Whenever we have a meal at a restaurant, we always pay an additional fee on our bill. Paying tips to the staff is acknowledging the staff service through rewards. However, many restaurants have started adding service charges to their dining bills. Both these terms are remarkably different but it needs to be clarified for several diners to comprehend this difference. Let’s understand the variation among the two that restaurants don’t tell us about.
Table of Contents
- Tips
- Service Charges
- Benefits and Drawbacks of Service Charges and Tips on Staff
- What Restaurants Don’t Want You to Know
- What Should Customers Consider
- What Should Employees Consider
- To Sum Up
Tips
A tip is given by the customer to the staff as an appreciation for their prompt service. Also called gratuities, are usually given at the end, in addition to the bill cost. The customer can give gratuities of any amount they wish based on the food quality and service provided by the staff. It can be said that these are:
- Diner’s choice: It depends on the diner to provide based on their experience and satisfaction, be it good or bad.
- Varying prices: The price of this varies based on the restaurant and customer’s contentment.
- Direct profit: The benefit of it, is that it goes straight to the staff giving them direct profit.
Service Charges
These charges quite differ from the gratuity as they are obligatory. It is a predefined fee, which varies from one restaurant to another. It is a compulsory additional fee provided to the customers along with the dining bills.
- Necessary payment: Unlike a tip, this charge is a necessary payment to be paid by diners.
- Fee distribution: They are not directly given to the service staff but rather are distributed by the restaurant amongst the entire staff.
- Clarity: These charges are vague and not always mentioned in the menu but instead stated directly in the bill.
Benefits and Drawbacks of These on Staff
- Tips
- The staff can straight forward get the reward from customers which motivates them individually.
- The most talented and skillful staff can earn high gratuities.
- The fees can vary depending on the rush hours, festivities, and events hosted in the restaurant.
- As these fees differ from one staff to another based on their services, it can create quite a pressure on the staff.
- Service Charges
- Provide an immense benefit to the kitchen staff who do not receive any tips or appreciation like the service staff.
- Ensure a stable income for the staff.
- Distribution depends upon the restaurant, which can lead to unfair distribution of the fees amongst employees.
- As the charge is a fixed price and not based on staff’s assistance, the staff is not so enthusiastic to provide their best services to the customers.
What Restaurants Don’t Want You to Know
Clarity About Distribution
The restaurants do not clarify the distribution of service charges. Sometimes only a small portion of charges are distributed amongst employees and the rest of the money is used for the restaurant’s operations and revenue enhancement. The opacity of these charges causes discontent amongst the staff as well as diners.
Overcharging and Hidden Charges
The customers are uncertain whether these charges cover the staff tips or not, and end up paying double charges. The miscommunication between restaurants and diners makes customers think that your restaurant is charging hidden fees. The overcharging of dining costs can lead to customer dissatisfaction resulting in a reduction of the restaurant’s growth.
Service Quality
As service charges are distributed amongst the entire staff, the service staff can lack in providing the exceptional services. Whereas when the staff is dependent on tips excel in their service delivery. If the service quality differs then it also affects the diner’s meal experience.
What Should Customers Consider
Being a customer, you must understand the difference between service charges and tips. These charges can affect your dining experience, so it is your right to beware of your payment. It is essential being a diner you must consider:
- Checking Bill: You should check your bill to ensure that the restaurant is not applying any hidden charges to your bill.
- Clarify: If the restaurant adds service charges then do not hesitate to clarify if it covers the service staff’s tips or not. This ensures that you don’t end up paying extra charges.
Check out this article to know more about the charges.
What Should Employees Consider
As a restaurant employee, you should know the variation between the two. These charges notably influence your income and job contentment. As an employee, you must consider:
- Clarify with Management: If the restaurant you’re working in has a service charges policy then you must seek clarification from management about its distribution.
- Adjust and Adapt: When working for a different restaurant it is mandatory to adjust and adapt to the restaurant’s policies be it service charges or gratuity.
Conclusion
The talk about service charges and tips is a controversial topic leading to unresolved debates in the restaurant industry. The implementation of both has pros and cons. The uncertainty regarding this can create quite havoc in the restaurant industry if not clarified beforehand. The restaurant needs to be transparent with customers and employees about these fees. This clarification of the costs can enhance the dining experience due to excellent service quality by staff resulting in customer satisfaction and boosting your restaurant’s business.
