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Restaurant Tipping Tips

Happy New Year Andy!
Looks like you are taking good care of the staff today!

Lunch du Staff de fin d'année...huitres, foie gras du chef, saumon....Chateau Talbot et Chateau Fuisse...
Merci l'équipe pour une super début de saison !
Andy & Hafida
Happy New Year to all !

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I am/have always been an overtipper...especially when the service is great, the wait person and I hit it off..and I am going to be a repeat customer....Like Kimberely, I have a habit of needing last minute requests and favors and I do not mind being regarded as "foolish" because of it. I can afford it, it makes me feel good to make a servers/bartenders night. I am in the ex-service worker catagory so maybe that makes a difference. Here in Sarasota, in season, all the good restaurants are full and I hate making reservations....being recognized and seated, for me, is worth the extra$$ throughout the year...so call me a snob or whatever..it is my money. I don't change that when I travel, and have yet to looked at as "foolish". When I an on SBH, same thing, and if I know the owner/chef, I will always send a drink to them as well....
 
Andy, you certainly are generous, and I respect that. But I think your last comments bring even more confusion into the topic.

As a local and well-known restaurateur yourself you're not the "usual customer". There is a (silent) tradition amongst professionals on the island to be overtipping when visiting a confrère. This is even true if you're not in the same business field. Most shop owners would do the same, and in the old times (when I was running a business myself on the island), we would use these opportunities to maintain good relationships between merchants. This place is small, and this creates a synergy which is good for all.

You're absolutely right when you say that life is expensive in St. Barths (food & rent in particular), but if you pay your employees right (and I know for a fact that you do as I know at least one very well), they should not rely on tips to make a living. As I explained earlier, the French legal system protects the employee by guaranteeing a minimum wage -the SMIC-), to such an extend that tipping is NOT part of their expected income. Tips become additional (and obviously welcome) money at the end of the month but shouldn't be seen as a necessity to make ends meet. And this is precisely how it differs from the North American system.

Once again, many employees outside of restaurants earn minimum wage on the island and don't have a chance to get 15-20% tips on each sale they make (boutiques, shops, supermarkets, watersports, airline, villa rental or car rental employees, etc....). But they DO have to bear the same costs of living as their fellow co-workers in the restaurant business.

I understand your point of view (and it is a generous one), that all restaurant employees earn as much as possible in tips, but please don't launch the idea that leaving nothing after service is "nasty", because it is not (according to the French laws and local customs).

BTW, I'm generous too and always leave tips when happy with the service, but I don't HAVE to, and I certainly don't feel OBLIGED to do it.

Anyhow, this is New Year's Eve and all our thoughts should be to be generous to all surrounding us, including to those hard working in restaurants tonight....

Happy New Year to all!
 
oui mais dans les cultures on essaie de respecter et non pas toujours essayer d'avoir raison... si ils veulent donner 100% moi ca je m'en fous mais ne viens pas me dire comment on fait les choses dans mon pays..... voila la difference....
 
oui mais dans les cultures on essaie de respecter et non pas toujours essayer d'avoir raison... si ils veulent donner 100% moi ca je m'en fous mais ne viens pas me dire comment on fait les choses dans mon pays..... voila la difference....

Tu as mis le doigt dessus, ma vieille.
 
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