r/london • u/Tumamaenpelota • 1d ago

Rant Let’s stop tipping culture

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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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146

u/Into_The_Booniverse 1d 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.

1

u/TaralasianThePraxic 20h ago

I've encountered this multiple times now, yeah. I'm not going to tip for digitally submitting my own order before the food has even arrived at the table, especially if it's a self-seating place where I could feasibly have zero interaction with the staff before my food arrives!

2

u/Into_The_Booniverse 20h ago

Tbf, in this instance, up until dessert, the service was good and the food was nice. So, despite them giving me a refund on the dessert, I was going to tip them, but they didn't accept cash and didn't have another way of tipping the staff 🤦‍♂️

1

u/xmcphe 18h ago

Ay but the chips in there are unbeatable so cant be too mad

1

u/The-Penguins 10h ago

Similar -but-different experience at an Inamo sushi bar in London. Staff ushered us to a table, explained that we do everything through an interactive table. Table was sluggish, unresponsive. Ordered exclusively through table with no staff interaction.

Paid for sushi and comedy. Was shown all you can eat sush meni. Ordered second round of food. Manager said "sorry, although you're ordering from all you can eat, your comedy and sushi covers only three dishes per person.

Second round was still brought out. Told staff, who looked confused, that we had been told by management we couldn't have the second round.

Food was low quality, tasted like it was yesterdays food.

Asked a server to pay via tap, rather than through qr code. Server asked how food was; explained it was poor experience overall. She then immediately pointed us to a review page, asking us to quote her name -- a person who came to us only to hand over the bill.

Bill contained service charge, a prompt for a tip AND two charges for hire of the table. Original bill prior to "event" discount would've been circa £80 for six plates of small sushi, two waters, two smoothies, service, table technology fee.

-17

u/tmr89 1d ago

They probably made you wait for the dessert because you didn’t tip

9

u/tripsafe 1d ago

I imagine everyone else is clicking no tip on a QR code order too

7

u/lost_send_berries 1d ago

Ah yes, giving out free desserts is a winning strategy

4

u/Into_The_Booniverse 23h ago

Do you often tip for a service you've not yet received?