Are you being served?
Posted by Andrew Adams on July 18, 2008
Filed Under Society |
The Independent is running a campaign against restaurants who do not pass on tips and service charges to their staff in full, or use them to top up basic wages which are below the minimum wage. It seems obvious to me that the latter practice is indefensible and it was craven of the government to allow this loophole when they brought in the minimum wage legislation. The LibDems have tabled an amendment to the Employment Bill currently going through parliament which will close this loophole and I hope it is carried.
However, I think the current system as a whole is flawed and illogical. Table service is an integral part of eating in a restaurant (ok, apart from buffet restaurants), so how can restaurants claim on their menus that it is “not included” when you are actually receiving it, do not have the option to refuse it and are not forced to pay extra for it? And if that extra 12.5% automatically added to your bill is a charge for service rather than a tip (and there is obviously a difference between the two) then why logically should it go directly to the waiting staff if they are already being paid?
The answer is to abolish service charges and make restaurants include service in the price of the meal (which as I mentioned above they actually do anyway). Ensure that staff are paid at least the minimum wage, and customers can then choose to add an additional gratuity if they wish which really reflects the quality of the service and should be paid to the waiting staff in full.
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