Leaving a tip: Rounding DOWN!

Well, last night at the Curry night, when it came to paying, I decided that the service was not that good, compared to usual..

My bill came to 35.10€ I had no small coin on me so i rounded it down by saying "35 is good" thanks..

He accepted, but other TTers thought that I was out of order.

I have found pieces of wire pan scourer in my food, this week it was not exactly warm and not as good as it has been..

Anyone else rounded down? What was their response?

G

Nope, I've never rounded down. I would have given him however much and waited while he scurried to make 90 cents of change. To me it's a bit silly to round down, it's like you get to set the price of how much the meal is. One time it's rounded 10 cents down, next time 3 Euros down, etc etc.

How much of that was beer?

Though - wire scourer in your food, I'd have sent it back.

Not out of order, no.

gave him the pan scourer back, he said thanks

To be honest, most of it was beer... hi profit margin...

I'd agree the service was a bit slower than usual yesterday as the food didn't come till gone 10. But they kept the beer flowing skillfully enough so I gave a tip.

Rounding down. Not a bad idea in principle but then the waiter has to go for it (as Grinner's did). I expect there's some kind of formulation that by ordering the food you are entering into a verbal contract or whatever that means that you can't simply decide what you want to pay.

nah rounding down isn't necessary..if u really want to make a point then why not just pay the exact amount or leave a 3 cent tip..

Thats almost as bad as not paying the extra 10cts

I was one of the ones who didn't like it. I understand not tipping but you see the prices before you order so you know you have to pay it. I thought the service was same as always. They also brought us free shots after dinner, that sounds pretty friendly to me. My bill was 20.10 so I gave 21.

They always bring free shots..

No where on the menu was there a mention of Pan scourer, either..

Extra Iron in the food!!

Free shots! Guess I left too early for those

@ whinegirl..

If we are getting "hollier than Thou!" about it... you were the only one that commented...! the others just looked at me with blank expressions, apart from Graham, who nearly pissed himself

Fact is you can't legally pay less than is advertised - the tip is discretionary - the bill is not. If food came to me with a scourer in it I'd go fucking mental and walk out though. Where was this??? I would certainly never go back.

Yeah, but was the pan scourer in your food this week? If not, what happened that week? This week was just mediocre service from the sounds of it. And yeah, I agree, you know how much the stuff cost, you should be prepared to pay for it if it's edible.

@winegirl


They do that in every Indian restaurant. Last week I went to Sangeet with few friends and we got free schnapps, free dessert and free chai. Well, ofcourse I know the owner there but still.

having said that my lamb last night was horrible.

I'll just add that this is very uncharacteristic of Sitar.

As for free shots, I have been on several occasions when they havent brought out shots at the end. Also given that this is the only 'Official' TT Curry Night, Sitar dont in anyway advertise thru TT. I've been to other curry houses where friend of mine who are regulars are given a free nan bread just for being a good customer. This doesnt happen much through TT, in fact has only happened when they have brought out one too many.

When there was a break a while back while the curry night alternated. It ended up back at the Sitar after a 4 or 5 week absence, the service and the food was excellent, they appreciate the business that AM & TT has put their way. But seems to me they are letting themselves slip a little.

@ Grinner I worked as a waitress before. Maybe I'm a little out-spoken but I've never seen anyone round down. Nothing against you personally, I just don't think it's right.

@ Jimbo at Sitar for Wed. Curry Night

They are not Shots, just mango schnapps (mango juice with a drop or two of alcohol)

@Grinner-
I'd say if you found bit of metal in your food, complain like buggery rather than round down. Didn't get that impression that you are one of those Brits too polite too say anything

@ 3 lions I agree it would be nice for them to do something a little special (like free nan) consider we bring a huge group everyweek.

Grinner, I am guessing that you found the bits of scourer after you'd eaten most of the meal, in which case you could have refused to pay for it, which I am sure legally you can do.

good grief! wire pan scourer in your food?
that is just beyond gross, isn't it?
did you actually eat it? I would have just left it. certainly wouldn't go back.

Aren't the pappadoms free?

And I've had wire scourer in my food too, not at Sitar, at another restaurant where friends and I had a Stammtisch. I pointed it out to the waiter what was in my soup and he disbelievingly took it back to the kitchen, but right after that the manager was out to apologise and said that my entire meal and drinks were on the house. Never had problems there on a regular basis, so I was happy to go back and tip again.

However, from what it sounds like, you guys have been getting mediocre service, not specific problems. In which case I wouldn't tip, wouldn't round down and wouldn't go back.

you get free poppadums everywhere, don't you?

You dont need to go into the legalities of it, if you just tell them politely that something is wrong with the food and you would like a different one, you will almost always get it at no charge.

Pappadoms are free at all the curry houses, the ones that I've been to anyway?

never the less , rounding down isn't right.

If I got something like that in my food I would treaten to walk out. If they said the meal was on the house I would think about it. (it's not that easy I know if you are in a group)

Good on you Grinner, you did the right thing. The waiter could have insisted on the 10c but didnt. I seldom tip these days, unless the service is exceptional, and the waitresses dont need to ask why. Heaps of people stopped tipping here since the Euro changeover when the resturant prices doubled. I am sure resturants would rather have people eating in their resturants without paying a tip than not in the resturants at all, and its not like the serving staff wage costs arent calculated into the food prices anyway... Tips are bullshit, we dont have them in NZ, AND the food is much cheaper. Paying tips here just sends a message to the resturants that we are happy to give them even more money.

rounding down is bad. i would of given him exactly €31,10. that usually makes a point.
your mistake was, you didn't say there was scouring metal in your food. more than likely you would have gotten it, your meal, not the metal, for free.

Grinner, I guess you'd be accepting if one of your customers rounded down their bill for whatever reason or complaint they had.

IMHO if you have a problem with the service speak to the owner. Given the nite, late hour and size of the group, I would think that curry nites a pretty attractive regular group for the place - I'm sure they'd be willing to listen. If you have a problem with the food you say so while its still on yer plate. Send it back...usually they'll make it up to you. If you eat it all up you should pay for it. Don't leave a tip and tell the waiter exactly why, let him go and yell at the cook.

As rightly poited out, the wire wool was in my meal about 4 weeks ago... Yes I got a free coffee for the inconvienience..
If he has aske for the 10 cts, I would have paid him with a 100€ note.

I will now add that copious amounts of helles was comsumed, but this is not an excuse, it mearly enhanced my descission.

I, on many occasions get a bill for 21-22€ and ALWAYS give 25..

If the poppadoms are free, why are they on the menu as a saleable item..?

@JML... dont summise about my companies billing arrangements till you have dealt with us.. I regularly discount, without prompting from my cusomer.

It was an interesting debate... keep em coming.

G

Grinner is right - the poppadoms are on the menu with a price next to them. However I don't remember ever having to pay for them in any of the indian restaurants I've been to in Munich.

Usually you only get served enough for one per person though, and Sitar are very good for bringing loads more if you ask. They'll also give you some quite evil pickles (lime, mixed veg., etc) if you ask.

I've had vindaloo for the last three nights and I've paid the price. Johnny Cash would be proud of me Made a batch on Monday and still had some on Tuesday. Then last night went to my favourite little Indian here, "India Lord" which is just around the corner and had a scorcher!

Pappad..., Popppo..., popa..., them crispy things aren't free though. I go for the garlic nan which is the puppies privates.

Right now I'm craving fresh broccoli & milk for some reason

@ Keydeck - Maybe you could use one of these... This is NOT a scud missile...

Not work friendly...
Before I get a bollocking...

whats a wire pan scourer?

this is a scourer

Kashmir charged for them, remember? Of course we didn't have any, so we obviously didn't have to pay for them, but still...

@AM I did have poppadoms at Kashmir AND I paid for them. Not cheap either. Lesson learned.

Keep up that behaviour and you might just end up with a little more than scourer in your curry next time ;-)
My advice is complain in the correct manner. If you are not satisfied with the reaction then dont go back again - Do you really think that by rounding down a measly 10c, that you are making a justified statement. If I were the waiter I would just think how pathetic and petty you were being, and choose to ignore your arrogance.

I do wish folk would read the questions and answer them.

I said...

Anyone else rounded down? What was their response?

NOT what do you think they will do to my curry next week..

@ Mothbola... if its a measly 10 cts, why bother to reply? do you really think that I will get "cream of someyungmann" next week as a side dressing..?

Think not

G

@ kza
You what?!??!!

Slightly off the main theme, but along a similar theme of Kza's post - it's not really normal where I grew up to tip people either. But as I live in a different culture where it is the norm, I tend to round up in restaurants. However, it did take me a while to get used to it, and sometimes I over-tipped, sometimes I under-tipped, not used to having to do quick maths in me head If the service is bad, I give no tip. If the food is bad, I might tip if service was friendly, and sometimes I say that the food was bad if it -really- is, and that's not just my opinion.

Similar goes for toilet cleaning ladies - I disagree with customers having to pay. The place should pay the ladies more money. So if I am shopping /eating there, I usually don't tip, unless the toilets are really clean and nice. If, however, I pop into McDs for the toilet, I tip, as I am using their services.

People may see me as stingy, but I think it's a question of habit, culture, and personal opinion.

@ Grinner - I am sure the restaurant/waiter wish folk would read the menu and pay the correct price for the food they have received :-)

I agree I didn't make a direct reply to your question, and apologise for offering an opinion.
Perhaps I should have written...
'No I haven't ever rounded down, because I dont want to appear to be arrogant or petty. I would rather make a verbal complaint about the lack of service, or state of the food... and then judge the response. I would also never round down, as I am sure it would upset the staff, and would be concerned about what they might or might not do to my food on a future visit"

Haha - sage words there. Grinner - you're a dead man walking. Restaurants all over Munich know your name and your face - it won't be long until the mercury accumulates in your system and kills you...

Grinner, not that I am excusing what you found in your food but did it ever occur to you that perhaps it was a real honest mistake? With so many people ordering so many different items may be they have to clean those pans each time and in double quick time. The person who washed may not even have noticed it. Nobody puts a piece of metal in your food intentionally.

Your problem was with food not with price. You should have protested while you were eating not while paying. I am sure they would have done somthing nice to make up for the mistake. It ain't a perfect world Grinner. Haven't you ever said in your life, "Sorry, that was my mistake"?

@ RH reread his posts, the thing with the food happen 4 weeks ago, NOT this Wed. He did tell them that time.

Something that happen 4 weeks ago has nothing to do with rounding down this time. What if we all had to pay continually for a mistake like that...

Accidents like that happen all the time in Restaruants. Deal with it at the time and get over it or don't go back. It's not an excuse for rounding down at future times when one goes back to the place.

@ jimbo..
I am too young to die...

At everyone else, Try protesting sensibly after 2 Edelstof and 6 normal Helles..

I asked If anyone had rounded down... if so what was the response..

NOT WHAT do you oppinionated bunch think to what I did...

Well - this sure gets my vote for dullest thread of the week...going on about this miserable 10 cents.

I blame you Grinner - you started this mindless thread in the first place.

I promise that if I see Grinner at the curry next week I will force him to give the nice man his 1/10th of a euro. In fact I might even print out this 10 page thread so he can stick it on the wall.

p.s. Grinner - remember I am playing rugby at 1pm tomorrow!

2nd 11...

Have to agree with mothbola, who said:


I also doubt the waiter is responsible for doing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen and preparing your meal and should therefore be held responsible for whatever piece of metal you found in your chow. You skillfully pissed off the wrong person with your display of power, after he apparently delivered a good service to you and the rest of the group.

Service shouldn't only be awarded according to how good it was, but also according to how hard they tried, which apparently they did. Not tipping at all in front of a group is bad enough, but keeping 10c with everyone watching really takes the cake of arrogant and humilating behavior considering that it's obvious that the waiter will not complain in front of customers who are all your personal friends. Maybe you should consider apologizing to him after giving a short explanation, of course in front of the same group of people, and give him an appropriate (not excessive) tip once you pay.

Considering how service-oriented everyone here is all the time I find it appalling that almost nobody looks at such situations from the other person's perspective. I don't understand why most people consider it normal behavior to punish the wrong person for the mistakes of others. If your meal doesn't taste as expected then it's (usually) not the waiter's fault unless something like this happened.

@ yomomma

do I give a shit?

I asked if anyone had done this and what was the response..
NOT " I want your fecking oppinion" Read what I write..

G