Service charges at restaurants..?

Question

Loads of places add a service charges automatically to your bill and I know some places notify you that there will be a service charge but some don't. Do you have to pay? Who here has refused to pay? Does anyone ever add tips on top of that charge?

Answer 1

It's not compulsory, if the service has been poor tell them and don't pay it. If service has been great of course you can pay more!

Answer 2

This is the horrible way restaurants now pay their staff.  Instead of paying them a normal hourly wage, or making them depend on tips, this is how they pay their staff wages.

I think it is deplorable.

I think the kitchen staff should be on a good hourly wage,

and the wait staff should be on a lower hourly but expect tips to show performance.  This is how past experience has done and it worked well.  Plus at the end of the night we gave a small percentage to the bartender and the busboys for helping to keep the flow smooth.

These HUGE big restaurants that give the entire staff the tips is wrong.

You go to a certain restaurant not just for the service but the food.  It had better be exemplary.

You TIP the waiter or waitress for keeping on their toes and making certain everyone has drinks and the food is brought out in an orderly fashion.

I hate this add on c**p that they do.

I find it unfair.

Answer 3

well that all started because cheap a$$ people didn't tip so they add service charge  

Answer 4

if you are not satisfied with the service,you do not have to pay.It is only the food/drink bill that must be paid.You can refuse the service charge bit of it

Answer 5

If the service is poor, don't pay it. I always tip.

Answer 6

I work as a waitress, and I also eat out some too. I have never seen this before. There is a place on a slip that you can add a tip, if you are charging, but other than that, I have never seen it.

If it's for a tip, do what you want. If you want to leave it on the table, then do so, otherwise, leave the service charge. If you felt the service was good, and you want to leave more, then doso.

But it's not mandatory. I guess that is for the people who do not tip. Where I work, if we don't get tipped, then we're sh** out of luck. But we always remember!

Where I work, the waitresses get $2.83 an hour plus our tips. The cooks get anywhere from $8-$10 an hour, and the dishwashers get minimum wage.

My boss has told us that if we were to receive regular minimum wage, prices would skyrocket on the menu. But then you wouldn't have to tip, unless you wanted to leave a buck or so.

I honestly think it would even out. It all depends on where you work.

But I would say that you do not have to pay the service charge, unless it was mentioned on the menu.  

Answer 7

Sometimes places have a service charge if you have more than six people at the table.  You don't have to pay, but there really shouldn't be a reason to refuse unless the service was exceptionally bad. If the service charge is less than 20% then it is nice to add tip on because 20% is industry standard.  The reason waitstaff are not paid hourly is because the cost of running a restaurant is astronomical.  Restaurants would not be able to afford paying everyone hourly, thus waitstaff rely on tips.  It would be way more expensive for you to eat out because the meals would be much more expensive if they were paid hourly.  

Answer 8

Really depends on the service they provide, if they're lousy... i don't tip. But if they served me well, I give a tip on top of the service charges.