Last night I ate dinner in the Italian Connection, the restaurant in my hotel. I sat at a table for one with a view of the entire dining room. An american couple sat across from me having what must have been their first meal in London. At the end of the meal, the husband said to the waitress, “Now how do I do the tip? The gratuity? How do you handle gratuity?” The waitress is not allowed to discuss tips with customers as it is not part of the british dining system. She said, “I can not talk to you abou this.”
“The tip, the gratuity. How do I do this?”
The waitress waved her hands, she has obviously been told by the management she can not discuss tips with the customers. The manager then came over and tried to legally explain british gratuities. Obviously she doesn’t want to tell the truth, people don’t tip in england, because she wouldn’t mind the extra cash. However, I think she is not legally allowed to ask for tips.
She catches my eye and her look says everything. “When will these americans learn?”
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