You can't do this. 45 baht tip on 8000 baht bill

[brewsterbudgen]

I embrace Thai culture. They want us to accept sinsod and all the other customs I am hounded about. So I don't want to upset them by tipping, as after all it isn't Thai culture, it's a Falang thing. Can't have it both ways can they.

Well done for respecting Thai culture. How much sinsod did you pay?

Married two of the local girls so far, both said sinsod scam, don't have to pay.

Yes, there are circumstances when sinsod is not appropriate. I still think linking it to tipping is spurious!

[attrayant]

Just because it's part of your culture doesn't mean you should spread that expectation to other cultures...

Other cultures are free to embrace or reject it as they deem proper, your reactionary conservatism notwithstanding.

[rijb]

It's the Americans that introduced tipping to Thailand. My guess is that OP is American. 8000 baht for a meal ? Unless you went with a group of 10-20 people I find this hard to believe. In the most high end restaurants you pay a 10% service charge so no need to tip anything . Sometimes if good service I tip 10-20 baht for a 300 baht meal.

You're wrong about who introduced tipping to Thailand. Look it up.

[canuckamuck]

Tipping as a way to acknowledge good workmanship, products or service, is a wonderful thing. It is destroyed and meaningless however by having it be expected and even worse by have a predetermined rate.

The restaurant industry has a lot of gall with the way they have turned this reward system into a required tax. I am so happy to be in Thailand where a tip has meaning, and crappy service gets a big goose egg.

Take tipping back I say, stop tipping mediocrity.

I tip by the way, but not always in restaurants, I tip for good haircuts, good construction and mechanical work, and any other place where getting the job done right is important or profitable to me. It isn't that often I am impressed with skill required to write down my order and carry it to the table.

[tropo]

Tipping as a way to acknowledge good workmanship, products or service, is a wonderful thing. It is destroyed and meaningless however by having it be expected and even worse by have a predetermined rate.

The restaurant industry has a lot of gall with the way they have turned this reward system into a required tax. I am so happy to be in Thailand where a tip has meaning, and crappy service gets a big goose egg.

Take tipping back I say, stop tipping mediocrity.

I tip by the way, but not always in restaurants, I tip for good haircuts, good construction and mechanical work, and any other place where getting the job done right is important or profitable to me. It isn't that often I am impressed with skill required to write down my order and carry it to the table.

Does anyone tip when there's a 10% service charge? I don't. Do the staff get this as an extra bonus or does the restaurant owner use it to pay their staff wages.

I'd really like to hear about this from someone in the business.

[Zlabermacht]

You are not in the US! Here nobody expect a tip, there is nothing like 'tipping unwritten rules' here, nor anywhere else in the world except the US. And I understand the tipping culture and find it intelligent. But anywhere that is not US, it's totally up to you.

Edited December 13, 2014 by Zlabermacht

[Tywais]

You are not in the US! Here nobody expect a tip, there is nothing like 'tipping unwritten rules' here, nor anywhere else in the world except the US. And I understand the tipping culture and find it intelligent. But anywhere that is not US, it's totally up to you.

Here are some of those rules and the US is far from being alone in it - http://www.munknee.com/cheap-or-generous-what-to-tip-in-other-countries/ and here http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/world/2007-09-10-tipchart_N.htm

Plus, look up the origin of tipping. Started well before there was even a USA. Hint Tudor.

[lanng khao]

Tipping is a western culture

I only half agree with the culture of tipping, why should you pay extra for good service,

good service should be a given as a standard

do you tip when a retail shop eg clothes shop gives you great service??? never, so why does it apply to hospitality?

also, call me cynical, but if too many farangs start tipping, then all the thais will start expecting it, and if you dont tip or tip big, they will call you stingy or a loser, thus defeating the intentions of tipping!!!

edit; I was getting a normal massage in a shop that ive been to a few tines, this time there was only a fat unattractive masseues about 40 free. Ive had massages from this shop before by older women and they had been good. Anyway, about ten minutes in, she starts offering me extra services, to which I decline. She tries a few more times including sticking her hand down my pants, to which I tell her not to.

She aso tells me she doesnt make any comission from my massage (yeah right) and would like a big tip. the massage was 250baht, I give her 300 and she looks at me, sulks, and mumbles something in thai and storms off

no more tipping for me at massage places

if I was you I'd of just stuck me nut end in and said, you've ad the tip now so pai Loie fat Thoot, and scarpered...

[shaggy851]

Sounds like a scam.. 8000 for a meal ? I wouldn't be leaving a tip at all. Unless you felt you've insulted the waiters by spending what they earn a month on lunch.

[Anthony5]

DON'T TIP, you just ruin the culture for everyone. How stupid is it to encourage people to actually do what they are paid to do by their employer. Think your a bigger man now? How about dropping the 300 Baht into a reputable donation location, that actually helps out someone without a job.

Oz

We all know that most of the Australians visiting Thailand are not the world best tip giving people.

My visiting Australian friends tip too much and make me look cheap when I visit the same restaurant without them.

Maybe it's not just how they make you look

[CarlTyson]

Koreans are the best tippers according to a friend that works in the hotel biz.

Europeans, not so much.

[ttthailand]

I normally tip everywhere I go but try to never give too much unless the service was great, I mean really great !

Thailand I give between 5 and 10 percent. A massage I give sometimes 25 to 50% tip depending on what I am charged for the massage and the skill of the lady. If I am charged 99 baht for a one hour massage and she does a great job I normally give 50 to 100 baht tip.

If at a restaurant and there is a 10% already added I may give some left over change and if service was great perhaps I put 20 or even 100 baht directly in the hand of my waiter and thank them for a job well done.

I don't really care what others do, not my business . Just saying

[poooket]

Sounds like a scam.. 8000 for a meal ? I wouldn't be leaving a tip at all. Unless you felt you've insulted the waiters by spending what they earn a month on lunch.

If you had read the Op he stated that friends invited him and mrs, that I think would be at least 4 people. So 8000 for food and wine for maybe 4 people is not expensive for a restaurant at riverside.

[mtnthai]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Does anyone tip when there's a 10% service charge? I don't. Do the staff get this as an extra bonus or does the restaurant owner use it to pay their staff wages.

I'd really like to hear about this from someone in the business.

I have been in the hospitality business in the USA for 14 years and in Thailand for the last 22, and as I have been reading this topic I have read little that I did not expect. For me to try and explain my position as a career F & B worker to most of those who have posted here IMO would be as useless as most BMs here saying it is to tip a Thai. So I won't get too far into that.

To answer the question about who gets the 10% in Thailand I will say from my 22 years of experience in every type of venue from no star to 5 star, from BKK to Pats to Phuket, most hotel, restaurant and venue owners keep the better part of the 10% (if not all of it) and will pass on a few percentage to the staff (if any). So for those who think the staff are getting tipped too much because they see 10% on the bill as a service charge YOU ARE WRONG. FACT.

It is my concerted opinion that tipping is supposed to be an incentive for staff to work well, and IFO would prefer to not have the 10% automatically added to bill, and I would tip what I thought was commensurate with the level of service and quality of the rest of my meal (unlike so many who have posted to this topic). I tip between 10 and 20% dependent on many factors. If it is included and there is a large percentage of service charge related to having purchased some good bottles of wine then I will adjust my tip accordingly (lower) and keep in mind the level of overall service and food, rather than the total of the entire bill.

If I am in an upscale venue and they have already levied a 10% service charge, and I feel I got exemplary service, I will still add what I think would balance out to 15 or 20%. But I have to say that after being in the F & B business on 2 continents for a total of 36 years, most decent, hardworking staffs deserve to get paid a livable wage, deserve to get tipped when it’s commensurate with the level of service they have provided, and should be treated with respect.

But if they are lazy, unfriendly, poor servers, or request/demand to be tipped I do not and I will take the time to let them know why I have not. Many times I will tell management, leave comments on social media pages, or write to management about what I feel is deficient.

IFO thinks it’s all about having a balanced approach and i tip/comment accordingly.

Also keep in mind that in 99.99% of all TH F & B venues any tips/service charge, including those left on the table, will be shared by ALL the staff - front of the house, back of the house, parking/valet, bar, toilet, whatever. The only tip a worker may keep for themselves is the one placed directly into their hand, and most often they will still throw that into the general tip pool for all to share.

Further, to keep this all in perspective I do not tip when I eat on the street or in fast food places. But even in a typical TH shop house restaurant if the service was good I will leave a small tip relative to the cost of the meal, if there was a server, and the service was good/attentive. Being an expat of so many years I typically eat in the same places time and again, and like some BMs have stated, rational tipping goes a long way to getting consistnetly good service, food and beverages as time goes on.

If it’s a bar venue I tip the bartender so that they will remember what I like, how I like it, and so I get a fair pour each and every time. IFO think that those few baht go a long way for me to get what I want and to have a good time.

When I am at work training staff I spend a lot of time on trying to impress them with the fact that customers are not required to leave anything (10% included or not) and that the only way to encourage a customer to tip is to simply provide a high level of friendly professional service. But I also try to teach them not to expect that to yield results either (as shown by many posts on this thread) and to simply provide the best level of service that they can each and every time, and eventually that in and of itself should yield a reward for them.

Contrary to what a lot of people think on this board, having a service job and dealing with the public (and their high expectations and many times plantation attitude), and all the related stress that brings is most often not easy. People who do this work should be compensated accordingly like anyone else who wakes up each day and goes out to earn an honest wage.

And yes, I am an American, and that should have nothing to do with this discussion.

Edited December 13, 2014 by mtnthai

[David48]

^^ I enjoyed reading that ...

Thanks for Sharing.

Edited December 13, 2014 by David48

[poooket]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Does anyone tip when there's a 10% service charge? I don't. Do the staff get this as an extra bonus or does the restaurant owner use it to pay their staff wages.

I'd really like to hear about this from someone in the business.

I have been in the hospitality business in the USA for 14 years and in Thailand for the last 22, and as I have been reading this topic I have read little that I did not expect. For me to try and explain my position as a career F & B worker to most of those who have posted here IMO would be as useless as most BMs here saying it is to tip a Thai. So I won't get too far into that.

To answer the question about who gets the 10% in Thailand I will say from my 22 years of experience in every type of venue from no star to 5 star, from BKK to Pats to Phuket, most hotel, restaurant and venue owners keep the better part of the 10% (if not all of it) and will pass on a few percentage to the staff (if any). So for those who think the staff are getting tipped too much because they see 10% on the bill as a service charge YOU ARE WRONG. FACT.

It is my concerted opinion that tipping is supposed to be an incentive for staff to work well, and IFO would prefer to not have the 10% automatically added to bill, and I would tip what I thought was commensurate with the level of service and quality of the rest of my meal (unlike so many who have posted to this topic). I tip between 10 and 20% dependent on many factors. If it is included and there is a large percentage of service charge related to having purchased some good bottles of wine then I will adjust my tip accordingly (lower) and keep in mind the level of overall service and food, rather than the total of the entire bill.

If I am in an upscale venue and they have already levied a 10% service charge, and I feel I got exemplary service, I will still add what I think would balance out to 15 or 20%. But I have to say that after being in the F & B business on 2 continents for a total of 36 years, most decent, hardworking staffs deserve to get paid a livable wage, deserve to get tipped when it’s commensurate with the level of service they have provided, and should be treated with respect.

But if they are lazy, unfriendly, poor servers, or request/demand to be tipped I do not and I will take the time to let them know why I have not. Many times I will tell management, leave comments on social media pages, or write to management about what I feel is deficient.

IFO thinks it’s all about having a balanced approach and i tip/comment accordingly.

Also keep in mind that in 99.99% of all TH F & B venues any tips/service charge, including those left on the table, will be shared by ALL the staff - front of the house, back of the house, parking/valet, bar, toilet, whatever. The only tip a worker may keep for themselves is the one placed directly into their hand, and most often they will still throw that into the general tip pool for all to share.

Further, to keep this all in perspective I do not tip when I eat on the street or in fast food places. But even in a typical TH shop house restaurant if the service was good I will leave a small tip relative to the cost of the meal, if there was a server, and the service was good/attentive. Being an expat of so many years I typically eat in the same places time and again, and like some BMs have stated, rational tipping goes a long way to getting consistnetly good service, food and beverages as time goes on.

If it’s a bar venue I tip the bartender so that they will remember what I like, how I like it, and so I get a fair pour each and every time. IFO think that those few baht go a long way for me to get what I want and to have a good time.

When I am at work training staff I spend a lot of time on trying to impress them with the fact that customers are not required to leave anything (10% included or not) and that the only way to encourage a customer to tip is to simply provide a high level of friendly professional service. But I also try to teach them not to expect that to yield results either (as shown by many posts on this thread) and to simply provide the best level of service that they can each and every time, and eventually that in and of itself should yield a reward for them.

Contrary to what a lot of people think on this board, having a service job and dealing with the public (and their high expectations and many times plantation attitude), and all the related stress that brings is most often not easy. People who do this work should be compensated accordingly like anyone else who wakes up each day and goes out to earn an honest wage.

And yes, I am an American, and that should have nothing to do with this discussion.

Good post. Nice to hear the opinion from someone inside the business. As I expected the 10% service charge rarely goes to the staff but used to substitute their salary. Imo that's not fair. I usually don't tip when I see the 10% service charge due to the fact its forced on you to tip. In other places, if the service is good i tip nicely. And as for the posters that say Thais not tip, totally wrong, all my Thai friends tip at restaurants besides the noodle stands on the street.

[Anthony5]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Does anyone tip when there's a 10% service charge? I don't. Do the staff get this as an extra bonus or does the restaurant owner use it to pay their staff wages.

I'd really like to hear about this from someone in the business.

I have been in the hospitality business in the USA for 14 years and in Thailand for the last 22, and as I have been reading this topic I have read little that I did not expect. For me to try and explain my position as a career F & B worker to most of those who have posted here IMO would be as useless as most BMs here saying it is to tip a Thai. So I won't get too far into that.

To answer the question about who gets the 10% in Thailand I will say from my 22 years of experience in every type of venue from no star to 5 star, from BKK to Pats to Phuket, most hotel, restaurant and venue owners keep the better part of the 10% (if not all of it) and will pass on a few percentage to the staff (if any). So for those who think the staff are getting tipped too much because they see 10% on the bill as a service charge YOU ARE WRONG. FACT.

It is my concerted opinion that tipping is supposed to be an incentive for staff to work well, and IFO would prefer to not have the 10% automatically added to bill, and I would tip what I thought was commensurate with the level of service and quality of the rest of my meal (unlike so many who have posted to this topic). I tip between 10 and 20% dependent on many factors. If it is included and there is a large percentage of service charge related to having purchased some good bottles of wine then I will adjust my tip accordingly (lower) and keep in mind the level of overall service and food, rather than the total of the entire bill.

If I am in an upscale venue and they have already levied a 10% service charge, and I feel I got exemplary service, I will still add what I think would balance out to 15 or 20%. But I have to say that after being in the F & B business on 2 continents for a total of 36 years, most decent, hardworking staffs deserve to get paid a livable wage, deserve to get tipped when it’s commensurate with the level of service they have provided, and should be treated with respect.

But if they are lazy, unfriendly, poor servers, or request/demand to be tipped I do not and I will take the time to let them know why I have not. Many times I will tell management, leave comments on social media pages, or write to management about what I feel is deficient.

IFO thinks it’s all about having a balanced approach and i tip/comment accordingly.

Also keep in mind that in 99.99% of all TH F & B venues any tips/service charge, including those left on the table, will be shared by ALL the staff - front of the house, back of the house, parking/valet, bar, toilet, whatever. The only tip a worker may keep for themselves is the one placed directly into their hand, and most often they will still throw that into the general tip pool for all to share.

Further, to keep this all in perspective I do not tip when I eat on the street or in fast food places. But even in a typical TH shop house restaurant if the service was good I will leave a small tip relative to the cost of the meal, if there was a server, and the service was good/attentive. Being an expat of so many years I typically eat in the same places time and again, and like some BMs have stated, rational tipping goes a long way to getting consistnetly good service, food and beverages as time goes on.

If it’s a bar venue I tip the bartender so that they will remember what I like, how I like it, and so I get a fair pour each and every time. IFO think that those few baht go a long way for me to get what I want and to have a good time.

When I am at work training staff I spend a lot of time on trying to impress them with the fact that customers are not required to leave anything (10% included or not) and that the only way to encourage a customer to tip is to simply provide a high level of friendly professional service. But I also try to teach them not to expect that to yield results either (as shown by many posts on this thread) and to simply provide the best level of service that they can each and every time, and eventually that in and of itself should yield a reward for them.

Contrary to what a lot of people think on this board, having a service job and dealing with the public (and their high expectations and many times plantation attitude), and all the related stress that brings is most often not easy. People who do this work should be compensated accordingly like anyone else who wakes up each day and goes out to earn an honest wage.

And yes, I am an American, and that should have nothing to do with this discussion.

So what you are saying is that if you were in the case of the OP, you would have left a tip of roughly 1600 Baht. So if he has just 1 customer a day like this, that would leave him with 48.000 Baht in tip a month. Not bad

[canuckamuck]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Does anyone tip when there's a 10% service charge? I don't. Do the staff get this as an extra bonus or does the restaurant owner use it to pay their staff wages.

I'd really like to hear about this from someone in the business.

I have been in the hospitality business in the USA for 14 years and in Thailand for the last 22, and as I have been reading this topic I have read little that I did not expect. For me to try and explain my position as a career F & B worker to most of those who have posted here IMO would be as useless as most BMs here saying it is to tip a Thai. So I won't get too far into that.

To answer the question about who gets the 10% in Thailand I will say from my 22 years of experience in every type of venue from no star to 5 star, from BKK to Pats to Phuket, most hotel, restaurant and venue owners keep the better part of the 10% (if not all of it) and will pass on a few percentage to the staff (if any). So for those who think the staff are getting tipped too much because they see 10% on the bill as a service charge YOU ARE WRONG. FACT.

It is my concerted opinion that tipping is supposed to be an incentive for staff to work well, and IFO would prefer to not have the 10% automatically added to bill, and I would tip what I thought was commensurate with the level of service and quality of the rest of my meal (unlike so many who have posted to this topic). I tip between 10 and 20% dependent on many factors. If it is included and there is a large percentage of service charge related to having purchased some good bottles of wine then I will adjust my tip accordingly (lower) and keep in mind the level of overall service and food, rather than the total of the entire bill.

If I am in an upscale venue and they have already levied a 10% service charge, and I feel I got exemplary service, I will still add what I think would balance out to 15 or 20%. But I have to say that after being in the F & B business on 2 continents for a total of 36 years, most decent, hardworking staffs deserve to get paid a livable wage, deserve to get tipped when it’s commensurate with the level of service they have provided, and should be treated with respect.

But if they are lazy, unfriendly, poor servers, or request/demand to be tipped I do not and I will take the time to let them know why I have not. Many times I will tell management, leave comments on social media pages, or write to management about what I feel is deficient.

IFO thinks it’s all about having a balanced approach and i tip/comment accordingly.

Also keep in mind that in 99.99% of all TH F & B venues any tips/service charge, including those left on the table, will be shared by ALL the staff - front of the house, back of the house, parking/valet, bar, toilet, whatever. The only tip a worker may keep for themselves is the one placed directly into their hand, and most often they will still throw that into the general tip pool for all to share.

Further, to keep this all in perspective I do not tip when I eat on the street or in fast food places. But even in a typical TH shop house restaurant if the service was good I will leave a small tip relative to the cost of the meal, if there was a server, and the service was good/attentive. Being an expat of so many years I typically eat in the same places time and again, and like some BMs have stated, rational tipping goes a long way to getting consistnetly good service, food and beverages as time goes on.

If it’s a bar venue I tip the bartender so that they will remember what I like, how I like it, and so I get a fair pour each and every time. IFO think that those few baht go a long way for me to get what I want and to have a good time.

When I am at work training staff I spend a lot of time on trying to impress them with the fact that customers are not required to leave anything (10% included or not) and that the only way to encourage a customer to tip is to simply provide a high level of friendly professional service. But I also try to teach them not to expect that to yield results either (as shown by many posts on this thread) and to simply provide the best level of service that they can each and every time, and eventually that in and of itself should yield a reward for them.

Contrary to what a lot of people think on this board, having a service job and dealing with the public (and their high expectations and many times plantation attitude), and all the related stress that brings is most often not easy. People who do this work should be compensated accordingly like anyone else who wakes up each day and goes out to earn an honest wage.

And yes, I am an American, and that should have nothing to do with this discussion.

Despite the fact that I don't know who IFO is, I disagree with you, particularly the last part about it being hard work and they deserve it.

Most jobs are hard, most are harder than waiting tables. It is a job for unskilled laborers. So what makes them deserve a tip when very few other occupations are ever tipped. And yes I have also worked in the industry. I was a very good cook at a steak and pizza place, making a lot of tips for the waitresses. They always made sure to bring back the compliments but they kept the cash. And they brought home more money than me.

[frollywolly]

8000 baht would pay the waitress wages for a month !

last Restaurant i went, 12 of us, ate as much as we wanted, FREE, everyone was asleep and we cleared the bins no problem ratfans...yyeeaahhhh and left a few of our little pressies dotted around as our calling card.

Without our dinner the waitress would have no job 'ol Ratty.

[mtnthai]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

So what you are saying is that if you were in the case of the OP, you would have left a tip of roughly 1600 Baht. So if he has just 1 customer a day like this, that would leave him with 48.000 Baht in tip a month. Not bad

no that is not what i said. i have no way of knowing what created a bill of 8,000 baht so i can not make a clear judgment, but if a poriton of that was for bottles of wine, which it could very well have been, i would have adjusted my tip to reflect the service and not the total cost of the experience .... as i wrote in my post, and not the cost of wine.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Does anyone tip when there's a 10% service charge? I don't. Do the staff get this as an extra bonus or does the restaurant owner use it to pay their staff wages.

I'd really like to hear about this from someone in the business.

I have been in the hospitality business in the USA for 14 years and in Thailand for the last 22, and as I have been reading this topic I have read little that I did not expect. For me to try and explain my position as a career F & B worker to most of those who have posted here IMO would be as useless as most BMs here saying it is to tip a Thai. So I won't get too far into that.

To answer the question about who gets the 10% in Thailand I will say from my 22 years of experience in every type of venue from no star to 5 star, from BKK to Pats to Phuket, most hotel, restaurant and venue owners keep the better part of the 10% (if not all of it) and will pass on a few percentage to the staff (if any). So for those who think the staff are getting tipped too much because they see 10% on the bill as a service charge YOU ARE WRONG. FACT.

It is my concerted opinion that tipping is supposed to be an incentive for staff to work well, and IFO would prefer to not have the 10% automatically added to bill, and I would tip what I thought was commensurate with the level of service and quality of the rest of my meal (unlike so many who have posted to this topic). I tip between 10 and 20% dependent on many factors. If it is included and there is a large percentage of service charge related to having purchased some good bottles of wine then I will adjust my tip accordingly (lower) and keep in mind the level of overall service and food, rather than the total of the entire bill.

If I am in an upscale venue and they have already levied a 10% service charge, and I feel I got exemplary service, I will still add what I think would balance out to 15 or 20%. But I have to say that after being in the F & B business on 2 continents for a total of 36 years, most decent, hardworking staffs deserve to get paid a livable wage, deserve to get tipped when it’s commensurate with the level of service they have provided, and should be treated with respect.

But if they are lazy, unfriendly, poor servers, or request/demand to be tipped I do not and I will take the time to let them know why I have not. Many times I will tell management, leave comments on social media pages, or write to management about what I feel is deficient.

IFO thinks it’s all about having a balanced approach and i tip/comment accordingly.

Also keep in mind that in 99.99% of all TH F & B venues any tips/service charge, including those left on the table, will be shared by ALL the staff - front of the house, back of the house, parking/valet, bar, toilet, whatever. The only tip a worker may keep for themselves is the one placed directly into their hand, and most often they will still throw that into the general tip pool for all to share.

Further, to keep this all in perspective I do not tip when I eat on the street or in fast food places. But even in a typical TH shop house restaurant if the service was good I will leave a small tip relative to the cost of the meal, if there was a server, and the service was good/attentive. Being an expat of so many years I typically eat in the same places time and again, and like some BMs have stated, rational tipping goes a long way to getting consistnetly good service, food and beverages as time goes on.

If it’s a bar venue I tip the bartender so that they will remember what I like, how I like it, and so I get a fair pour each and every time. IFO think that those few baht go a long way for me to get what I want and to have a good time.

When I am at work training staff I spend a lot of time on trying to impress them with the fact that customers are not required to leave anything (10% included or not) and that the only way to encourage a customer to tip is to simply provide a high level of friendly professional service. But I also try to teach them not to expect that to yield results either (as shown by many posts on this thread) and to simply provide the best level of service that they can each and every time, and eventually that in and of itself should yield a reward for them.

Contrary to what a lot of people think on this board, having a service job and dealing with the public (and their high expectations and many times plantation attitude), and all the related stress that brings is most often not easy. People who do this work should be compensated accordingly like anyone else who wakes up each day and goes out to earn an honest wage.

And yes, I am an American, and that should have nothing to do with this discussion.

Despite the fact that I don't know who IFO is, I disagree with you, particularly the last part about it being hard work and they deserve it.

Most jobs are hard, most are harder than waiting tables. It is a job for unskilled laborers. So what makes them deserve a tip when very few other occupations are ever tipped. And yes I have also worked in the industry. I was a very good cook at a steak and pizza place, making a lot of tips for the waitresses. They always made sure to bring back the compliments but they kept the cash. And they brought home more money than me.

IFO = I For One

did you do this work in Thailand? we are discussing Thai venues and Thai service staff, or at least that is what i thought this topic was partly.

and when i was a Chef in America i did not expect waitstaff, who got considerably less per hour than i did as a chef, to share tips with me. i was paid by the house and i accepted what i got or moved on to a place where i felt the compensation and benefits were worthy of the time and effort i put into my job and my expertise.

BTW: the Thai system is one of sharing, so they do it, and some even share when they are given individual tips on the side.

and IMHO anyone who thinks that waiting tables is most often an easy job is wrong and delussional.

but that is just my honest opinon and you are entitled to yours.

[frollywolly]

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Does anyone tip when there's a 10% service charge? I don't. Do the staff get this as an extra bonus or does the restaurant owner use it to pay their staff wages.

I'd really like to hear about this from someone in the business.

I have been in the hospitality business in the USA for 14 years and in Thailand for the last 22, and as I have been reading this topic I have read little that I did not expect. For me to try and explain my position as a career F & B worker to most of those who have posted here IMO would be as useless as most BMs here saying it is to tip a Thai. So I won't get too far into that.

T

The most informed post yet on this thread.

Of course the intention of the tip I left was that it would go direct to the two staff who looked after us.

[frollywolly]

OP with the masterful troll.

No ... say it isn't so ...

.

It isn't so, my little friend

[frollywolly]

Are you still talking to your friends of 20 years?

Just out of interest.

Of course sparkey.

We spoke today and laughed about it and I even told him I had started this topic.

He knows it wasn't on, Too many wines on the night, so he claims.

[shaggy851]

Sounds like a scam.. 8000 for a meal ? I wouldn't be leaving a tip at all. Unless you felt you've insulted the waiters by spending what they earn a month on lunch.

If you had read the Op he stated that friends invited him and mrs, that I think would be at least 4 people. So 8000 for food and wine for maybe 4 people is not expensive for a restaurant at riverside.

I read: A very pleasant riverside restaurant. Some glasses of wine, seafood, pork, chicken, dessert... Bill comes and it is a bit over 8000

Sounds like a few dishes and a few glasses of wine. Not a banquet and a bottle each. Ive shouted pizzas and drinks until closing in an upscale bar for 8 people and it didnt come to much more than that. Either way its a bit pricey for the description and i think my post isnt out of line in saying.

[frollywolly]

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So what you are saying is that if you were in the case of the OP, you would have left a tip of roughly 1600 Baht. So if he has just 1 customer a day like this, that would leave him with 48.000 Baht in tip a month. Not bad

no that is not what i said. i have no way of knowing what created a bill of 8,000 baht so i can not make a clear judgment, but if a poriton of that was for bottles of wine, which it could very well have been, i would have adjusted my tip to reflect the service and not the total cost of the experience .... as i wrote in my post, and not the cost of wine.

Well spotted once more. The wine. of course being Thailand, was expensive and formed a large portion of the bill

[horsewell]

Thai people tip. I've seen people tip a money changer but then it probably depends on a lot of things. I usually don't tip if there is already a service change. Otherwise only 20 baht. If everyone gives that amount the staff will have a few hundred each at the end of the shift. Then, each to their own.

[frollywolly]

Sounds like a scam.. 8000 for a meal ? I wouldn't be leaving a tip at all. Unless you felt you've insulted the waiters by spending what they earn a month on lunch.

If you had read the Op he stated that friends invited him and mrs, that I think would be at least 4 people. So 8000 for food and wine for maybe 4 people is not expensive for a restaurant at riverside.

I read: A very pleasant riverside restaurant. Some glasses of wine, seafood, pork, chicken, dessert... Bill comes and it is a bit over 8000

Sounds like a few dishes and a few glasses of wine. Not a banquet and a bottle each. Ive shouted pizzas and drinks until closing in an upscale bar for 8 people and it didnt come to much more than that. Either way its a bit pricey for the description and i think my post isnt out of line in saying.

Shaggy, the restaurant is in Bangkok and Pooket is correct. The food and meal was not expensive for location and quality. It was 3 seafood dishes, two chicken, 1 pork, rice and other items. The wine formed a large part of the bill.

8000 baht is not over the top at all. It is more expensive than a 500 baht family restaurant of course. That too has its place and time.

[frollywolly]

This is a thread where it would be good to note where/what area of Thailand the poster is in.

Bangkok sdaniel

[shaggy851]

Sounds like a scam.. 8000 for a meal ? I wouldn't be leaving a tip at all. Unless you felt you've insulted the waiters by spending what they earn a month on lunch.

If you had read the Op he stated that friends invited him and mrs, that I think would be at least 4 people. So 8000 for food and wine for maybe 4 people is not expensive for a restaurant at riverside.

I read: A very pleasant riverside restaurant. Some glasses of wine, seafood, pork, chicken, dessert... Bill comes and it is a bit over 8000

Sounds like a few dishes and a few glasses of wine. Not a banquet and a bottle each. Ive shouted pizzas and drinks until closing in an upscale bar for 8 people and it didnt come to much more than that. Either way its a bit pricey for the description and i think my post isnt out of line in saying.

Shaggy, the restaurant is in Bangkok and Pooket is correct. The food and meal was not expensive for location and quality. It was 3 seafood dishes, two chicken, 1 pork, rice and other items. The wine formed a large part of the bill.

8000 baht is not over the top at all. It is more expensive than a 500 baht family restaurant of course. That too has its place and time.

2000 baht a head assuming 4 people?

I dont dine with hiso types so i guess i wouldnt know. But ive never paid that much for a dinner in 3 years ive been in bangkok. Must have been some night. If your adverage feed cost that much then maybe youre right about the 45 baht, it sounds like your not short a bob or two. I hope the valet didnt scratch the benz

[CarlTyson]

I waited tables as a kid. It was always a joy to get the tips, especially a big one.

I needed that money too.

Now I can spread a little joy and it's not too painful.