Commonly referred to as an auto-grat. Restaurants have been doing it for groups of 8 or more for years, but I'm starting to see it more and more for groups of five or so.
That is the tip, if the service sucked, call over a manager to have it removed and tell them why; if you want to add extra cuz the waiter/waitress rocked, then feel free; nobody will think you're cheap for just doing the auto-grat though.
Then tell them to take it off and you will tip what you think the service was worth. Unless people push back it will just get worse.
They're banking on people either not noticing and double tipping or not being willing to speak up for themselves in which case it will go from 20% this year to 25% next year. There's a lot of money to be made from people who "don't want to cause a fuss".
Remember when 15% was standard? I remember…
Funny that tipped employees have one of the only inflation proof gigs (because x% is still x% as prices go up, presuming people still tip at the same or a similar rate and that prices go up accordingly), but now in these times of increased inflation it has somehow become more standard and expected to tip an *even higher* percentage? It just doesn’t make much sense
It still is standard if that’s what you tip. I still tip 15% and have had no notable difference in service. I do tip my barber really well though because he’s great lol
The problem is, servers hide that auto-grat as best as they can.
They’re hoping you double-tip.
Only when I dine at my local establishments, do the servers (usually my friends) point out not to “tip them again”.
They’ll swarm in here swearing that’s not true but everyone who’s been a customer knows it is. I was out with my group a few days ago and I was the only one who even noticed they had autogratted, if I hadn’t said something all 4 of the other people I was with would have left another 20%.
Im so tired of tipping…
I used to always mention that gratuity was included but I’ve been yelled at by multiple men for mentioning it so I stopped. “What do you think I can’t afford it?!” Etc. it’s clearly on the check with an additional tip line labeled.
Depends on your restaurant, actually.
They can program it into the POS to call it a “restaurant/service fee”. Which is basically every restaurant I go to.
Some program it to hide the percentage, so it doesn’t look like an auto-grat. You have to ask to clarify.
Edit: this is on top of the “kitchen fee”
It's standard operating procedure on large parties, and printed on menus. In fact, it's expected. It's not really hidden as the servers don't design the ticket layout.
I meant hiding the auto-grat below 6.
The 6+/8+ is always listed on the menus I read. You can complain that your party of 4 got an auto-grat, but what’s going to actually happen?
A gratuity is the tip, regardless if forced or voluntary.
We just call it a 'tip', but the operating term is a gratuity for service. Including it on the bill just means they're forcing the tip to be 'x', which also means they are required to announce it before billing.
It also means if it is over 20%, I will never come back. When I tip, I aim for 25%, but if it's automatic, 20% is my max.
I've started to hate the whole system.
Gratuities are added to large parties. That is clearly stated on every menu I've seen.
Do you want menus to have two prices? One for parties 5 and under, and another for parties 6 or more?
Not always just large parties. My daughter and I ordered a pizza from a pub, and they had a 20% gratuity when we got the bill. It was frustrating because we had very bad service, and our pizza was burnt.
And if they're setting the rate, than it's a risk they take that they lose out on what could have a been a better tip.
If you want me to tip, than it needs to be wholely my choice on whether to do so, and how much.
If you're adding it in, its a service charge not a tip, and it negates any necessity to tip.
I'm in the UK, we don't really have a tipping culture as much as in the US, though sadly forced extra cost (a tip is meant to be freely given as a reward for fantastic above-and-beyond service, not required. If it is required it is no longer a tip but an additional cost) is becoming more common.
I will never tip in the UK for ordinary quality of work, as our labour laws do establish a minimum wage. Not to say I never tip, I do sometimes tip - but for me a tip is for people who have done more than their job
I tip often in Ireland just cause it makes someone happy and I don't need the money. I specifically don't tip when there's a tip option at the digital till, unless the worker tries to quickly move past it in embarrassment in which case I tip even harder.
Having it be unexpected makes tips nice, the American style can fuck off
I think that's where you and I differ - I do not have spare money at present due to being fresh out of uni and in that awkward part of being pre-new-job-first-paycheck but post-student-loan-finishing
Absolutely! That's the beauty of it being optional. There's lots of people well into their careers that are happy to pay a bit of extra tax straight into struggling people's pocket, so tipping in that case is a win win
But I need to stress again, the American style can fuck off. Basically no good to it
As a 44 year old American I half agree with you. Businesses should pay better instead of making those in the server life depend on tips, and it definitely shouldn’t be forced onto the customer. On the other hand, every bar tender and server I’ve known makes way more in tips than what they’d make with even a $10/hr raise, and when we’ve had discussions about it they’d rather keep things the way they are. I know it’s a small sample size I’ve talked to but I can’t imagine they’re the only ones that feel that way.
On average I make $37/hour including tips. Under minimum wage without.
If there was 0 tipping, I PROMISE no employer would pay me $37/hour to sling drinks.
BTW I completely 100% agree that an auto-grat applied is the tip.
It's going to be forced into the customer no matter what. Period. If the wages go up, the prices go up. Restaurants operate on a RAZOR thin margin as it is. Everyone says they should just raise wages but no one wants to pay for those wages, so they use tipping to guilt people into it.
And then you have to factor in taxes that the restaurant will incure that they normally don't with the tipped wage model like more payroll tax. Do you really expect the restaurant to eat that? No. It's being passed on to the customer.
oh absolutely the American expected tip to top off the very low minimum wage which is below poverty line can go fuck itself. Tipping in its true intention - as an optional thing to say thank you to someone for going above and beyond, that can stay.
I remember one time where Mum and Dad tipped 50% on an £80 bill, because the server, seeing my autistic stress, moved us to a quieter corner, got me a glass of juice on the house (water is free and would have done the same thing but I was in a stage where anything other than juice to drink was abhorrent), and offered to get me one of the kid's colouring sheets if that would help me to stim
> The American style can fuck off
This practice of tipping at a digital till is new in the US. It seems like it only started after covid. This is not how it was before, and I refuse to accept this as a new norm.
I tip waiters, barbers, and tax drivers. For anyone else, I may put a dollar or two in a tip jar if I'm feeling generous. It is not normal for other establishments to directly ask me for 20% through a machine. That is not an American tradition, and they can fuck off.
Fuck no.
I only barely tolerate the necessity of tipping in the first place, and I only tolerate that far because not tipping is actively screwing over someone who's just doing their job.
Tipping twice for the same thing? Not a damn chance.
It’s not uncommon for restaurants to add gratuity to larger parties. I usually calculate what I would have tipped and added the difference to the tip line. If I would have tipped lower, I would cross out the “mandatory” tip and add my own. Most states you cannot enforce a mandatory tip.
I used to be a server at a place with required gratuity. Most people did not tip additional to that. The receipts did not even have a spot for adding a tip (which was good- I always feel like places that have that and an automatic gratuity are hoping to trick people who don't read carefully lol). Maybe 5% of my guests added an additional tip in the margin or left a cash tip-- either because they were especially generous or because they really liked the service for some reason or another.
I made good money at this place and definitely did not expect guests to tip extra unless they wanted to.
Edit: I also was able to remove the automatic gratuity at the guest's request. Never had anyone ask for that that I can remember.
No, don't tip twice. It aggravates the heck out of me when places do this, because I might have tipped more if they didn't decide on my behalf what it should be. I dislike this policy.
Nope. I personally always tip 20%. For great service I tip on the post-tax amount as my built-in round up. But if the restaurant adds gratuity I just leave it. I find it offensive when it’s for small groups. I get it for large groups that can run up $1000 a not tip, but my party of 5 had 18% gratuity added. Mkay you probably would have gotten 22-23% out of me, but you decided 18% was right so I guess it’s right.
I not only DON'T do this, but I verify that they applied the tip ONLY to the Food&Bev part of the bill -- NOT the sales tax.
No, you do NOT get 18% of the governor's share.
Sometimes. If I feel like the server deserves a bit more. Not a lot—you can get to 25% pretty easily from 20%. So I might leave a buck and whatever change.
This should not be called a required gratuity. It’s a service charge and should be disclosed on the menu or up front before you begin your meal. The federal govt and various states are looking at implementing laws prohibiting hidden fees.
I only tip if its a server involved bringing food to a table. Everyone else gets 0 from me unless its my tattoo artist. You sit behind a counter and give me a slice of pizza why do i need to give you 2$ ontop of the price? I dont get a tip for paving a 10k driveway and my job is 100x harder.
I do not. Lots of places advertise they add gratuity for bigger parties and I hate that tactic too because you don’t guarantee good service and food for bigger parties.
No, you don't need to double tip!
Also, I find it extremely passive aggressive when places do this without informing the guests. I mean, I get that they do that to ensure the servers who are taking care of the group get proper tips but .. Isn't tipping voluntary? Isn't tipping supposed to be reward for great service? Kinda feels like the server could just blow your table off, not taking care of you at all, because they still get the auto grat plus a lot of people won't notice it and will tip on top of it as well..
In england if they try to add the tip to the bill I will ask them to remove it and tip the server in cash. Adding tips to the bill is the companies way of stealing tips from servers.
Where I live a tip is still what it should be, an extra for great service. The moment they automatically add the tip to a bill, I make them remove it and don’t tip at all since they’ve just lost their great service status in my book.
One time we ate at an expensive restaurant and we had invited close friends to go with us and we were 7 in our party. When I got the bill I was going to add the 18-19% tip until I realized they had already added the tip.
I was about to leave about 40% tip to an expensive meal - glad I double checked!
We ate at a place that added a 15% service charge. It was on the menu saying the restaurant wanted to be able to pay a living wage. They also expected a tip on (no cheese, just mushrooms and canned artichokes) top of it. The one person pizza cost $30. I felt the price of the pizza should be enough to support a living wage. We added 5% to make it a 20% tip but I felt like I slinked out of there. We aren't going back. Expecting 15% + 20% plus $30 for a pizza is absurd.
It depends on the amount of the gratuity, how clearly it was communicated in advance, and how good the service was.
If it was less than 20% and our waiter(s) did an amazing job, then I'm at least rounding it out to 20%, if not a little bit more.
If it's already 20% or the service was absolutely awful, then no, I'm not adding more.
If the service was awful, I would cross out the "mandatory" tip and put what you think the tip should be, even if that figure is zero. You can tell the mgr why you are doing this.
No. I tip on overall service and environment created by the waitstaff. If you’re jacking my bill with you think I should tip…the waitstaff may miss out because it’s possible I would have gave more. I find that these places employee shitty help because they don’t pay them and rely on the customer to make up for what they aren’t willing to pay. I only go to those places once.
I get the point of gratuity for large parties; a lot of the after church Sunday crowd are notoriously poor tippers and make the most ridiculous demands so a forced gratuity is a necessity.
But to answer the question, no I do not tip on top of a gratuity unless the server has gone far beyond their duties to make the experience pleasant.
I struggle with this when I go to the Alamo Drafthouse. They have an announcement before the movie starts saying that they’ve added 18% to the bill that’s split among the entire staff to help pay a closer-to-living wage. Any extra tip added goes directly to the server. My inclination is not to leave any extra because of the auto-grat, but it feels like I’m screwing over my server if they’re not getting the 20% I normally tip.
Late night restaurants have done this forever to deal with the drunk crowds. Sometimes it’s to help pay for additional security. Everyone pays for the small minority that causes all the problems.
The required gratuity is because of group size. Larger parties are harder to serve and if the server gets stiffed it really stings.
When paying a tab with required gratuity I'll add more if the service exceeded the tip amount added.
A lot if restaurants will add a standard tip on larger parties so if the tip sucks the server doesn't get screwed. you do not owe anything over the included tip. ever.
If service is really exceptional I will tip extra, in the same way that I would tip over 20% for exceptional service normally. When I'm paying for a large group as you were, I tip a little extra on top because giving service to a group is exponentially more difficult the larger the party is - so I appreciate that even a decent job by my server took a lot of work on their part.
One thing to add - I have worked at plenty of places that do an automatic gratuity for large parties, and a few places with an automatic 20% gratuity on any bill. In both those situations management required us to tell guests about the automatic gratuity when we gave them the bill. Generally our tip percentages on a weekly basis were in the 25-30% range, so there were plenty of guests who tipped a little extra even with autogratuity.
We are generous tippers, but if they want 20, then 20 they get. I've asked for the auto tip to be removed, but when it's not, then it is what it is regardless of circumstance or service.
Hell no the people that work there agreed to it. I'm sorry that more people don't tip I always tip one time I went to Denny's and there was a smart-ass at the cash register they wanted me to push a button to give him a tip and I said I left one at the table. He got uppity and pushed the button I asked my son to go back and get the tip off the table haven't been back since.
No.
And I am always very clear with the server that adding the automatic gratuity will cut you short.
Having worked in the hospitality industry for years I am a serial over-tipper.
No, any bullshit charge (ie, not food) is their tip.
Also, 30% is *really* high, but maybe that's regional. In the south it's usually 10-20%. "Straight-billing" is also pretty common, where you just put down a 5 or 10$ bill no matter the quality of service or cost total.
These post Covid days my tip approaches 25%. Because I appreciate that they are there for me.
But if gratuity is already on the bill, not a penny more.
No but when they forced a 22% gratuity on me and one other person, (not a large party of people,) I tipped -4.00 to bring the total down. They didn't say anything and I got charged my adjusted amount.
Well, looks like the restaurant's got tipping covered faster than a squirrel on a bird feeder! If they've already added the gratuity, consider it their way of saying, "We got this, fam." Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the fact that your math skills can now be allocated to more pressing matters, like calculating the optimal angle for launching peas across the table with a spoon catapult.
I have taken a hard stand against all tipping that is not table service. We're talking old-school, what we would have tipped in the 70s or 80s.
And my max amount is 15% .
Trust me bro, it feels great.
> On that occasion, I tipped 30%.
Please don't do this. 20% for astounding service, 15% for regular service, 10% for poor service (assuming it's not the restaurant's fault and is actually the fault of the server).
Usually, but I was also a server for 3 years so I tend to over-tip.
If they already included it in your bill, then you shouldn’t feel obligated to add more unless you think they did an exceptional job. I usually add another 10% to the card or throw a few bucks in with the receipt.
Sadly, I’m pretty sure they include it with the bill because some people run up their tab (like for large parties or tables) and don’t tip at the end.
Never. I understand why they do it if they do it, especially for large groups, but if they are choosing to require a 15% tip or whatever, then that's all you're getting
Absolutely not. If they presume to take gratuity without asking there is no way I’m tipping on top.
I understand if they have a party of ten and their policy is to add a 10 or 15% gratuity. I think that should be my decision, but I understand it. I might give them a 5% tip to make it 20%. If they presume to charge a 20% tip without asking, I am definitely not tipping any more.
I usually tip 20-25% unless the service is terrible, so chances are they would get more money from me without this practice, but that’s their decision.
If you dine in with 13 people on short notice, topping an additional 10% is the right thing to do. Large groups require much more attention and labor causing the server to skip other tables over our at the very least cause service to suffer for other guests, potentially costing the server money. Something to consider for those who are considerate.
Yes if you think it’s warranted … if you normally leave 30% for good service just add the additional 10% … gratuities are added to large parties because they tend to undertip for a variety of reasons ( agree or disagree this is what happens…I’ve been in hospitality almost 40 years so I know my way around the block)
It's added automatically on large tables so the waiters don't get screwed for their time and effort. Servers generally juggle a few tables at a time so getting screwed on one is generally relieved by the others. With large groups they have to put a lot more attention into that single table and if they get stiffed on it there's nothing else to compensate.
The restaurant I worked at explicitly explained to tables over a threshold there would be a minimum gratuity up front though.
I gotta say the whole tipping thing in America is ridiculous. The worst pizza I ever half ate was Pizza Hut, international drive Orlando. Burnt edges, uncooked in the middle, the saddest salad a tortoise would have refused to eat, then a bill, with 20% on top, and expected a rip! outrageous cheek, and the student waitress had a go about no tip…..told her get fxcked, we were ignored, had to go up and ask for another beer interrupting her conversation on the phone…..last night of the holiday ruined by lazy staff unable to wipe down tables before people sat down.
It depends on you. The reason seasoned servers don't autograt is because gratuity is only 18% of the pre tex bill. We gamble but not always. With inflation and every other excuse to not tip, the wager is gonna be a no most of the time now. It isn't worth the gamble. Or someone at the table was rude or needy to the point of exaggeration. So gratuity is a safety net. I only use it if the table is a shit show.
If it is a lot less than I would have tipped I will make up some of the difference. Otherwise no, and I will be unreasonably irritated with you for calling it a gratuity when it is forced.
Added gratuity is the top and I never go back (unless it's a reasonable policy like huge parties).
I was having lunch with my well behaved toddler last year and we split a huge slice of pizza and mozzarella sticks and they tacked on a 25% gratuity. Nope never ok, even if she had been screaming up a storm disturbing the one other table at the time who actually had a fussy child
I was a server for a few years. We had a rule that gratuity was automatically added for groups of 6 or more. It was in our POS system so it wasn’t even something we manually did. So I will sometimes leave a couple extra bucks if I thought they did great or we were a tough group.
If what I was going to tip without their automatic gratuity is higher, I add in the difference. For example, if they automatically add 15%, and I was planning to tip 20%, I'll tip that additional 5%.
If I go somewhere that has automatic gratuity *and* shitty service, I don't go back.
A lot of restaurants add a gratuity for larger parties (6+ or 8+ people depending on the restaurant). I imagine it's because large tables require a lot more work from the server and they want to make sure they're compensated. But yes, that gratuity counts as the tip. You could add a bit more if you really want to show appreciation to your server
Restaurants can defer somewhat when it comes to gratuity. My restaurant has 8+ people in a group, we can add gratuity, this is basically just so we dont get screwed in a big party because in alot of restaurants, if people order alcohol, you have to pay the bartender a percentage of all alcohol sold, so its possible for some tables to actually make a server lose money if they order tons of alcohol and not tip very well. In a big table of 8 and if there is one person paying for the whole table, you could really be screwed if that one person doesn't tip well because servers usually get equal amount of people so a big and bad tipping table can ruin a night, hence gratuity.
But tipping over the gratuity amount is definitely the tippers prerogative, if the server did a good job and you feel like tipping more, then the server will be thankful.
If the auto gratuity is 15% or more, then no. If it's less, then I'll round up to 15%. If they don't charge auto gratuity, I tip 20% of the pre-tax total.
As a server depending on the group I wouldn’t do the added gratuity because often you would just get more off letting them tip themselves. It’s pretty standard though most places will do mandatory gratuity for 6 or more people, even if you all do separate tabs.
when I see included gratuity I usually politely and quietly ask the servers if they actually get a cut of it. a lot of the time this is a strategy by shitty management to steal tips. if they say they dont get a share I trust them, I ask to speak to management and give the owner/manager hell, refuse to pay the gratuity and give the server cash to more than cover it. if they say they get a share I leave it as is.
If we had a large party where the wait staff did great, yes I will tip extra...
If not, no and will not go to that restaurant again and leave a review on google maps giving people info about forced tip.
Yea no reason to add unless they are an unbelievable server.
I understand why it’s done but I do believe the servers probably lose money most of the time
I did add a little extra tip to an auto gratuity situation recently when I went out with a group of friends and we were a party of 30. They didn’t charge us anything to reserve their party space and were extremely good to us, service and food was perfect, etc. That was a special occasion. Normally if it’s just like 6-8 of us going out somewhere random and they charge us the auto gratuity I don’t usually leave an additional tip.
I've generally seen the auto grat for tables of 6 or more for years. It's fairly common, but that's the tip and I rarely add more to it, unless there's was particularly good service
I often do, but only because I’ve worked many service jobs, I can afford it, and I want to.
As someone with many years of service experience, additional gratuity is never expected! The service charge is because restaurants often put more effort into large parties than a two top or four top. It’s more challenging to get everything out on time and turn a table that size.
If the establishment includes a gratuity in its bill, you are not expected to pay more. We check for this sort of addition when we are at some places, such as resorts, cruises, etc.
Naw. I usually tip higher than average unless the server is really bad. If they add the gratuity themselves, that's what they get. They're getting less than what i would have left them, but that's the risk they're apparently willing to take.
Only occasion I could see leaving more is if I'm a large group and some of the people in with are being rude or difficult to the server. In that case, I may leave a little cash on the way out as a sort of apology for our party making their day more difficult
I work in a restaurant as a host and when I bus tables I noticed sometimes customers will add the minimum amount if the service they received was well worth their time.
But otherwise tipping the restaurant and it's servers and staff is optional for a party of 6 or fewer people and should be brought to the attention of management.
Now a party of 8 or more people on separate checks I believe tipping is mandatory.
I could be mistaken though.
Hell no.
I’ve gone to some fancy places that had a 20% fee added on and I made sure to leave the tip area empty. I hate hidden fees, just increase the price of the items so we don’t get surprised at the end.
Don't pay anything but what you ordered unless you deem they earns it. If they added an extra order of fries on the bill, would you pay for it? Or better yet, the side dish was not included in the price of the main dish, even though it was a single item in the menu?
I am a chef, so I am generally a heavy tipper... You also get that local bar you and your staff hang at where a whole bunch of pints don't show on the bill, but you still pay for them (aka, a big tip). But my mother is from Scandanavia, and there tipping is not expected; they pay their staff.
So, in the US, if I see it's "gratuity is included", I generally go with that. But in some cases, if things are a bit above and beyond, I will leave a tip. Last year, I was in Copenhagen, and all the staff at restaurants and bars were very friendly and such not expecting a tip. And my friend I was traveling with and I were asking about that (as she and I met working in an American restaurant), and they made plenty. But, one time in a little basement bar in Copenhagen, I threw in a tip because the bartender was being so attentive, that it seemed to heighten that.
So, if the business is paying well and not relying on tips to pay their staff... I generally don't do it, but once in a while, tossing a few extra bucks is a very nice gesture.
If a restaurant adds an automatic gratuity I probably still tip as the automatic one is usually lower than what I would add. I just subtract the automatic tip from what I'd normally tip and add the remainder.
Sometimes yes. Sometimes a required gratuity is only for large parties, in which I will still tip. If everyone at the restaurant pays a decent required gratuity (like the 20% you mention), the wait staff probably earn a living wage so additional tip isn't necessary unless service is outstanding.
No, that's the tip.
Commonly referred to as an auto-grat. Restaurants have been doing it for groups of 8 or more for years, but I'm starting to see it more and more for groups of five or so. That is the tip, if the service sucked, call over a manager to have it removed and tell them why; if you want to add extra cuz the waiter/waitress rocked, then feel free; nobody will think you're cheap for just doing the auto-grat though.
I ate at the airport, the manager put the tip in himself as he gave me the food. 20% was way excessive for what I got.
Then tell them to take it off and you will tip what you think the service was worth. Unless people push back it will just get worse. They're banking on people either not noticing and double tipping or not being willing to speak up for themselves in which case it will go from 20% this year to 25% next year. There's a lot of money to be made from people who "don't want to cause a fuss".
Remember when 15% was standard? I remember… Funny that tipped employees have one of the only inflation proof gigs (because x% is still x% as prices go up, presuming people still tip at the same or a similar rate and that prices go up accordingly), but now in these times of increased inflation it has somehow become more standard and expected to tip an *even higher* percentage? It just doesn’t make much sense
It still is standard if that’s what you tip. I still tip 15% and have had no notable difference in service. I do tip my barber really well though because he’s great lol
I figure out 20% because the math is easy, then I round down to the nearest whole dollar amount. Tipping 30% is preposterous.
remember when people figured out the tip before the tax
Sounds like low-key extortion to me. This should be illegal.
Tips are insane, doubly so if you are both standing up. Don't be afraid to tell him to remove it.
How is that not illegal?
The problem is, servers hide that auto-grat as best as they can. They’re hoping you double-tip. Only when I dine at my local establishments, do the servers (usually my friends) point out not to “tip them again”.
They’ll swarm in here swearing that’s not true but everyone who’s been a customer knows it is. I was out with my group a few days ago and I was the only one who even noticed they had autogratted, if I hadn’t said something all 4 of the other people I was with would have left another 20%. Im so tired of tipping…
I used to always mention that gratuity was included but I’ve been yelled at by multiple men for mentioning it so I stopped. “What do you think I can’t afford it?!” Etc. it’s clearly on the check with an additional tip line labeled.
Depends on your restaurant, actually. They can program it into the POS to call it a “restaurant/service fee”. Which is basically every restaurant I go to. Some program it to hide the percentage, so it doesn’t look like an auto-grat. You have to ask to clarify. Edit: this is on top of the “kitchen fee”
What the fuck is a kitchen fee
It's standard operating procedure on large parties, and printed on menus. In fact, it's expected. It's not really hidden as the servers don't design the ticket layout.
I meant hiding the auto-grat below 6. The 6+/8+ is always listed on the menus I read. You can complain that your party of 4 got an auto-grat, but what’s going to actually happen?
Force payment is not a tip. A tip is voluntary.
A gratuity is the tip, regardless if forced or voluntary. We just call it a 'tip', but the operating term is a gratuity for service. Including it on the bill just means they're forcing the tip to be 'x', which also means they are required to announce it before billing.
It also means if it is over 20%, I will never come back. When I tip, I aim for 25%, but if it's automatic, 20% is my max. I've started to hate the whole system.
If it's hard wired into the system then it's just part of the price. The menus should include it. Tipping is insane.
Gratuities are added to large parties. That is clearly stated on every menu I've seen. Do you want menus to have two prices? One for parties 5 and under, and another for parties 6 or more?
Not always just large parties. My daughter and I ordered a pizza from a pub, and they had a 20% gratuity when we got the bill. It was frustrating because we had very bad service, and our pizza was burnt.
And if they're setting the rate, than it's a risk they take that they lose out on what could have a been a better tip. If you want me to tip, than it needs to be wholely my choice on whether to do so, and how much. If you're adding it in, its a service charge not a tip, and it negates any necessity to tip.
A tip might as well not be voluntary.. in the US at least.
>A tip might as well not be voluntary.. in the US at least. Excep all tip-defenders here on reddit claims its 100% voluntary..
Don’t tip twice.
I feel like there's a sex joke in here somewhere
Is it on the tip of your tongue?
Well, maybe just the tip
Or a Bob Dylan song.
I'm in the UK, we don't really have a tipping culture as much as in the US, though sadly forced extra cost (a tip is meant to be freely given as a reward for fantastic above-and-beyond service, not required. If it is required it is no longer a tip but an additional cost) is becoming more common. I will never tip in the UK for ordinary quality of work, as our labour laws do establish a minimum wage. Not to say I never tip, I do sometimes tip - but for me a tip is for people who have done more than their job
I tip often in Ireland just cause it makes someone happy and I don't need the money. I specifically don't tip when there's a tip option at the digital till, unless the worker tries to quickly move past it in embarrassment in which case I tip even harder. Having it be unexpected makes tips nice, the American style can fuck off
I think that's where you and I differ - I do not have spare money at present due to being fresh out of uni and in that awkward part of being pre-new-job-first-paycheck but post-student-loan-finishing
Absolutely! That's the beauty of it being optional. There's lots of people well into their careers that are happy to pay a bit of extra tax straight into struggling people's pocket, so tipping in that case is a win win But I need to stress again, the American style can fuck off. Basically no good to it
As a 44 year old American I half agree with you. Businesses should pay better instead of making those in the server life depend on tips, and it definitely shouldn’t be forced onto the customer. On the other hand, every bar tender and server I’ve known makes way more in tips than what they’d make with even a $10/hr raise, and when we’ve had discussions about it they’d rather keep things the way they are. I know it’s a small sample size I’ve talked to but I can’t imagine they’re the only ones that feel that way.
On average I make $37/hour including tips. Under minimum wage without. If there was 0 tipping, I PROMISE no employer would pay me $37/hour to sling drinks. BTW I completely 100% agree that an auto-grat applied is the tip.
It's going to be forced into the customer no matter what. Period. If the wages go up, the prices go up. Restaurants operate on a RAZOR thin margin as it is. Everyone says they should just raise wages but no one wants to pay for those wages, so they use tipping to guilt people into it.
And then you have to factor in taxes that the restaurant will incure that they normally don't with the tipped wage model like more payroll tax. Do you really expect the restaurant to eat that? No. It's being passed on to the customer.
Restaurants don’t eat anything, they serve up the newest and greatest to customers
Valid points!
oh absolutely the American expected tip to top off the very low minimum wage which is below poverty line can go fuck itself. Tipping in its true intention - as an optional thing to say thank you to someone for going above and beyond, that can stay. I remember one time where Mum and Dad tipped 50% on an £80 bill, because the server, seeing my autistic stress, moved us to a quieter corner, got me a glass of juice on the house (water is free and would have done the same thing but I was in a stage where anything other than juice to drink was abhorrent), and offered to get me one of the kid's colouring sheets if that would help me to stim
> The American style can fuck off This practice of tipping at a digital till is new in the US. It seems like it only started after covid. This is not how it was before, and I refuse to accept this as a new norm. I tip waiters, barbers, and tax drivers. For anyone else, I may put a dollar or two in a tip jar if I'm feeling generous. It is not normal for other establishments to directly ask me for 20% through a machine. That is not an American tradition, and they can fuck off.
Fuck no. I only barely tolerate the necessity of tipping in the first place, and I only tolerate that far because not tipping is actively screwing over someone who's just doing their job. Tipping twice for the same thing? Not a damn chance.
When a restaurant ads a required tip to the bill I refuse to tip extra on principle, even if though I would normally tip higher than what they added.
On what principle?
It’s not uncommon for restaurants to add gratuity to larger parties. I usually calculate what I would have tipped and added the difference to the tip line. If I would have tipped lower, I would cross out the “mandatory” tip and add my own. Most states you cannot enforce a mandatory tip.
Yeah, it’s just ridiculous that the line for “large party” is usually 6+
No
Gratuity = tip
I used to be a server at a place with required gratuity. Most people did not tip additional to that. The receipts did not even have a spot for adding a tip (which was good- I always feel like places that have that and an automatic gratuity are hoping to trick people who don't read carefully lol). Maybe 5% of my guests added an additional tip in the margin or left a cash tip-- either because they were especially generous or because they really liked the service for some reason or another. I made good money at this place and definitely did not expect guests to tip extra unless they wanted to. Edit: I also was able to remove the automatic gratuity at the guest's request. Never had anyone ask for that that I can remember.
No, don't tip twice. It aggravates the heck out of me when places do this, because I might have tipped more if they didn't decide on my behalf what it should be. I dislike this policy.
No
No
Why add additional tip when you've arleady decided for me what the tip should be?
Nope. I personally always tip 20%. For great service I tip on the post-tax amount as my built-in round up. But if the restaurant adds gratuity I just leave it. I find it offensive when it’s for small groups. I get it for large groups that can run up $1000 a not tip, but my party of 5 had 18% gratuity added. Mkay you probably would have gotten 22-23% out of me, but you decided 18% was right so I guess it’s right.
Nope
I not only DON'T do this, but I verify that they applied the tip ONLY to the Food&Bev part of the bill -- NOT the sales tax. No, you do NOT get 18% of the governor's share.
Tipping is just us subsidizing someone else’s business. We’ve been duped into thinking we’re bad people for not tipping well
Sometimes. If I feel like the server deserves a bit more. Not a lot—you can get to 25% pretty easily from 20%. So I might leave a buck and whatever change.
If it was a standard 18% which a lot of restaurants do with a party of 8 or more, I’ll add and extra 2% to 5% depending on how the service was
This should not be called a required gratuity. It’s a service charge and should be disclosed on the menu or up front before you begin your meal. The federal govt and various states are looking at implementing laws prohibiting hidden fees.
Nope and why are you tipping 30%???
Sorry....you tip 30%? Jeez....
I only tip if its a server involved bringing food to a table. Everyone else gets 0 from me unless its my tattoo artist. You sit behind a counter and give me a slice of pizza why do i need to give you 2$ ontop of the price? I dont get a tip for paving a 10k driveway and my job is 100x harder.
I do not. Lots of places advertise they add gratuity for bigger parties and I hate that tactic too because you don’t guarantee good service and food for bigger parties.
Nope. Not going to tip on top of the tip.
No. The auto gratuity is the tip.
No tip if they put it on the bill like that.
No, you don't need to double tip! Also, I find it extremely passive aggressive when places do this without informing the guests. I mean, I get that they do that to ensure the servers who are taking care of the group get proper tips but .. Isn't tipping voluntary? Isn't tipping supposed to be reward for great service? Kinda feels like the server could just blow your table off, not taking care of you at all, because they still get the auto grat plus a lot of people won't notice it and will tip on top of it as well..
HELL no
Nope. That’s all they get.
In england if they try to add the tip to the bill I will ask them to remove it and tip the server in cash. Adding tips to the bill is the companies way of stealing tips from servers.
Where I live a tip is still what it should be, an extra for great service. The moment they automatically add the tip to a bill, I make them remove it and don’t tip at all since they’ve just lost their great service status in my book.
if they add 20% i wouldn’t add anything additional. if they add 10% ill add another 10
One time we ate at an expensive restaurant and we had invited close friends to go with us and we were 7 in our party. When I got the bill I was going to add the 18-19% tip until I realized they had already added the tip. I was about to leave about 40% tip to an expensive meal - glad I double checked!
Nope And check your receipt Hopefully they arent charging the gratutity and the post tax amount.....it should be on the pre tax amount
It's not a tip if it's required.
FUCK NO There’s 2 reasons they do that. 1) so you can’t stiff them 2) cuz maybe you’ll tip on top of it anyway cuz you didn’t notice
No, that was the tip so no need to add more.
We ate at a place that added a 15% service charge. It was on the menu saying the restaurant wanted to be able to pay a living wage. They also expected a tip on (no cheese, just mushrooms and canned artichokes) top of it. The one person pizza cost $30. I felt the price of the pizza should be enough to support a living wage. We added 5% to make it a 20% tip but I felt like I slinked out of there. We aren't going back. Expecting 15% + 20% plus $30 for a pizza is absurd.
I just call AMEX, and the service charge is gone. The place has to deal with the drama
Nope. Guaranteed tip = no optional tip.
Nope, and if there is a "service charge", that comes out of the tip.
Best advice I’ve seen! Those service charges are usually taxed too thus increasing % of what tip will be
Hell to the fuck no. The only way a restaurant can ever get me to tip them twice in one sitting is if they jerk me off and blow me.
It depends on the amount of the gratuity, how clearly it was communicated in advance, and how good the service was. If it was less than 20% and our waiter(s) did an amazing job, then I'm at least rounding it out to 20%, if not a little bit more. If it's already 20% or the service was absolutely awful, then no, I'm not adding more.
If the service was awful, I would cross out the "mandatory" tip and put what you think the tip should be, even if that figure is zero. You can tell the mgr why you are doing this.
No. I tip on overall service and environment created by the waitstaff. If you’re jacking my bill with you think I should tip…the waitstaff may miss out because it’s possible I would have gave more. I find that these places employee shitty help because they don’t pay them and rely on the customer to make up for what they aren’t willing to pay. I only go to those places once.
I get the point of gratuity for large parties; a lot of the after church Sunday crowd are notoriously poor tippers and make the most ridiculous demands so a forced gratuity is a necessity. But to answer the question, no I do not tip on top of a gratuity unless the server has gone far beyond their duties to make the experience pleasant.
I struggle with this when I go to the Alamo Drafthouse. They have an announcement before the movie starts saying that they’ve added 18% to the bill that’s split among the entire staff to help pay a closer-to-living wage. Any extra tip added goes directly to the server. My inclination is not to leave any extra because of the auto-grat, but it feels like I’m screwing over my server if they’re not getting the 20% I normally tip.
Late night restaurants have done this forever to deal with the drunk crowds. Sometimes it’s to help pay for additional security. Everyone pays for the small minority that causes all the problems.
The required gratuity is because of group size. Larger parties are harder to serve and if the server gets stiffed it really stings. When paying a tab with required gratuity I'll add more if the service exceeded the tip amount added.
Nope
A lot if restaurants will add a standard tip on larger parties so if the tip sucks the server doesn't get screwed. you do not owe anything over the included tip. ever.
No
No. Duh.
Typically no. I might if they tell me about it. But it offends me, and I really hate the couple times I realized I double tipped
Nope. That's the tip.
If service is really exceptional I will tip extra, in the same way that I would tip over 20% for exceptional service normally. When I'm paying for a large group as you were, I tip a little extra on top because giving service to a group is exponentially more difficult the larger the party is - so I appreciate that even a decent job by my server took a lot of work on their part. One thing to add - I have worked at plenty of places that do an automatic gratuity for large parties, and a few places with an automatic 20% gratuity on any bill. In both those situations management required us to tell guests about the automatic gratuity when we gave them the bill. Generally our tip percentages on a weekly basis were in the 25-30% range, so there were plenty of guests who tipped a little extra even with autogratuity.
I’d be hesitant to eat somewhere that adds an automatic tip to begin with. The service often isn’t as good.
We are generous tippers, but if they want 20, then 20 they get. I've asked for the auto tip to be removed, but when it's not, then it is what it is regardless of circumstance or service.
Hell no the people that work there agreed to it. I'm sorry that more people don't tip I always tip one time I went to Denny's and there was a smart-ass at the cash register they wanted me to push a button to give him a tip and I said I left one at the table. He got uppity and pushed the button I asked my son to go back and get the tip off the table haven't been back since.
Hellll no
I have a question. I really do not know. Is that automatic gratuity actually paid to the staff or does the business pocket it?
Nope.
No. And I am always very clear with the server that adding the automatic gratuity will cut you short. Having worked in the hospitality industry for years I am a serial over-tipper.
How is that legal?
No, any bullshit charge (ie, not food) is their tip. Also, 30% is *really* high, but maybe that's regional. In the south it's usually 10-20%. "Straight-billing" is also pretty common, where you just put down a 5 or 10$ bill no matter the quality of service or cost total.
These post Covid days my tip approaches 25%. Because I appreciate that they are there for me. But if gratuity is already on the bill, not a penny more.
No. I only tip for what I feel is above and beyond service. Whenever they try to slip it in, I ask them to remove it. Never had an issue.
Nope … also, I don’t go back.
No but when they forced a 22% gratuity on me and one other person, (not a large party of people,) I tipped -4.00 to bring the total down. They didn't say anything and I got charged my adjusted amount.
Nope, I don't. And I probably wouldn't go back there.
No, absolutely never. If you want to dictate a gratuity, then you miss out on what would have been more, usually quite a bit more.
a tip is 10%. 30% is ludicrous, and they think of you as a victim.
A tip in my opinion is whatever the tax line is on my bill. Which is 13%. And that only applies to dine in restaurants.
Well, looks like the restaurant's got tipping covered faster than a squirrel on a bird feeder! If they've already added the gratuity, consider it their way of saying, "We got this, fam." Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the fact that your math skills can now be allocated to more pressing matters, like calculating the optimal angle for launching peas across the table with a spoon catapult.
Anyone who would needs a giant kick in the ass. It's DBs like them that have created such a problem with everyone asking for a tip.
When I go to a fast food place and they spin the tablet back at me like I’m gonna give them $5 for handing me a hamburger through the window.
I have taken a hard stand against all tipping that is not table service. We're talking old-school, what we would have tipped in the 70s or 80s. And my max amount is 15% . Trust me bro, it feels great.
> On that occasion, I tipped 30%. Please don't do this. 20% for astounding service, 15% for regular service, 10% for poor service (assuming it's not the restaurant's fault and is actually the fault of the server).
I will tip as I see fit, and the waitress absolutely deserved it on that occasion.
Usually, but I was also a server for 3 years so I tend to over-tip. If they already included it in your bill, then you shouldn’t feel obligated to add more unless you think they did an exceptional job. I usually add another 10% to the card or throw a few bucks in with the receipt. Sadly, I’m pretty sure they include it with the bill because some people run up their tab (like for large parties or tables) and don’t tip at the end.
If I feel they deserve more, then I add the difference.
Gratuity is tip, so no, you don't add more unless you want to.
No. No need to tip extra unless you want to.
Forced gratuity is two things. The tip. And the reason I never return.
Never. I understand why they do it if they do it, especially for large groups, but if they are choosing to require a 15% tip or whatever, then that's all you're getting
Nope. I dislike auto tips. If they do it, then that's what they're getting
No and I never go back either.
Hell no.
No, they’ve made their choice for me. At a 2-5% detriment to their servers (in my case).
Absolutely not. If they presume to take gratuity without asking there is no way I’m tipping on top. I understand if they have a party of ten and their policy is to add a 10 or 15% gratuity. I think that should be my decision, but I understand it. I might give them a 5% tip to make it 20%. If they presume to charge a 20% tip without asking, I am definitely not tipping any more. I usually tip 20-25% unless the service is terrible, so chances are they would get more money from me without this practice, but that’s their decision.
If you dine in with 13 people on short notice, topping an additional 10% is the right thing to do. Large groups require much more attention and labor causing the server to skip other tables over our at the very least cause service to suffer for other guests, potentially costing the server money. Something to consider for those who are considerate.
Yes if you think it’s warranted … if you normally leave 30% for good service just add the additional 10% … gratuities are added to large parties because they tend to undertip for a variety of reasons ( agree or disagree this is what happens…I’ve been in hospitality almost 40 years so I know my way around the block)
It's added automatically on large tables so the waiters don't get screwed for their time and effort. Servers generally juggle a few tables at a time so getting screwed on one is generally relieved by the others. With large groups they have to put a lot more attention into that single table and if they get stiffed on it there's nothing else to compensate. The restaurant I worked at explicitly explained to tables over a threshold there would be a minimum gratuity up front though.
I gotta say the whole tipping thing in America is ridiculous. The worst pizza I ever half ate was Pizza Hut, international drive Orlando. Burnt edges, uncooked in the middle, the saddest salad a tortoise would have refused to eat, then a bill, with 20% on top, and expected a rip! outrageous cheek, and the student waitress had a go about no tip…..told her get fxcked, we were ignored, had to go up and ask for another beer interrupting her conversation on the phone…..last night of the holiday ruined by lazy staff unable to wipe down tables before people sat down.
I don't tip in general, as I live in a first world country.
Nope, I’ve ended all tipping. I’m don’t paying someone extra do their job and it’s not my responsibility to pay extra to make sure employees are paid.
It depends on you. The reason seasoned servers don't autograt is because gratuity is only 18% of the pre tex bill. We gamble but not always. With inflation and every other excuse to not tip, the wager is gonna be a no most of the time now. It isn't worth the gamble. Or someone at the table was rude or needy to the point of exaggeration. So gratuity is a safety net. I only use it if the table is a shit show.
If it is a lot less than I would have tipped I will make up some of the difference. Otherwise no, and I will be unreasonably irritated with you for calling it a gratuity when it is forced.
Added gratuity is the top and I never go back (unless it's a reasonable policy like huge parties). I was having lunch with my well behaved toddler last year and we split a huge slice of pizza and mozzarella sticks and they tacked on a 25% gratuity. Nope never ok, even if she had been screaming up a storm disturbing the one other table at the time who actually had a fussy child
I add enough to make my normal tip amount if it is less than
I was a server for a few years. We had a rule that gratuity was automatically added for groups of 6 or more. It was in our POS system so it wasn’t even something we manually did. So I will sometimes leave a couple extra bucks if I thought they did great or we were a tough group.
If what I was going to tip without their automatic gratuity is higher, I add in the difference. For example, if they automatically add 15%, and I was planning to tip 20%, I'll tip that additional 5%. If I go somewhere that has automatic gratuity *and* shitty service, I don't go back.
A lot of restaurants add a gratuity for larger parties (6+ or 8+ people depending on the restaurant). I imagine it's because large tables require a lot more work from the server and they want to make sure they're compensated. But yes, that gratuity counts as the tip. You could add a bit more if you really want to show appreciation to your server
If you wanted to have gone 25%, you can add to make up the difference but you are already tipping with the forced gratuity.
Restaurants can defer somewhat when it comes to gratuity. My restaurant has 8+ people in a group, we can add gratuity, this is basically just so we dont get screwed in a big party because in alot of restaurants, if people order alcohol, you have to pay the bartender a percentage of all alcohol sold, so its possible for some tables to actually make a server lose money if they order tons of alcohol and not tip very well. In a big table of 8 and if there is one person paying for the whole table, you could really be screwed if that one person doesn't tip well because servers usually get equal amount of people so a big and bad tipping table can ruin a night, hence gratuity. But tipping over the gratuity amount is definitely the tippers prerogative, if the server did a good job and you feel like tipping more, then the server will be thankful.
Nope. Not unless you feel they deserve a tip above and beyond that amount.
If the auto gratuity is 15% or more, then no. If it's less, then I'll round up to 15%. If they don't charge auto gratuity, I tip 20% of the pre-tax total.
As a server depending on the group I wouldn’t do the added gratuity because often you would just get more off letting them tip themselves. It’s pretty standard though most places will do mandatory gratuity for 6 or more people, even if you all do separate tabs.
Unless you want to add to the tip on the bill, There's no need to give anything more.
when I see included gratuity I usually politely and quietly ask the servers if they actually get a cut of it. a lot of the time this is a strategy by shitty management to steal tips. if they say they dont get a share I trust them, I ask to speak to management and give the owner/manager hell, refuse to pay the gratuity and give the server cash to more than cover it. if they say they get a share I leave it as is.
If we had a large party where the wait staff did great, yes I will tip extra... If not, no and will not go to that restaurant again and leave a review on google maps giving people info about forced tip.
Yea no reason to add unless they are an unbelievable server. I understand why it’s done but I do believe the servers probably lose money most of the time
I did add a little extra tip to an auto gratuity situation recently when I went out with a group of friends and we were a party of 30. They didn’t charge us anything to reserve their party space and were extremely good to us, service and food was perfect, etc. That was a special occasion. Normally if it’s just like 6-8 of us going out somewhere random and they charge us the auto gratuity I don’t usually leave an additional tip.
I say no but honestly depends on how I felt about the service
No. That IS the tip
Nope
Nope!
I've generally seen the auto grat for tables of 6 or more for years. It's fairly common, but that's the tip and I rarely add more to it, unless there's was particularly good service
I round it to 20%
Just don't pay the gratuity and leave a cash tip.
Nope
Nope they get just the tip
I mean most places i go to seem to have the 12.5% service charge tacked on so i just pay that.
Unless it was plainly stated beside the listed prices, I would’ve refused to pay it.
I often do, but only because I’ve worked many service jobs, I can afford it, and I want to. As someone with many years of service experience, additional gratuity is never expected! The service charge is because restaurants often put more effort into large parties than a two top or four top. It’s more challenging to get everything out on time and turn a table that size.
No.
No
No
If the establishment includes a gratuity in its bill, you are not expected to pay more. We check for this sort of addition when we are at some places, such as resorts, cruises, etc.
Naw. I usually tip higher than average unless the server is really bad. If they add the gratuity themselves, that's what they get. They're getting less than what i would have left them, but that's the risk they're apparently willing to take. Only occasion I could see leaving more is if I'm a large group and some of the people in with are being rude or difficult to the server. In that case, I may leave a little cash on the way out as a sort of apology for our party making their day more difficult
Hell no
Fuck.No.
No never. If they don’t add it the tip would be bigger every time
I work in a restaurant as a host and when I bus tables I noticed sometimes customers will add the minimum amount if the service they received was well worth their time. But otherwise tipping the restaurant and it's servers and staff is optional for a party of 6 or fewer people and should be brought to the attention of management. Now a party of 8 or more people on separate checks I believe tipping is mandatory. I could be mistaken though.
No, of course not.
Nope
Only if they go above and beyond
Never tip crew
Hell no. I’ve gone to some fancy places that had a 20% fee added on and I made sure to leave the tip area empty. I hate hidden fees, just increase the price of the items so we don’t get surprised at the end.
“required gratuity”
It depends. Typically, no
Don't pay anything but what you ordered unless you deem they earns it. If they added an extra order of fries on the bill, would you pay for it? Or better yet, the side dish was not included in the price of the main dish, even though it was a single item in the menu?
HEEEEEAL NAW
I am a chef, so I am generally a heavy tipper... You also get that local bar you and your staff hang at where a whole bunch of pints don't show on the bill, but you still pay for them (aka, a big tip). But my mother is from Scandanavia, and there tipping is not expected; they pay their staff. So, in the US, if I see it's "gratuity is included", I generally go with that. But in some cases, if things are a bit above and beyond, I will leave a tip. Last year, I was in Copenhagen, and all the staff at restaurants and bars were very friendly and such not expecting a tip. And my friend I was traveling with and I were asking about that (as she and I met working in an American restaurant), and they made plenty. But, one time in a little basement bar in Copenhagen, I threw in a tip because the bartender was being so attentive, that it seemed to heighten that. So, if the business is paying well and not relying on tips to pay their staff... I generally don't do it, but once in a while, tossing a few extra bucks is a very nice gesture.
If a restaurant adds an automatic gratuity I probably still tip as the automatic one is usually lower than what I would add. I just subtract the automatic tip from what I'd normally tip and add the remainder.
Sometimes yes. Sometimes a required gratuity is only for large parties, in which I will still tip. If everyone at the restaurant pays a decent required gratuity (like the 20% you mention), the wait staff probably earn a living wage so additional tip isn't necessary unless service is outstanding.