An interesting question of ettiquette

[redfiona99]

So you and some friends go to a restaurant for someone's birthday. You book a table for 25 people. Amazingly, 25 people arrive, but there are not enough spaces for all of them. After some furniture moving, there are enough. Also, later on, a jug of sangria that was ordered did not arrive.

Now at this restaurant, they put on how much the bill plus 10% tip should be underneath the food bill, if you get what I mean. Now, the tip should have been ~ £36. After everyone has paid, and you know of at least 3 people who have overpaid, including yourself, we are still short on the tip, by about £12. Now you know that if you stick the extra £12 in you will have paid twice what you should have, and your also reasonably sure that you can identify the people that haven't paid a tip (2 for cultural reasons so they're forgiven, 4 for tightfistedness reasons, and they will come back as wait-staff in their next life, if there's any justice) but they've mostly gone home already so you can't really yell. You also know that if you stick the other £12 in, you will be yelled at yourself.

So, what do you do?

Also, given that the service wasn't spectactular, should you feel as guilty as I do for not putting it in? And should that guilt be increased because at least 1 of the wait-staff was pregnant?

Comments

[wolfshift.livejournal.com]

I have no idea what "proper" etiquette says, but the way I see it, a tip is a "thank you" for good service. Period. If the service is sub-par, then leaving a smaller tip is supposed to send a message to the staff that they didn't live up to expectations. There should be no guilt involved.

[redfiona99.livejournal.com]

To me ettiquette is what reasonable people consider reasonable behaviour and that's why I asked the f-list.

Thanks.

[pyroyale.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't feel guilty at all. Tips/service charges aren't mandatory (isn't that already factored into the cost of the meal?) they are a reward for good service. If the service didn't deserve the 10% they wanted then the restaurant is the one responsible for being short changed.

Besides, if the restaurant owners are particularly scummy they won't share the tips equally between the service staff anyway. I know quite a few where the senior staff and the chefs scam more than the waiters.

[redfiona99.livejournal.com]

This is true. That's what one guy said, that they do already get paid so we shouldn't feel bad.

[wishtheworst.livejournal.com]

This has already been said, but I would absolutely agree that a tip means a job well done and it sounds like that didn't happen. I usually tip even if the job is just done adequately (because I know I'd be the worst waitress ever and I do fear coming back as one!), but it sounds pretty crappy to me. And you are certainly not required to compensate for your friends if they didn't tip.

[redfiona99.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I mean, I was torn between their lousy and the lousy of the people I was eating with.