Service charge on beer and food

[SoiBiker]

It's just part of the price they're asking you to pay. Life's too short to get bent out of shape because the price was written down in a slightly different way.

Edited January 15, 2016 by SoiBiker

[blackcab]

I recently found out, to my amazement, that money in the tip jar at the coffee shop that I regularly frequent when I'm Tokyo is retained by the owner. It's on an American military installation and not technically a Japanese coffee shop but the owner is Japanese. As readers will know, tips are not left in true Japanese establishments. I had been leaving tips in the jar for years expecting that they would be divided between the food service people who work there. I no longer patronize the coffee shop and no longer talk to the owner. It would be interesting to investigate exactly where the 10% service charge in Thai restaurants goes. Does anybody know for a fact? I think that it's outrageous for an owner to keep money that is ostensibly for good service by the staff. It would be good to know if that is going on in Bangkok. If it is, it's just a price gouge. The money hustle in Thailand is pretty bad.

I know for a fact (but my experience is only with some restaurants), and the answer varies. Nearly everywhere makes deductions to some extent. The better restaurants deduct the total pot of money for uniform laundry expenses, breakages and shrinkage. The rest is divided between the eligible staff.

Some places keep the service charge in its entirety. The only way to know is to ask the staff.