Tipping point (restaurant charges automatic "service fee" to all customers)

Chicago Tribune - Yahoo ^ | August 26, 2005 | Stevenson Swanson

[EveningStar]

Waiter, there's a service charge on my soup.

Customers at a high-end Manhattan restaurant soon will notice an extra expense when they get their bill, and not only for their soup course.

Beginning Thursday, chef Thomas Keller will charge customers a 20 percent service fee at Per Se, his year-old outpost in the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle, where the views of Central Park are nearly as breathtaking as the prices.

[Max Flatow]

I was charged a 20% tip while I was in Memphis. The service sucked.

Was it at Rendezvous? We were there a few weeks ago and almost walked out.

[TheForceOfOne]

So do senior citizens give discount tips?

[Max Flatow]

"The Coldstone Ice Cream servers around here will sing a ditty for you when you tip. A buck gets you a 30 second song. It's amusing." --- It may be amusing (to you), once How about all of the other people waiting in line for another 30 seconds while the scooper wastes their time?

It isn't like they are breaking out in a dance routine like the June Taylor Dancers. They just sing a ditty wile they scoop. Amusing.

[Max Flatow]

I can't understand tips at Starbucks. Starbucks? It makes a mockery of the American tradition of tippage.

Starbucks? What a racket! $3.75 for a cup of coffee with no refill! Wish I would've thought of that!

[goldstategop]

Tip is included in the bill. Of course if the food's divine, you won't notice the bump in the price.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Churchillspirit]

At dinner one evening in a German restaurant ( here in the US), I ordered chicken then found that it had been charbroiled. My fault for not reading the menu correctly. As I hate the taste of charbroiled anything, I did not eat the chicken. When the waitress ( German) came to clear away the plates she took mine and said Next time if you are not going to eat it do not order it.

Needless to say the quality of that service was reflected in the tip....and there never was a next time.

[SCALEMAN]

This is the European (socialist get paid whether you do a good job or not) way, so is there any suprise the New York elite are promoting it?

I used to travel to S Florida almost monthly. During the "season" when the Canucks come to town, almost every eating establishment adds the "gratuity" to the bill. When I first questioned it, I was told it was because the Canucks don't tip, so they add it into the bill.

Offseason the practice isn't so wide.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Are you sure you're not a DIMocrat? Thoughtless, elitist remark.

My daughter worked as a waitress all the way through college. Would you care to ask her that question? I'm sure she could explain it in short sentences and words of 2 syllables.

[riri]

The ONLY justification I can see for this would be if they had a large part of the customer base from foreign countries who just repeatedly would not and did not tip.

I waited tables in Florida through college and waiting on a big group of demanding, smelly, smoking like smokestacks Euro trash who will not tip is just not something anyone should have to put with....

[Pessimist]

"I can't understand tips at Starbucks. Starbucks? It makes a mockery of the American tradition of tippage."

Me neither. Everybody has their hand out these days.

[Conservative Canuck]

That's odd. We do tip, as a rule (15% is the guideline in Canada). However, many. may people from the French-speaking province of Quebec vacation there, and they make every effor to be 'European.' Just like the real French, they are arrogant, whiny, and think they're more important than they really are. This brings me to Iraq. If you want to see the damgage cow-towing to a 20% minority will do to a country (actually, Quebec is about 16% and dropping), look at Canada and the political/fiscal mess created by federal politicians' sycophancy to Quebec. They pour billions into the province in hopes of getting votes; instead, all they do is complain and demand more, with no strings attached. That's a big reason I said 'bye-bye' to the place... :-(

[chudogg]

Hey let me get her number!?

[Conservative Canuck]

I know a couple of good Dim Sum places, but no sushi. I would suggest an advance recon of Chinatown. It won't take long, and all you have to do is look in the door (or window) to get an idea of what kind of place it is...

[linn37]

No it was Pancho's a few blocks over from Beale. Their version of mexican food was pretty bad but they did make a good margarita.

I was told to try Rendevous but my brother had tried them a few years back and did'nt think it was very good BBQ. I think what upset him most was their version of beans that they served. He's used to pinto beans and they served pork and beans.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Mmmm, I don't think so. /wicked grin

[ChildOfThe60s]

Starbucks? What a racket! $3.75 for a cup of coffee with no refill! Wish I would've thought of that!

As do I. The idea of taking money from pretentious libs is, well, almost too good to contemplate.

Yeah, I know not everyone who goes there is a lib, but if you've been in one in DC or Philly, that's what you'd think.

[SCALEMAN]

That's odd. We do tip, as a rule (15% is the guideline in Canada).

I wasn't implying that all Canadians are like this, just the 'Snow Birds' who flock to Florida in the fall and winter.
A waitress in Panama City Beach Fl (panhandle of Fl) told me the same thing. They hate the Canadian Snow Birds because they don't tip.

[Max Flatow]

Rendezvous BBQ. We waited almost 40 minutes for our two orders of ribs. We were within moments of walking out when our order finally arrived. The ribs were okay. The beans were straight from a can, the cole slaw was just shredded cabbage with some sort of vinegar topping and the rolls were cold Wonder Bread rolls from a plastic bag. And no butter or honey for the rolls! What? What a $40.00 disappointment. You would think after four decades of business the place could come up with some better sides.

[Publius6961]

I wrote off a $15k expense when the time share I used every year decided, all by themselves, that they were going to include the 15% tip in every future use of the place.

Prior to that, my normal tips on leaving were close to 25%.

Haven't been back since.

Of course, the tip thing was just the end of a series of really stupid policy moves...

[Publius6961]

I was a waitress once.

Nothing personal, but knowing the mentality of people who work that job, all your suggestions make sense only if one does not plan actually to eat anything served subsequently...