Tipping Culture

[JJReyes]

So far, the Greenbelt restaurants add a 10% service charge.  No tipping except for the small coins on the tray.  One smarty waiter gave us 5 - P20 coins as part of the change.  We took all of it.

Two restaurant procedures I wish would be adopted in the United States.  Upon placing the last dish on your table, the server says, "Your order is complete."  The other one is, "I received P2,000 as payment.  I will come back with your change."

[BrettGC]

50 minutes ago, JJReyes said:

Two restaurant procedures I wish would be adopted in the United States.  Upon placing the last dish on your table, the server says, "Your order is complete."  The other one is, "I received P2,000 as payment.  I will come back with your change."

I just wish they'd learn to bring everyone's meals out together - resto service 101.  Another thing they could learn from resto service 101 is take the drink order, bring the drinks, then take the food orders, ask everyone if they'd like another drink when the food arrives.  

[scott h]

38 minutes ago, JJReyes said:

Two restaurant procedures I wish would be adopted in the United States. 

I dont think it will ever happen JJ. There is no need for it overall.

When I first moved here I too was delighted by certain forms of customer service encountered here. You have named two, another is the function check of light bulbs and other electrical appliances in stores or the opening of boxes to ensure all parts are present. I believe these and others are just like the "count your change" signs you see everywhere from 7-11s to major banks.

I have probably become jaded and pessimistic, but to me it is just emphasizes the lack of trust the average Filipino has in their fellows.

"Your orders is complete" is really to ensure you do not finish your meal and then say "hey, where is my soup!" "I received 2000 pesos" is pretty obvious.

They do the electrical function check makes sure you do not come back with the new package and a burnt-out bulb demanding a replacement.

"Please count your change" is also pretty obvious. Its been a while but I dont remember seeing those signs at Bank of America.

Honesty here is pretty simple and easy to put in order. Immediate family, extended family, batch mates, work mates then friends. Everyone else is a target of opportunity. 

 

[scott h]

3 minutes ago, BrettGC said:

I just wish they'd learn to bring everyone's meals out together

As soon as they learn there, hopefully they will learn to bring the appetizer out before the main course.  

[Mike J]

1 hour ago, JJReyes said:

One smarty waiter gave us 5 - P20 coins as part of the change.  We took all of it.

Good, hopefully the waiter learned a lesson. 

[Dave Hounddriver]

3 hours ago, BrettGC said:

I just wish they'd learn to bring everyone's meals out together

I use that to my advantage.  I learned long ago that last order in is the first order out so I politely let others at the table order first. 

[JJReyes]

While this is not about tipping, so far, on two occasions, our hosts requested for our US driver's license so everyone would get the senior discount.  Is it legal?  I haven't seen any rules changes including for Balkbayan visitors.  

 

[BrettGC]

2 minutes ago, JJReyes said:

While this is not about tipping, so far, on two occasions, our hosts requested for our US driver's license so everyone would get the senior discount.  Is it legal?  I haven't seen any rules changes including for Balkbayan visitors.  

 

I was actually quite surprised to find out that I applied to foreign nationals at all.  

[Snowy79]

On 11/14/2022 at 5:54 AM, BrettGC said:

I just wish they'd learn to bring everyone's meals out together - resto service 101.  Another thing they could learn from resto service 101 is take the drink order, bring the drinks, then take the food orders, ask everyone if they'd like another drink when the food arrives.  

Going slightly off topic but it does relate to the waiter not getting a tip is to inform you that your order isn't available before bringing the others food out. I've had it a couple of times and also been with others who only found out once the others were tucking in and they chassed their order up.  Sorry Sir, no stock. In all cases I've not ordered anything else and just grabbed some bar snacks elsewhere but it seriously does my head in.

[BrettGC]

4 minutes ago, Snowy79 said:

Going slightly off topic but it does relate to the waiter not getting a tip is to inform you that your order isn't available before bringing the others food out. I've had it a couple of times and also been with others who only found out once the others were tucking in and they chassed their order up.  Sorry Sir, no stock. In all cases I've not ordered anything else and just grabbed some bar snacks elsewhere but it seriously does my head in.

Yeah I've had it happen to me as well but only once.  At other times when an item hasn't been available I've been informed when ordering thankfully.

It makes me wonder if the Michelin star rated restaurants in Manila imported their staff - yes, there are a couple.  Michelin stars rate not just the food but the entire dining experience including service.