Troy McNaughtonHere's a tip: Tipping Etiquette
June 7th 2006 18:10
As much as I’d like to enlighten you all on the etiquette of tipping one’s hat – not least of which because hats are one of the greatest victims of modern fashion – current trends in greeting and acknowledgement would be lucky to have you look up from your mobile phone. At least you can still tip the tip jar / plate / glass of coloured water / cutesy receptacle at your café of choice.
But should you? Do you need to? Is it expected? Will they spit in your coffee next time if you don’t tip?
Firstly, I’d like to dispel the myth that we in Australia are a tipping society. Until very recently we had fairly decent minimum wage laws, and the effect of the new industrial relations reforms has not been felt yet. So let us proceed with a tentatively optimistic assumption that minimum awards will be maintained at a reasonable level in the future.
Minimum wages for café staff are at least stopping your average barista from limboing under the poverty line. It’s hard to limbo when you’re hungry. Unlike America, our service industry professionals do not rely on tips to make a decent living, and of course this means that the cost of employing staff is built into the cost of the service to the customer. We already have a service charge built into any bill – all things being equal, you are not obliged or required to tip.
There are several exceptions to this rule, however. Tipping is used in Australia not as bread and butter sustenance for workers but as a feedback system.
You should start from a presumption of tipping when:
a) There is a big group of you – especially if you’ve been noisy or the café is busy.
b) You have been there a long time and ordered a lot.
c) You have been there a long time and ordered very little – 4 hours on one coffee for example.
d) You have been impressed with the food.
e) You have been impressed with the staff/service.
f) You have been a pain in the ass and made special requests of tricky menu adjustments or complicated coffee preferences and they've accommodated you.
g) You have broken anything.
h) It’s your local and you can reap benefits from a healthy café/patron relationship.
i) It’s a family run café – often family members work for peanuts; they bend the award wages rules.
j) You’re on a date with someone you want to think well of you – it shows generosity and a lack of materialism.
k) You rushed them because you were in a hurry and they stepped up to the challenge.
This presumption can of course be overridden and you can reasonably forget about tipping when:
a) The food was bad, or especially if the food was overpriced.
b) The staff/service was bad or just ordinary.
c) Any staff were rude to you or it took you forever to get their attention, particularly to get the bill.
d) You felt pressured to leave as soon as you’d finished.
e) They asked you to accommodate them – by moving tables etc.
f) They had run out of whatever you wanted from the menu.
g) You’re never going to see them again and you’re feeling frugal that week.
h) University cafes – you know it’s a cushy job, they’re ridiculously well paid and they KNOW they get students for customers. And they’re hardly ever any good at customer service.
i) There is any kind of Sunday/public holiday surcharge. Or they tried to overcharge you.
j) It’s a self-serve kinda café.
k) You bring in a lot of business by taking all your friends there.
Finally, how much to tip is always a hard decision. At a good restaurant you would expect to tip 10% of the total bill. The rules are different in your more informal dining/coffeeing situation.
If you’re feeling on the neutral side of satisfied with your time at the café, silver coinage, particularly your change from paying, will do nicely.
If they’ve managed to fulfil one or more of the positive criteria above, you’re feeling generous and content, gold coins will be appropriate. Only large groups need ever tip note values.
I know it’s hard. I know it’s stressful. But in the end, it’s a service industry and every business venture should be working hard for your hard-earned. Balance this with the common sense of rewarding good business practice and voila! You have your answer. Follow these simple rules and you’ll never feel embarrassed, conflicted, confused or stingy ever again!
But should you? Do you need to? Is it expected? Will they spit in your coffee next time if you don’t tip?
Firstly, I’d like to dispel the myth that we in Australia are a tipping society. Until very recently we had fairly decent minimum wage laws, and the effect of the new industrial relations reforms has not been felt yet. So let us proceed with a tentatively optimistic assumption that minimum awards will be maintained at a reasonable level in the future.
There are several exceptions to this rule, however. Tipping is used in Australia not as bread and butter sustenance for workers but as a feedback system.
You should start from a presumption of tipping when:
a) There is a big group of you – especially if you’ve been noisy or the café is busy.
b) You have been there a long time and ordered a lot.
c) You have been there a long time and ordered very little – 4 hours on one coffee for example.
d) You have been impressed with the food.
e) You have been impressed with the staff/service.
f) You have been a pain in the ass and made special requests of tricky menu adjustments or complicated coffee preferences and they've accommodated you.
g) You have broken anything.
h) It’s your local and you can reap benefits from a healthy café/patron relationship.
i) It’s a family run café – often family members work for peanuts; they bend the award wages rules.
j) You’re on a date with someone you want to think well of you – it shows generosity and a lack of materialism.
k) You rushed them because you were in a hurry and they stepped up to the challenge.
This presumption can of course be overridden and you can reasonably forget about tipping when:
a) The food was bad, or especially if the food was overpriced.
b) The staff/service was bad or just ordinary.
c) Any staff were rude to you or it took you forever to get their attention, particularly to get the bill.
d) You felt pressured to leave as soon as you’d finished.
e) They asked you to accommodate them – by moving tables etc.
f) They had run out of whatever you wanted from the menu.
g) You’re never going to see them again and you’re feeling frugal that week.
h) University cafes – you know it’s a cushy job, they’re ridiculously well paid and they KNOW they get students for customers. And they’re hardly ever any good at customer service.
i) There is any kind of Sunday/public holiday surcharge. Or they tried to overcharge you.
j) It’s a self-serve kinda café.
k) You bring in a lot of business by taking all your friends there.
Wikipic
If you’re feeling on the neutral side of satisfied with your time at the café, silver coinage, particularly your change from paying, will do nicely.
If they’ve managed to fulfil one or more of the positive criteria above, you’re feeling generous and content, gold coins will be appropriate. Only large groups need ever tip note values.
I know it’s hard. I know it’s stressful. But in the end, it’s a service industry and every business venture should be working hard for your hard-earned. Balance this with the common sense of rewarding good business practice and voila! You have your answer. Follow these simple rules and you’ll never feel embarrassed, conflicted, confused or stingy ever again!
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Comment by Cibbuano
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I try to remind myself that servers get paid a hell of a lot here, comparatively..
Comment by Lia
Comment by Shani
Comment by amy
Lia, that is SUCH bad form! Report him/her to the UN Etiquette Tribunal! Tipping should ALWAYS be a personal choice - they should offer your change back to you and then you can decide if you want to leave something. I wouldn't recommend the grab, though - too easily caught and accused of nicking their tip stash! Seinfeld moment...
Shani, how does that work out for you, the not paying the surcharge deal? Legally they've got you cornered (so long as they advertised it). Good point about penalty rates, though - maybe we should all just tip more on Sundays and public holidays? Or in a secular society should we be abolishing such 'special' days anyway?