Senator Feargal Quinn spoke to Ivan this morning on Newstalk Breakfast about tipping practices in the Irish services industry.
Tipping is in the news following reports in the UK claiming that employers are pocketing the tips that are intended for staff. British Business Secretary Sajid Javid has ordered an investigation into tipping practices in the services industry. The investigation will consider whether there should be a cap on the proportion of tips businesses can withhold.
Senator Quinn believes that there should be an equitable split of tips between all the staff in a restaurant.
“The normal practice is that you put cash into someone’s hand they’d be expected to share it.
“You’d be tempted to overtip rather than undertip if you get very good service, in the other hand if you don’t get good service people will say that they’re not going to tip.
In Ireland tipping is mainly concentrated in the services and hospitality industries, but it is far from standardised, varying widely from business to business. It is completely absent from the retail sector.
Ivan asked the Senator if a service charge is included in your bill, should you still tip. The Senator replied unequivocally “If you get good service I think you should tip.”
Newstalk’s reporter Sarah Burns spoke to some people who work in the services industry to ask their opinions on tipping in Ireland.
