Gordon Ramsay added a discretionary service charge of 20 per cent to diners’ bills at his prestigious Lucky Cat restaurant in London in the latest example of Britain’s move towards a US-style tipping culture.
The charge was added to the Asian-inspired restaurant’s New Year’s Eve menu, on which customers were already being charged £138 for a Japanese A5 sirloin meat dish, or £50 for spiced lamb chops.
A chef’s selection of sushi already costs £140 for diners, who could enjoy 350-degree views of London from the restaurant’s plush setting on Level 60 of the 22 Bishopsgate skyscraper.
In small writing at the bottom of the menu, it stated: “A 20 per cent discretionary service charge will be added to your bill.”
Mr Ramsay, who opened Lucky Cat in 2019, typically charges 15 per cent at most of his establishments.
The payments are generally expected to top up waiters’ below-average salaries.
It is higher than restaurants owned by other renowned chefs, including Marco Pierre White, who typically charge 10 per cent. Rick Stein charges 12.5 per cent at the Seafood Restaurant in Padstow.
Niaz Caan, who runs the award-winning Paro in London’s Covent Garden, where diners face a 12.5 per cent discretionary service charge, said the 20 per cent charge was too high. He said the system was essential to incentivising high standards of service, and that customers could opt out when they pay.
“I think 12.5 per cent is okay, but the minute you start going 15,16, 20, I think it’s very exorbitant,” said the chef, who said he thought restaurants charged more to recover costs or because they were struggling to attract good staff. But he added: “If it’s on New Year’s Eve, then maybe there’s a reason to do it.”
The emergence of the 20 per cent service charge comes as more pubs and restaurants automatically add the discretionary tip to diners’ bills, rather than leaving them with the decision on how much to leave in the first instance.
The amount also reflects the situation in America, where the tipping culture is more widespread. People hand over extra money for drinks at a bar and jobs like moving luggage at hotels. Tips of 20 per cent are also added to bills in the country.
The payments are generally expected to top up waiters’ below-average salaries.
Mr Caan said he was seeing mandatory service charges added to customers’ bills in the UK, particularly in the West End, but he did not believe the US-style would come to the UK completely.
He said: “I know the culture in America, even in high-wage states like New York, the tipping culture is still quite ludicrous. I don’t think the UK will ever get there because it’s based on different cultures altogether.” He added that bringing in a mandatory charge “defeats the point” of encouraging good service from staff.