Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
 

cali

(114,904 posts)
Wed Aug 29, 2012, 02:32 PM Aug 2012

Cheap Canadians? Vermont Restaurants Add Mandatory Tips


By Tim Newcomb | @tdnewcomb | August 29, 2012 | 7

If the wait staff at some Burlington, Vt., restaurants can tell you’re an out-of-towner, expect to see an extra charge at the bottom of your bill. It’s the mandatory gratuity, usually adding on an extra 18 percent or more.

As tourists flock to Vermont, they bring with them different tipping customs — or worse, a stingy pocketbook, reports ABC News. To counteract $150 restaurant bills with only $1 left for tip, restaurants around town have started tacking on gratuity, customarily only added for large parties, to groups of any size.

And in some restaurants, it’s up to the server to determine if you’re a generous local, a stingy foreigner or — even worse — a downright cheap Canadian. With Burlington within easy driving distance from Montreal, speaking French is a (near) sure tip-off to the server to be proactive if they want to see any tip come their way. Anne-Marie Humbert, originally from France but now living in the town next to Burlington, has been hit with mandatory gratuity charges at a local bistro and an Asian restaurant, just because she was speaking French, she told Vermont’s Seven Days. Waiters assume she’s from Quebec and pop the charge below the bill’s subtotal.

One Burlington restaurant owner told ABC that all foreigners have proven pretty cheap with tips when compared with Americans. But it’s likely just based on tradition. It isn’t uncommon in Europe for gratuity to be part of the final bill, leading some visitors to not even plan on adding a tip at the end.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/08/29/cheap-canadians-vermont-restaurants-add-mandatory-tips/#ixzz24xfMHB8t
19 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies

Lucy Goosey

(2,940 posts)
2. Minimum wage is $8.55 in Quebec for tipped employees
Wed Aug 29, 2012, 02:43 PM
Aug 2012

I bet a lot of Quebecois don't really know how little the Vermonters might be earning.

It seems like it should be illegal to arbitrarily charge people a mandatory gratuity based on the fact that they are suspected to be from Quebec.

Spazito

(49,523 posts)
4. Huh, you know all Canadians and they are all horrible tippers?
Wed Aug 29, 2012, 03:11 PM
Aug 2012

Very interesting. I have been in restaurants where there have been American tourists who not only are cheap tippers but are also VERY rude to the servers as well as to other customers in the restaurant. The difference between your view and mine, it seems, is that I don't assume these particular tourists are the stereotypical Americans and I don't disparage Americans because of a few ignorant ones as I know better.

BTW, I am Canadian and tip very generously, always, even when I receive less than adequate service.

 

cali

(114,904 posts)
6. I didn't say all
Wed Aug 29, 2012, 03:16 PM
Aug 2012

and I don't approve of what those restaurants were doing, but in the 6 years I worked in a restaurant in Northern VT, the worst tippers were undoubtedly Canadians. I really have seen 5 bucks left on a check of 100 bucks. More than once. And we gave uniformly great service.

Spazito

(49,523 posts)
9. What you said was...
Wed Aug 29, 2012, 03:32 PM
Aug 2012

"I can attest that Canadians are horrible tippers."

You did NOT say 'some Canadians'. Had you done so I would not have responded at all to your thread as one can find 'some _____________ are horrible tippers', fill in the blank as to their country of origin.

As to what those restaurants are doing, well, they most likely won't have to worry about the tips as they won't be getting the visitors, those "worst tippers", frequenting their business at all. I know were I to visit Vermont, I would make it a point to find out which ones plan to discriminate based on whether their customers are Canadians or not and avoid them as well as recommend others do the same.

Sekhmets Daughter

(7,515 posts)
5. Canadians are notoriously cheap when it comes to tipping.
Wed Aug 29, 2012, 03:15 PM
Aug 2012

I live in Palm Beach County, FL....they come here in droves during the winter months, help to jam pack the restaurants, expect outstanding service and then leave a pittance if they tip at all. My kids all worked in the service industry throughout high school and college....everyone complains about the Canadians. Even the high end restaurants here pay their tipped employees $2.15 an hour...too bad they can't be made to post big signs to that effect on their doors, in their lobbies and bar.

Lucy Goosey

(2,940 posts)
10. I think most Canadian would be shocked at the $2.15 wage.
Wed Aug 29, 2012, 03:36 PM
Aug 2012

In my province, the most populous in Canada, minimum wage is $10.25, or $8.90 for liquor servers. I'm just saying that even if we are bad tippers, it's not out of malice or even out of cheapness.

For me though, 15% is the minimum I tip unless I get unusually bad service, and I'm usually closer to 20%. Is 15% considered cheap?

JBoy

(8,021 posts)
13. My personal rule of thumb on tipping is 15% in Canada, 20% in the US.
Wed Aug 29, 2012, 03:42 PM
Aug 2012

Edit to add:

An additional 5% for breakfast - because the bill is smaller, but the server's work is the same.

SoCalDem

(103,856 posts)
15. We usually double the tax & add $1
Wed Aug 29, 2012, 03:47 PM
Aug 2012

and sometimes we toss in extra if the waiter/waitress has been extra nice

JBoy

(8,021 posts)
7. Do they tell these patrons this in advance?
Wed Aug 29, 2012, 03:21 PM
Aug 2012

I've often seen print on a menu saying that for groups of (say, 8 or more) a fixed gratuity will be added to the bill.

But I'd be kind of pissed if a mandatory gratuity was added without any warning. I'd be speaking to a manager.

Sounds discriminatory to me.

SoCalDem

(103,856 posts)
14. Perhaps a sign in the restaurant might help
Wed Aug 29, 2012, 03:45 PM
Aug 2012

a la

"We pay our wait staff shitty wages they cannot live on.. They need your tips (which are taxed) to be able to pay the rent & buy food".

laundry_queen

(8,646 posts)
16. That's exactly the problem that is mentioned upthread
Wed Aug 29, 2012, 04:08 PM
Aug 2012

They should be required to put a sign like that next to their 'mandatory gratuity' signs. I would be most Canadians have no clue that servers are exempt from minimum wage rules. I think they would be shocked and disgusted and if they knew they would probably be better tippers. I know that I just found out about this a couple of years ago, and I've been on DU since '04, and yes, I was properly shocked and dismayed. And that's aside from the fact that your minimum wage sucks compared to ours. I live in a province with the lowest minimum wage and it is going up to $9.75 this month. What IS your minimum wage? I know it varies by state, right?

BTW, I always tip about 15-20% (on a sliding scale depending on the service - and I'm generous with that as I have worked as a busgirl/waitress) but next time I'm in the US I'll make sure to give extra.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Cheap Canadians? Vermont ...