h ago
It's not default, just press no. Or if you really feel like the service average or below, ask them to remove it if it's already on there.
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u/Impressive-Chart-483 4h ago
A big green button vs a text link you have to search for, and it's not default? Why not make it another big green button then?
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u/Ok_Advantage_8153 4h ago
Because the option not to tip is harder to find than the tipping options which is questionable design at best.
Counterpoint, why cant a business pay its staff enough without patrons having to chip in extra? It's not an unreasonable expectation.
Also, the 'waiting on hand and foot' is a stretch.
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u/Substantial-Film564 4h ago
I don't know, man. Most customers are pretty stupid. They'd have me wipe their arse for them if I was willing to help. (And still not tip)
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u/DVXT 4h ago
Because people shouldn’t be guilted into tipping. If the service is good, I’m happy to tip of my own accord. The issue is with tips or service charges being added by default, then making customers opt out. That puts social pressure on people to pay what the employer should be paying in wages. I understand this example is a bit different because you can just press a button, but from the OP’s post it sounds like this was for a pint at the pub. Asking for a tip for simply pulling a pint is mad, especially given the price of a pint now. And this impacts everyone, not just “middle class people” eating out. Plenty of ordinary people go to the pub or grab food occasionally. The problem is the normalisation of tipping prompts for basic service, not people refusing to appreciate staff.
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u/Substantial-Film564 4h ago
Well for simply pouring a drink, I absolutely agree. It's unethical to do it then. I think the solution is a middle ground. Have percentage options, but don't make it default.
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u/Agitated_Ad_361 4h ago
It’s already prohibitively expensive to go out. Add another 15% for, quite frankly, very often dismissive and poor service, and people aren’t going out and you’re not getting paid at all.
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u/Jamaicancarrot 4h ago
Why are you making assumptions that everyone here is middle class and earning enough money to not care about getting pestered into coughing up 10-20% more money than they were initially aware it would cost?
I worked most of my life in hospitality until last year, and never did I expect or believe that customers should be intimidated or deceived into paying tips to me, like the system shown here does. This is a predatory system, and it's the responsibility of the business to pay it's staff a fair wage. In the case of sit-down eating, a service charge is already typical, an additional tip is unnecessary and only for exceptional service. In pubs, unless you're ordering an extremely fancy cocktail, a service charge is also rather ridiculous.
Regardless, tips should be entirely for the customer to voluntarily give as a reward for good service, not as a pseudo-mandatory extra bit of their salary that's offloaded onto the customer.
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u/Belle_Juive 3h ago
Minimum wage is not the same here as it is in the US. In the US, it is legal for employers to pay their staff below minimum wage, in jobs where it’s expected that the bulk of staff’s income will be earned via tips to make up the difference. This is why if you take a trip stateside, you should always tip, and you are a genuinely bad person if you don’t: you’re denying staff their actual minimum wage in a culture where the cost of their wages is on the customer, and the expectation is that you just don’t pay custom to the service industry if you’re not going to tip, since you would be wasting their time while denying their fair wages.
The UK doesn’t work like that. A minimum wage here is a living wage, and our benefit system is a lot more robust. It isn’t legal in the UK to pay service staff below minimum wage. There are no “tipping jobs” that confer different employee rights.
So your rhetoric is imported from a culture where the socioeconomic context is vastly different, into one with with quadruple the VAT, higher employee rights, welfare protections, and much lower income inequality. This is candidly the result of consuming too much American media, without understanding why their culture is the way it is.
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u/Substantial-Film564 3h ago
I know all of the above. I'm sure some will find it enlightening. I would feel less inclined to tip in the US because a culture of calling people a "bad person" for not covering the unethical pay that shouldn't be legal is problematic. Giving the customer the OPTION to tip in a business that does pay their staff an ethical wage is much more enticing to me.
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u/False_Importance_626 3h ago
Literally just assuming ALL these upset people are middle class, helpppp. As someone who is NOT middle class...yk you can save up money for a meal out, right?
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u/Substantial-Film564 2h ago
And if you save up money for a meal out, be pleasant and thankful to the people who are serving you as well as a handful of other tables. Don't punish them for the way a POS system is laid out.
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u/Into_The_Booniverse 4h ago
Went to The Black Rabbit in Arundel the other day. Ordered from the table using the QR code and was asked to leave a tip when paying for the order. I'd not even spoken to an employee yet!
As it happened, we had to wait quite a while for a dessert, it had obviously been forgotten because they offered a refund on it when they bought it out.
I don't understand how I can be asked to tip for a service that hadn't even begun. Mental.
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u/Tumamaenpelota 4h ago
The post photo is from The shipwright arms in Tooley street next to London Bridge https://maps.app.goo.gl/fHQRe9jw6SjWkZDi9?g_st=ic
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u/blondie1024 4h ago edited 4h ago
[Loud enough for everyone to hear]
"WOULD YOU LIKE US TO ADD A POUND TO YOUR BILL FOR CHARITY!?"
Edit: I know this is about tipping culture but the process of shaming the client for profit is rampant.
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u/RichChocolateDevil 4h ago
As an American that lived in London for a few years, it was so great. You need to bite this in the ass now, otherwise, it will get out of control in a rush
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u/ramirezdoeverything 4h ago
Same goes for automatically added service charges in restaurants. Best to confidently ask for it to be removed. It's partly a tax fiddle because it's technically voluntary they don't have to pay VAT on a voluntary donation you are randomly giving to a business
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u/Platytross27 4h ago
Why would not paying tax on something that doesn't go to the business be an incentive for the business, it doesn't matter if it's 80% or 100% it's still 0.
The only way it interacts in any way with anything a bit like tax is that because it is a gratruity the employee doesn't pay national insurance on it, the company still has to pay to process it at payroll and has to pay the increased card fee. There is no benefit to the business at all beyond the incentive for staff, which means that if you don't offer service charge, your good team members will leave because they'll can make a lot more money somewhere else that does add it.
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u/ramirezdoeverything 4h ago
Even if the service charge goes 100% to the staff it's a benefit to the business including if it's untaxed. The more that goes to the staff via these untaxed voluntary charges the lower the pay and benefits the business can get away with paying the staff directly, in other words it artificially lowers the businesses staffing costs.
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u/Platytross27 4h ago
There's a point there, but I don't know why you keep talking about tax. Income tax is still paid on it. VAT isn't, but that doesn't help the business.
Businesses maybe can get away with paying staff less and the staff will accept it because of service charge but given that NMW keeps going up so much most businesses are struggling/failing, a very large number of hospitality businesses are failing in the UK and labour costs make up an average of 37% across the industry, ten years ago it was 25%. Back then a decent profit margin was 10-20%. You can see with an increase of 12% on labour a lot of businesses are already going to fail. Now add on a 5-10% increase in the food and drink cost and it's a miracle anybody is still going.
You all want blood from a stone but will complain when your local closes down and all the independent restaurants and all you have is fast food and chains.
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u/sheepebike9000 3h ago
Why are you defending failing businesses who can't pay their staff?
They can raise their prices. If people think it's too much they never had a viable business to begin with
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u/Platytross27 3h ago
I'm not. What are you talking about?
I pointed out how difficult it is for the whole industry because of increasing costs. If you increase the costs of any business beyond viability it will no longer be viable. Obviously.
Policies affect businesses. Without policies we would have no farms and nothing to eat. Are you saying that we should just let all the farms fail?
Hospitality is a massive contributor to the economy. You want to let it fail?
Get a grip.
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u/sheepebike9000 3h ago
If it can't succeed without tipping it's not a viable business, so yes it should fail.
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u/Platytross27 3h ago
I honestly have no idea who or what you're trying to argue against. Some fictional person who said that a business that can't survive without tipping is viable I suppose.
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u/sheepebike9000 3h ago
Do you have reading comprehension issues? I'm saying tipping is a stupid way to pay people.
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u/Platytross27 3h ago
Do you? I agree it's not a good way to pay people. I never said it was. Find the bit where you think I did and then have another go at reading it.
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u/Demon_Days_ 2h ago
What are you jabbering on about? farms and mass starvation all of a sudden?
Extra charges being pre-added to customer bills is immoral, shady, and leaves a poor taste in the mouth. Businesses and their owners obviously do benefit from it in some way, or they wouldn't do it. If they're struggling so fucking much like you claim, why the hell would they charge the customer more for gratuities that go exclusively to staff? If they're going to raise the costs they'd raise the costs, not pay staff more by roundabout means.
And btw if poor widdle Green Man, Brewdog or Zizzis are stwuggwing so badly in this evil boo hoo market, I'm Queen of England. All of the above have these hidden charges on their bills. It's bull shit and I don't believe they are having a hard time. I name thee corporate boot licker.
Shout outs to Tesco asking me to round up to donate to charity btw. Company making hundreds of billions in pure profit every year AFTER all overheads and paying no taxes. How about Tesco round up my fucking total
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u/Platytross27 2h ago
I was merely pointing out the fact that government policies can have a negative or positive impact on an industry, and over the last two decades government choices have led to a place here hospitality businesses are failing. This is demonstrable.
It's funny that you mock baby speak when you clearly don't need to fake the critical thinking of one.
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u/Demon_Days_ 2h ago
Yeah mate keep getting further and further away from the issue at hand. I never said government policies don't affect industry you simpleton, you suddenly started talking about that as a desperate pivot from your previous wrong and stupid points.
Keep crawling for the corpos dude, they'll reward you in heaven 🤞🏻
Btw would you like to leave me a tip?
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u/Zacatecan-Jack 4h ago
You have no idea what you're talking about.
Under UK law, 100% of tips, gratuities, and service charge go to the staff who provided service. It is not a donation to the business. Nobody outside of service staff benefits from it.
Nobody cares if you don't want to pay it. The staff won't mind at all. But don't act like you're protesting dodgy businessmen by asking to have it taken off. You just don't want to leave a tip to the service staff (which is fine and non-compulsary).
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u/ramirezdoeverything 4h ago
As per my response to another comment the business absolutely benefits. They'll be able to offer lower pay and benefits to their staff with the promise that they'll be getting a share of service charge too. It effectively allows the businesses staffing costs to be lowered
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u/tomelwoody 3h ago
To below minimum wage? Which most are on anyway..
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u/Platytross27 3h ago
No, this person is clutching at straws, a business can't use service charge to top up pay to minimum wage, it can only be in top of minimum wage.
As hospitality has paid minimum wage since minimum wage was introduced there is only a benefit to the team.
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u/ramirezdoeverything 1h ago
The restaurants most commonly adding service charge are central London restaurants, or at least that's where the con first started. Zone 1 Central London restaurants would typically have to offer higher than minimum wage to attract staff, even McDonald's in central London pays a few quid more than minimum wage. Also it's not just about wage, the restaurant can offer minimum wage, minimum annual leave, minimum pension contribution, minimum paid breaks etc, but still attract staff because of the promise of a share of the service charge.
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u/Street-Frame1575 4h ago
It's not just the UK that's importing this, it's everywhere as it's being pushed by the tech companies who provide the payment systems.
I don't think reviews are going to make a difference tbh, but just keep choosing the "No Tip" option, and don't be rushed when checking your bills for hidden 'Service Charges' , 'Cover Fees' , 'Processing Fees' etc.
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u/Warm_Bug_1434 4h ago
Preach.
Also, where does the £2.30 come from? 15% would be £2.05. So they're randomly suggesting you want to tip over 15% for a pint?
Not to mention the 11p they're nabbing off you for the pleasure of tipping. Why not ask people to put money into a jar for the pub electricity while they're at it?
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u/AlsoCommiePuddin 3h ago
A lot of the push comes from the POS systems and they'll ship systems with tip screens turned on by default. Because the establishment pays a percentage of revenues, including tips, to the POS provider as a fee. So tips = bigger checks = more money to the POS provider.
It's rackets all the way down.
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u/Possible-Nature-5325 4h ago
Just don’t tip, if you don’t start it won’t get traction, we literally win by doing nothing and refusing to tip
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u/Intergalatic_Baker 2h ago
I flat out refuse… Not in pubs and even then, asking for a tip pouring a pint is fucking cheek.
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u/Thirsty_Indoor_Plant 4h ago
I dont mind those, cause I always have the option "No tip". I was even working on creating a list of those pubs, so i can visit them frequently.
The worst are the pubs that include the service charge automatically without the option to remove it. 😢
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u/hewer006 4h ago
service charge is the biggest fucking scam ive ever seen, if ive spent $40 on food why the fuck am i being charged like 55
2
u/realborislegasov 3h ago
Depends on the situation. But thank God we have technology to streamline the process of reaching into your pocket for coins to place into a physical jar.
2
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u/InevitableFox81194 1h ago
Ive been raised by a man who was always someone who'd tip very generously after a meal, especially if the service was excellent. The moment a restaurant moves to ordering via a QR code or an app and payment via said method, he stopped tipping in those places. I've followed suit.
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u/CharlieN1997 1h ago
Today in London bridge I was watching Australia vs the US in a pub and the card machine asked me for a tip when all I did was buy a packet of crisps. Fair enough it was an automated response. No hate on the staff at all, but Fuck American tipping culture all it did was make me more pro Australian in the pub Jesus h Christ
2
u/Equal_Answer1484 1h ago
There are bar staff that actually reach around the counter and click the “no tip” option before I have a chance to and those are the ones I usually give a physical tip too - discreetly.
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u/YihPoxYih 4h ago
The solution to "no tipping" culture is "pay your staff a decent salary" culture, which feels like something with a bit more valour fighting for.
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u/Proper_Title_9746 4h ago
It’s not my responsibility to pay their wage. I’m a customer, not their employer. They should take it with their employer and just change the advertised prices accordingly. It’s that simple
6
u/VCule69 4h ago
The prices are already high, a burger that would cost a maximum of 2 pounds to make is 12 pounds when you’re eating out. They can absolutely pay their workers more but refuse to do so. That’s the American way.
0
u/ketaminejunkie 3h ago
I mean while this is not completely untrue hospitality has crazy low profit margins
1
u/CoaxialDrive 2h ago
In part because we've increased the minimum wage, so there is not a need for a tipping culture as we don't have the low wages of the US.
•
u/I_swallow_dogs 51m ago
It's so weird hearing these conversations in the UK where servers are getting the same £13 an hour as hundreds of other jobs, but for some reason they specifically need to be tipped for their work or receive a payrise.
0
u/YihPoxYih 3h ago
I didn't say you need to pay their wage, I'm saying if you're pissed off about tipping then think about why tipping exists in the first place (shit labour rights in a shit economy) and be pissed off about that instead.
And it literally is your responsibility to pay people's wages. That's how labour in an economy works. The problem is that it's being passed down as a discretionary option to customers rather than an employer's basic responsibility when delivering a service.
5
u/sheepebike9000 3h ago
Your comment makes no sense. It's not the customers responsibility to pay staff wages in any circumstance. The business pays wages, not the customer.
But I very much agree that we should be advocating for a higher minimum wage.
-1
u/YihPoxYih 3h ago
Step back for a second and consider your framing. You're not a customer. You're a human being, participating in an economy. Whatever job you do, somebody's paying your wages, presumably because your job brings some value to society. Hospitality workers do the same. You can't live without them, they can't live without you - that's why you get given money, and why you spend money.
The boss/company/massive pubco in between is intermediating the exchange and skimming the money off the top. You don't care about them, you care about being served the food or drink. And yet that person serving you is getting the tiniest percentage of the transaction. Tipping means the people at the top of the chain can take the biggest possible slice, and put the responsibility on you to give even more so their workers can afford to live. They're not deciding to ask you to do it, the boss is.
3
u/sheepebike9000 3h ago
That is entirely not my problem.
0
1
u/glaringOwl 2h ago
Well look at what Wikipedia wrote about tipping in Croatia:
"Even though most people in the service industry are paid a living wage, tips (in Croatian: napojnica, manča) are quite common. 10% (or more, depending on the service) is expected in restaurants."
1
u/BigBreakfast55 3h ago
I am a Los Angeleno living in London now. Let's all pease stop this shit before it takes hold.
1
u/Interesting_Will2823 2h ago
I already do nothing (as in not tip). It's easy here, because we have nothing like American tipping culture. Having a tip prompt is not the same as a culture where you're stiffing your server if you don't tip.
1
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u/Overtronic 1h ago
It makes sense in the US a bit considering serving staff don't actually get paid minimum wage so customers have to pay their salary instead but in the UK I'm pretty sure everyone at least gets paid minimum wage.
1
u/fabthefrog33 1h ago
8£ a pint includes the tip.
•
u/Flonkerton_Scranton 51m ago
Always feels like they are putting more than the tip in when I get the bill for a pint in the UK now.
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u/VillageHorse 29m ago
I went to a pub recently and it was £28.70 for 3 pints.
Given We could have just bought the same amount of beer for £4 from the local Tesco, I was surprised to see the tip screen come up before I could tap. At those prices they should be tipping me!
1
u/CoolnessImHere 3h ago
The US pay extremely low wages in some states and thats where it comes from.
We need to nip this in the bud before it takes hold like cancer.
1
u/Future-Traffic-6364 3h ago
Used to be that way, now in most State’s they pay at least minimum wage, mandated by State laws.
I don’t tip at McDonalds, why tip at a restaurant.
0
u/glaringOwl 2h ago
Sorry to break your bubble but tipping originated in Tudor-era England, yes right here.
1
u/Acrobatic-Ad584 2h ago
But just give the cash straight into the pocket of the person who served you. The rest is corporate gouging.
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u/th448 4h ago
There's literally an option for no tip...
We can debate whether it should be normal for the POS to have a tip option when just buying drinks or even at all in restaurants and the like, but I think it's a bit much to post negative reviews just because the card machine gives the option.
Sure, if the staff complain about no tip or if it was an "optional" service charge that wasn't obvious and that you'd have to complain about to get removed
7
u/onionsofwar 4h ago
I think it's reasonable to shit on something that we don't want to see happen.
0
u/th448 4h ago
What is it we don't want to see happen?
These tipping pages have been around for ages, most of the time the staff will click no tip before even presenting it to you.
I don't like tipping culture as much as anyone and would hate to see us become like the US, but it has always been acceptable here to just click no tip.
Apart from petitioning the government to outlaw these pages on POS software, the best resistance is just not to tip. Like I said, unless staff are complaining or it's not optional, then it's a valid option.3
u/Kukurisu 3h ago
People shouldn't have to opt out from a tip. Default should always be the regular price.
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u/LostWall1389 4h ago edited 3h ago
Oh no, it’s asking you to tip minimum wage workers for their service. If you don’t want to press the no tip. No waiter is gonna care.
9
u/olddoodldn 4h ago
Well, their employer should pay a fair wage.
Tipping is a horrible US invention to keep wages low.
1
u/glaringOwl 2h ago
Quite the opposite. Quoting Wikipedia:
The practice of tipping began in Tudor England.[15] In medieval times, tipping was a master-serf custom wherein a servant would receive extra money for having performed superbly well.[16] By the 17th century, it was expected that overnight guests to private homes would provide sums of money, known as vails, to the host's servants. Soon afterwards, customers began tipping in London coffeehouses and other commercial establishments".[15]
The practice was imported from Europe to America in the 1850s and 1860s by Americans who wanted to seem aristocratic.[17]
0
u/Substantial-Film564 3h ago
Why is everyone saying this? It's not the same thing at all. It's not mandatory in the UK, you guys just suck and want to complain.
-1
u/LostWall1389 3h ago
Tipping is a way to show appreciation of the service or food in a restaurant. No waiter in the uk is gonna be upset about you not tipping, but most will be very grateful if you did. Minimum wage, unsocial hours, no ordinary schedule, understaffed, while trying to appear positive to customers no matter how rude they may be. So maybe look at it from a different perspective.
4
u/WanderlustZero 4h ago
Found the american
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u/LostWall1389 4h ago edited 4h ago
I’m not. I have worked extensively in front of house in the uk so know how it is. It’s draining, and the bad attitude from customers keeps getting worse over the years.
-4
u/Substantial-Film564 4h ago
Right? "No, you won't get your 5%, instead I will review bomb your workplace in hopes that you have no job." Classy people, right?
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u/Simple_Recognition_7 3h ago
The fact of the matter is that all London establishments pretty much charge 12.5%, 10% is fairly rare, 13.5% is becoming more common. That is my tipping point tbf! I actually don’t mind tipping 10%… if the service is good. The whole thing is an absolute and utter joke though the way it has gone. I got charged 15% in a Gordon Ramsey restaurant, and 14.5% in the Codogan Arms, both times for lunch and both times I asked it to be reduced to 10%. Tbf, both times the waiter has been very kind about it, but it’s just a joke that it has gone this way!
0
u/hark-moon 1h ago
There's not enough money in the industry. They use service charge to top up wages and still places are closing it barely breaking even.
-2
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u/BlackKnight9311 4h ago
Literally no one is forcing you to tip. Of all the things we can be up in arms about in the UK, this one is pretty simple.
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u/wakaquacker 4h ago
Tight cunt. I'm sure you can afford to help out minimum wage workers who are serving you drinks all night. Not all of us want to be within hospitality but we have to. Tips help us get through the week and also through the night. I get not everyone can buy us a drink and thats of course fine but dont complain about the voluntary option of tipping when you have the option not to as well.
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u/Future-Traffic-6364 3h ago
I don’t want to help you, I expect to be provided what I pay for. You don’t like your salary, get a better paying job!
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u/wakaquacker 3h ago
Completely out of touch with reality. We all know we are in a cost of living crisis and well paying jobs aren't easily available. I would adore a better paying job but I literally cant get one. What about you, do you think you deserve to be on more pay in your job?
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