More Greed to hit the Olympics

[JLM]

Some people have more guts than a slaughterhouse. Just heard on the news that restaurants in Vancouver during the Olympics will be charging a minimum of 18% gratuity for tables of 6 or more diners. Where do these people come from with all these balls? Tips are supposed to be a voluntary show of good service. 10-12% is plenty. Especially considering the cost of meals these days.

 

[taxslave]

Just one more reason not to go to Vancouver.

 

[countryboy]

Some people have more guts than a slaughterhouse. Just heard on the news that restaurants in Vancouver during the Olympics will be charging a minimum of 18% gratuity for tables of 6 or more diners. Where do these people come from with all these balls? Tips are supposed to be a voluntary show of good service. 10-12% is plenty. Especially considering the cost of meals these days.

Sad. How many foreign visitors will come away from the games thinking that a mandatory gratuity is a Canadian tradition? Jeez, you'd think the idea - at least in part - would be to give them a real local experience. Nope, they're all circling around like vultures, waiting for the "meat" to arrive in town. Nice.

 

[TenPenny]

People in the restaurant business think that tips are mandatory, and that's why they pay wait staff so poorly.

As well, the Olympics is all about trying to make as much money as possible for the local economy. So hey, all the more power to them. Rip off people as much as possible.

 

[JLM]

People in the restaurant business think that tips are mandatory, and that's why they pay wait staff so poorly.

As well, the Olympics is all about trying to make as much money as possible for the local economy. So hey, all the more power to them. Rip off people as much as possible.

With that attitude they won't be ripping me off............................:lol::lol::lol:

 

[#juan]

The manditory tip has been in most countries in Europe for forty years or longer. I'm surprised that we are just catching up now. The first time I saw it was in Holland. I was going to leave a cash tip and the waiter came over and told me that the tip was already included in the bill.

 

[countryboy]

The manditory tip has been in most countries in Europe for forty years or longer. I'm surprised that we are just catching up now. The first time I saw it was in Holland. I was going to leave a cash tip and the waiter came over and told me that the tip was already included in the bill.

I think France might have written the book on mandatory tipping. But, I'm not sure if "catching up" is the right way to look at it. Would that imply we are behind the times? If so, Japan is really out of it. There is no tipping there, for anything, anytime.

That "temporary" 18% in Vancouver is a rip-off, intended to take advantage of the influx of people. The whole Olympics is costing everyone a lot of money already...gets a bit tiresome seeing all this money flying around in the name of "gamesmanship", don't you think? I think the main game here is bucks. What a shame.

 

[JLM]

I think France might have written the book on mandatory tipping. But, I'm not sure if "catching up" is the right way to look at it. Would that imply we are behind the times? If so, Japan is really out of it. There is no tipping there, for anything, anytime.

That "temporary" 18% in Vancouver is a rip-off, intended to take advantage of the influx of people. The whole Olympics is costing everyone a lot of money already...gets a bit tiresome seeing all this money flying around in the name of "gamesmanship", don't you think? I think the main game here is bucks. What a shame.

Absolutely, what Europe got started is presumptuous to say the least- a tip is an expression by the patron of appreciation of service, so who has the right to assume he has appreciated the service? There are times when even McDonalds looks good.

 

[countryboy]

Absolutely, what Europe got started is presumptuous to say the least- a tip is an expression by the patron of appreciation of service, so who has the right to assume he has appreciated the service? There are times when even McDonalds looks good.

Presumptuous is one word...in France, or at least Paris, the word "snotty" comes to mind. But, I digress...

I still can't believe that the local restaurants sunk to that level (if it is an organized effort)...it's really just a price increase. Like one more thing on the menu that you have to pay for, but you don't get to eat it.

If they were worried that some folks from foreign lands wouldn't understand our tipping customs, they could easily have published a multi-lingual "info. sheet" explaining it - with a % range of normal tips - and distributed it to the right people. Or just post the damn things in the restaurants.

Mind you, I guess it's hard to come up with thoughtful approaches to issues when everyone is tripping all over themselves with dollar signs in their eyes, trying to figure out the fastest way to cash in on all the excitement.

Greed? Yes.
Stupid? Yes.
A great way to welcome foreign visitors? No.
A nice way to treat your regular customers? Nope.
A good business decision? Totally not!

 

[EagleSmack]

Hmmmm...

Not to sure about this. We all know that some people simply do not tip whether they get good service or not. Some cultures simply don't feel the need to tip the "peasants". Some people are just plain cheap. So if you have a waiter or waitress busting their tail for peanuts and do not receive a tip I think working in a mandatory tip is not such a bad idea.

 

[karrie]

It sounds to me less like a money grab, and more like an attempt to discourage large groups.

If you've ever sat down and dealt with a waitress in a group of 8 people or more, you'd know that it is way harder for them. It's harder for them to keep track of who ordered what, it's louder for other patrons. And, it seems to be more likely for the kitchen to miss something in the order when trying to coordinate the arrival of 8 plates at once.

Add to that the fact that people usually want the tab split up, and people seem to be more willing to short on the tip, assuming others will cover it.

I'd attempt to discourage it too, or at least to make sure it's worth the headache. On a normal day, it's probably not a big issue, but, with the Olympics in town, they probably realized right away that it could be a chronic issue causing constant headache as people move tables around and talk to someone 6 people over at the top of their lungs.

 

[karrie]

On the subject of tips themselves... I'd prefer a restaurant tell me that their waiters/waitresses are paid properly, and that cost is factored into my meal, and leave it at that. This whole notion of underpaying people and expecting it to be made up by customers is dumb imo.

 

[countryboy]

Hmmmm...

Not to sure about this. We all know that some people simply do not tip whether they get good service or not. Some cultures simply don't feel the need to tip the "peasants". Some people are just plain cheap. So if you have a waiter or waitress busting their tail for peanuts and do not receive a tip I think working in a mandatory tip is not such a bad idea.

Interesting point - I asked my daughter about it (she worked as a server for a few years, while attending University in Vancouver) and she likes the "no mandatory" tip policy better. Why? More flexibility in the amounts for the servers, and no doubt some of the restaurants will devise creative methods for divvying up the tips...the server may not actually benefit all that much. That's her take on it, anyway.

 

[EagleSmack]

I think the restaruant folks know that the city is going to be flooded with foreigners that simply won't tip. They never have and never will. Families of athletes are going to dine together with other families, groups coming from other countries to support their country, etc. I do not think it is greed but the fact that the restaraunts are going to be swamped and they will most likely be large groups that at the end of the meal will simply pay the exact tab and be out the door leaving behind a very angry wait staff.

Here in the states some wait staff do depend on tips as a portion of their wage and have to give a mandatory percentage of their tips to the bus boy and bartender at the end of their shift.

 

[YukonJack]

"I think the restaruant folks know that the city is going to be flooded with foreigners that simply won't tip. They never have and never will. Families of athletes are going to dine together with other families, groups coming from other countries to support their country, etc. I do not think it is greed but the fact that the restaraunts are going to be swamped and they will most likely be large groups that at the end of the meal will simply pay the exact tab and be out the door leaving behind a very angry wait staff."

There is a favourite riddle in Florida: "What is the difference between a canoe and a Canadian?"

Answer: A canoe tips.

 

[JLM]

Hmmmm...

Not to sure about this. We all know that some people simply do not tip whether they get good service or not. Some cultures simply don't feel the need to tip the "peasants". Some people are just plain cheap. So if you have a waiter or waitress busting their tail for peanuts and do not receive a tip I think working in a mandatory tip is not such a bad idea.

I think that might be tantamount to fighting ignorance with ignorance. People who are cheap or regard the waitress as a "peasant", may start changing their thinking when the waitress starts taking 10 minutes to acknowledge their presense. Best just to act classy and ignore the boors.

 

[JLM]

It sounds to me less like a money grab, and more like an attempt to discourage large groups.

If you've ever sat down and dealt with a waitress in a group of 8 people or more, you'd know that it is way harder for them. It's harder for them to keep track of who ordered what, it's louder for other patrons. And, it seems to be more likely for the kitchen to miss something in the order when trying to coordinate the arrival of 8 plates at once.

Add to that the fact that people usually want the tab split up, and people seem to be more willing to short on the tip, assuming others will cover it.

I'd attempt to discourage it too, or at least to make sure it's worth the headache. On a normal day, it's probably not a big issue, but, with the Olympics in town, they probably realized right away that it could be a chronic issue causing constant headache as people move tables around and talk to someone 6 people over at the top of their lungs.

Perhaps that being the case these people should just close the premises for the duration of the Olympics and save themselves the "hassel". Smart people find ways to work around problems without pissing the customer off.

 

[JLM]

On the subject of tips themselves... I'd prefer a restaurant tell me that their waiters/waitresses are paid properly, and that cost is factored into my meal, and leave it at that. This whole notion of underpaying people and expecting it to be made up by customers is dumb imo.

What is the proper wage for a waitress?

 

[YukonJack]

"What is the proper wage for a waitress?"

Good question, but basically, the answer is: Whatever the market will bear!

 

[karrie]

What is the proper wage for a waitress?

Well, if a restaurant is making an 18%, 15%, or 10% tip mandatory, such as in European countries as has been discussed in here, then obviously, they 'proper wage' is roughly that much more than they were making. Basically, rather than raising the prices on the menu 15%, they're calling it a 'tip'. It just seems silly to me.