Giraffe Restaurant Service Charge

A question about : Giraffe Restaurant Service Charge

I visited a Giraffe Restaurant for lunch with my family and was shocked when a 10% service charge was added onto the bill. I always tip good service but being told to pay 10% is not right.

I complained after we had left and their customer service told me I could have asked the waitress to remove it, and she would have discreetly called the manager over to take it off.

They said it is clearly printed on the menu that there is a service charge,none of my family noticed it at the time.

I have looked on Tripadvisor and a lot of people complain about the service charge.

Do you guys think it's right to have a service charge?

Best answers:

• We go to our local Giraffe and always ask them to take the service charge off. That way we can tip what we feel is fair.
• I find this quite typical of many restaurants, usually if there are 6 or more people in the party. I don't really agree with it but don't mind they do it - I just ask for it to be taken off / don't pay it and leave a tip we feel is acceptable.
• if it is a large party 8+ then I think that its acceptable. But as a standard practice I don't agree. Wait staff get paid min wage here and any tips should be based on the quality of their service. Its important as well to see if the person serving you actually gets the tip if its paid on a card as well. I know places like Prezzo keep the card tips and give the server 1% of them in their wages! A disgusting practice and I think its theft! When I tip...I am giving it to the server!
• Service charges should not be added automatically to your bill. It should be up to the customer if they wish to tip.
  If the server works on a table of 5 people, they could make Ј10 easy for little work on the table.
• I expect a 10-15% service charge to be added when I have food at a restaurant and am quite surprised when it isn't and always add that amount myself as a tip if it's not automatically put on the bill. I'd only consider not paying it if the service had been truly dire.
  I would actually end a friendship with someone if they said they didn't pay the service charge, I'm actually holding myself back from my view of those who don't pay this but let's just say I have a low opinion of such people and leave it there.
• kwmlondon,
  I cant believe anyone would end a friendship beacuse they have different views on tipping in a restuarant, seems a strange way to judge a mate if you ask me. But you are of course entilted to that opinion.
  Anyways i generally tip 10% in restaurants, although the more i think about or perhaps older i get, i do think it strange that you almost feel obliged to it, when no one tips me for doing a good days work in my job, as someone pointed out above, the cost of the service is generally within the price of the food so you are technically paying twice!
  In respect of the origonally question as long as the service wasnt bad i would just pay the 10% service charge that was added as i would have left that anyway, however you dont agree with tipping i would just ask for it to be removed!!
• PS what % do people normally tip, im generally 10% is this the norm? higher? lower?
• I just looked at their menu, Ј9.95 for a burger and they add 10% on top they are having a giraffe
• What do you expect of Tesco? I'm amazed they don't add 10% to the shopping bill for the till operator in supermarkets (where they still have them)