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This is standard practice in London. Virtually all table-service restaurants (but not pubs) add service charge to your bill, usually 12.5%. (15% sounds excessiv

This is standard practice in London. Virtually all table-service restaurants (but not pubs) add service charge to your bill, usually 12.5%. (15% sounds excessive, I don’t think I’ve seen that). You are not expected to tip in addition to the service charge, and by law, staff get paid 100% of any service charge and gratuities with no deductions.

leoedin 3y ago
> by law, staff get paid 100% of any service charge and gratuities with no deductions If only that was true. Staff are only currently entitled to 100% of cash tips - service charges paid by card are not counted, and often form part of the staff's base pay, or go to the owners. Parliament has voted through a law which will change this - but it isn't in force yet. https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/articles/2021/10/businesses-to-be-banned-from-keeping-staff-tips/ https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/articles/2021/10/...
- yrro 3y ago
  Wow, "first consulted on in 2016" Funny how the Tories can push through sweeping changes to our constitution in a single night, while bills like this take... 7 years just to reach their second reading in the commons. https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2927 https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2927
  - leoedin 3y ago
    It's actually this bill - https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3197 https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3197 - which has been completely passed already (received royal assent).
    - yrro 3y ago
      Well, that's good news at least. But still, 7 years from consultation to passage through parliament is far too long!
- Reason077 3y ago
  > "service charges paid by card are not counted, and often form part of the staff's base pay, or go to the owners." This was true some years ago. But now days, most (vast majority of?) restaurants are compliant with the (upcoming) law and pay out all tips to staff. Source: friends who work in the industry. This issue has gotten significant media attention in the past any any restaurant not paying out tips fairly would get shamed pretty hard!
lozenge 3y ago
There is a tax benefit for the restaurant as well, VAT is charged on restaurant meals but not on these "service charges". I disagree that it's all restaurants, it's closer to half. The other half might have it for groups 6+ or 8+ people.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

leoedin 3y ago

> by law, staff get paid 100% of any service charge and gratuities with no deductions If only that was true. Staff are only currently entitled to 100% of cash tips - service charges paid by card are not counted, and often form part of the staff's base pay, or go to the owners. Parliament has voted through a law which will change this - but it isn't in force yet. https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/articles/2021/10/businesses-to-be-banned-from-keeping-staff-tips/ https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/articles/2021/10/...

yrro 3y ago
Wow, "first consulted on in 2016" Funny how the Tories can push through sweeping changes to our constitution in a single night, while bills like this take... 7 years just to reach their second reading in the commons. https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2927 https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2927
- leoedin 3y ago
  It's actually this bill - https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3197 https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3197 - which has been completely passed already (received royal assent).
  - yrro 3y ago
    Well, that's good news at least. But still, 7 years from consultation to passage through parliament is far too long!
Reason077 3y ago
> "service charges paid by card are not counted, and often form part of the staff's base pay, or go to the owners." This was true some years ago. But now days, most (vast majority of?) restaurants are compliant with the (upcoming) law and pay out all tips to staff. Source: friends who work in the industry. This issue has gotten significant media attention in the past any any restaurant not paying out tips fairly would get shamed pretty hard!

lozenge 3y ago

There is a tax benefit for the restaurant as well, VAT is charged on restaurant meals but not on these "service charges". I disagree that it's all restaurants, it's closer to half. The other half might have it for groups 6+ or 8+ people.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]