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Tipping the balance

What's a decent tip for a waiter? The norm varies from one culture to another, some even considering it a taboo. It would be more hassle-free if we did away with the whole business and substituted it with a standard service charge, recommends ANAND SANKAR

Okay. You've had that fine meal at that new fine restaurant. The waiter has discreetly left with the cash you placed in the leather folder. You wait for the change, sipping your jasmine tea. Three glasses later, you're still waiting. That considerable amount owed to you doesn't seem to arrive. You eye the waiter meaningfully. He doesn't seem to take the hint. You finally clear your throat and hiss for the change. The waiter looks at your with outraged indignation and with an admirably summoned expression of contempt and martyrdom with a dash of sheepishness, deposits the notes. You pointedly peel off a few notes and stash them in your wallet with a touch of malice.

I was a victim of this situation recently. I had run up a bill of Rs. 1,850 and gave the waiter Rs. 2,000. But even after 15 minutes, the guy didn't turn up with the change. In fact, he was busy serving other guests and pretended not to notice me. Only when I muttered "Uhm, change please" did grudgingly return the Rs. 150. That's when I realised that a tip normally meant 10 per cent of the bill and the waiter had assumed I would anyhow tip him the money, so why not just keep it.

The magic figure

One is not being parsimonious, but who came up with the figure of 10 per cent? I can't seem to understand the logic here because aren't we paying for the service when we pay for our food? Add to that the hefty VAT. All this, combined with the tip, means your evening outing leaves you with a sizeable hole in your wallet. The most common justification for a tip is that waiters are poorly paid, but studies and experiences abroad have shown that a standard service charge on your bill is a more reliable substitute for tips because patrons are usually erratic with tips.

The word "tip" is said to have originated from the acronym for "To Insure Promptness" or "To Insure Prompt Service". It is often taken to be a reflection of the waiter's service — whether it is satisfactory or not. It is a practice that is mired in a lot of ambiguity abroad while here we are just waking up to leaving more than the customary two or five rupees.

Take for example Japan and China, where tipping is viewed as an insult (remember this when you are travelling there), while in most of Europe the tip is a flat service charge levied on your bill.

The United States is the only country where tipping is most encouraged and rates vary from 10 to a whopping 22 per cent. For the rest of the world, it is usually the 10 per cent or simply rounding off of your bill. However, for most middle-class Bangaloreans for whom eating out is often in a Darshini in the neighbourhood, the idea of a tip doesn't go beyond leaving behind a few coins (bleah!) in the little saunf tray in which the bill arrives.

But a restaurateur in New York, Thomas Keller, the owner of the expensive Per Se, recently shook the hospitality industry in the U.S. when he decided to abolish tipping and replace it with a 20 per cent service charge. He said that cooks in the restaurant wanted to be waiters because they earned more; so he wanted equal incentives for all his employees. The rest of America, though, is standing firm on tipping because they feel the service charge is too "French."

Among restaurant goers here in Bangalore, 10 per cent seems to be the figure when it comes to a tip, but many feel that there should be an upper limit. "I normally tip around 10 per cent, but my maximum is Rs. 200. Sometimes I have to dine out at expensive places and the bill comes to Rs. 5,000, but that doesn't mean I leave the waiter a Rs. 500 tip," says Divya Ramachandran, marketing executive.

Another pitfall of tips based on the percentage is that waiters often try to push things such as mineral water or a milkshake on you to inflate your bill. "I once had a problem with a waiter who used to pester me every five minutes on whether I wanted this or that. He claimed that everything was special. Only when I settled the bill did I realise why he was being pushy. He wanted an extra tip," says Kajal Tandon, public relations executive. There certainly are customers who feel waiters deserve better because of the conditions they work in.

"It's a tough job. You have to deal with different types of people from the cheerful to the surly. And you are always expected to put up a smile. Also I think waiters in India are an underpaid and exploited lot. So why not they make some money?" Asks Sumathi Raghunathan, software professional.

Restaurateurs and hoteliers in the city, on their part, are a little cagey when it comes to commenting on the subject, because they feel that customers might think a tip is being demanded. They say customers are free to decide whether to tip or not, and free to decide on the amount to be tipped. One owner said in jest: "We are happy as long as the bill is paid."

But some hotels, especially the upmarket ones, include a small service charge (in addition to the taxes) in the bill to compensate for customers who don't tip. This money is distributed equally among the employees.

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