Quote:
Originally Posted by Rainger99
For a party of 6 or more with a mandatory service fee of 18%, are you supposed to tip on top of that? And do you tip on the 18%?
So for a $500 bill plus a $90 service fee, should you tip $75 (15% of $500) or $88.50 (15% of $590)?
And if the restaurant called it an 18% gratuity fee instead of a service fee, would that make a difference?
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For me, almost always, if the restaurant chooses to add a gratuity, whether due to the size of the party or just their policy, I am not likely to leave anything more. This often works out in my favor since I would typically leave more than 18%.
That may be tough on the server but I see it like this:
- If the restaurant has a policy of only cooking steak well done and that cuts down on the number of customers and therefore reduces the tips the server would have otherwise received, the server has the choice to move to a restaurant without such a policy.
- Likewise, if the restaurant has a policy of adding a service charge and it reduces the tips the server would have otherwise received, the server has the choice to move to a restaurant without such a policy.
- I am not obligated to continue to eat at the restaurant that overcooks my steak and I don't feel obligated to tip above what the restaurant feels is appropriate to automatically add to my bill