COMPULSORY REWARD FOR SERVICE AT A TIPPING POINT
Have you ever considered the incentive for exemplary wait staff should come from the boss, not the customer
HERE’S a tip ... say no to tipping.
Politically and culturally we’ve long followed in the footsteps of American trends, for better or for worse.
Just last week Marina Mirage opened its doors to American-style chain King Crab Co, which comes complete with southern-style cuisine and encourages bibs, fingers ... but hopefully not tipping.
Some of our most successful restaurateurs have suggested our city could enjoy better service if we embraced the tipping culture.
Little Truffle’s Daniel Ridgeway says if we had a better tipping culture we could secure more long-term hospitality professionals, while Hellenika’s Simon Gloftis says he would bring in tipping as the norm tomorrow if he could.
I’m here to warn you: just say no.
My fellow Gold Coasters, I urge you ... ask not what you can give your server, but what your server can give you.
Tipping as a bonus for fabulous service is fine, but it doesn’t take long for it to, well, tip over to the compulsory.
In the past five years I’ve watched America’s tipping percentage slide up from a standard 10 per cent to a now staggering 20 per cent.
I’m no good with numbers but I don’t see why the percentage has changed. As inflation goes up, so too does the cost of a meal – and thus 10 per cent of $100 is still a lot more than 10 per cent of $50.
The tip is now more expensive than my children’s meals.
And the service? It’s sliding in the opposite direction.
If you don’t tip, you may as well rob the till on your way out, such is the reputation you’ll earn.
Besides, I couldn’t not tip ... unlike our wait staff, American servers don’t earn a living wage from their employers. Which is great for business, but not so great when the service isn’t up to scratch.
Just the other night, dining in Death Valley (I’ll admit, probably not the highest benchmark for international cuisine or service), my son was served chicken nuggets.
After complaining about the stringy texture for the first five bites, we finally attempted to examine the offending nugget under the very poor lighting.
As my husband shone the phone light on the food, we saw the nugget glistening ... pink and raw. Visions of salmonella danced in our heads as we attempted to lie to our son that it was all good, while simultaneously signalling to the waitress to get this rotting carcass off our table.
Our waitress whisked the plates away like she was fleeing a crime scene – which possibly she was.
Still, it wasn’t her fault. But when the bill came, without any money deducted despite the great nugget debacle, we had no option to indicate our displeasure except to reduce the tip.
Yes, that’s right ... my son was served raw chicken and we tipped 10 per cent. That’s just not right. Besides, tipping is just plain awkward. There’s always that terrifying few minutes when I try to calculate what I owe before I’m tarred and feathered by rioting staff. If I wanted to do maths I wouldn’t
be a journalist. Yet it’s equally offensive when they write the expected tip at the bottom of the bill.
And it’s not just wait staff. You have to tip the doorman, the driver, the hairdresser, the barman ... the list goes on.
There’s an etiquette to this culture that is often lost in translation. We were told to tip housekeeping on the morning of checkout. But clearly that’s not universal in the US as our maid left a nasty note after we didn’t deliver on the second day.
Guess who never got a tip? Our city boasts some of the best cafes and restaurants not just in Australia but the world ... and yes, I’m judging that primarily on the coffee I’ve been drinking stateside.
Of course our service can be improved and anyone who provides stellar attention deserves a reward. But perhaps the incentive should come from the boss, not the customer.