h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Most service staff in Canada expect something in the 10-20% tip range - depending on - What city, in French or English Canada and the level of service. Tipping is expected for restaurants, bars, food delivery and taxis. You should not try to tip the police, especially the Royal Canadian Mountain Police - they will not appreciate it. 15% is a good tip in a restaurant. In Montreal, tips for a good meal at a good restaurant with good service should be tipped more. In most of English Canada, you would find it a lot harder to have the same experience, and anyway would not be expected to tip as much.

On the other hand, you should not tip if service is bad. Someone, and ex-waitress, suggested to me that if the service is really bad, leave a nickel - they should get the message.

Customer service is my big complaint, and I'm trying to do something about it - giving seminars on customer service. There is no excuse for bad service - its so easy to give! And if you work in the service industry, the little effort can gain you a personal reward - tips!

I agree. Only once have I left no tip. In fact I intended to leave a large negative tip. After 1 hour without attention I decided to leave. This got the attention of the waiter. After a short verbal altercation I paid my bill and threw the 3cents change back as a tip in the middle of the restaurant. Some people don't get it.

What is perceived as bad service could be due to many reasons, maybe a good waitress on a bad day, or an overloaded restaurant, or a drunk cook or a very stupid owner? Regardless as a customer, you have the choice to return or not, and tell your friends what you think.

In any business the service and experience a customer has using your product is the most important part of the product. It costs money to provide good service, but this reaps benefits in better business relationships and loyal customers. Doing the opposite cheapens your value, and will hurt you in the long run.

I try to keep in mind that in most places the service staff are just trying to make ends meet and do their job - The problem might be with the company they work for rather than with them in particular.

A good waitress on a bad day is no excuse! You stick a coat hanger in your teeth (smile) and get on with the job. It isn't the customer's fault you have a headache, sore feet, problems at home etc. A busy restaurant is an opportunity to make big tips, by appologizing for late service and trying to do your best. Agreed, management has to encourage good service, but the bottom line is the waitress doing the work. Drunk cook? Don't have a suggestion for that one!

You're more tollerent than I am. I go into a restaurant and get settled and light a cigarette (I know, I know!!). By the time my smoke's done, if I haven't ordered a coffee, I'm out of there - with as much to-do putting on my coat, and a loud comment on service, so everyone knows about it.

I heard a story about a group of people who went to a restaurant and didn't get served. One of them went to a pay phone, in the restaurant, phoned their take-out number, and asked if they could get service at table 4.

I've actually left many restaurants if service has not been prompt - I expect to see someone right away. Otherwise the best way to reflect the service is to walk out. I can order really good food and stay at home or make it myself. Never tried the ordering food in thing - Maybe that is what cell. phones are really for.

I think it depends what type of establishment you visit. If I go to a nice French or Italian restaurant with a price to match, I expect excellent service along with excellent food, and everthing that evening should add to the experience. If for example, the somelier does not have much clue about the wine they have or should have with the food, they serve it wrong or it isn't particularly good wine, or the waiter does not know how to serve properly - This will be reflected in the tip and likelyhood of returning.

If I visit a "greasy spoon" - I would be thrilled to be served as I would at a top Parisien restaurant - but I would expect and be content with tasty food, cooked properly and served reasonably promptly, not to be bothered too much (the usual N. American interruption by service staff while you have food in your mouth or are talking to someone is to be expected), and service that is not hostile. I would be more tolerant considering the working conditions and level of service - Reflected in the price hopefully - and consequently the tips and expectations.

I have been to places that aspire to be good restaurants, judging by their price, but are really "greasy spoons" with goofy names and stuff from the 50s/60sstuck on the walls. If they attempt to serve wine (badly as with the food) for example, it will be a bad selection sold at a high price and served all wrong, and probably kept wrong. There seem to be many of these in English speaking North America, and may be all you get outside of the most cosmopolitan cities. I have a hard time tipping well at these places - if I did not catch on and leave before its too late - or do the right thing and just order a few beers with nachos and buffalo chicken wings at the bar.

Agreed. I don't expect the same level of service at a family type restaurant, or greasy spoon, as I do at a fine dining room, but I do expect good service, and tip accordingly.

As it happens, we just came back from a drive in the country and supper at a family restaurant in a small town. The food was good, as we expected - we've been there before. Service was prompt, friendly, and very polite - in all a good experience. Not a single complaint, even with having to ask for lemon for my Caesar salad. It arrived promptly, with an apology, and explanation that there was a new cook in training.

I just hate the interruption to ask how everything is "so far" - what's that all about? It seems to be timed so I've just put a forkful of food in my mouth. Leave me in peace! Just keep the coffee coming. I've learned never to order wine, except in the best of establishments - anywhere else courts disappointment.

Don't knock the places outside cosmopolitan centers - I can name 4 incredible dining rooms in small towns outside Winnipeg just off the top of my head - and I'm sure there are more.

On the topic of leaving a tip of small change: if the service is especially bad, it is sometimes good to leave a tip of only 2 cents, as per the "two cents" idiom.... (It just makes it a bit more metaphorical--is that the word I am looking for?) If you leave nothing, it could be construed as just being forgotten, as opposed to making an editorial comment.


the Shee

Yes, you should leave something, otherwise you're the one who looks like a dolt with no manners. I like the metaphor of 2 cents. Excellent!

My curiousity is up - where do you live? We did sort of get off topic, didn't we?

What, me? Or Dudemeister? I'm in the USA.... (Don't want to get more exact than that; sorry... Too many warnings about those freaks you meet on the internet ... Not that you are one! )

BTW, you still look like you have no manners when you don't leave at least a 10% tip!

Peace,
the Shee

See your point - There are freaks and wierdos everywhere. I thought you were Canadian, that's all. Canadian's tend to be more tight fisted with tipping, so the world tells us. But looking ill-mannered or not, which Canadians hate to appear, you still should tip according to service.

At any rate - its nice to meet you.

Well, I *like* Canada... Partial to Saskatchewan, myself...

Nice meeting you too!

Peace,
the Shee

I find it quite interesting that the amount of tip you leave is always seen as a comment on the service, especially as I was told in Canada that your tip normally should be about the same amount as tax, depending on where in Canada you were. (that's why I always asked the friends I went out with to tell me what to pay )

I guess it depends on the kind of restaurant you go to, but here (in Germany) you usually just make it a full number, i.e. if it is something like 23 you give 25, you don't normally bother with percentages. And, in smaller and cheaper places, or if you just take coffee, it usually is not a problem at all to give no tip at all, well, once in a while, at least. That's why German customers are not always too welcome in Canadian restaurants the second time they come

One more question: I always wondered about all these coffee-to-go places (love them, they are only slowly spreading here), do you tip the salespersons (they are not actually waiters/waitresses, are they?)?

snowflake

Didn't mean to knock the places outside "cosmopolita" - They are often the best, it gets harder to find them unless you know...

This deal with interruptions drives me nuts. I find this in Ottawa a lot. Starts with "Hi I'm x I'm your waitperson for today please let me know if you need anything", then endless interruptions at the most innapropriate time. In Montreal, for example (similarly in Europe), at a half-decent restaurant - nothing too ridiculous but with trained staff - they will keep an eye on you and come by when it looks like you might need something - like your wine glass topped up ( not filled to the brim), or after finishing your meal, the dessert menu. If you need anything then you should be able to get the attention of the staff quickly. If the food is bad or the wine wrong/bad then there is a time or place to ask. Generally I hope that what I order is "fine", or else I won't order it again. I find in those out of town small places or the best small Chinese restaurants here in Ottawa, that's the kind of good service you get, even when they are busy.

Then again, I have heard from some folks visiting from the US in Montreal that service is slow and bad. This might be because they expect someone to ask them how the digestion process is going from chew, swallow to churning in stomach and if there is anything that they were asked before but forgot. Or else the visitors say something to p**s off the staff and get reciprocal treatment.