Can a restaurant refuse to serve you free tap water?

[The Last Horseman]

I've always tipped. It looks good, and the way I was taught, its just something you do. If they are really bad servers, I will cut down my tip, but I always pay around 15% tip. My friends and I wrote a list of things for being a Gentleman in The New World, and that is one of the higher up ones. It's just the right thing. When I was in Europe and ran up a 200 dollar bill with my family, I paid in cash and left a 30 dollar tip. They thought I had misread the bill, but I made the bartender keep it. I also always pay in cash. I trust people more when they give me cash, and I think they will act the same way.


But, on the main topic, I expect free water. Otherwise I don't drink or don't go to the restraunt.

[Niode]

Granted minimum wage is relatively a lot higher than it is in the states which is why I feel justified in that stance.

Servers in most restaurants here in the US make far less than than the $7.25 minimum wage, usually only receiving about $2.25 per hour, which is of course usually made up for in tips.

As a former bartender i've seen servers very upset after being stiffed by European tourists, especially on large checks. One time that sticks out was a party of 8 Germans who ran up a $300 tab and were very demanding to the server, who was a pro. They paid in cash, asked for some singles in change, and left her a whopping $4, $1 from each couple.

Just to clarify, I do know that you guys pay a shockingly low amount to servers. Which is part of my problem with it, it's almost expected that you give tips, but what if I think your service is shitty? What if the food is cold, late, whatever, I don't give a tip. I'm the asshole? It should be like it is in the rest of Europe, you get a minimum wage regardless of the job and tips are a REWARD for good/outstanding customer service. When I get tips at work I know that I earned them, not because it's customary.

It is rather funny when we get Americans in. (we have a large selection of US craft beer on keg and in bottles so we're kind of a hot spot for beer geeks). We'll get ridiculously high tips, even more so if we know a thing or two about US craft beer (like myself). I walked away with nearly £15 in tips, thats just over 2 hours pay for me. Suffice to say, after my shift I walked over and split an expensive bottle of beer that they hadn't had with the tips, and then shot the shit for a couple of hours.

[Hobie-wan]

I wonder if anyone has opened a restaurant in the US where they pay a regular (good) wage to the waitstaff and don't expect you to leave a large tip? In other words, a euro-styled restaurant?

I've been in a few restaurants that had signs up saying no tipping or that it wasn't necessary. The servers were pleasant and happy so they must have had real wages.

[jfrost]

I kind of understand the reasoning that goes with tipping servers, but it annoyed the hell out of me to tip hairdressers in the US. What the hell?

At least in the case of restaurants we think we're paying for the food. In the case of a haircut, you're paying for the service itself (not for the scissors or for shampoo), why on earth should I pay extra?

[The Last Horseman]

The tipping of people who cut hair is one place where I don't tip. I only tip at mom and pop places or if they do an amazing job. Otherwise I think they did good getting 15 bucks to cut my hair.

[RCBH928]

$15 is a lot for a hair cut

i cut my hair for $3

I don't believe in tips, it should not exist.
You want me to pay , add it to the bill
dont act stupid and not add it to the bill and when
I don't tip its my mistake for not tipping.
There is no written law that says I should tip.

I understand that some workers live on the tip,
and I dont blame them
but the system is broken, their tip should be included

I had this very embarrassing moment in Disney LA, i tipped the cashier at a fast food restaurant and she looked at me and said "What is this? I never had this done to me before"