If you give a tip to the waiter/waitress (aka server) in a restaurant, you may be interested in this nugget which I have just found:
Tips in cash which are voluntarily given by a customer to a worker, such as a waiter, count as a gift from the customer to the worker. They therefore do not form part of the worker’s pay. Even if the cash tips are pooled by all the workers and shared out amongst them, they still remain gifts to the workers and so are not part of their pay.
If a service charge is compulsory, that is, it is added to all bills automatically, it is the property of the employer. The employer can share it out between the workers as the employer wishes. If the worker has a clause in their contract saying they are entitled to a share of the service charge, they should get this on top of their wages.
If a tip is paid by a customer voluntarily adding an extra amount to a credit card or cheque payment, the tip is the property of the employer. The employer can share it out between the workers as the employer wishes. However, if the worker is given a share of the tip, this should be paid on top of their wages.
So the only way you can ensure that a tip gets to your waiter is to pay it in cash. Don't add it to your cheque or fill in the space often left on credit card bills.
I have also heard that any tip added to a cheque or credit card bill is liable to VAT, so the poor waiters loose 15p from every pound straight away to the vatman.
Tips in cash which are voluntarily given by a customer to a worker, such as a waiter, count as a gift from the customer to the worker. They therefore do not form part of the worker’s pay. Even if the cash tips are pooled by all the workers and shared out amongst them, they still remain gifts to the workers and so are not part of their pay.
If a service charge is compulsory, that is, it is added to all bills automatically, it is the property of the employer. The employer can share it out between the workers as the employer wishes. If the worker has a clause in their contract saying they are entitled to a share of the service charge, they should get this on top of their wages.
If a tip is paid by a customer voluntarily adding an extra amount to a credit card or cheque payment, the tip is the property of the employer. The employer can share it out between the workers as the employer wishes. However, if the worker is given a share of the tip, this should be paid on top of their wages.
So the only way you can ensure that a tip gets to your waiter is to pay it in cash. Don't add it to your cheque or fill in the space often left on credit card bills.
I have also heard that any tip added to a cheque or credit card bill is liable to VAT, so the poor waiters loose 15p from every pound straight away to the vatman.
