When should a waiter add gratuity?

Ate at Joes at the Forum Shops on Saturday night with friends, total of the party was 5 people. The host was very nice and funny, service was great, and the waiter was very pleasant. One of my friends at the table even asked the waiter to pick a glass of wine to go with his meal and did not give him a price range. The waiter asked where we were from they replied Indiana and my wife and I stated we were locals. The only thing that I could see that would have labeled us as cheap was that we were dressed very casual since we had been playing horses and watching college basketball at the Caesars sports book since 9am. We did ask if they had a dress code before we entered the restaurant, which they replied no.

When the bill came we noticed the waiter had included in the bill 18% gratuity. I have seen restaurants mandate gratuity for parties of 6 or more, but never 5. I later checked their online menu and it did state that gratuity would be charged to parties of 5 or more. I did not leave a tip over the gratuity amount, but thought the waiter and the staff was top notch and at upscale restaurants I usually tip over 20%.

I use to work as a waiter through high school and college, so I understand being shorted on tips. I am from a small town where people leave quarters instead of dollars as tips. Working in a family restaurant I was lucky to make $10 an hour, so I guess it rubs me the wrong way that waiters making $70K+ a year would add gratuity to make sure they weren't shorted.

Any thoughts?

In this case I wouldn't say it was the waiter that added the gratuity, rather it was the company policy. My personal opinion is that it should be added only for larger groups, say 8 or more.

Mark

It does seem strange to add a mandatory gratuity to a party of 5. A possible reason is that there are many international visitors to Vegas that may come from countries that do not tip. I'm not saying that reason is good or bad, but that could be a factor.

If that is the policy that is the policy. 5 is the lowest I have seen, but as others said, they might have had people stiff them on the tips before.

I agree that if they are going to add the gratuity then I would not tip over that amount.

I went to a restaurant in Carmel, CA (near monterey) that added 18% to all checks.

What bothers me is when they don't tell you they added it, leaving the possibility of being double tipped.

Quote: Wizard

What bothers me is when they don't tell you they added it, leaving the possibility of being double tipped.

that's what she said....

usually they will indicate the added gratuity at the bottom of the menu.
i think if they don't list it on the menu, most places would indicate it on the bill.

Adding gratuity to all bills is standard in South Beach and the other touristy areas of Miami.

If you receive bad service, can you refuse to pay the gratuity?

Is five possibly the cutoff b/c most of the tables there seat four, so a party of five or more requires two tables pushed together?

Quote: gambler

If you receive bad service, can you refuse to pay the gratuity?

That's kind of part of the point. A large party can't be served as well as a smaller one, even using more staff. The gratuity is added to insure a tip in such cases.

Speaking of tips <w>, if you want to bring a large aprty to a restaurant you'll get better service if you rent a private room beforehand. You'll get even better service if you order a menu beforehand, too, but your guests might not appreciate that.

Quote: gambler

If you receive bad service, can you refuse to pay the gratuity?

This is the same as if there is no mandatory gratuity, when leaving less than 15% you should talk to the manager and tell them why.

Quote: Johnzimbo

Is five possibly the cutoff b/c most of the tables there seat four, so a party of five or more requires two tables pushed together?

When the host seated us at Joes, he sat us at a round reserved table for six people. I have a theory on why the table had a reserved marker on it as it was a visible table and the restaurant probably wanted to give the appearance that they were busy and therefore a good restaurant.

Quote: WongBo

usually they will indicate the added gratuity at the bottom of the menu. i think if they don't list it on the menu, most places would indicate it on the bill.

I know you're supposed to check the bill, but I still think it is appropriate to verbally mention the automatic gratuity anyway, especially if it is a small party. I could see someone from outside the country thinking the "service fee" is a tax, and then leaving a tip on top of it, which would not be right.

Quote: Wizard

I know you're supposed to check the bill, but I still think it is appropriate to verbally mention the automatic gratuity anyway, especially if it is a small party. I could see someone from outside the country thinking the "service fee" is a tax, and then leaving a tip on top of it, which would not be right.

There is no upside for the waiter. At best he is met with benign acknowledgement. At worse they are confronted with an angry customer or they lose their possibility of an additional tip. The policy has to come from the owner.

It is like asking the waiter to tell you how much the cognac is that you ordered when you are tipsy. I've gotten a bill where the cognac was $40 a glass. Still that's better than $1500 a shot.

all things considered, if i were the waiter,
i would rather have a sure thing 18% than to have to suffer the average tip.
though it may not be entirely fair to the customer
as it removes the incentive for the waiter to exceed expectations.

Houston's, part of the hillstone group, automatically adds a gratuity for parties of 5 or more. The way they do it is classy- there is a big sticker on the bill that says "gratuity added" and they delete the line/space for an additional tip on the credit card slip

Norwegian and Princess cruise lines, and I'm sure others, add tips to the bill. I've been told the reason is that tipping is not customary in Europe, so it's not just for convenience but to assure that the staff gets their tips. With people coming from all over the world to Las Vegas, it may be the same situation.

Quote: Wizard

I could see someone from outside the country thinking the "service fee" is a tax, and then leaving a tip on top of it, which would not be right.

In many places overseas, tipping is a vastly different custom from the U.S., and those practices can carry over to an extraordinary extent on visits here.

SONBP2, I don't believe that your attire or being a local had anything to do with the gratuity. I ate at Joe's with three friends on 3/19/12. We weren't fashionably dressed as we had left our top hats and monocles at home. Our dress attire was more of the "sportsbook chic" type. Long story short, when we received the bill, there was no automatic gratuity added to the bill.

I'm guessing that dlevinelaw is on point with his reply. Kudos to Joe's for this policy. It's unfortunate but many people refuse/neglect to tip properly.

Quote: dlevinelaw

Houston's, part of the hillstone group, automatically adds a gratuity for parties of 5 or more. The way they do it is classy- there is a big sticker on the bill that says "gratuity added" and they delete the line/space for an additional tip on the credit card slip

mmmmmm, Houston's. Just about my favorite restaurant when I lived in Austin. Excellent food, service and atmosphere. Class act.

Quote: dlevinelaw

Houston's, part of the hillstone group, automatically adds a gratuity for parties of 5 or more. The way they do it is classy- there is a big sticker on the bill that says "gratuity added" and they delete the line/space for an additional tip on the credit card slip

That is very considerate. It is too bad Hillstone doesn't have a location in Vegas.