In the UK, when the service charge is included on the bill at a restaurant, should you also leave a tip?

This is a question aimed at waiters and waitresses in the UK. A lot of restaurants seem to include a service charge on the bill. Is this generally an excuse for the owner to take more money off the customer than it said in the menu while still only paying waiting staff minimum wage? Or does the amount specified actually go to the waiting staff, and you only need to leave a tip if you want to tip more than that?|||I don't leave an additional tip. The correct amount is calculated by the restaurant. It goes to the waitstaff.|||I don't leave anyone a tip anymore anywhere; prices are too high.|||you should only leave a tip when you are satisfied with the service. if anyone ever confronts you and says you must tip, tell them to stick it if you are unsatisfied. this is Canadian rules, i am sure it is the same everywhere.|||if you had a good time why not leave a tip?|||That amount is included as a courtesy to you, so that you do not have to figure out how much to give. Most countries do that to make tipping easier. Leaving behind extra is totally up to you, but it is not rude to not leave anything. The bad thing about that service charge is that if they provide you with horrible service you still have to pay them for a "job well done".|||Screw 'em. I really pisses me off that they put a "service charge" there in the first place. Waiters and waitresses are THERE to serve. That's their job, why do I have to pay extra for that? I don't charge my boss extra for turning up at the office every day. I don't charge him extra for typing letters, IT'S MY JOB. Why, out of every occupation in the world, do we tip waiters, delivery boys and cab drivers? They charge too much in the first place, and boo-hoo if they only get minimum wage. If you want to earn more money, get a job that requires a modicum of skill other than just carrying food around and spilling drinks on people.|||To insure your prestige's before waiters and waitresses you must do it, because they are not paid by the service taxes, only the government could get it for other good things to do good for the community. But after all it is your prestige how you could insure before the waiters and waitresses...|||Brits are notorious for bad tipping. And England is also known for its bad service. Coincidence? Doesn't seem like it. In America, if a "gratuity" is included, it goes to the server (who then typically has to split it with the kitchen and other support staff). However, I have no idea whether in the UK it works like that. In some places I have been in the world (Egypt, for instance), restaurants have signs saying that the service charge does NOT go to the waitstaff, as an obvious encouragement to leave an additional tip.





Anyone who claims that waiting tables doesn't require talent has never tried it. I did it for a few months and was horrible. The experience gave me a new respect for servers.|||I'm not from the U.K., but it occurs to me that you could consider the service charge to be the minimum level, and then add a tip if you feel that the service was especially good.