To tip or not to tip?

Every customer faces a bit of doubt after a meal in a restaurant — in terms of the tip. Leaving a tip is like an unsaid rule, considered a sign of showing one’s appreciation for the service provided. But these days, eating out is proving to be an expensive affair.

In addition to this, most restaurants are levying a service charge of five to ten per cent, leaving customers unsure of whether to actually tip the waiter in addition to paying this extra charge. So does this mean people have started tipping less — or skipping out on the tip altogether?

While many restaurants refrain from commenting on the tips they get, people who often eat out say that they definitely think twice before leaving a tip. “A meal for two in most places will cost a minimum of Rs 500 and to top it all, there will be a service charge that will come close to Rs 30, depending on the bill. Apart from this, there is also the service tax. So tipping sometimes is the last thing on one’s mind,” says Jayadev, a professional.

Service charge, unlike the service tax levied by the government, is collected by individual managements from customers for services provided. Hence, many say that if the bill includes a service charge, it is considered a tip in itself. Sujith, who co-runs ‘Samudra’, says that tips are not something one can actually calculate as they vary on a daily basis.
“But one has noticed that with many restaurants including a separate service charge in the bill, people have stopped leaving tips. But it is okay as the service charge is for that purpose,” he adds.

For Suraj, a student, giving tips after a meal solely depends on the whole experience. “When the service fee is high, I always refrain from tipping. A lot also depends on the experience,” he adds.

Agrees Prakash, a professional. “Food is a personal experience and if somebody goes out of the way to make it special, I leave a tip,” he adds.

But Harshitha, a student, says tipping is something she believes in. “Tipping is a mandatory gesture for me, regardless of whether the service charge shoots up. From experience, I have noticed that the quality of service declines as the notes on the table reduces. Therefore, if I plan on visiting the place again or if I am a regular customer, I have to be generous to my waiter,” she adds.

However, there are many restaurants that don’t encourage tipping. Places like Maiyyas, ‘MTR’ and others have put up signboards stating that they don’t accept tips. “We want to tell our customers that our service is good whether or not we get tips,” sums up a waiter at Maiyyas.