Moonlight

Restaurant Favorites Throughout Thailand
-And favorite recipes and recipe requests-
lvdkeyes
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Re: Moonlight

Post by lvdkeyes »

If you pay attention to how little some people tip you would begin to understand why some high end restaurants do it. I have seen many people leave less than 10% when there was nothing wrong with the service. If you have truly bad service in a place that adds service you certainly have the right to refuse to pay the service charge, but in my experience, that has not happened.
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Gaybutton
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Re: Moonlight

Post by Gaybutton »

lvdkeyes wrote:If you pay attention to how little some people tip . . .
I am aware of that, but that's not my problem. I also don't know how often that actually happens. When I'm in a restaurant I don't pay attention to how much people at other tables are tipping. Do you? I doubt I would pay attention even if I could actually see what they're tipping.

If the restaurant has problems getting tips out of some of their customers, that doesn't mean it's right to impose tips on me. If nothing else, I don't know how much of that service charge actually winds up in the pocket of my waiter. Either way, I want to be the one who decides how much I'll tip. I don't like restaurants deciding for me. If people are crass enough not to tip at all or tip a pittance, I'm sorry it happens, but that's not my fault. If that's really a serious problem for restaurants, I would much rather they find some other way of dealing with it.
bkkguy

Re: Moonlight

Post by bkkguy »

lvdkeyes wrote:If you pay attention to how little some people tip you would begin to understand why some high end restaurants do it. I have seen many people leave less than 10% when there was nothing wrong with the service.
According to whose standards are we judging these tips? just because restaurants in the USA do not pay their staff a living wage and they have to survive on tips does not mean the same rules should apply here

do a straw poll among your Thai low income, middle income and high income friends (if you have any) and ask them how much they used to tip at cafes and restaurants 10 years ago, 5 years ago and now

increasingly owners of chain restaurants and cafes in shopping malls and upmarket restaurants see service charge as a way of increasing profits regardless of the service offered and little or any of this ends up in the hands of the serving staff!

When I walk into a mobile phone shop in Bangkok and see a price advertised I don't expect the salesman's commission to be added to this price when I buy and this has not changed in the last 10 years, when I walk into a supermarket in Bangkok I don't expect the sales staff bonus to be added to the price of my veggies when I checkout and this has not changed in the last 10 years, and when I used to eat at a cafe or restaurant in Bangkok 5 or 10 years ago it was never expected that I would pay the staff bonuses either but now for some reason it is my responsibility - why?

you want to sell me something, then tell me what I have to pay for it in your menu or invoice, not what your business plan has arbitrarily decided is the true "price" for it then add whatever surcharges you want to make up - and yes include GST if I have to pay that

bkkguy
lvdkeyes
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Re: Moonlight

Post by lvdkeyes »

I was not referring to other tables, but people I have dined with. It's easy to see what kind of tip people leave.
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Gaybutton
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Re: Moonlight

Post by Gaybutton »

lvdkeyes wrote:It's easy to see what kind of tip people leave.
Even so, my position is that's their privilege. I agree with bkkguy on this one. I wouldn't complain if restaurants would suggest a reasonable tip amount. It should be up to me as to whether I want to comply with the suggestion or even exceed it if I wish, but I'm opposed to restaurants imposing tip amounts. I can't accept the idea that because some leave a stingy tip, now the restaurant is justified to impose tips on all of its customers and at whatever amount the restaurant chooses. To me, tipping is not an obligation. It's a gratuity for good service and I think I'm the one entitled to decide how much that gratuity ought to be, not the restaurant.
lvdkeyes
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Re: Moonlight

Post by lvdkeyes »

I can see we will never agree about this, so I will stop.
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Gaybutton
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Re: Moonlight

Post by Gaybutton »

lvdkeyes wrote:I can see we will never agree about this, so I will stop.
Sounds reasonable. We've all made our opinions clear. Besides, we've gotten way off topic.
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