Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-10-25
Walters Fees.

"Gourmet," a correspondent of the London
Telegraph, has raised discussion in that paper
on the subject OF walters fees. "Oxoniensis ''
says: 81 go far beyond Gourmet who, in his
letter to you, says that our walters ought to be
feed hold that no waiter ought to be feed at
all. Why should hotel keepers be the only
class OF tradesmen in the world who expect the
public to pay the wages of their servants
have to live almost entirely i'm restaurants
lunching, dining, and even supping there every
day-sO that | have to contribute toward the
wages of other peoples servants not less than
10 or II shillings a week. The thing is
simply outrageous on the face of it. The truth
is that walters fees are sheer robbery sane
toned by long habits of concession. and it is
time that the monstrous impudence were put
down." ''F. b." remarks: AT a certain din
1ng-r0om in-the Strand the custom used to OBJ
tain of paying our rees-viZ the attendance in
the bill, the waiter, the collector and the
carver" and he goes on to point ont that such
cases furnish the reason why French and Italian
restaurants in London are now extensively
patrOnZed, there being only one fee expected
in them. Nv" writes 'Your correspondent
Gourmet very rightly complains OF the unfair
practice of tipping at the various restaurants
in or near London. / have ascertaned upon
excellent authority that the average income
OF an ordinary waiter is abont Is shi-
llngs day. L am convinced that If a
large restaurant were started in convenient
part of London where good dinner could be
OBTAINED without these extra expenses. a large
proportion of those requiring substantial re-
freshment would avail themselves OF the oppor-
tunity of Kidding themselves of sn unnecessary
and UNFAIR imposition. - Waiter of Long
Experience" thinks that the difficulty COM
planned of would be got over were simply SUI
perlntendents appointed to dning-roOms and
WATERS allowed to present their own bills
while "ViatOr' hopes "that some of your
readers will suggest remedy that viii be gen
orally adopted and work justice to all. - Diner
out. on the other hand. insisting that the cure
Tor the complaint known as compulsory tipping
Is to be found in a firm determination on the
part of those who dine out to avoid such places
as demand more than one fee confident i'm
the thought that the proprietors of the res
taurants thus avoided viii then soon see a
way OF remedying the evil themselves. In his
opinion the public has the matter entirely in
its own hands. and could quickly make a restau-
rant keeper as slow to ask for tips through the
medium of his employees as the linen draper
through his assistant. ''F. B." whose expert
ence OF some city establishments is not quite
that of Gourmet" and who finds that at many
OF them mot only the waiter vino attends
directly to the wants of the guests. but the
money-taker and the grll-cook all expect to be
iced. And this view is borne out by IT. w.
p. who Processes not to object to the system
and thinks that the 'hard steaks and bad drinks
he gets constitute greater grievance than
walters fees. ''R. L." Of Brighton. too in the
course Of a long letter. defends the customs
winch exist on the ground that 1.-The attendance
money affords the means to support an adequate
staff or servants" and he further holds that the
walters. who work 'harder than slaves" have
IN consideration Of their very low rate of pay, q
right to expect tips from those they serve.