When you go out to eat, if you enjoy your dining experience, the likelihood is that you'll leave a little bit extra at the end to thank the server for all they've done - and the kitchen staff for serving you a delicious meal. Many restaurants, however, have decided to add a 10 percent gratuity as standard onto the bill to save any awkwardness, and to ensure that they are paid fairly for their work.
Some people, however, aren't keen on the fact the gratuity is automatically added, with one woman taking to Mumsnet to express her disappointment that the tip was put on without her consent.
She wrote: "Am I being unreasonable to be annoyed by a 10 percent gratuity charge being automatically added to my bill at a restaurant. It was a seafood restaurant in the North East, a little town, not a city.
"For four of us our bill came to about £230 and a £23 tip was automatically added to the bill. It did state at the bottom of the menu an optional charge would be added but they didn't ask me before actually adding it.
"When the waitress brought the bill over she reminded us about the gratuity and said she would remove it if we prefer but I think I should have been asked if I wanted it adding in the first place. It was quite embarrassing to ask for it to be removed. She was polite about it but did seem a bit surprised.
"Food was good, service was good and I would have left £10 but it soured the evening a bit so I left nothing. I don't think tips should be expected in this country."
Some were confused about the woman's lack of tip, with one writing: "So you left less than a 5 percent tip for good service?"
Another said: "It's pretty normal and standard and has been for a long time. I prefer this, instead of sitting and calculating especially if the bill is being split. £10 after spending £230 is measly unless you received poor service."
"You soured the waitresses day too. You should have just paid it!", one fumed.
Someone else commented: "They’ve done exactly what they told you they would do. A charge was added to your bill and you were given the option to remove it. The menu didn’t say 'at the end of the meal we will ask if you want a gratuity to be added', it said 'an optional charge will be added'. They did just that and you have an issue with it."
One Mumsnetter fumed: "£10 would have been very mean! I think 10 percent is expected and I would always leave 10 percent unless the service was really bad (very rare). The people I go out with are the same. It's becoming very common these days to include the service in the bill, though you do have the option to remove it.
"Because otherwise some people don't pay when they should, especially in large cities where there is less customer loyalty and repeat business. Plus it's easier now everyone uses cards and may not have cash to hand. It's pretty much the norm in London now.
"On the whole, I prefer service to just be included rather than needing to add it separately as a tip. Perhaps we should move to a system where it is just included in the prices from the start."
Do you prefer the tip to be included on the bill? Let us know in the comments.
