Say what now? Went out to brunch today. When the bill came there was the total and then two lines after: one for tip and one for kitchen tip. When did this become a thing and how are you supposed to decide what percentage goes where? I chose not to participate in this bit of nonsense and dropped a straight 20% on the tip line.
I wonder whether this is an attempt to pay kitchen employees a lower minimum wage on the theory that they receive tips.
Here where I live, the tip is normally distributed among everyone. Wait staff, cooks and dishwashers. I like this idea. The team makes the restaurant successful.
Yeah, it’s called tip out, and it’s either set by management or by employee agreement. Customers shouldn’t have to try to figure out what the hell is going on. I prefer the French custom of service compris, where the tip is included in the cost of the meal.
The only time that would be useful to me as a customer would be to show my opinion of service received vs food quality.
The total for both lines would still be my normal tip amount, not an extra tip.
I do not like the places where there is a tip jar at the counter by the cash register, that seems like excessive tipping for no value add.
Great. Another opportunity for contrived outrage. :rolleyes:
No need for befuddlement. It’s the same as tipping anyone that isn’t waitstaff: optional. Plumber goes above and beyond on an after hours call? Tow truck driver gets soaked in the rain hitching up your car? Barista compliments your sweater? Kitchen makes an off-menu substitution at your request? Tips.
Similarly, I’ve been to a restaurant (Longman & Eagle?) that had a menu item that was something like ‘round of beers for the kitchen.’
Just imagining what happens here if, say, the first 10 customers of the night all pick this…
I just asked some questions. But thanks for your considered opinion.
I leave a cash tip if at all possible and let the server tip out as much as they want to.
I don’t deduct from the tip if the food was slow in coming either, unless it is quite evident it was sitting under a heat lamp for a long time. I figure it’s not the server’s fault the kitchen gang was slow or crushed.
Never heard of this. Just another problem with tipping. Paying people enough would be the best solution but it ain’t happening. It wouldn’t bother me but I can imagine a lot of people griping about it, especially the anti-tippers.
And here I thought a kitchen tip was something like “Use a silicone spatula instead of metal, to preserve your pan’s nonstick surface”, or “For easier cleanup, put a layer of parchment paper on the bottom of your cookie trays”.
Either of those would be good things to write on the “kitchen tip” line.
Having worked as a server long ago, I am a generous tipper, but I dislike the system and fail to see the logic of it. In my experience, big tips do not guarantee good service. Good service happens if management insists on it.
When I was a server, we were required to give a certain amount to the bus boys every night, even if we hadn’t actually made that much. (The bus boys were treated horribly and exploited. I didn’t resent them, but I sure resented the owner.) The kitchen staff was better paid than us.
There is obviously a big benefit to owners to encourage and expand tipping. I don’t know what this benefit is and would appreciate it if someone could explain.
Meanwhile, it seems there is a push for customers to tip everyone who works in a restaurant, even if we don’t actually come in contact with them.
This seems stupid to me, and it pisses me off.