Tipping in los

[CatDad]

Of course this is subjective, but if you want a meal at a restaurant to be properly cooked then it starts to cost in OZ because wages are quite high. Even now, despite the strong AUD, chefs are in high demand thus wages are reacting appropriately. Short order kitchens get cheaper but quality suffers IMHO.

What's the difference between restaurant prices and cooking at home in US/CAN, In Australia it's quite a bit, a $60 meal can be cooked for under $20 if you do it yourself.

 

[Chrissy Grace]

I do not Tip at home and I do not Tip on holiday as a general rule. Maybe walk away without the small change at times but do not feel the need to pay extra for something you are already most likely paying too much for anyway.
Not a common thing in Australia and I hope it stays that way.

 

[vance1167]

Downside is now that Tips often don't go to staff and remain with the owners.

 

[Zephyr - That Skate Kid]

I usually tip about 20% depending on service as that is what i use to here in Canada....
Only time i don't tip is when the 10% service fee is added to the bill.....

 

[Mr. Football]

Normally leave the cleaning lady all of my collected shrapnel at the end of the holiday, normally a couple of hundred by then
Restaurants 10% for good service
Bars and GoGo's normally 20-40 baht, if I am there for a while I would normally buy the service girls a couple of LD's as well as the BG's I am talking to, so don't feel the need to leave more

 

[Ian Loves Noel <3]

there is actually a lot of good quality,very cheaply priced farang food in Thailand
you can get an average to good steak dinner for a good price

but when talking about real quality steaks in the 50/60 range, i don't think you can find comparable in Thailand

 

[Gloss]

so then it's fairly even across all thai then that the fawning type service is the norm? are they interrupting your dinner conversation to ask you if you want more tea or are they just bringing it to you and trying not to disrupt your peaceful meal with your date?

 

[Jen jen]

I never tip in Australia but always tip in Thailand mainly because the service over there is so much better.

 

[|Chris]

Skimmed through the rest of the thread after I read this so I apologise. But... WHAT?!

NO TIP in the Western World indicates bad service, other wise what the fook are you tipping for? The sake of giving someone your money for nothing? Thailand is no different. From a personal stand point, if i'm getting good service and good food at a reasonable price, i'll tip 10%, as I did when I lived in England. Feel free to throw good money after bad though.

 

[Bastion Lord Flash Heart]

I usually tip way beyond what I tip at home but in fairness I don't get that kind of "service" at home

 

[Probie]

It is hard to beat US Air beef (flown fresh by air).
It is usually A1 export quality, well aged on the bone (3 weeks) and packed fresh in cryovac.

Edit: apart from the Wagyu.
Nels - how were the ones you bought here?
How much - where from?

 

[sidekickhero]

not just now; would be 15yrs ago in NZ I had a 2 nights a week extra job in a bar/restaurant, the manager would take out the cost of any accidental breakages, glasses, plates etc from the tip jar. Even if they shattered in the dishwasher which they sometimes do.

 

[lola1234]

I have never felt Thai restaurant service to be fawning, it's okay, but that's as far as I would go unless you are dining in the higher end places and it will be more attentive , but that's the same wherever you are in the world - Thai service staff are normally very polite and have a ready smile, ( and because labour is cheap, there are normally a lot of them ) but not to the point of "fawning"

 

[Baby]

sure, about the same in North America
just i found the 600baht steak range in LOS is not in the same quality as the 50/60 steaks in NA, doesn't even come close in quality

 

[S T]

I generally tip if I am happy with the service I have been given, I will normally leave my change to them unless they made a bigger impression on me then i will leave a bigger tip. If i have been at a bar for most of the night and had a great time i normally will leave an extra tip for the bar/person servicing me most of the time befroe i leave. One trip i was at one bar many times and the day i left gave the staff(4 persons) an indiviual tip each of 1000b, I would say they made my trip as memorable as it was so money well spent.

 

[david k]

wow, sounds like waiter/bartender is not a good job in Aus/NZ
they are mostly great jobs in North America

i know a girl that works at a pizza place in Boston that makes 300-400usd a day
i once knew a bartender that use to bartend at the Jersey Shore that made 1k usd/night

now those are great examples but i know plenty who make 150-200/nt easily
best part is you don't have to claim it on your taxes

 

[paultopg]

on average do you find yourself signaling for another beer? (remind self to not wave index finger in the air).

 

[Pompal 09.]

Depends where,

Working in high end restaurants there is a fair bit of money but it's more brutal/cut throat, what you've got to remember is no waiter/watrress in Oz is living off their tips.

The minimum wage in Oz is $569 per week or $14.22 an hour, casual workers will be getting something along the lines of $16-18 an hour so their yearly pay will be along the lines of A$30,000 a year ($16*40 hours per week, 48 working weeks). Minus Tax of about $3600 that's $507 in hand at the end of the week.

All FT wait staff will get about $450-500 p/w which wont make you rich, but is definitely enough to live off. But a lot of wait staff tend to be people going through uni, due to the relatively decent pay, flexible and suitable working hours and good working cond so they are working less then 40 hours p/w.

I wouldn't say its a good job but I've held worse jobs for the same kind of cash (gardener, cleaner, dishpig).

 

[Pompal 09.]

about the same here, except maybe real seafood, i don't think you'll ever convince me it's even possible to get it here at all unless you bring it on your private jet yourself.

hey now marc! i know van is way more than here in the midwest with the exception of maybe chicago.

 

[roflchopter11]

you are 45
in a restaurant or bar if u want attention nicely say "nong khap"
you are addressing a younger person