TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Pussers makes a good move

Good for them. I loathe automatic tips. All is does is encourage terrible service.

I agree. Automatic service charges lead to poor service.

Tobias is right that service fees killed service levels. Last time I was in Pussers in town one waitress was working her butt off while 3 others sat around. Interesting that the workers immediately complained to the labor department.

High time this was common practice throughout the territory. Tips should be earned not an automatic right. Hopefully then good service would follow.

..or if you really want to set the cat among the pidgeons, ask Evan to comment on service in SXM versus in the BVI. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Rofl.gif" alt="" />

Thanks a pantload Carol. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Just a few weeks ago a few TTOL commenters disagreed with me when I mentioned the lousy service at Marina Cay and other restaurants.
Some said the have been going there for years and the service was superb.
SXM has very good service and to compare it to the BVI is comical

Neptune's Treasure on Anegada also removed their service charge this year. Great move!

My favorite part of the article is the comments...

I found it hilarious that the employees complained about having to "perform miracles" to make customers happy. So, it's a miracle when you stop chit-chatting and grudgingly bring me my cold burger?!
<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

They sometimes seem to forget that you're Actually paying for the food and their salary.
Excellent move by Pussers.

Pulling the cap off a bottle of beer, possibly popping a slice of lime in the top, then dumping it irreverently front of you can never be worthy of a tip! Service with a smile was always a byword, to say nothing of 'the customer is always right '.

It's hard to enjoy your dinner when you have a person with a negative attitude as your waitress.

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

The service was far superior in SXM. We never encountered any negative or indifferent service. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />

I would love to know what "miracles" have to be performed to make customers happy?! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> 1. Show up at the table in a timely manner and take my order 2. Turn it into the bar/kitchen 3. Stay alert and when that order is ready bring it to me 4. Check periodically if I need anything else and all this with as much positive attitude as you can bring to the table that day. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> If that is a miracle there are a lot of wait staff that will be getting Sainthood someday for performing miracles! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> Bravo Mr. Tobias for taking this step.

For me, great service is keeping my glass full... if the food takes a little longer..etc as long as my glass is full, I don't care. I never understood why this is so hard either - at the price drinks are, the more drinks I get, the higher the bill and the higher the tip.

For the servers who give good service, this is a blessing in disguise. We normally tip 20+%, but when we're presented with a check with a 15% service charge added, we usually don't tip any more on top of that.

I don't think it is a blessing in DISGUISE at all for good servers. I think it has to be good news for good servers. It has to be discouraging as h*ll for a good server to serve beside someone who is a crappy server and the crappy server gets paid exactly the same..

As an owner of a small restaurant (for 15 years now), I applaud the move by Mr. Tobias. Hopefully many more restaurants will follow his lead. Service in the BVI (with a few exceptions) has been slow at best - maybe this will inspire better service throughout the islands and make the experience for all of us even better. It's been a common understanding when we get to the BVI that the staff are on "island time" and we should just chill and wait for the service.
That being said I do also understand the argument from the servers about poor tippers. My rule of thumb on tipping is when Excellent service is provided 25% +; Good service = 20%; Average service = 15%; Poor service = 10% to 0%. If we all followed a guideline of 15% and above for good service we would all benefit from better attitudes/service in d ilons mon. Just my $.02- <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />
Capt J

Agreed, if I get good, not great, but good, service, I always tip at least 15%, more than that in the appropriate circumstance. I usually give 15% even if the service isn't so great.

That was totally meant in jest.

We just returned from a trans Atlantic cruise.

There was an 18% "gratuity" added to just about EVERYTHING.

Including the card that activated the robotic wine dispenser!

Thank you Celebrity cruises for giving us a good reason to never return.

Auto gratuities on alcohol is standard on all cruise ships, as far as I know. Considering virtually everything is charged to a shipboard charge, that's about the only way for them to go.

Change is rarely accepted well. Especially when something is taken away, like an automatic service charge. But I am on board with Tobias as to why he made the change, assuming the change is legal.

I have used the Celebrity Cruises self serve wine dispenser. I was trying to figure out how I got the tip money back for doing such a spectacular job of selecting the wine, pushing the appropriate size of wine "pour" button, superior wine glass placement under the auto dispenser nozzle and especially for keeping my wine glass refilled. Tipping on a self serve wine dispenser still just seems wrong!

Gratuities in the service industry are always a hot button issue.

Customs are different place to place, the international traveling communities are not all on the same page.

After 45 years in the industry, starting at the bottom and going up to management level for absentee owners, I'm happy to be done and out of it. I've seen the best and the worst and everything in between.

Breeze

Exactly. All I really ask is that when you walk by the table take a quick look and see if our glasses are empty or getting close to empty. If so, see if we would like another. Sitting around with an empty cup irritates me more than is probably reasonable, but I thought selling drinks was kind of the goal for these places.

It is a blessing for the good servers, because, as I said, instead of getting the standard 15%, they'll get from us, anyway, more for being good servers. Does that make sense? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

Not to speak for Carol Hill, but I think she understood that perfectly right from the start. She is just saying that it is an obvious blessing, not a disguised one.

denverdOn--yup, that's pretty much it.

I think most Americans would agree, however I know a few Europeans who are insulted by what they consider a brash move by servers to push more drinks. One has to consider the mix of cultures a server in the BVI must contend with .

Most Europeans are stingy tippers

It is not that they are stingy tippers, it is because in their native countries service is included in the price. To them, tipping as we know it is the US is a foreign concept. A normal "tip" in most European countries would be to round up a $97 check to $100 for example.

^^^^ THIS

Servers in the BVI have nothing different to contend with as far as " mix of cultures" than a server in Bar Harbor Maine, New York City or Anchorage Alaska.

Agreed. But servers in Europe also make a much higher wage, so that basically they get paid by their employer a working wage to begin with. I find it a much more rational way to do business than the way we Americans do it, but whatever.

I agree with what your saying about Europeans but most haven't done their homework on the customs when traveling abroad

I did my homework and many others do too..you are being a little stereotypical... a gentle reminder in a sign or on a bill"service not included" is a good idea..that is done at several BVI establishments. BTW "Myett's" dropped their service charge a while ago..service has improved and their staff are not bitching now..I also like that Paul Mason makes it clear on "The Clubhouse" menus that all tips go to the staff and not management..

I'm not being stereotypical, most Europeans won't leave a 20% tip with excellent service, it goes against their grain.

Most state laws in the USA allow employers to pay BELOW minimum wage to tipped employees, including $2.13/hour in Georgia. Minimum wage is the BVI is between $4 and $4.50 (can't remember exactly). Just to put things a little more into perspective.

$2.13 an hour in Georgia would probably translate to under a $1 in the BVI. Cost of living is vastly different.