UK Restaurant Service Charges Have Hit 15%. Do You Have to Pay Them?
Cover charges are popping up on London menus, too.
Tables ready for customers inside a London restaurant.
Photographer: Jose Sarmento Matos/BloombergWe’ve all been there: Dinner is over, and the check arrives. It’s notably higher than expected and not just because of the ubiquitous cost-of-living increase. On the bottom of the bill is the reason: an additional charge, generally 12.5%, that’s been added on for service.
Ten years ago, service charges were a rare occurrence. The rule of thumb was that operators would leave tipping up to customers, who’d shell out roughly 10% of the cost of their meal if service had been particularly good. A 15% tip would have been considered generous. That’s the model that’s invariably followed in the US, though a debate about whether to tip 25% for a bottle of water is currently raging.