There is nothing that makes a lovely dining experience leave a sour taste in one’s mouth more than the tip drama!   Is tipping an old-fashioned habit that should cease given that most waiters are full-time employed?

It appears that tipping is on the decline, in America at least, and the reasons may be the poor economic climate, the declining service levels, the fact that waitroning still is not a career, that restaurants increasingly are adding a service charge, or that restaurants have realised that tips may in fact spoil the whole dining experience.  It is of course the most bizarre business practice for a patron to have to pay the ‘salary’ of the restaurant staff!

Recently my colleague and I were invited to try a restaurant in Hermanus.  There were no Ts & Cs mentioned in the invitation, but on arrival an increasingly cocky waiter told us that desserts were extra.  He neglected to tell us that one coffee and one glass of Continue reading →