This customer scrutinizes his bills closely (Image: pasukaru76)

In today’s Toronto Star, Amy Pataki reports on the latest trend sweeping Roncesvalles: credit card machines suggesting a 20 per cent tip. At least, that’s the standard at the strip’s two newest restaurants, The Ace and The Westerly. Pataki quotes Ace owner Greg Boggs explaining, “It’s not a sneaky thing, nor is it an expectation. I always tip at least 20 per cent when I go out.” Of course, the two Roncy restos aren’t the only ones that have moved to what Pataki refers to as “the Manhattan standard”—at the three locations of Mexican restaurant Milagro, suggested tips come in at 16, 20 and, ahem, 30 per cent (the last for larger parties). Long-time Dish readers will remember the furor that broke out when then-MPP David Caplan (who happens to be the brother of Zane Caplansky) proposed a bill than would ban automatic gratuities on large parties (that effort died on the order paper). We wonder how Torontonians will react to this new nudge northward. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »

(Image: Vincent Desjardins)

Dear Urban Diplomat,
I used a Groupon recently to get my hair done at an expensive Rosedale salon. It saved me 65 per cent. When it came time to pay, I tipped 20 per cent of the reduced price and got the stink eye from the counter girl. Was I being cheap? What’s the etiquette for tipping with Groupon?
—Tipping Point, DANFORTH VILLAGE

Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com

(Image: D'Arcy Norman)

As the tipping debate rages on in Toronto—with skirmishes breaking out around who’s entitled to them and whether or not they should be mandatory—the Yanks have actually gone and done something about it. New tipping regulations came into effect in New York State on Saturday, which, in theory, should clarify how tips should be handled among restaurant and hotel workers.

The new rules provide restaurant owners with some leeway on how their tip system is run, the New York Times reports. The money could be pooled, say, and divided up as necessary (bartenders, food runners, bussers and anyone who deals with customers are in, managers and kitchen staff are out), or individual servers could collect tips and dole them out to the team. The regulations also boost minimum wage for tipped employees and allow for enforcement should establishments fail to comply:

The Labor Department will require that employers keep records of tip pools and shares; the records could be examined during investigations undertaken by the department on its own or in response to complaints.

The department can compel a restaurant to pay money owed to employees going back six years. In addition, failure to comply with the rules can make a restaurant vulnerable to a lawsuit, something restaurateurs are especially wary of these days, given how aggressively some lawyers and workers’ advocates are pursuing cases.

Tipping issues have come up before Queen’s Park a few times already, which makes us wonder whether New York’s system could bring peace to Toronto dining rooms.

• New Rules Impose Systems for Sharing of Tips [New York Times]

Gordon Ramsay poses for a photo with Black Hoof staffers last night (Image: Grant van Gameren)

If you’ve ever wondered just how devoted the Black Hoof is to its no-reservations policy, consider this: when chef-owner Grant van Gameren was tipped off that Gordon Ramsay was on his way over, van Gameren didn’t guarantee a table. Lucky for Ramsay, there was one available. “We let him order off the menu,” van Gameren tells us. “We didn’t do anything super-special for him. We like to treat everyone the same.”

The celeb chef apparently stayed a few hours, sipping local wines and dining on scallops and bone marrow, uni carbonara pasta, a tongue and brioche sandwich and, of course, charcuterie. “He said it was some of the best charcuterie he’s ever tasted,” van Gameren says.

True to his reputation, Ramsay took a look inside the kitchen and offered his advice: get it extended. Otherwise, van Gameren says the celebrity chef was charming, laid-back and, despite what you may have heard about his finances, a great tipper.

Destination known: if passed, a new bill could ensure that tips go entirely to restaurant staffers (Image: Carissa Rogers)

The gravy train could be coming to an end at Toronto’s restaurants, as well as at city hall. Many restaurant owners are in the habit of pocketing a portion of their servers’ tips—a practice some call “tipping out” and others call “stealing.” A private member’s bill introduced by Toronto NDP MPP Michael Prue (Beaches–East York) might put an end to all of that. The proposed law would ensure that the money clients leave as a gratuity would go entirely to the people who served them. The bill is being greeted with enthusiasm by all parties at Queen’s Park.

The bill wouldn’t affect tip sharing between servers and those who actually help them—bussers or food runners, say—but it’s hard to say how the bill would be enforced if it were passed. Tip sharing is quite arbitrary, and the government doesn’t really monitor gratuities, anyway.

Prue’s proposal comes hot on the heels of another private member’s bill, this one from Liberal David Caplan, that would keep restaurants from automatically adding gratuities to the bills of large parties. The Elimination of Automatic Tips Act has just passed its first reading.

• For servers, not owners [Toronto Star]

Actor Uma Thurman attends the Ceremony after party at Brassaii (Image: George Pimentel)

Brassaii chef Bruce Woods served up honey-mustard-glazed salmon, goat cheese–stuffed chicken and champagne risotto for the cast of Ceremony Monday night. However, the guest of honour, one Uma Thurman, opted for something a little more caliente. Apparently, the Tarantino muse eats only Mexican. Of course, the kitchen was only too happy to comply for the 40-year-old, who looked comfortably cool in a grey sweater, black vest and men’s suit pants.

Uma came to Brassaii to dine with Ceremony executive producer Jason Reitman; actor Lee Pace; the film’s director, Max Winkler; and his dad, Henry Winkler (better known as The Fonz).

As they dined behind a white curtain, the restaurant was still buzzing about Hangover star Zach Galifianakis’s visit on Saturday night. Arriving with a bevy of bearded companions, he cemented his rep as the anti–movie star by blowing off an umbrella carrier despite pouring rain, then tipping—yes, tipping!—his server, a refreshing and rare move from the superstar crowd.

Though the restaurant’s front patio was chock full of people in matching black blazers seemingly waiting for Uma’s emergence (no fewer than six women wore blunt black wigs that paid homage to Thurman’s Pulp Fiction ferocity), by the time Thurman was escorted out at midnight, absolutely no eyes were on her. She swept off with only a minimum of fuss, out into the night and on to the next burrito.

= Find this story on our Celebrity Sightings Map, where we plot the locations of stars spotted throughout Toronto

Tipping point: some customers have different standards than others (Image: passiveaggressivenotes.com)

Restaurants may have to cross out the “20 per cent gratuity will be added to parties of six or more” line on their menus if a bill proposing the elimination of automatic tips gets passed at Queen’s Park. As Spacing points out, Bill 81 or the “Elimination of Automatic Tips Act, 2010” was brought forth by Liberal MPP David Caplan. A transcript of parliamentary proceedings had Caplan introducing the bill on May 20 (there’s also a YouTube video that had been viewed exactly nine times when we clicked on it).

Eliminating automatic tips, 2010, or EAT, prevents restaurant owners from charging automatic service charges in restaurants across Ontario.

The legislation has one exception. It excludes private functions and banquets. In this case, restaurant owners and operators would still be able to charge automatic service charges when dealing with private gatherings and banquets.

The bill is still in its early stages but no doubt it’s going to spur debates among patrons and those working in the hospitality industry. Should tips only be given out for exemplary service or are they a mandatory amount given to servers with a crappy job—even when they’re serving six people or more?

(Image: Andrew Currie)

The restaurant industry in Ontario struggled more during the recession than most other industries. The one-two-three punch of the economy slowing down, the reduction in expense accounts and a recent increase in the minimum wage has a lot of managers scrounging for money. But after their first reaction to the wage bump looked like it was written by Mr. Burns, the industry has settled on a new tactic: taking a bigger chunk of the staff’s tips at the end of the night—sometimes up to four per cent.

Reports the Star:

A tip-out to the business wasn’t common until a year ago. But when the economy slowed down, some restaurants introduced the concept. When the minimum wage rose from $9.50 to $10.25 about two weeks ago, some more restaurants started the practice.

Some protested, some complained, and one outraged server posted a riposte on craigslist.

She “warned” against working at a popular Toronto waterfront pub, saying that it’s now asking for a 4 per cent tip out of entire sales, including to the management.

The practice seems pretty sketchy to us. Because tips are off the books, even if a table stiffs the server, the server still has to tip the owners and split the tips between bar and kitchen staff. The Star quotes one anonymous waitress who begs to have the minimum wage lowered again, saying that she makes less money now than she did before the recent increase. A more realistic solution comes from a spokesperson for the restaurant industry, saying the practice is “unusual,” and if servers don’t want to give up a chunk of their tips, they should leave their job.

• Restaurant bosses take bigger share of the tip [Toronto Star]

Bait to be served: waiters appreciate the generosity of regular customers (Andrew Stawarz)

Grub Street’s Ben Leventhal has posted instructions on how to become a regular at a restaurant (full version here). It turns out absolutely anyone can enjoy last-minute reservations, complimentary dessert and the best table in the house. The guide consists of two fairly easy steps:

1. Be rich
2. Get the staff drunk

Proving one’s wealth requires tipping the server a minimum of 20 per cent (on the total bill, tax and all) and the maître’d at least $20, says Leventhal. As servers are always indignant about paying taxes and credit card commission, they must be tipped in cash. Getting the staff drunk entails buying the kitchen a round and bringing a bottle of scotch for the chef (it can be assumed the chef is an alcoholic, apparently). For best results, the wannabe regular should combine steps one and two by purchasing an $80-plus bottle of wine, then offering a taste to both the sommelier and server. This will simultaneously prove the regular is wealthy and get the servers drunk.

Leventhal has a few other pointers. He recommends living near the restaurant, respecting dress codes, and saying “please” and “thank you.” And while it may negate the benefits of getting the best table, the wise regular never fails to give up their table when they “sense the restaurant wants it back.” Remembering staffers’ names is also crucial. For those who have trouble, Leventhal suggests creating contacts in one’s BlackBerry.

OK, hold it. That’s where we draw the line. While tipping and courtesy are always in style, we think whipping out the smart phone to take notes on your server crosses the line between suave VIP and sycophantic wannabe. Come to think of it, we might even skip buying everyone a round—not least because the service might suffer.

Tipple over tipping: Robert Pattinson leaves a meagre 14 per cent (Photo by twilight foxdie)

• Twilight star Robert Pattinson has outraged New York waiters by leaving a 14 per cent tip. The English actor munched on caprese salad while downing chianti and beer until well past midnight this week, and when he offered just $50 on his $350 bill, the aghast wait staff at Il Cantinori felt compelled to leak his penny-pinching to the media. Fans defended Pattinson’s faux pas as a simple cultural misunderstanding (tipping isn’t customary in Britain), but no one seems to have asked if the service was bad. [New York Daily News]

• The British are buying half as many knives as forks, according to a study by Debenham’s department store. Marketers have come to the conclusion that more meals than ever–like burgers, fries and salad–don’t require cutting. In bustling London, full of time-strapped urbanites wolfing down their dinner, the fork-to-knife gap is even wider (three forks sold per knife). [Independent]

• Eminent food writer Frank Bruni is entertaining (and disgusting) his readers with stories about his “life as a full-time eater.” At the age of two, he expelled his first two burgers just to make room for a third. At age seven, when most kids are discovering Dunkaroos, Bruni discovered quiche lorraine. This excerpt from his food memoir shows how eating for a living was his destiny, and how memory is often linked to food. [New York Times]

• The good news for New York restaurateurs: they have 430 fewer competitors this summer. The bad news: more restaurants are expected to close. The number of restaurants in the global food capital is 1 per cent lower in the second quarter of 2009 than it was in the same period last year. That’s a big change for a city with 35,000 eateries. High-end restaurants are faring the worst. Even the famous Rainbow Room at the Rockefeller Center has been killed by the recession. [New York Post]

• The Baltimore Sun is helping its readers define when it’s fair to call a restaurant pretentious. Correcting your French pronunciation: pretentious. A waiter giving you attitude for asking for ranch dressing: OK, that one’s justified. If the Internet is going to allow everyone to be a restaurant critic, it looks like critics are going to have to expand their vocabulary. [Baltimore Sun]

Thanks for the tip (Photo by Wade from Oklahoma)

What to tip at recession time? This is the latest question in the never-ending gratuity debate; and since the market went south, it appears to be striking a nerve in Toronto and elsewhere. The New York Times‘ etiquette authority, Frank Bruni, wrote about it on his blog recently, sparking chatter about servers getting stiffed during hard times. Apparently diners are not just ordering less food, but they are then dialling down the percentage of their cheques left for gratuity. The recession effect—Bruni calls it a “double whammy”—is being felt closer to home, too. Toronto servers have been reporting paltry pourboire during the downturn. “Before the crisis, money was getting thrown around, but now people are more careful,” says France Salmon, who has been serving for over 10 years at celeb sanctuary Bistro 990. It seems even stars can be guilty of skimpy tipping (we’re looking at you, Madonna). With everyone else getting their bonuses trimmed and salaries frozen, is it all right to be less generous with the gratuity?

Unlike in Manhattan—where the standard is generally understood to be 20 per cent—Toronto’s case is somewhat complicated, since the so-called tipping point was already in flux before the bubble burst. Over the past decade, the accepted amount of 15 per cent had been edging up. Now servers increasingly expect 20 per cent, explains Oddfellows manager Jenny-Orenda Smith. While 15 per cent is still in the mix, it represents the low end of a new range in which 20 is the new 15. Kerry Grove of Pangaea has been serving almost 30 years, and he’s witnessed the shift: “It’s a trickle-down from New York’s influence that’s reached major cities. I know that it hasn’t reached Winnipeg yet, though.”

For Smith, the impetus comes from below. She calls it the “trickle-up” effect, whereby an increasing number of people eating out have ties to the industry and feel compelled to tip liberally. The upward trend is confirmed on menus: many of the city’s restaurants now advertise an inflated gratuity for groups. King West’s Brassaii asks 17 per cent, while organic eatery Globe Bistro and upmarket Bymark are among many to calculate at 18 per cent.

The verdict appears to be that the higher percentages are here to stay and should remain unaffected by the TSX. True to Smith’s trickle-up theory, the servers we spoke to all agreed: whatever the times, it’s never cool to skimp on the tip. One tray toter at Rodney’s Oyster House summarized the issue simply: “If you can’t afford to tip properly, don’t eat out.”