Do you think that it is a good idea for hospitality and catering business owners to estimate a 10% service tip as part of the bill for everyone to pay, or do you think that the amount of tip should be up to the customer?

Guest Satisfaction has many criteria’s; one of them is service, yet, the overall experience satisfaction of every aspect is important for guest appreciation, however, satisfaction is subjective. Tip is a way of showing appreciation, but it is not the only way, in my opinion, I have listed some downturns of fixing tips percentage:

• Tying-up the tips to a certain percentage could be unfair to the staff, many customers are coming from different cultures where paying tips is part of the dining experience, their estimate to the amount they need to leave behind in many occasions could exceed the 10%.

• From a previous experience in the F&B industry, employers are accounting for the tips as a fact of “fixed earnings”; accordingly, it is reflected in the wages strategy. You find service staff part of the least paid category in many hotels for example. Making the 10% or any other % as a fixed charge will drop the basic wage of this category for sure. Employees financial planning and many other benefits that are linked to the basic salary will be negatively impacted.

• Customers in many cultures do not like to be pushed to pay tips, they consider it as “un justified” unless it is earned. In many countries we find even service charge is relooked at and now removed from the mandatory payments.

• Many customers would review this as a hidden increase of the product prices; you will find many customers have doubts that the money is really going to be distributed to staff. I personally prefer to pay it cash as I will know that it will be controlled by the staff themselves and it is more guaranteed to be distributed at the end of the business day, week, or month.

 I strongly believe that TIPS should be left alone and maintain it up to the customer evaluation and satisfaction to determine how much the experience deserves.

Thank you!

It should be up to the customers to decide whether they are happy enough to tip the service. It should not be enforced. 

I think it should be upto a customer since customer budgets and earnings are never equal.

I think it is better that the amount of tip should be up to the customer,it is the customer who will decide if they will give tip to acertain service. It is not their obligation anymore to give tip unless the service is good and satisfying. Its up to them if the service made them They can give tip as much as they want...

should be a choice of customer to offer a tip as per his expectation and service offered to him....from good to great service ...  

 I am in hospitality industry  to give the highest standard of service to ALL guests.  The only difference for VIP guests is the set up and extra attention due to the requirements of the guests. Guests will not require VIP service unless its required by the company or by the guest itself.

 I believe that shoud be up to customer evaluation and satisfaction 

Yes, if they will pay the staff to satisfy the customer with good service

i think its up to the customer because first you have been paid by the management and you're not there to work and ask some tip from the customers

It's  up  to  the  costumer 

Yes it is good and right Idea to share the tip for every employee