Tipping from what I have seen elsewhere in the world has gotten out of control and has changed from what it used to represent. Tipping was an extra bonus as a thank you for excellent service you received whilst dining. The people serving you were almost all students helping make up for their shortfall in living costs and this was never considered a full time job. these days I have noticed the people serving are far older and guess not students and most likely immigrants, but that is not my problem.
Restaurants that expect their patrons to cover the costs of their staff by subsidizing their wages are not living in reality and one has to question when will this end. If any restaurant I visited expected a 30 or 40% tip they would not have my business as this is not sustainable.
Last week we visited a restaurant and the service fee was added to the bill being 10% and what I would call standard. The staff are obviously taken care of salary wise and this tip would go into a tip kitty and be distributed weekly or fortnightly amongst all the staff. Once I paid the bill the waiter was smiling and very happy as he appreciated being able to serve and do his job. There was no expectations of some outrageous tip.
This is the fine balance an establishment has to consider as their core job is to sell food and drink and the cost of those items should factor in all costs as in rental, electricity and staffing. The food and drink prices have risen so much over the last 10 years it is hard to imaging that staffing costs have not been accounted for and if they have not then it is not the customers problem. I work hard enough for the money I earn and this is not a freebie hand out charity situation. If the restaurant cannot afford to pay waiting staff then they should shut their doors.
When I visited Portugal earlier in the year the tipping culture was not evident and there was no inclusive service charges on the bill. The one restaurant we visited I offered to pay a tip and the staff declined as they said they are well paid and appreciated us visiting their establishment. The Chinese restaurant was similar and I left a tip when settling the bill and this is up to the discretion of the customer.
I have seen Starbucks here who have tip jars at their till points plus on their card machines have extra boxes for various percentages of tips. This in my mind is rude and unethical and morally wrong asking for this and why I no longer visit Starbucks. The same would apply to a take away as I am not sitting down. You are doing your job which is what you are paid to do and now you are saying you deserve more. If you feel that way then go and work somewhere else as I am not funding you.
There are certain countries where applying a 25 or 30% service charge to the bill will not work and South Africa is definitely one of them. If I am going out for an evening meal which is seen as a treat with already inflated prices with restaurants making anywhere between 200 and 300% as standard profit margins. Food has always been seen to have a minimum of 100% mark up to cover costs so where is the extra 100 or 150% going?
Yesterday I was at a restaurant for lunch which is a rarity for myself and what i noticed was the waiting staff were all South African locals. The restaurant was busy and it was all local black people with me being the only white. Why i say this is the fact the people are happy to dine here is that the waiting staff are all local and no foreigners. If there were foreigners employed as service staff then these people would not be dining here and this is how fickle people are here and I am kind of with them on this as local employment has to come first. Again the service charge is not written on the bill and is entirely up to your discretion.
I know the US has a problem and the problem lies with people thinking waiting is a full time job which it is not. This is an extra job like a bar man which I used to do two evenings a week whilst working my main job. I used to be offered drinks all the time whilst working which were appreciated but never taken up on as the salary I was earning was all I expected. If you expect more then you are the one who has a problem as I can take my patronage elsewhere where it is appreciated.