Leto

Yes, as Charlatan noted, my point is that the menu advertises appetizers, which we typically receive in advance of the meal. Ostensibly to occupy ourselves while we wait for the entrees.

So on the occasions that we have ordered the appetizers at Memories of Japan we ended up waiting for a long time anyway, and then receiving everything at once. Not only was there no room on the table, we could plainly tell that the appetizer had cooled down while waiting to be brought.

The second time this happened, I spoke to the manager/host about it who appologized with the statement that " it's very busy" . Let's deconstruct that. This is a restuarant which could not fullfill it's main business process due to the fact that it was busy. And why was it busy? Because it was dinner time! And it is a restaurant, and people come here to eat at dinner time. This is the absolute worst excuse.

Oh, and the staff of this place is Chinese (Cantonese to be specific) so how they could conveniently pay lip service to Japanese customs... well maybe it's a corporate directive?


Also, as Charlatan pointed out, Faux pas is a commonly used term in the English language. We have lots of French phrases/words in play and it doesn't sound snooty to us at all. Not sure what actual English words would substitute.

james t kirk

Sames goes for Swatow in Chinatown.

You have your meal, it's almost over, and the spring roll you ordered appears for dessert.

Leto

Went to a Shwarma shop. Bought 4 chicken swharmas and a falafel. Cost $28. I left a $5 tip.

Not bad for a Canuck eh?

william

Tipping is out-dated. I still do, because I worked in the business, but I do not agree w/it. I do not get a bonus from my boss when I complete my job each day. Why shouldn't a good waiter/waitress be supported the same way? I bring business into your company - do you want to keep it or not? Why should I have to subsidize your business?

Tully Mars

Tippings out dated? Hell think it's growing. Everywhere I go, coffee huts etc... there's a tip jar sitting out. Last US airport I went through a guy at a news stand selling mags and newspaper had a tip jar out. Hmm, I pick up a newspaper hand you .75 and you want a tip for that service? You bring me a meal and "wait" on me I'll tip, usually what I consider pretty well. Around 20% but never less then $5, unless of course I get crappy service then I leave a buck or two.

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Leto

That's because it's a free enterprise world. But I think it is tacky at anyrate. Should be outdated.

Ustwo

This thread needs to be in the hall of fame.

Its the only thread where I agreed with host for the most part and that makes it something special.

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silent_jay

Only thread you agree with host and his argument didn't have a leg to stand on, such a waste of agreement.

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Leto

I love that it has been resurrected. Now, to get rid of tipping...

Tully Mars

After reading through this thread I went and asked several waiters I know down here about the topic. The restaurant don't pay them shit here, their entire income is basically tips. Many of them have taken to asking people "where are you from?" Sounds like a normal chit chat question. But they tell me they don't even try to give extra or even good service to Canadians. They simply know it doesn't matter what they do the tip is going to suck. One lady told me "table of fucking five people, full meals, several drinks, sat there for an hour or more. Tab? 750 pesos- tip? 5 fucking pesos! (.50 US.) Fuck them and fuck Canada!"

So, if you're in Mexico you may want to claim to be from the US if asked by your waiter.

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Leto

Ya, well the whole Mexico/Canada question is an open ended issue. At the rate that Canadians are killed (yes, unfortunate endings) down there and the laughable state of their justice system, there's no love lost. Sometimes I feel like going down there, and screwing them out of their tips as a matter of principle.

But aside from that, I bet they are comparing Canadians to Americans and, as is evident from this thread, Americans are obscenely generous in their largesse.

Tully Mars

Not here. Even the main tourist rag, The Yucatan Today, suggest giving your tip directly, in cash, to your server. Anything on the card and the restaurant is going to take half if not all of it.

Getting killed down here? I've heard of two in Playa several years back and some lady who may or may not have gotten herself into some trouble with a crooked business deal. Mexico seems to think she did it, the Canadians seem to think she's getting screwed. I don't know.

There's a large Expat community here, esp. in the winter months. I've not heard of any problems other then the odd break-in here and there. Could just be the area I'm in? Merida is listed as one of the safest cities in North America with a pop of one million or more.

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Leto

Just last week, another Canadian was killed. he was from BC. Maybe it's just a minor blip on the local screen, but there's been a lot of agitation up here to boycott the cheap, warm gettaways (ha! as if that would ever happen). I just know that I tend to look more at Jamaica, Domincan, Cuba or Bahamas, before Mexico.

Posted below FYI....

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/0...n.html?ref=rss

Canadian tourist killed in Mexico
Victim's B.C. girlfriend wounded
Last Updated: Sunday, May 18, 2008 | 12:43 PM ET Comments96Recommend89CBC News
Mexican police are investigating the killing of a Canadian tourist in the resort city of Cabo San Lucas.

State police commander Enrique Wuilar says Bouabal Bounthavorn, 29, was shot three times in the head by a lone gunman Thursday night in his room at Hotel Riu.

His girlfriend, 24-year-old Masha Heikali, was shot in the foot, he said. She is now recovering at her home in Burnaby, B.C. Bounthavorn's hometown has not been confirmed.

Foreign Affairs in Ottawa has confirmed a Canadian was killed, but would not release any other information, citing the Privacy Act.

Wuilar says no one has been arrested in the case and investigators have no leads.

There has been a string of violent incidents involving Canadians in Mexico since 2007.

Domenic and Nancy Ianiero of Woodbridge, Ont., were found with their throats slit in February 2006 at a resort near Playa del Carmen, Mexico. No arrests were ever made.

In January, 2007, Adam DePrisco, 19, also of Woodbridge, was killed outside an Acapulco nightclub. A Mexican doctor blamed the teen's death on a hit-and-run driver, but his family and friends believe he was beaten to death.

In May, 2007, Jeff Toews of Grande Prairie, Alta, died from injuries after he visited a nightclub in Cancun. Mexican authorities concluded he fell from the second floor of his hotel, but at the time Toews' family said his head and back injuries came from a severe beating

and: http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_7514.aspx

Two More Canadians Shot In Mexico
Sunday February 4, 2007
CityNews.ca Staff
A chain of troubling incidents involving Canadians in Mexico had a new link Sunday, after reports two more Ontario residents were shot in an Acapulco hotel Saturday night.

The pair - a man and a woman identified as 55-year-old Rita Calara and 73-year-old Yoyo Manela - was at the Casa Inn Hotel (pictured) when a gunman reportedly fired into the lobby.

They were originally reported to be from Woodbridge but it now seems they actually came from Niagara Falls and Welland. They apparently weren't travelling together, but were both in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Both victims were shot in the leg and their injuries were non-life threatening, which is good news considering a recent string of tragedies befalling Canadians vacationing in Mexico.



Giuseppe Alaimo was at the Casa Inn at the time and was in a large group that witnessed part of the shooting.



"We brought them in tried to comfort them, stop the bleeding," he said.



"But the trouble is, you know, before they get the ambulance, it takes more than a half an hour ... the police arrived about an hour later."



Tour operators say overall, Mexico remains a safe destination. But several incidents in the past year have involved Canadians being either shot or killed while vacationing there.



This one comes just weeks after 19-year-old Adam De Prisco from Woodbridge was killed in Acapulco. His family says he was beaten to death but Mexican authorities say he was struck and killed by a car.



Similarly, Glifford Glasier of Chatham, Ont. was killed in Guadalajara last month after an apparent hit-and-run. His wife was also badly injured and left in a coma.



And Woodbridge couple Domenic and Nancy Ianiero were found brutally murdered in their room at a resort in the Mayan Riviera nearly a year ago.



The Canadian government has issued past warnings to citizens about the dangers of travel to Mexico.



But thousands go anyway, and now Alaimo's son-in-law Gabriel Cicconi sits at home in Toronto growing frustrated.



"I'm not just worried about my own family, I'm worried about all the Canadians that are down there," he said.



"Canadian tourists that are bringing dollars down there, that are putting people to work, are not respected for what we are doing."



Mexican police say the shooting was random, but Cicconi isn't totally buying it.



"I think at this point we've gotten a fairly clear message to stop traveling to Mexico," he said.



"Even if it's not for safety issues, but just to send a message to say 'Hey, we're not going to stand for this anymore ... this is getting ridiculous.'"



News of Saturday's shooting also hit Adam De Prisco's uncle, Sandro Bellio, hard.



"I'm not surprised ... if the Canadian government doesn't change things, this kind of stuff is going to keep going on."



Liberal Foreign Affairs Critic Dan McTeague said Canadians need to be better informed by Foreign Affairs about the risks of traveling to Mexico. He says the current travel report which suggest Canadians should "exercise caution," is nowhere near enough.



"It clearly hasn't been designed with the recent events in mind," he said.



"Perhaps advise to Canadians not to travel there except for essential reasons."

Foreign Affairs said Sunday night it will be reviewing travel advisories for Mexico to determine if they need to be tougher. However, officials say changes are usually only made when a situation becomes critical like during civil wars, rioting or an outbreak of disease.

Tully Mars

Well like I said it maybe simply the area in which I live. I rarely hear of anyone, US, Canadian or Mexican being attacked here.

I'd heard about the couple in Playa, but could have sworn it was a few years prior to 2006 (not questioning it, just a little surprised it's that recent.)

I wouldn't go to the places listed in these stories (Except maybe Cancun) any more then I would go to Detroit, East Central LA or for that matter many parts of DC.

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Leto

So, ya, maybe there's ignorance on the part of the tourists. If it's a good deal, maybe the low cost isn't worth it. I've been to DC, and it seemed like a charming town for the most part. Old buildings, a small Chinatown, some cosmopolitan food, and best of all, a hockey arena right downtown. So, on the whole, I liked the place. ON my way out, however, I passed through an area that looked very downtrodden. The looks I got from the locals were scary.

There are parts of my own city in which I would not feel comfortable to stop. In DC, this was one of those places. I'm sure you are correct in stating that these places in Mexico are in that calibre.

Tully Mars

There's the understatement of the year. But I'm as guilty of this as anyone else. I try these days to be as aware as possible when traveling. Check out message boards etc... But I think when people go on vacation they're looking to "check their baggage at the door." Often in the zest to let go and let loose they end up doing things without thinking. You get away, the phones not ringing, no one's looking to you for answers and it's easy to shut your brain into rest mode.

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Ustwo

Only he was essentially correct.

Back in my waitering days I always got VERY friendly with the front door people and in turn they would steer the low tipping stereotypes away from me.

The problem with Canadians though is they look and sound just like Americans, so you gotta wait to catch the eh.

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silent_jay

Too bad he wasn't essentially correct though, even though you may think you saying he was makes it so, it really doesn't, in order to be correct he would have had to prove something (which he didn't), other than proving Canadians tip the norm, and waiters seem to think that having shitty jobs means the customer should tip more to make up for them not having the interest in learning to type.

VERY friendly eh, like bathroom bj favour friendly? hahaha

Yes it's unfortunate we look and sound kind of like Americans, ruins a lot of our holidays being mistaken for assholes. Although once they realize we're Canadian and not yank they treat us much better, so that's a bonus.

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jth

as a Canadian living in Texas I find on average me and my other ex-pat Canucks tip way better and more consistently then my American friends. However, my philosphy on tipping depends on the venue but more over, the service!

GREAT service, regular check ups on the food, further requests, drink refills etc = automatic %20 + tip

Moderately good service, ie the order is correct, I don't have to wait 20 minutes for a menu and another 20 to place an order. Drinks are refilled, water is cold, food is hot you get a 15 to 20% tip

Poor service, bad attitudes, poor hygene, incorrect orders, no drinks refilled all those things, I don't leave a tip, or the tip is what'evers left of the 20 for a 18 dollar tab.

I feel tips have to be earned. Yes, working in the industry sucks at times when you depend on tips. I know, I worked in it. But you have to hustle for your good tips.

At a Bar I make a choice if I like the place enough to want to come back. If I like the place, I will tip large and make sure the bartender recognizes the tip. This insures excellent service, on your second visit another generous tip ussually helps a lot in getting a good continual flow of service to your table. Bartenders rely a lot on tips, especially male bartenders who have to contend with the often hot female bartender who's out workin' hard for her tips in that "I'm a hot bartender" thing (not trying to be rude or sexist, it just happens). Drunk men will slip a hot blond 5 bucks a drink if he's drunk and horny enough.

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highthief

Better than people flying planes into your tall buildings because you keep trying to dominate the world.

Or is joking about dead Americans still taboo?

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canuckguy

wow....just wow....i am embarrassed.

silent_jay

not I

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Leto

tsktsk... I have some very good friends who are Americans, so I cannot get your back on this one s-j.


hmmm... a quip perhaps? I think that folks who pack heat aren't necessarily looking to get even for bad tipping. Maybe for attitude. My wake up has been to not even consider the place.

silent_jay

Oh I have friends who are Americans as well Leto, and have nothing against Americans, just trying to show Ustwo his stereotypes about Canadians are rather pointless as it paints a country of people with one big broad brush, based on his experiences in his little corner of seeing a few Canadians.

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m0rpheus

So do I, except that they all keep leaving to come up here.

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Leto

Point taken s-j... as I too am uncomforable with the stereotype. I myself do tip (grudgingly) according to the practice. Maybe Americans* should learn to tip according to local practice as well. So as not to come off as ones who just throw money around.

* Caution, Stereotyping statement pending

Derwood

the entire culture of tipping was an extremely clever move by the restaurant industry. they make money hand over fist with very low overhead for labor.

i've given no money for a tip before, but it has to be really bad service. i've been to a place that was nearly empty but the server took 20 minutes to bring my drinks and never refilled them. that's inexcusable. i also get ticked off if something goes wrong with the food/drinks but i'm not comped anything for the trouble. for example, two days ago my family went to a family restaurant and everyone at the table ordered lemonade. at first, the server said that they were fixing the lemonade machine and that he'd get it to us shortly. by the end of the meal, my wife had given up and ordered a beer and the rest of us had water or nothing, but they didn't even comp the beer.

either way, a tip is earned, not a given. i don't like the idea that restaurants have duped the government into keeping a lower than minimum wage for waiters in order to pass the cost of doing business on to the customers.

also, i really hope that every current/former restaurant worker who is bitching in this thread has declared every penny of tips they've made to Uncle Sam, otherwise you're a bunch of hypocrites

Tully Mars

I have no idea if this is still true but my brother, who owns a restaurant, once told me he has to deduct taxes for wait staff based on a percentage of their daily totals. Meaning they're (were?) paying taxes whether they got tipped or not.

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Derwood

okay, but i'm referring to the wait staff. i've known quite a few people (college, etc.) who fudged their tips numbers when filing taxes

Tully Mars

I'm referring to wait staff also. He told me he has to withhold ,out of their checks, taxes for tips. It's based on a percentage of the business they've done for the evening.

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Charlatan

I thought we had solved this. The rule of thumb we were raised with was tip 15%. It seems the bar in the US has been raised to 20% and nobody let us know.

Seems you need some serious PR and Marketing initiative to bring the rest of us up to speed.

As I said before, I much prefer to that the gratuity included in the bill (that or pay a decent wage and eradicate tipping altogether).

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silent_jay

Yep still taboo highthief, gets you a +2 warning level from a certain mod(ubertuber I'm looking your way), who doesn't like to warn yanks for joking about dead Canadians, but is fine with warning a Canadian for joking about dead yanks, what a fuckin joke the double standard is in this place.

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monokrome

Don't like how much money you make? Get a new job.

Your business has it's ups and downs. It's of your choice that you are there, not theirs. Whatever you get, be grateful of it. If you get stood up on a tip, that's how the business that you've chosen to work in goes.

This is coming from an american who usually tips at least 25%...

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owned.

Leto

Don't ya love it? The thread has new life! muhahahahaha.....

Like I said, maybe Americans should investigate local customs too, before over tipping .

Punk.of.Ages

What ever happened to this thread being shipped to Nonsense?!

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Derwood

i am more curious why celebrities and pro athletes are such shitty tippers

Leto

most likely because they usually don't do it themselves. Their 'people' handle the situation so when they are on their own, it is an unaccustomed activity.

sapiens

Is that the case? Celebrities and pro athletes are shitty tippers?

If so, maybe the answer is: they didn't get famous by thinking about others.

Tirian

hmmm ok little on the side of the topic, but how many of you have ever tipped your Radio Shack salesman ? Or am I still the only Radio Shack clerk to have provided such exemplary service as to prompt a tip from a customer ?

100% tip in one case. Both times European tourists I might add. No Canucks or Americans ever tipped me as a Radio Shack clerk. (This is a true story)

:-)

cheetahtank2

I tip 15% pretty much always, obviously if the server goes out of their way to help me more than usuall then they'll get a better tip accordingly and the adverse applies as well if they do only the bare minimum y would tip them anymore then the bare minimum i feel acceptable (generally 10%).

I see no need to complain about this style of tipping as i worked as a busser at a pizza establishment where i picked up the dishes and cleaned the tables brought customers anything extra they required and occasionally brought them their food the only thing i never had to do was bring them drinks (although for older people i offered to refill them). While having to provide these services i was also repsonsible for the keeping the dining area clean and the kitchen equipment and cleaning the dishes. There was seldom more than 1 busser and never more than 2 and guess how much i was tipped? Usually, well almost always nothing and if anything 1 or 2$ even though i did more than was necessary to please the customers which was providing a service very similar to waiting. Although their minimum wage is lower people almost never dont tip waiters at a restaurant unless they truly dont deserve it in which case the only person they should complain to is themselves. So if you get between 10 tables to wait you should be able to make plenty of money a day to keep a pretty decent living.