I like that word!
ohai has been on a roll lately
In a lot of countries, the tip is included in the bill. You can refuse to pay it in some places, but it requires you making a scene with the waiter and a lot of people don’t want to bother for small amounts or service that was simply subpar (as opposed to horrific). Countries that have this tradition do seem to have poorer service on average than countries where the tip is not auto-included.
Here in New York, I think a lot of places have started including the tip in the bill because foreigners from countries where this is the custom will typically pay whatever is at the bottom line and so if it isn’t auto-included, the servers typically get nothing. Since many servers end up working for less than minimum wage if they don’t get any tips, I can see why this might be popular in places where foreigners visit.
Even for those foreigners who remember to tip here while traveling, they often get the customary amount wrong. I’ve had many visiting friends who put down 10% because that is the tip amount where they come from, and I remind them that here, 15% is customary. Presumably the tip is lower, but the minimum wage is higher in many of those places, so it balances out a bit. But it’s no fun to have a friend go back there and find that someone spit in their soup or something because they got a puny tip the last time around.
As for why pay the tip vs pay 15% more on the menu for the food. It’s because the restaurant owners are setting the rules. They want to compete in part on price, so there is a first-mover disadvantage for that. However, for upscale restaurants, presumably there is a different dynamic.
Per Se doesn’t charge for gratuity and insists not to leave any. Neither does Sushi Yasuda.
Protip: Show up to Per Se around 5:30pm and get seated in the salon area. They don’t take reservations but it’s first come, first served. On most weekdays other than Friday, you have a good chance at getting a seat. It’s a la carte and mostly the same stuff as the prix fixe and tasting menus, but without the break-the-bank prices (~$40/entree).
Great info, thanks!
Time for you to find a new bar. This place sounds lame.
+1 Don’t give them your business if they’re going to act like that.
the autotip is a joke, especially when they dont forewarn you. Their excuses for the autotip are always interesting as well. “Well, the tips for the people who clean the tables come out of our own pockets”. GTFO.
