Last night after dinner at a restaurant, we were at the same cross
roads again. Unsure what would be appropriate?
The Americans demand it! The Japanese find it undignified to accept
it. As the Europeans don’t agree on most of the charters of the EU, they don’t
take a specific stance on this too. Indians are a clumsy lot, not sure how to
handle it; how much to leave behind – TIPS!
Well, just like most of the cultural flash points started off by the
colonial British, this too seems to have stemmed from the gentry trappings of
English dining etiquettes. What started of as a gesture by aristocrats to leave
behind small change known as ‘vails’ to their host’s servants, the practice
soon caught on to coffee shops and restaurants. Seems like the British took it
wherever they went and left behind among many other things when they finally
left.
So do we really have to pay TIPS? Because someone somewhere
interpreted it as, ‘To Insure Prompt Service’, does it really mean we have to
leave behind not just some change but a percentage of the bill, irrespective of
whether we were satisfied with the service or not? Or are we supposed to just
pay for the food and service promised by restaurants and not really bound to
bear their staff cost? I find a stronger case with the fuel station attendants
and the courier guys who are out in these humid hot days. They deserve it more.
The restaurants serving liquor in UAE are allowed to charge 10%
service charge. So we didn’t have to bother much and fiddle with the bill. The
restaurant manager had the last laugh!
