15% added for your convenience

[Island Legend]

I'm sorry, for whose convenience? I'm not sure if my gratuities always make it to the server (I doubt it) but... compulsory gratuities surely make it irrelevant whether or not a server bothers to give good service. Don't get me wrong, I like to reward GOOD service (there are places) but I really don't like being made to pay 15% for the often atrocious service. The way the system works, good wait/service staff are seldom rewarded fully and poor service staff fare no worse. That sucks!

[sigh]

Oh I completely agree with you on this Island Legend.  One thing that I learned on the Limey website ages ago, is that you DO NOT have to pay this 15%.  I have on 2 different occasions written on the bill that due to the terrible service I received I would not pay the 15%.  On both occasions I would have loved to speak with a manager, but there were none around.  Surprise, surprise.

On the subject of tipping though, I have a real problem with the general attitude of entitlement that I see here in Bermuda.  The slow-moving gas attendants have their hand out for a tip even though I would gladly fill up my own bike if self-service stations were there.  The surly cashier of the sandwich shop moves the tip jar closer to the register to emphasize that money should go in there.  The student grocery-baggers (sad to say, my poor experience has only been with students) chatting to their buddies, flirting with the teller, counting their cash, or throwing groceries into a bag rather than taking the time to do the job right, wait with their hand out half of the time before handing me the bag.  I have received many glares for not tipping them.  In fact, the other day at the grocery store, the man in front asked the boy to repack the bag as the boy did a terrible job.  The boy (and his buddy) rolled their eyes and he slowly took everything out.  And then proceeded to put it all back in the same way!  I absolutely refuse to tip for poor service!

My Mother would have killed me if I had ever had an attitude like this about work.  So why is it generally accepted here?

[Bda Bird]

What really takes the biscuit is in places like the L Venice Wine Bar and Henry VIII where the 15% is added on to your bill when you've gone to the bar yourself to get a drink - that's a real rip off !

BUt when youlive here and want to get served again at some point what can you do ?!?!?!?

[Reality]

Yeah, you fight, you wonder what will happen to your food next time... we should reward places that do not charge grats - as far as I know, Swizzle Inn (superb chicken wings) and Specialty Inn don't charge grats.

[Barkin Mad]

For real, I can do the ****ing math.  The auto-grat sucks.   

[Island Legend]

Considering how much is overpriced in the first place. At Harbourfront - usually one of my favourites - they charge $12 for an Asahi beer. $12! Oh yeah, make that $13.80 inc grats!

[Montreal Expat]

Amen brothers and sisters.

The 15% auto-tip when service is APPALLING gets on my nerves. I think it is counter-productive since the servers tend to think they are getting 15% anyway, why work hard for it?  It just gives them licence to act poorly, and since a lot of wait-staff is ex-pat for some reason, this isn't just Bermudians we are speaking of! 

Its stupid and needs to be done away with "for your conveniecne".  I can see for tables of 7 or more or 10 or more or something (its done that way here as well).  But for shitty service at the pickled onion?  Grok that!

I have never had the nerve to remove the tip from my bill, though I've been tempted more than once. I have however added more than 15% when the service was exceptional.

[poison ivy]

There is no law that you have to pay 15% on your bill. Speak to the manager and state your grievance and refuse the charge. I am not paying money for crap service and the no star restaurants will not get my money for bad service. By the way the " Lemon Tree " coffee shop is GREAT!

[bluenoser]

For your convenience - cuz we're too stupid to do math! I don't have the nerve to tip less - there are only so many places to eat after a while - do you think you won't be remembered as the "one cheap xxxhole who wouldn't tip or thought the service only meritted 10%?"

Let me open pandora's box and ask about the splitting the bill concept...something I never encountered before.  I don't think about it twice anymore, but really struggled with it the first year when we arrived laden with student loans et. al.  Gotta love splitting a bill when you had a pizza and pop and the others had scampi and vino!  I guess it's a more even playing field salary wise here but I still think it's a cheesy practice.  I was told (that first year) that eating out is a social experience and you are paying for the dining experience - not just your food.  Which flak came up with that?!

[Montreal Expat]

Amen Bluenoser.  Since in Bermuda the wait staff is too lazy and incompetent (again, this is ex-pats waitstaff too) to actually keep track of which diner ordered which thing, all they can do is split the bill evenly by the number of cards thrown at them.  There are a lot of places where seperate cheques stated before you order is not an issue at all, and if you think logically, why should it be a problem?     Thankfully as you stated, once you've been on the island a while the pay eclipses your financial burdens (usually) and it becomes less of an issue.

[Captain Canuck]

Blue N. i've been here for a year and a bit and i've NEVER heard that before...i don't think i would feel comfortable with what seems to me as taking advantage. ?wow what a terrible situation to be in.

CC

[Montreal Expat]

Really CC?  Almost a weekly occurence for me, you go out for a meal with friends and the bill is just spli tby # of diners rather than by who ordered what. If you're a vegetarian or a non-drinker or both you can really end up subsidzing your pals dinners! Which may or may not be an issue...

[Ex-expat]

Bluenoser, splitting the bill is fairly common to me as well, but not really a Bermuda thing. We used to do that in Canada, too, because we were all too poor back then to cover the whole table. It's usually easier and faster than creating separate bills.

[bluenoser]

Captain Cunuck - I can't believe you've never been in that situation...I've never NOT been!!  And, I nver encountered it before moving here, guess us East Coasters are too cheap...or broke!  Hopefully that comment won't spawn the "Cdns are cheap" comment...never heard that before I moved here either...always thought it was the Scots!

[Mike]

Let me open pandora's box and ask about the splitting the bill concept...something I never encountered before. 

Bluenoser,

I had never encountered the split bill before here either.  I've always had the 'Dutch' style where each person does a quick tally and pays that amount.  When I suggested that here I was scorned for being the "Tight Ass Canadian".  I tend not to dine with that group, or if I have to, I make sure I match them for each sushi roll or drink.

As for Canadians being cheap, the real story is that a Canadian is the only one who can buy something from a Jew, sell it to a Scotsman and have enough profit to pay his tax.