Service charge in restaurants

When you tip for good service when provided, the server keeps that tip. But that does not take into account all the other people who made that good service experience possible. If your meal was tasty and the way you wanted it, did you tip the cook in the kitchen? After all, they prepared the meal. All the server did was take your order and deliver it.

Were the cutlery clean and plates spotless? How does the dishwasher benefit. Do you tip the dishwasher? And if the atmosphere at the restaurant helped to make the meal a pleasant one, do you search out the groundskeeper and tip them?

Since the US system was directly brought up, the US allows tipped employees to be paid as low as us$2.13 an hour:

http://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm

But unlike the US, servers in Jamaica do not have a special lower wage, they are generally paid the same as everyone else based on their experience and benefit to the business. The service charge goes a long way in providing a practical way for more than a single individual to benefit from your dining experience.

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Originally Posted by Daydreamer

Thanks folks for the information. My husband was tipping 15 percent on top of the bill.
Wish I had asked this before our dinner at Rockhouse the other night:o

Farmer, think we met you at Best in the West on Thursday night - nice to meet some boardies while in town

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Do not feel bad about tipping, the minimum wage here is about us$1 an hour. Trust me, those tips help to make a major difference in people's lives. I am just posting this so that people dont confuse a service charge with a tip. For a business, the service charge could be "buried" into the price of the items, raising the cost of the item by 10%. They could then increase wages, but that is tricky because when times are slow, the business would still be paying higher wages based on income not coming in.

The service charge is an actual line item on their business accounting and many businesses choose to use it as a way to "share the wealth" when times are busy. It acts as a bonus on their pay checks for every hourly employee when times are good.

Thanks for the information Rob. Your explanation is appreciated. The last thing I was trying to do was upset or mislead anyone. I wanted to make the point that service charge isn't the same as it is at home. Those of us fortunate enough to travel to paradise should spread around some of our good fortune whenever we can. We buy trinkets from the vendors we see (even though our house is overflowing with them) we tip the housekeepers, pass money to the gardeners, etc.. But you are right, I have never sent money to the kitchen for the cooks, the dishwashers, the hostess and others behind the scenes and those workers are also trying to feed their families. Out of sight, out of mind. That is something I need to work on.

I have never had a problem with the service charge. My problem was with those using it as an excuse for leaving nothing more. I don't give money to those begging me to buy them a beer or cigarettes or insisting I do. I do give it to those that are working at something/anything to make a living. I also try to support those with challenges or disabilities that don't allow them the opportunity of earning a livable wage.

One of the many reasons we love the island so much is the happy, upbeat attitude of the people even though most are barely making enough to get by. You don't see that many places in this world.

Do they govern this like the liquor permit ? lol

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Originally Posted by Biggs of the week

Do they govern this like the liquor permit ? lol

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As a matter of fact, it is regulated by the Jamaican Tax Office, which you dont want to get on the wrong side of - without a Tax Compliance Certificate it is (TCC) nearly impossible to get anything done business-wise.

And if you notice closely at all bars, there are government issued liquor permits. They have to be publicly visible. Those cute signs that say "It is my intention to..." are a carry over from years ago. Establishments still post them as it makes for a great photo opportunity for visitors. But they hold no legal standing at all and have not for years.