veggie_lover

I ate at a decent restaurant where the bill came to $30/ person. I was amazed when they said they do not accept credit cards. So I had to walk back to my hotel and pay in cash ( took me 30 minutes ). I did not leave any tip, and I heard them mumble something about where was the tip as I left.

Why would a decent restaurant not accept credit cards and why would they expect me to leave a tip after making me walk 30 minutes to get cash to pay them?

Apparently there was no sign on the outside door about this policy, but there was a sign on the inside door about this which I missed.

magiciansampras

There are still a few places around that do this. I dunno, I kind of like the novelty of paying in cash every once in awhile.

BTW, taking it out on your waiter/waitress was probably the wrong way to send a message to restaurant management, IMHO.

veggie_lover

I thought about that, but the waiter should then complain to management about this ridiculous policy. If no one's bottom line is being hurt then no one is going to change. Plus I would feel like a fool for tipping a bill for which I had to walk 30 minutes to pay .

787

So you stiffed the waiter, who probably makes less than minimum wage in order to send a message to the restaurants management?

Makes no sense to me, of course I always have some cash.

bsb21

To me the tip is a reflection of the whole experience.:-:

If you were brought burned food, would you tip? Cause techinacally, it's the chef's fault.

veggie_lover

So you are saying the tip is only for the service the waiter provides? I always tipped based on my overall experience. If I had a positive experience with everything i.e food, atmosphere , service, then I'll tip. In this case I had a negative experience, so did not feel like tipping.

What if your cook messes up your food, or you are given dirty silverware, are you still obligated to fully tip based on waiter's service alone?

bsb21

My post exactly! In the same minute!

Great minds think alike!

IK in Seattle

You and VL have obviously never worked in a restaurant. The tip is compensation for the wait staff. In the US the wait staff gets paid very little by the restaurant. The cooks and management are paid on salary or a normal wage, the tip has no bearing on how much they get to take home at the end of the day. If you want to show your displeasure with the food or restaurant polices, you complain to management or don’t patronize the restaurant in the future.

Stiffing a waiter who has no control over the situation is classless IMO.

veggie_lover

Would you agree that handling the payment is one of the waiter's responsibilities? So if they ask you to go home and get the cash, would you still feel like tipping them?

mangokitty92262

Definitely not the waiter's fault and in the same situation I would have left a tip and complained to a manager. It seems almost a novelty now to not accept credit cards. I think that policy would affect their business.

cblaisd

I would have written them a check (I always carry a few in my wallet).

Was there a sign that also said "no checks"?

violist

It was the diner's responsibility to find out what means of payment were
allowed. Of course it would have been helpful if the restaurant had been
forthcoming with this information (some restaurants make notations to
the effect of "no credit cards" someplace on the menu, but if I didn't see
the V/MC/AX decals on the window I'd have asked before ordering. In no
way was the server responsible for any of this problem, and if I were the
OP I'd trek back to the restaurant and offer two tips - one to the stiffed
waiter and one to management, the second one much more unfriendly.

AllanJ

Dealing with credit card companies almost always requires dealing with a third party called a credit card processor. It is not unusual for a business to get stuck with unfavorable terms with the processor.

So some businesses feel that the lesser of two evils is to not accept credit cards.

The customer needs to look for the credit card logos on the window or on the counter before expecting to pay with a credit card. If the customer chooses not to shop/dine there, that is the business' suffering its choice of the lesser of two evils.

Granted, there are hidden advantages to dealing with credit cards. There is less opportunity for employees to pocket some of the cash. But being unpleasant whether orally or in writing to management or lower level staff about the subject of credit cards is not part of the lesser of two evils. This is bad behavior by the customer.

Travel tips: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/travel.htm

erik123

In fact - there are many restaurants where tips are shared amongst all staff (not including managers).

secretsea18

Where was this restaurant?
Here in NYC there are MANY restaurants that do not accept credit cards.