Post tip solicitations here!
- Thread starter cassidain
- Start date
Aipotu
SBH Insider
Same. Chalk it up to social media being the worst communications vehicle ever created.
I’m posting this as someone who has come to St Barths 5 times over the past 13 years and here for my 6th time. We were just at La Guerite Beach Club and went for lunch under the advisement of our Concierge. Everything was excellent…the food, service…UNTIL our bill came and the server asked if I “wanted to leave a tip?” I was taken a bit aback and asked, “isn’t the service compris?” To which he answered that “yes, but none of that goes to the servers”. I should have said no, but feeling on the spot added $30 Euro to a $250 Euro lunch. When I mentioned this to my husband, he told me to come to this forum as this has become a hot topic as of late.
Understand, I come from the service industry and typically leave gratuities in excess based on good service, but this completely turned me off and will never go back because of this.
Understand, I come from the service industry and typically leave gratuities in excess based on good service, but this completely turned me off and will never go back because of this.
“Fake news,” as I understand the waiter’s answer that “none of that goes to the servers.” For various reasons, I actually like La Guerite Beach, but go there knowing that it’s part of the group of St. Tropez-affiliated restaurants . . . so (i) overpriced, (ii) ridiculously priced items on the blackboard, & (iii) staff expecting (sometimes very hostilely demanding) tips. I politely deal with the issues accordingly, as required in the circumstances.
Jokimby22, Dennis will & can certainly answer your question, but my interpretation of his saying 'fake news' was in response to what the server said to you about the servers not seeing any euros, that being the 'fake news.' Thinking they do, just want more. Dennis with his so many years of experience living, hosting on SBH, is all knowing about most, if not all, of the restaurants that exist now & those going back many many years. And most trustworthy in his knowledge.
It has been 5 yrs since our last visit when we had lunch at Fish Corner & dinner at Eddy's, neither asked the tip question fortunately, but I think 5 years ago, we were ahead of this annoying habit that continues.
Thank you for clarifying!!
Thank you, Nancy, for clarifying . . . there was no intended suggestion thar the report of Jokiimby22 was “fake news,” except insofar as the server was being dishonest.
…. and BTW, can we cross paths on SBH another time? It always has been a pleasure.
Thank you Dennis for clarifying your comments. We just love this island for so many reasons and would hate to feel like we are getting taken advantage of because we are the dumb “Americans”. Are there any places that you would recommend to us? Bonito and Fish Corner are our favorites.
So many great places! Fish Corner among them. I also very much enjoy Eddy’s, Nyama, L’Esprit, Pearl Beach, & Le Toiny Beach Club.
Bart -my real name-
Senior Insider
Humm, I took his comment to commiserate with the people who don't like the auto tip/forced tip thing. Sort of like "my employer has forced us to do this mandatory tip thing, but I don't like it because people tend to be more generous with tipping when they get to choose", or "If it were up to me, there would be no mandatory tip, but I've been overruled"
The fact he even mentioned the auto-tip is a plus. I've been to plenty of places in DC where they add a 20% tip and don't mention it. After unknowingly paying around 45% on a bill, I now scrutinize the taxes, fees, and gratuity line like I'm a forensics accountant. It's a lovely way to end a pleasant evening out. /s
dadto6
Senior Insider
I'm with you, same happened to me several weeks ago. Now I scrutinize as you do, felt like a sucker for not looking closely at the time, ye gads 45% for me too.
Happycamper
SBH Insider
In the US , because the tip is often just written by hand on the slip, there is always the game of the restaurant inflating things when they go back at the end of the night keying the tip amount into the machine. A friend who keeps and cross checks all his receipts has found that roughly half the time the restaurant has bumped the tip up in their favor-sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. I think that in France the credit card machines force the restaurant to include the whole amount at time of the card's one processing and there is no opportunity for the underhanded tip bonus. Keep in mind that this also means the server has to ask about the tip before they run the card for Americans. The French patrons don't need the prompting and know to tell the server ahead of time to add whatever before running the card if they want to. This combined with the different social etiquettes creates a real cultural cross fire. In the US, asking for a tip is a big faux pas, but it is like an an American walking into a store and not saying "bonjour!" They don't know the insult was given. I try to differentiate between a server offering to help enable a tip in case one was going to be offered, which is OK in my book, and a server trying to shame or extract a tip from me above and beyond my comfort or expectation level for that particular meal. (Manger at Sela, I'm talking to you.)
Separately, I like the tip jars on the counter of the ice cream servers on Cape Cod, often with the name of the kid's college with the implied "this is for college money."
Separately, I like the tip jars on the counter of the ice cream servers on Cape Cod, often with the name of the kid's college with the implied "this is for college money."
