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0 pointsmidasuni3y ago0 comments

Still plenty of restaurants with “service charge” at the bottom of the menu

0 comments

Yep, in the UK it's almost always a 12.5% service charge. Almost always with terrible service of course.

This is because nobody carries any cash around anymore. And it's not socially acceptable for waiters to ask customers how much they want to tip. You just tap your card on the portable terminal.

As for the service being terrible, it can be. But British people generally don't like to be interrupted during their meal. So the waitstaff have a tougher job to be present but not harassing.

coremoff3y ago

> don't like to be interrupted during their meal

it's mostly around being interrupted mid sentence, in my experience (and it's certainly the thing that annoys me the most)

mdrzn3y ago

That's at worst a couple euros per person, very far from a 10%-20% upcharge.

midasuniOP3y ago

I have a photo of a menu from Munich earlier this year, not a particularly fancy restaurant - just a pizza place with a table on the street.

12.5% service charge at the bottom.

euroderf3y ago

But it was up front, in genuine print, not buried on a terminal.

1 more reply

GuB-423y ago

It depends on the country. It is not the case in France for instance. I don't know exactly what the law say, but you shouldn't have to pay for anything that you didn't order, and you shouldn't pay more than what's written on the menu.

Tips are appreciated but not expected. I's say that if you are used to the American way, tip what you would normally tip above your baseline. For example if you normally tip 15%, and 20% for good service, then in France, don't tip for average service, and tip 5% for good service.

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