From: fina2f@rosie.uh.edu (Venkatesh, P. C.)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: Re: HOW WE TIP IN RESTAURANTS
Date: 19 Nov 1992 09:32 CST
Organization: University of Houston
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: rosie.uh.edu
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

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Posted for Susan Chacko.
Please address mail to susanc@helix.nih.gov
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In article <1992Nov18.155711.1125@b30.ingr.com>, dreddy@b30.ingr.com (Devender Reddy) writes...
>This is regarding tipping in restaurants. I have heard through a lot of 
>people that we Indians (mostly) are really bad in tipping.  Most of the time 
>we do not even tip. I have friends who work as waiters, some of whom are 
>Americans, Iranians and even Indians. Most of them tell the hostess not to 
>seat any Indians in their tables. This really hurt me. 
> 
>.....
>Recently my friend was waiting on some Indians. My friend told the manager
>that he does not want to wait on these people, but he was forced to.They were 
>a group of 7. They had drinks and food. The bill was about $130 and these 
>people tipped him $4.00. He was really  mad and told them to take the  
>money back and he does not need it. And guess what the reply was. They said 
>that it was a lot of money and they converted the 4 dollars and said that 
>120 rupees is a lot of money back home.
> 

Now I don't have any personal insight into Indian tipping habits (I 
go out to dinner with Indians all the time, and we all tip the 
regular 15%, down to 10% if we think the service was bad, and up to
20% if it's exceptional. However, a person working in a restaurant
presumably meets a larger cross-section of the Indian and Indian-
American population).

But it seems incredibly unprofessional for a waiter to decide who
he wants to wait on. If I walked into a restaurant and the waiter
said he didn't want to wait on me because I was Indian, I would 
walk right out, and I can't see myself going there again. The 
manager has every right to allot tables to waiters, and the waiters 
can't pick and choose among the customers. I'm sure this goes on
all the time, of course, and if an oil sheikh walked into the place
no doubt they'd be falling over themselves to serve him. Still,
for a waiter to decide that he doesn't want to serve any Indians...!!!!
And then to throw a tantrum because he thought the tip wasn't good
enough!!! Hardly likely to encourage customers to return, is it? In
the long run, it's not good for business.

If it's true that Indians tip poorly for whatever reason, perhaps
the restaurant could add a line on the bill saying that a 15% 
gratuity is appreciated, for customers who don't know the 
customary percentage.

For the record, I think the whole system of tipping is ridiculous.
Sure, the waiters make their money mostly from tips, but for a
tip to be 'required' is a complete mockery of the idea that a tip
is a commendation of good service. Restaurants should just pay their
waiters more and increase the cost of the food by 15%. If the
service is particularly good or you like the waiter's face or
whatever, you could add whatever you thought appropriate. I don't
see why a rude or hurried or irritating waiter should get a
gratuity, since he/she has not only *not* provided good service
but has actively decreased the pleasure of dining out.

Susan.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian