I remember being chased out of a restaurant in San Francisco for not tipping, about 15 years ago. The waiter ignored us when we came in and the whole meal, talking to his buddies while putting food in front of us; acting like he was doing us a favour. Two of the plates he literally dropped on the table from few inches up so they crashed down and one bounced off the table and stuff got on my shirt. No apology or acknowledgement, just terrible. Later he handed the bill, still no eye contact, still talking to his buddies, throws the bill on the table and walks off. So I paid the bill and nothing else, which already was probably too much. He immediately checks as we are leaving, gets a rage on as if I'm out of line. I told him it was the worst service I've ever experienced in any country in any restaurant and still is, even so many years later. This is not representative of other experiences I've had in the USA but no way I'm tipping a guy like that, even if it's tradition.
I think its the idea waiters don't get paid full so the tips are basically their wages (at least what I understand) so to not tip us basically them not get full wages despite that being a job and wage problem not a customer one
I don't blame you, they shouldn't expect to be tipped just because they wait tables for a living. A tip is earned not demanded, if I ate out in the US & didn't tip with good reason not to & they ran after me, I'd shoot them for thinking they deserved one for giving shitty service.
@@amemelia Exactly. In the UK waiters actually get paid a decent wage and a tip is given out of courtesy to a good waiter/waitress. I swear in some U.S. restaurants the waiters rely on tips only.
Always remember being on a works dinner in Milton Keynes a few years back. Very poor service, when the bill came my boss said, "you can take the 25% service charge off - we've not had that!"
I think what you are meant to do is put a few cents as the tip. That shows you haven’t forgotten to tip, but you were very dissatisfied with the service.
Yep, I disagree with tipping entirely. I'm not a wage subsidy for a piss poor cheap business. I went to one place last week and the minimum tip was 18%!!!!
that's how it works in Europe, a tip is a gift for good service, not an expectation for not spitting on your burger.. or a contribution to your paycheck
Here in the UK the servers will generally just check in with you and do the "Is everything OK?" thing just once during the meal - much more than that can be considered to be intrusive to the customer. I do generally tip but it's done as a small gesture of appreciation rather than being something that the server needs to survive.
If out for a meal with a group of friends the general rule is we all put a pound coin in for the tip. So if it's say six or us (three couples) the tip will be £6.00 whatever the price of the meal. We don't work out the percentage.
Holding a knife and fork correctly is one of my biggest bug bear. It doesn’t matter if you’re British or from the USA. I’ve been around people that have said grace in the UK. As an atheist I just sat quietly, but it does happen. Tipping is a toxic culture!!! Change your minimum wage!!
Exactly - it shouldn’t be on the onus of the customer to pay a large proportion of the wages of the restaurant staff. The company should be paying the wages of their staff and NOT the customer. My brother and his family were in New York and they left the restaurant without leaving a tip and they got CHASED DOWN THE STREET by a member of staff and asked why they hadn’t tipped. Disgraceful behaviour on behalf of the staff.
I've always eaten left handed, I have no idea why but my brain can't correct it. It really annoys a lot of people. I used to live in a religious house, and grace was said before every family meal, if you weren't at a dinner table it wasn't expected. I'm actually a fan of the tipping, and it's becoming way more common here in the UK. The biggest problem is when it's expected! Have a fair liveable minimum wage, and tipping can be the extra incentive for great service. If you don't offer great service, don't expect the tip, just get paid your basic. That's how it works in most other jobs.
Brits generally don't like waiting staff coming over ever few minutes. We find it intrusive, and after a while - quite annoying. If I need more water or wine I would rather do it myself than have a waiter/waitress rush over and do it for me. It makes me feel awkward and like I can't do anything myself. We Brits like to be left alone once we have our food, are quite capable of pouring our own wine without getting angry about it, and will only alert a waiter if we need them. Otherwise we expect them to stay away and come back when we have finished a course. The Americans like being 'fawned' on and fussed over.... Brits don't.
It's pretty similar in Japan apparently where they don't want to have intrusive wait staff constantly coming over. Take the order, deliver the order, hand over the bill, job done. Seems we Brits share that "don't want to make a fuss" attitude.
When I've dined in an expensive hotel or restaurant, I have had 3 or more server/waiting staff exclusively hovering round my table (even when eating alone). It was a bit disconcerting the first time, particularly for someone to unfold the napkin and place it across my lap, but it hasn't been intrusive. It's been quiet, discreet, attentive and easily ignored.
True we don't and yes it's intrusive especially when you are deep in conversation or just popping your fork full of food into your mouth. We like to be left alone and we'll call you if we require further help. We don't like 'pushie staff'.
I'm 40+ and I've never been at a dinner table where we've said grace. Ever. Oh, and tipping in the UK - because we pay our servers a better wage than in the US - isn't as common, but I *always* offer a tip if the service has been good, and I think many Brits are the same.
A better wage yes, but a good wage, unfortunately still no. I wouldn't just tip if the service had been good, I'd always tip unless the service had been actively bad.
The guy seems obsessed with the idea that we in the U.K. are spending most of our day repressing things. Just not true. Keeping the volume down in a restaurant is respectful to other eaters. I don't want to hear a noisy gobshite whilst I'm eating
Nor loud back ground music. I want to chat with my family or friends at the table while we enjoy our meal and not being interruppeted by waiting staff coming over asking is everything all right - I will call you over if I need anything.
They're yanks, what would you expect from a bunch of idiots who have a major misconception of what the UK is like. They think that downton abbey is really accurate history documentary & that we're all like that even to this day.
@@Aloyus_Knight try being from the other side of the Irish sea they think we all go around saying " top of the morning to you" with all the men wearing cloth caps, women wearing shawls and children bare footed.
I was flying back to the UK from Boston. A young British girl said to her mother, 'Oh, that man must be American' due to the fact I was only eating with a fork. At that point I realised that I had gone native. It hasn't occurred since. If only I'd taken the opportunity to say "Sshh! I'm under cover."
As I am an atheist I cringe when people say grace at meals . This is usually at some organised function but not so much at family gatherings . When it does happen and I am present I just stay quiet respectfully hating every second of it. We only tend to tip people if they do a good job and offer a good service. I get annoyed when a restaurant put a service charge on the bill. Another good video👍
I attended a church of England school for most of my childhood, and we had to say Grace before a meal. "For what we are about to receive may the Lord God make us truly thankful. Amen"
@somebody because... And I really don't know why this has to be explained.... God has chosen to give you food while allowing, or choosing, others to go without food
@somebody I never said I know everything nor did I say I was clever. This is just my personal take on saying thank you to something that does nothing exist! If you have a different view in that then that is fine. Perhaps you haven’t learnt to read properly yet. No quite sure how you inhale a meal! We are all very selfish creatures I am afraid and that is part of life.
Bloody good job you aren' a NASCAR fan because they all have to stand in silence before every race whilst some religious nut prays to God for a safe and fruitful race but judging by the amount of crashes and cautions it's pretty obvious he's too busy watching F1
As a kid in the 70's. at school before lunch we would all mutter, 'for what we are about to receive may we be truly grateful', it wasn't really considered to be religious just habitual and polite, but that is the only 'grace' I've ever experienced. I must admit that I can't abide how the American's hold their cutlery and say fork and knife instead of knife and fork...in certain British accents it sounds like 'fucking knife' lol
I used to say that at primary school. But nowhere else. Because I am left handed I don't necessarily hold the cutlery the correct way. I just quietly switch the cup, knife, fork and spoon around. The staff in restaurants would just smile at me. But even in shops not just in restaurants I prefer to be left alone and call for the staff when needed. I only tip if the service is good. But I have never been to the US.
My Texan friend told me she wished she could have taught her kids to "use silverware properly". This cutting something, putting the knife down, transferring the fork to the right hand then eating is cumbersome and completely unnecessary.
?? You don't put the knife down or transfer the fork to the other hand, they remain in the hands. After cutting, your food should be already be pierced by the folk in a small enough piece to put straight to your mouth.
I've never seen anyone in the U.S. do the whole knife switch thing. Usually you use the knife in your left, fork in your right, and put the knife down when you're not using it (which you hardly ever use it unless it's something you can't cut with your fork). But never seen the switch.
Okay, this was in Canada - but - I had invited some friends out and when I asked for the bill, the waiter had put on "recommended tip" which was 25 percent - and this was not a cheap place. I actually felt quite offended and thought, no way you're getting away with that! So I gave what I thought appropriate - clearly not what he expected...
WE DO TIP IN THE UK. The differences are:- A) That it is illegal to pay staff less than a working wage. B) Typically, we tip as a reward for good service or food etc. This is understood to be in addition to a wage, not a critical part of the wage. C) Many would class, me included, frequent interuption of the dining service as bad service. When going out to dine with friends or a partner the main direct interactions are expected to be with the people you went there to spend time with. Servers are meant to 'serve' and not to gratify themselves. Obviously part of providing excellent service requires interaction and non-intrusive "is every thing OK" whilst already at the table. But badgering will black-mark an establishment for me. D) Offense is caused by establishments that automatically add, or request, a tip ('Service Charge') to their actual bills. This goes against the very grain of what a tip is in Britain. E) It is allowable that people might not be able to pay more than the minimum as they may be having a special treat that is at the edge of their ability to afford. People who can afford to tip well should, but there is the opposite side to that scale. I say these things as someone who grew up in a UK restaurant. I will personally tip moderately, tip generously or not tip at all, depending on genuine good service and circumstances.
I'm in the UK and don't often tip... and especially not pub food or these chain eating places... I'd have to be in a decent restaurant with good service before I do
Tipping in the UK is based around receiving good or exceptional service. It should never be something to make up the wages of your server. We have minimum wage legislation, so it doesn't really apply here. I occasionally tip waiters but I would never tip a bartender.
That's a weird take? - table servers can provide exceptional service but bar staff can't? UK tipping culture is based around the 'keep the change', or 'have one for yourself' sayings.
@@j.wellens5660 well there is a difference. A bartender opening a bottle of beer and handing it to you is hardly comparable to someone fetching and carrying everything to you throughout your meal and dealing with all your micro requests in-between. But having said that I admit that I have in the past said "keep the change" to bar staff and taxi drivers, though usually this is out of convenience rather than exceptional service. But my point above is that this shouldn't be an expected or obligatory practice in the UK, when staff are paid a minimum wage.
As regards tipping, I'll never forget the first time I went to the States in 1978. I was with a couple of mates and we weren't aware that tipping in bars was the usual thing. My friend ordered a round of drinks at the bar and the barman asked where the tip was. My friend said to him "That's the difference between England and the States. In England tips are RESpected and in the States they're EXpected". It wasn't until a couple of days later, when we were in a bar in Chicago, and went outside for a smoke. We got talking to one of the barstaff and he mentioned the wage he was on. It was pathetic. For the rest of our holiday we always made sure we tipped well at every bar we went into!
The history of the United States is that it was explicitly *not* a Christian nation, with church and state (supposed to be) very clearly separate; now, parts of it were heavily Christian but not as much as you might think (the Great Awakenings are interesting periods) - the Christianisation has crept in over the years, that version of the Pledge of Allegiance only goes back to the 1954
Very true ... it's still not a Christian nation, no matter what some people may claim. It's becoming more atheist again as far as what the population sees themselves as. But church and state are separate for sure.
@TheRenaissanceman65 There is separation of church and state. It just means that government can't officially recognize any one religion. It's definitely talking about religion in general, not an official church.
@TheRenaissanceman65 yes I’m well aware of the history, by solely focusing on the 1st Amendment though the discussion around that and various Supreme Court rulings that support the concept of ‘separation of church and state’ in the US are missed; there’s more to it than just the 1st Amendment, as central as that is.
@TheRenaissanceman65 But it is what it is 🤷🏻♀️ This is what's taught in every government class. I also wrote my thesis on this a few years ago and the meaning of separation of church and state is very clear (whether the wording is or not). Stuff like having "in god we trust" on bills and stuff came later as a way to unify a bunch of people who don't have nationality, language, religious beliefs etc. in common. They made sure to not recognize any specific religion. Now way more people are agnostic and atheist etc. but no one uses cash anymore anyway 😛
I'm British, a Londoner to be precise. Reading backwards, tipping in restaurants is for particularly good service. Generally bills will come with a 12.5% service charge added, which goes to the staff; anything over and above that is seen as a compliment for a very good time. Waiters can ask once whether the meal is good; if they do it a second time, my standard response is, 'No worse than the last time you asked'. We don't like to be interrupted, which goes for small children, who can be seen but not heard. That's not an old-fashioned attitude but good manners on the part of the parents/guardians. Cutlery manners are important to the British. I can remember, as a small child, having table etiquette drilled into me, particularly as I am left-handed - which was regarded as no excuse when it came to holding anything if I wanted to eat. If I got it wrong, the fork or whatever was taken off me, put back on the table, and I was invited to try again. I was a hungry and thirsty child, so I learnt quickly. When I see somebody with cutlery and food flying in all directions, I am left wondering whether he has also managed to put his boxers on back-to-front.
Yeah, saying grace in the UK would be considered a bit of an oddity. I'd say most of these are pretty accurate. In fact it kind of reminds me of a video-blog I saw of a group of Japanese wrestlers who were in the states and one of the Americans they were doing the show with got them a reservation at the most popular restaurant in town, and the volume inside was insane. The Japanese girls looked visibly uncomfortable, and I think I would be too. In the UK, there's a general rustle of controlled voices in restaurants. So you're aware people are around you and they're talking, but it's never loud. And anyone who WAS being loud would probably be considered extremely rude. Yeah, would not be okay with servers coming over to my table all the time. I want to be left in peace while I'm eating. We do tip here generally speaking, but it's usually just a matter of putting down a few pound coins. Because we pay people a living wage.
I couldn’t agree more. You are absolutely right on all of that. I feel the same way for every restaurant I’ve been in including the volume level and when it comes to tipping. I usually don’t tip, although it’s mostly because I don’t go to many restaurants ever on my own and don’t have a lot of money spare but if I do tip then it might just be 1 or £2.
With the tipping thing, we do tip but not always, with my family if we go to a restaurant and the server is especially good we do tip and its just like a nice suprise for the server to say “you did a great job!”
I from Denmark, Scandinavia. I always use knife & fork at dinnertime. Even "the typical smørrebrød. I don't into saying grace but in Denmark we use the sentence : Velbekomme, which means " may it become you well". No, I don't tip a waiter..unless the food and service are excellent. Our waiters get paid well every month
11:30 If waiting staff acted like that here in my country, people would get annoyed and irritated. A waiter coming to your table every 5 minutes would be considered borderline rude. If I want something, I'll call for you. Oherwise leave us alone to enjoy our evening in peace you annoying nosy waiter/waitress! Especially when you know they're only friendly because they hope for a bigger tip, so they can earn a decent living wage, the American way just feels so incredibly fake and degrading to waiting staff. Also, spending an entire evening at the table talking, chatting, drinking is perfectly normal. Getting the check/bill shoved in front of you before you've asked for it, that would be considered down right insulting here. You easily spend 3-4h in a restaurant here. Very different dining culture indeed.
In Australia we are all paid a living wage. We don’t normally tip but my husband does for really good service. When I was 19 I got a job nights working as a drinks waitress. I owned the Mezzanine level and that meant carrying two full trays up a spiral staircase all night in heels with a skirt that was shorter than my hair. Every Saturday night I had an American man who ordered for the whole table. I earned $2.68 an hour but my weekly rent back then was only $16.00 a week. I told him tipping was not necessary but he tipped me $5.00 for every round of drinks I served. He bought me a new car just for serving him. I know it doesn’t work that way in America and they need the tips to live. Everyday at school we had to say Grace before we were let out to eat lunch. We also had to wash our face and hands and brush our teeth after recess and lunch. It depended which grandmothers house I was at If we said Grace before a meal. We said it at our house and we said our prayers at bedtime with Dad. I was the eldest and by the time they got to 6 kids everyone was done saying Grace. I was usually feeding the baby vegetables before I ate. I go with whatever is happening wherever we are eating. I know what I believe it but I respect everyone’s belief’s.
Tipping has become more common here [Northern Ireland] than it used to be, but it depends on the situation. in a decent restaurant most of us will usually leave a tip, but not the 15 to 20% common in the USA. Maybe a couple of pounds on the bill, or 10%. Just as a courtesy for the serving staff, not to make up their pay !!
I’m a English Catholic and it wouldn’t be weird to say grace, like if I went to my auntie’s house, she would say grace, because that’s what she was obviously brought up doing and that’s what her family does. My family personally, don’t do it, but similarly to the US, it’s hard to generalise, but it’s definitely a lot less popular
As a teenager, many moons ago, I work in the US as a mother's help and therefore lived in and had my meals with the family - no grace was ever said. As a child growing up in the 50's at primary school when I stayed to school dinners grace was always said (this was in London) (In the 1950's dinner was what we nowadays term lunch) The knife and fork debate was discussed when I worked in your country, but not in a negative way. To tell the truth and depending what meal I'm eating, I find it comfortable to eat with only a fork; mostly I use both. Sometimes in restaurants a service charge is added to your bill, but if it isn't and the service has been good we always give a tip.
some people in uk do say grace before eating. my grandad was a devout catholic and he always made us say grace before eating (he was from liverpool btw and i'm from scotland)
Tipping in the UK varies from person to person and with circumstances. Some people make a principle out of not tipping ever, some tip if they had really good service, but not if it wasn't, others will routinely tip. Some restaurants add a "voluntary" service charge to the bill, but mostly they make little effort to encourage tips. In fact the move to contactless probably means we tip less. On the whole you would tip in a restaurant, but be less likely to do so in a cafe or pub, and hardly ever in a retail environment. I really hate over the top service, I want to be left in peace not bothered all the time. What you want in the UK are friendly staff who notice when you are in need of assistance, that's a real skill. All to often though it's hard even to get someone to give you the bill. I have never come across saying grace, or actually been told by anyone that they did it in their home. I'm sure it happens, but where it does its a very private matter. And Joel you will need to work on your handling of cutlery! 🤣
I'm from the UK , and the idea of a 'voluntary' charge that is automatically added to my bill that I need to involuntarily remove, in the words of Sarah Millican 'Boils my Piss'. Something that is automatically applied is not voluntary. Anytime that 'bullshit' is added onto a bill, I will automatically remove it. The other service charge that I fundamentally disagree with is when there is an extra charge for a cover over a given size.- no - just adjust the price that you charge per item ordered from the menu so that it reflects the cost to you , whether I am a party of 1 or 20.
As a Brit, I only tip in a posh restaurant where service is formal. The bill is brought to the table on a saucer and you put the money on it and the waiter will collect it, and return your change on the saucer. You then leave the change or a larger tip on the saucer, which the waiter will collect after you leave. Some Chinese or Thai restaurants have a jar on the counter where you pay at the till, and I put a one pound coin in the jar.
US restaurants also want to get customers seated, served and out as quickly as possible. Here in the UK and Europe in general, customers are left alone to enjoy their meal and to sit and talk for as long as they wish. Canadian cousins who travelled to France with me some years ago were amazed (and delighted) to be left alone to enjoy a meal minus being interrupted by a poor underpaid server begging for them to hurry up, hand out a tip, and go.
In school here in the UK, we had to say grace before we had lunch. As for tipping; yes, we tip generally 10%. It's just good manners. Unless the service was awful and then we won't tip (rare but it happens). Having worked within food and drink, it was always nice to receive a tip, but it was a jar that was then split, so even if you were the one working the hardest to be polite and helpful, all the staff on the shift were given their share of the money in the jar.
I agree on all points. I grew up in New England, worked for years in California, NYC, and Miami, and have spent a lot of time in England, France and Spain. I observed all these things. In Miami where I now live, and especially Miami Beach, you need to be alert to whether or not a tip has automatically been added to your bill. The reason, of course, is the great number of European tourists that come and fail to leave tips.
Never go out that much at home, but when on holiday in corfu, greece, I always eat out and tip, I know the staff keep all tips left, and share out at end of season They aren't that well paid abroad, and good service deserves a grateful reward
Funny thing, I grew up in Argentina when in barbecues (asados) you eat only not with a fork but only with a knife is an ancient, traditional tradition... more than that, you get to the meal with your own knife on your belt, is a touch of class... It's not only to show up a nice knife, but also as a sign that you appreciate the hospitality, and don't want the host to be in charge of the cutlery... It's a courtesy, as they're doing a lot already.
@@eezablade As a 'politely militant' atheist, I happen to have some numbers from a couple of years ago - though I'm sure more up to date ones are available, the last 18 months aren't good for statistics, with the amount of variables.. Anyone who went to a CoE Primary or Junior School will have had Morning Prayers in assembly and "Grace" before lunch - 'For what we are about to receive..' - That's roughly 1 million kids at the moment and about 14-15 million former students *still alive* or around a quarter of the current population. The Church of England has over 4,500 Schools, Academies and -indoctrination- Converter! Schools. It's the opposite to "who's the dick in your group?" - If it's not you that attended, it's likely (ceteris paribus) to be one of your 3 [English] friends that did.
I don't know how folks from the USA would cope with the multiple sets of cutlery when fine dining. Where you have multiple courses. You start on the outside and work your way through them. Waiters know not to bother people when eating, if you want something you will signal to the Waiters. Lots of places are self service.
U.S. has multiple sets of silverware in fine dining places too, just not in regular restaurants. Although I do just pick up the fork that looks "right" lol
I never tip bar staff just for getting me a drink. I might say ‘keep the change’ if it’s a few pence. Waiting staff will generally get the bill rounded up to the nearest £5-£10. In a mixed group setting people would probably put in £1-£2 each depending on the size of the group.
During my first visit to the States, I just left all the change from the bill and left. My server exited the restaurant and ran after me on the street insisting I pay more for the tip. Couldn't believe it and no, didn't pay any more. Why should I reward harassment?
Grace is usually said at Oxbridge college formal halls, it is usually said in Latin, but they usually use the abbreviated form of Benedictus benedicat. The freemason in Britain also say some form of grace, but it does not end with amen but:- 'So mote it be'
The tipping think is interesting. I worked in the restaurant for 16 years in the UK. I find when serving you really have to read your customers. Most people don't like constant interruption from there server. In fact I've known people to get really annoyed if you check them to often. But that's the British for you. But if you have regular customers they do tend to live to get to know the staff and I have created a lot of close friends through the job. But as I said you have to read your customers well. I always find tipping is hit and miss. I've worked in places where I have received at between £50-£100 per night, which I guess is a lot for the UK. But generally we are not big tippers. I think people have the attitude of well you don't tip people in a supermarket who can give you good service and in a similar wage and other customer service based jobs. I do remember years ago working for a window fitting company. And sometimes your tip would be cups of tea, bacon sandwiches, I think on a couple of occasions they will offer a full lunch or baked a cake especially. But they tend to be the older generation appreciating hard work
I always make sure that any independent builders etc, who come to our house, get tea/coffee, cake/biscuits and anything else they want to eat or drink. We also tip them.
Our family in the UK were told "When sitting at the table to eat, the only time your moth opens is to put food in it". We live in a different age now, thankfully. I always like to give thanks before eating.
I remember when I first went to the USA in 2001, in Baltimore having polished off a particularly nice crabcake at a restaurant, the waiter told me that my tip was way too much and only took what would have been 15%
My family and I recently ate in a restaurant in England. The lassie serving us was very pleasant and helpful but not overly intrusive. When it came time to pay, she produced the card machine and skipped past the gratuity section and straight to the bottom line. I had to ask her to scroll back so I could give her the well deserved tip. She was surprised and pleased to receive 10%. If we ever say grace in my family we use the Selkirk grace also known as Robbie Burns’ grace: Some hae meat but canna eat and some wad eat but want it. But we hae meat and we can eat, sae let the lord be thankit.
I remember when I was a small boy [1950s] when mother and I ate in a restaurant, mother would leave a tip on the table we were at, but underneath a plate. I always wondered afterwards if it was the server or the person clearing the table that got the tip.
In the UK it would always be appreciated if you tipped at least 10% but check the bill because some will say service included and others service not included.
One thing that's really bothering me in all these kinds of videos that I want to get out there for people that don't know - we do not say "chips" instead of "fries"..!! We use both of these words because they're are different variations of the same product 🍟 "chips" are typically bigger in shape and size, Fries AKA French Fries is the sort of thing we get from Mcdonalds etc.. Thankyou 😂
Funny! I've travelled mostly to East and West coast USA, with few visits to flyover country. I've never once in the US had anyone say grace, but then most friends there are pretty free of religion (except guns - one of the more surreal meals I've had with two West Coast liberals was hearing them discuss their immense handgun collections). I used to participate a lot on a US wine forum and there were inordinate discussions there on tipping etiquette. So I was primed from the beginning to expect to pay up, but being British nevertheless would tip a lot less for poor service (I'm looking at you waiter in Chicago who brought all my dishes at once despite me stating I wanted them separately). Here, if there is no obvious service charge added (check - many restaurants add a service charge and then keep the bill open for a tip on top), I tip the server 10% (or to the nearest sensible amount) in cash - that way I know from friends who work in the industry that it will more likely get to them. A friend who owns several top restaurants in London now ensures the pricing is all in and diners are not expected to tip. As to waiting staff chatting to you - if it's formulaic, they get nothing for it. With friends I really don't want to be disturbed, but I do recall a very chatty and relaxed server in a California restaurant when I was on my own. Service as it should be. I suspect one of the reasons Americans love grain fed beef is because it is so soft, hence, despite the immense size of most steaks there, it could be cut with a fork. I'd rather have the flavour of long aged grass fed beef and have a good steak knife. Which also comes in handy for cutting up the asparagus in US restaurants that is positively dildoesque in size! As to relaxed, chatty eating, isn't that what it's all about? Though as I age I hate too much noise. I do recall recounting lunch at the wonderful London restaurant to American friends. Their reaction to a meal of Faggots, Woodcock and Spotted Dick was utterly priceless.
I remember going to a Subway in the US and the cashier basically barked "Swipe and Go" at me. I was totally dumb struck, to me "swipe and go" would be to steal something, and I had to have someone else in the queue (line to you Yanks) that it was a question to know if I wanted to pay by card. Was also "citizen arrested" on a bus in Pittsburgh by someone who overheard me saying "Any crack?" to one of my friends. It took a long discussion to explain that it is an Irish word "craic" and it basically means "how are you?" ua-cam.com/video/KIYbwX57x6E/v-deo.html
Someone tried to place you under citizen's arrest??? Sorry about that. Part of America has lost their minds and have to be in everyone's business. That "Karen" thing is out of control here.
Find it bizarre that tips in America are often compulsory, makes it no longer a tip. We do tip, but you tip however much you deem appropriate, usually not much
A brit here.....a good idea if you go for a special meal in the UK is to give the waiter(ess) a tip at the start (and match it after you get the bill if you experience good service) as the service is usually better.
I love that waiters come up to the table frequently in the US. I'm not flagging anyone down or waiting forever for the check, but they should be paid more ... I don't really know anyone in the US who switches hands with the knife. They hold the knife in the left hand when using it, fork in the right, and put the knife down when not using it. Funny, when I was younger I had a friend from Blackpool who held his fork and knife the European way and I always thought it was him holding it kind of rudely (which did not match up with his personality). But I never said anything about it because that would be rude and I didn't want to hurt his feelings. It wasn't until years later that I realized that was just how Europeans held their fork and knife 😄 The only times I've heard anyone say grace is before Thanksgiving dinner cos we have one really religious guy who married into the family. But JOEL... we are not a Christian nation. Separation of church and state.
@@alanjjeff It's still not officially a christian country. I wrote my thesis on this and it's actually a pretty interesting topic. The dollar bill says "In God We Trust" but it doesn't say which god. All that religious "god" stuff on dollar bills etc. is very careful to not specify any one religion.
I'm left-handed. I use my knife & fork the 'conventional' way around (fork in left, knife in right), and if it's a fork-only meal I just put my knife down and keep the fork in my left. All the right-handers swap hands, which has always confused me.
In my own and close friends and family company, I'm with you Jps, as regards the shoveling, cutting fork. If I'm serving up something that needs cutting up at home - I often do it in the kitchen before I even sit down to eat - which quite often isn't even at a table, by the way! In a more formal or public setting however, I do use my knife and fork properly - always working from the outermost inwards, if there is cutlery laid for multiple courses. That said, I don't always bother with the smaller items, such as butter knives and pastry forks; the latter often disappearing in my large hands anyway... Grace tends to just be said in more formal settings, or perhaps institutional ones. The thing is to know how to adapt your habits according to the formality of the situation.
I'm British, I generally tip here if the service has been good. A friend and I tend to go to the same restaurant regularly and the staff know us, our preferred table, our preferred starters and drinks. Makes things easier, they also know how impatient my friend is! We generally tip 10-15% as they get it right all the time. In America I do find that waiting staff are friendlier. I've never had a bad experience and had some very good ones.
My family never really said grace before we ate meals. Sometimes if I can't be bothered using a knife then I will just use the side of the fork (depending on what it is). Sometimes I do tip when I'm at a restaurant if the service as been good but since we have a solid hourly rate of pay tipping doesn't seem as mandatory but in the US the tips is all that they get, which doesn't really make it a tip at the end on the day. When I was growing up I was always told that we just shouldn't speak when we're eating food, so I presume that's the same for some other people in the UK aswell. Also gob basically just means mouth
With cutlery, a lot of Americans cut the meat with the krife in the right hand and the fork in the left, then: put the knife down, transfer the fork to the right hand, and then convey the food mouthward. The nearest I've seen to saying grace here in England was at a Quaker seminar, where we started each meal with a couple of minutes' silence. I've never had a meal in the UK where grace was said. I only tip at a restaurant if the server has gone over and above - and even then only a pound or two.
Tipping is a sinister practice. It means that restaurant owners can get away with paying their staff low wages and hope that the customer foots the extra cost. In reality, they should be paying their staff properly. Tips in the U.K. are seen as a thank you for excellent service. You expect that the cost of your meal incorporates the full pay for the staff. A business that can’t pay its staff has no right to exist.
It's important to remember that the guy in the video is coming from a (slightly neurotic) middleclass northern perspective. Being working class and southern I'm used to folk holding the knife in the right hand, fork in the left, but we don't freak out if someone cuts their spuds with their fork or doesn't hold something at exactly the "correct" angle. Saying grace is not usual at domestic meals for me, but I'd expect it at formal meals that end with the Loyal Toast (ie. toasting the Queen at the end). I've been asked to say Grace a few times, I tend to use the "Cromwell Grace" feel free to use it. "Some have meat but no appetite, some have appetite but no meat, we have both, God be thanked."
I have never said grace before a meal in my family and I am in my 50s,. Not done in my family anyway, not even with by grandparents who were fairly religious and attended church regularly.
It was common in the UK to say Grace before meals a hundred years ago. It took place at school, on special occasions as well as on a daily basis it is the diminishing of religion that has made it uncommon here. However, there are still families that do it.
II've definitely had the piss taken out of me for using a knife and fork when visiting America!!! I think I've only ever known one family to say grace. Congratulations on the 20k subs and 5 million views.
Sad that people from a nation that mostly eats like a child with no table manners would take the piss out of someone for using a knife and fork. I’m surprised the US doesn’t have a higher rate of death by choking the way so many of them shovel food into their mouths with their fork as though someone is about to take it away from them.
oh dear, Im must be american then as I use only use my fork! My poor mother would still give me a knife every meal and it would sit there all sad and neglected...every meal. Ive def never heard anybody say grace though. I think in the UK its much more common to be religious by default (meaning you are christened as a baby and thats as much religion as you get!LOL).
The USA got many of its traditions from we Brits. So we Did say grace, and in many present circumstances, public rather than private. Grace IS still said.
When I go out to eat to a decent restaurant or pub. I almost always tip if the service was good, I usually round it up so if a meal is £45 i'll give them £50. It's a nice way to say thank you, and particularly given the state of the hospitality industry I like to support the business and staff working there (because I want to keep coming back and eat their lovely food).
I’m quite a few restaurants here in the UK, is discretionary 10% or 12.5% service charge is added to the bill. So make sure you keep an eye out for that when you ask for the bill at the end of your meal.
My cousin works in a restaurant in florida. He said he's never seen anyone that can use cutlery correctly. Like a room full of toddlers according to him.
One thing I really hate is parents who let their kids run around being noisy pains in the neck in restaurants. Teach your kids manners and keep them at your own table!
Basically we tip if the waiting staff deserve it. But I’ve noticed that more than a few café and restaurants now have the gratuity built in which I find completely unacceptable.
@@alanjjeff They may not be so refined but they're not that bad. It's different sitting at home though. There you can do what you like. I get you've done that with a sausage. :-)
Etiquette for eating - forget it . Eat however it suits you - I being British - change hands holding a fork depending on what I'm eating - mostly I will use the 'continental' method though my daughter in law who is from Missouri absolutely refuses to use a knife - 'it'll never happen' is her retort when my son makes fun of her .Lamb chops for instance - there is no way I'm going to use a knife and fork for them - pick it up and eat it - whatever suits you - nobody will judge .
People will absolutely judge. And rightly so. It may not matter amongst friends, but what if your job involves entertaining clients, what if you're invited to a smart function? It's basic good manners to eat properly.
in the uk a service charge is normally priced into the cost of your meal and wait staff get payed a full wage so any tip is just a little extra its not required or expected
The religious part of the pledge of allegiance in the USA did not start until 1954. Treaty is often cited in discussions regarding the role of religion in United States government for a clause in Article 11 of the English language American version which states that "the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."
@@capablancauk The Templars didn't have a whole lot to do with the Masons. Much of the symbology used in official America is Masonic ergo the Masons were or are influential in the American government. No conspiracy theories, don't know what, if anything they're doing there. But the symbols are there for all to see.
@@michaelkelly339 The knights Templar is the direct predecessor of the masonic order know as the Freemasons. You see shadows in symbolism. These are not proof but could be distant pointers as to the roots of the ideas. Masonry is rooted in early Catholicism but the American ideals are rooted in the enlightenment and that is secular. Interesting eh?
the rule of thumb is the further north you go in the UK the volume will increase until you get to Glasgow when it gets out of hand then calms down a bit by the time you get to Inverness
I live in the UK.. I wouldn’t tip if it was Breakfast or Lunch. I tend to if it is Dinner. If there is a discretionary service charge, I always ask for it to be removed.
If you want to look into ''proper'' table etiquette, especially around 'tea', take a look at William Hanson's critique on the time Jackie Kennedy went to tea with the Queen. :-) William Hanson's channel - ''Etiquette expert reacts to Netflix's The Crown''
Reacting to The Crown isn’t the same thing as reacting to the time Jackie Kennedy had tea with The Queen. The Crown is fiction and most of it is made up. I actually know someone who’s had both tea and lunch with The Queen, The Crown gets so many things badly wrong.
@@ffotograffydd Of course it's fictional. I'm not sure but I don't think Netflix was around in 1961. No - it wasn't! This is why it's a good example of etiquette. If it was an actual recording of the Queen and Jackie I doubt there would be much to point out as wrong. It's just a way of pointing out how fussy the rules are when 'taking tea'.
No, it’s a good example of Netflix inaccurate ideas of etiquette and what happened at the time, which is the point I’m making. It’s not accurate! It’s a shame you decided to go down the sarcasm route instead of considering that.
@@ffotograffydd Of course it is. That's what I said. That's why the title is ''Netflix's'' The Crown. Or if you prefer - What Netflix thinks is OK but it's not.
The cutlery was an interesting one. I'm a Brit born and bred, but never (except for tough meats) use a knife. The fork (held US style) can be used to chop food perfectly well. If I use a knife, I change hands for the deed and then change back to eat. I always thought everyone else was doing it wrong.
@@margaretnicol3423 Nahhh, peas and mashed potatoes should be eaten with a spoon 😉 Maybe Americans use spoons more than Brits. You only scoop stuff with your fork like 1% of the time. The great majority of the time you spear the food with your fork (but still hold it like a spoon). And if it's something like mashed potatoes or peas, you do use a spoon.
Tip culture is easy to understand. In US waiter/waitress salary can be low as 2 US dollars per hour without tips meaning that without tips salary would be with 8 working hours per day modest 16 US dollars and in a month (21 working days) 336 USD. So not really a much without tips. My friend once worked with cruise ship company in USA. She told to me that her monthly salary officially was only 50 USD, but with tips she earned about 3000 USD and sometimes more with smiling and offering another drink for customers all the time. At the same time, in Finland, waiter/waitress earns with same 8 hours day/21days per month about 2368 euros (2019 statistics for waiter/waitress average monthly salary in Finland) which equals to 2833 US dollars per month without tips with todays exchange rate. In Finland you can tip as complimentary, but it's not expected.
During WW2 my father kept a pub, and was always delighted to see American servicemen from the local base. To start with, they addressed him as ‘bartender’ and tipped him generously. Then they attended various orientation classes and were taught that tipping isn’t the custom in English pubs. Dad always complained that the American authorities were an interfering lot, and that they should have left well alone.
Tipping in the UK gratuities must go to the servers . Some restaurants automatically add 12% on the bill then retain it so the government are going to outlaw that. However the general consensus is no one should need a tip to make up wages as they should be paid a decent wage in the first place.
I never tip in restaurants, or anywhere in fact. I'm not their boss, ask them for a proper wage 😉 Out of interest, what the minimum wage in America? It can't be that good if you have to rely on tips.
The servers get taxed by the gov at an estimate of tips they will get. So if you dont tip them the gov still assumed they got the tip for the meal. That is why they can get mad.
@@simonsaunders8147 Noooo minimum wage in the U.S. is $7.25, but each state may have a higher minimum wage than that, in which case the worker gets the higher of the two. But there may be different laws for waiters, not sure.
My brother was on a tour bus in America many years ago and the group stopped at a restaurant in a small town. It was up to each individual to order their own meal. My brother waited a long time to order his meal and an even longer time before he got his meal. He protested a few times up at the counter before they finally brought him his meal. Then he had only five minutes to rush eating his meal. The tourist group director warned them that they must tip. It was obvious to my brother that they rightly viewed individual tourists as customers who would never come back to that restaurant, with extremely few exceptions, whereas the locals probably came by several times a week. So they concentrated their efforts on giving the locals all the attention. However my brother was furious and tipped his waitress just ONE dollar. She was insulted and told my brother so! My brother said, "If you don't value our (tourist) custom, then we are entitled to throw you just peanuts...your choice!".
Lol.... I'm English and used to work for some pretty high-end restaurant/hotels and with the tipping we NEVER got it. Tips didn't go to the staff or staff member that served you, it went to either the owners of the place, or all SENIOR staff members working that week. I don't think I ever got to keep a tip that wasn't placed directly into my hand XD
In the UK my family is religious, my mother plays organ for the local church, but we only ever really say a religious grace on Christmas day with our meal.
As a British person, my family are religious and do say grace before evening meals most of the time (when I was a kid we would hold hands and everything). They usually don't if we have non-religious visitors from outside the family though.
The need for good table manners has always been important to me and my family. My father used to shout, sit up straight, take your elbows off the table and use your knife and folk properly, and let your meat stop your mouth ie no talking!!
I got told that every time we visited my grandma on sundays for dinner, and after a few years it stuck. When I went to the US as an exchange student in the 90´s, the majority of the students I went to class with ate like toddlers. The family I lived with did not say grace but they too had tablemanners like children. The mom held her fork and knife like stabbing tools, and she called my "style" european and snobbish.
I remember being chased out of a restaurant in San Francisco for not tipping, about 15 years ago. The waiter ignored us when we came in and the whole meal, talking to his buddies while putting food in front of us; acting like he was doing us a favour. Two of the plates he literally dropped on the table from few inches up so they crashed down and one bounced off the table and stuff got on my shirt. No apology or acknowledgement, just terrible.
Later he handed the bill, still no eye contact, still talking to his buddies, throws the bill on the table and walks off. So I paid the bill and nothing else, which already was probably too much.
He immediately checks as we are leaving, gets a rage on as if I'm out of line. I told him it was the worst service I've ever experienced in any country in any restaurant and still is, even so many years later. This is not representative of other experiences I've had in the USA but no way I'm tipping a guy like that, even if it's tradition.
I think its the idea waiters don't get paid full so the tips are basically their wages (at least what I understand) so to not tip us basically them not get full wages despite that being a job and wage problem not a customer one
I don't blame you, they shouldn't expect to be tipped just because they wait tables for a living. A tip is earned not demanded, if I ate out in the US & didn't tip with good reason not to & they ran after me, I'd shoot them for thinking they deserved one for giving shitty service.
@@amemelia Exactly. In the UK waiters actually get paid a decent wage and a tip is given out of courtesy to a good waiter/waitress. I swear in some U.S. restaurants the waiters rely on tips only.
Always remember being on a works dinner in Milton Keynes a few years back. Very poor service, when the bill came my boss said, "you can take the 25% service charge off - we've not had that!"
I think what you are meant to do is put a few cents as the tip. That shows you haven’t forgotten to tip, but you were very dissatisfied with the service.
If servers were paid a decent wage, and didnt have their tips considered part of their wage, there wouldn't be a need to tip except for good service.
Yep, I disagree with tipping entirely. I'm not a wage subsidy for a piss poor cheap business.
I went to one place last week and the minimum tip was 18%!!!!
Exactly!! Glad it was covered coz it makes us Brits look cheap when we're not lol
Don't forget a lot of places add a service charge anyway! 🏴
Agreed. America is tip mad. Brits tip for good customer service, not just because we have too.
that's how it works in Europe, a tip is a gift for good service, not an expectation for not spitting on your burger.. or a contribution to your paycheck
Here in the UK the servers will generally just check in with you and do the "Is everything OK?" thing just once during the meal - much more than that can be considered to be intrusive to the customer. I do generally tip but it's done as a small gesture of appreciation rather than being something that the server needs to survive.
If out for a meal with a group of friends the general rule is we all put a pound coin in for the tip. So if it's say six or us (three couples) the tip will be £6.00 whatever the price of the meal. We don't work out the percentage.
I was asked 15 times if everything was alright at a restaurant in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
@@shoutinghorse I can't do percentages either.
@@peterdurnien9084 By that point I'd be finding it hard to not look annoyed
My sentiments too.
Holding a knife and fork correctly is one of my biggest bug bear. It doesn’t matter if you’re British or from the USA.
I’ve been around people that have said grace in the UK. As an atheist I just sat quietly, but it does happen.
Tipping is a toxic culture!!! Change your minimum wage!!
Exactly - it shouldn’t be on the onus of the customer to pay a large proportion of the wages of the restaurant staff. The company should be paying the wages of their staff and NOT the customer. My brother and his family were in New York and they left the restaurant without leaving a tip and they got CHASED DOWN THE STREET by a member of staff and asked why they hadn’t tipped. Disgraceful behaviour on behalf of the staff.
@@etinarcadiaego2259 - where’s me fork ‘n knife? Dunno, where did you fork’n leave ‘em?
I hate it when someone holds the knife like they're about to start surgery on something
@@mrtappyasmr7702 I have more important things to worry about....
I've always eaten left handed, I have no idea why but my brain can't correct it. It really annoys a lot of people. I used to live in a religious house, and grace was said before every family meal, if you weren't at a dinner table it wasn't expected.
I'm actually a fan of the tipping, and it's becoming way more common here in the UK. The biggest problem is when it's expected! Have a fair liveable minimum wage, and tipping can be the extra incentive for great service. If you don't offer great service, don't expect the tip, just get paid your basic. That's how it works in most other jobs.
Brits generally don't like waiting staff coming over ever few minutes. We find it intrusive, and after a while - quite annoying. If I need more water or wine I would rather do it myself than have a waiter/waitress rush over and do it for me. It makes me feel awkward and like I can't do anything myself.
We Brits like to be left alone once we have our food, are quite capable of pouring our own wine without getting angry about it, and will only alert a waiter if we need them.
Otherwise we expect them to stay away and come back when we have finished a course. The Americans like being 'fawned' on and fussed over.... Brits don't.
It's pretty similar in Japan apparently where they don't want to have intrusive wait staff constantly coming over. Take the order, deliver the order, hand over the bill, job done.
Seems we Brits share that "don't want to make a fuss" attitude.
When I've dined in an expensive hotel or restaurant, I have had 3 or more server/waiting staff exclusively hovering round my table (even when eating alone). It was a bit disconcerting the first time, particularly for someone to unfold the napkin and place it across my lap, but it hasn't been intrusive. It's been quiet, discreet, attentive and easily ignored.
It's the same with the romantic violinist, bugger off.
True we don't and yes it's intrusive especially when you are deep in conversation or just popping your fork full of food into your mouth. We like to be left alone and we'll call you if we require further help. We don't like 'pushie staff'.
Unless you’re at like a work dinner - love them topping me up then so u don’t have the embarrassment of reaching for the … water all the time!
I'm 40+ and I've never been at a dinner table where we've said grace. Ever.
Oh, and tipping in the UK - because we pay our servers a better wage than in the US - isn't as common, but I *always* offer a tip if the service has been good, and I think many Brits are the same.
My granny would sometimes throw in:- "Right, * so n so * (Usually me) say grace".
Me:- "Grace"
Granny:- "That'll do"
I'm older than that and I remember having to say grace at school.
A better wage yes, but a good wage, unfortunately still no. I wouldn't just tip if the service had been good, I'd always tip unless the service had been actively bad.
@@julespeace8376 I remember saying the Lord's Prayer at school. I'm not sure what "saying grace" refers to.
@@shaunpcolemanBefore meals... "For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful".
The guy seems obsessed with the idea that we in the U.K. are spending most of our day repressing things. Just not true. Keeping the volume down in a restaurant is respectful to other eaters. I don't want to hear a noisy gobshite whilst I'm eating
Nor loud back ground music. I want to chat with my family or friends at the table while we enjoy our meal and not being interruppeted by waiting staff coming over asking is everything all right - I will call you over if I need anything.
My god… how I love the word “gobshite”
They're yanks, what would you expect from a bunch of idiots who have a major misconception of what the UK is like. They think that downton abbey is really accurate history documentary & that we're all like that even to this day.
@@ellisonsimon how about "eejit" same thing
@@Aloyus_Knight try being from the other side of the Irish sea they think we all go around saying " top of the morning to you" with all the men wearing cloth caps, women wearing shawls and children bare footed.
I was flying back to the UK from Boston.
A young British girl said to her mother, 'Oh, that man must be American' due to the fact I was only eating with a fork.
At that point I realised that I had gone native.
It hasn't occurred since.
If only I'd taken the opportunity to say "Sshh! I'm under cover."
As I am an atheist I cringe when people say grace at meals . This is usually at some organised function but not so much at family gatherings . When it does happen and I am present I just stay quiet respectfully hating every second of it.
We only tend to tip people if they do a good job and offer a good service. I get annoyed when a restaurant put a service charge on the bill.
Another good video👍
I attended a church of England school for most of my childhood, and we had to say Grace before a meal.
"For what we are about to receive may the Lord God make us truly thankful.
Amen"
@somebody Maybe so but a bit silly to thank something that doesn’t exist in the first place!!
@somebody because... And I really don't know why this has to be explained....
God has chosen to give you food while allowing, or choosing, others to go without food
@somebody I never said I know everything nor did I say I was clever. This is just my personal take on saying thank you to something that does nothing exist! If you have a different view in that then that is fine. Perhaps you haven’t learnt to read properly yet. No quite sure how you inhale a meal! We are all very selfish creatures I am afraid and that is part of life.
Bloody good job you aren' a NASCAR fan because they all have to stand in silence before every race whilst some religious nut prays to God for a safe and fruitful race but judging by the amount of crashes and cautions it's pretty obvious he's too busy watching F1
In England we used to say it before lunch at school every day
@TheRenaissanceman65 did you go to a Church of England school? A lot primary/first schools are CofE but not all
As a kid in the 70's. at school before lunch we would all mutter, 'for what we are about to receive may we be truly grateful', it wasn't really considered to be religious just habitual and polite, but that is the only 'grace' I've ever experienced. I must admit that I can't abide how the American's hold their cutlery and say fork and knife instead of knife and fork...in certain British accents it sounds like 'fucking knife' lol
I used to say that at primary school. But nowhere else. Because I am left handed I don't necessarily hold the cutlery the correct way. I just quietly switch the cup, knife, fork and spoon around. The staff in restaurants would just smile at me.
But even in shops not just in restaurants I prefer to be left alone and call for the staff when needed.
I only tip if the service is good. But I have never been to the US.
My Texan friend told me she wished she could have taught her kids to "use silverware properly". This cutting something, putting the knife down, transferring the fork to the right hand then eating is cumbersome and completely unnecessary.
Leave the Texans to their own devices 😂😂 there is more than cutlery issues for them 😂😂
?? You don't put the knife down or transfer the fork to the other hand, they remain in the hands. After cutting, your food should be already be pierced by the folk in a small enough piece to put straight to your mouth.
I've never seen anyone in the U.S. do the whole knife switch thing. Usually you use the knife in your left, fork in your right, and put the knife down when you're not using it (which you hardly ever use it unless it's something you can't cut with your fork). But never seen the switch.
I've seen them do it on TV during documentaries. Most of my American friends don't do that but two of them do including their families lol
My goddaughter told her American boyfriend that a condition of marriage was him learning to eat like an adult.
Okay, this was in Canada - but - I had invited some friends out and when I asked for the bill, the waiter had put on "recommended tip" which was 25 percent - and this was not a cheap place. I actually felt quite offended and thought, no way you're getting away with that! So I gave what I thought appropriate - clearly not what he expected...
Hahahhana good.
WE DO TIP IN THE UK. The differences are:-
A) That it is illegal to pay staff less than a working wage.
B) Typically, we tip as a reward for good service or food etc. This is understood to be in addition to a wage, not a critical part of the wage.
C) Many would class, me included, frequent interuption of the dining service as bad service. When going out to dine with friends or a partner the main direct interactions are expected to be with the people you went there to spend time with. Servers are meant to 'serve' and not to gratify themselves. Obviously part of providing excellent service requires interaction and non-intrusive "is every thing OK" whilst already at the table. But badgering will black-mark an establishment for me.
D) Offense is caused by establishments that automatically add, or request, a tip ('Service Charge') to their actual bills. This goes against the very grain of what a tip is in Britain.
E) It is allowable that people might not be able to pay more than the minimum as they may be having a special treat that is at the edge of their ability to afford. People who can afford to tip well should, but there is the opposite side to that scale.
I say these things as someone who grew up in a UK restaurant. I will personally tip moderately, tip generously or not tip at all, depending on genuine good service and circumstances.
I'm in the UK and don't often tip... and especially not pub food or these chain eating places... I'd have to be in a decent restaurant with good service before I do
Tipping in the UK is based around receiving good or exceptional service. It should never be something to make up the wages of your server. We have minimum wage legislation, so it doesn't really apply here. I occasionally tip waiters but I would never tip a bartender.
That's a weird take? - table servers can provide exceptional service but bar staff can't? UK tipping culture is based around the 'keep the change', or 'have one for yourself' sayings.
@@j.wellens5660 well there is a difference. A bartender opening a bottle of beer and handing it to you is hardly comparable to someone fetching and carrying everything to you throughout your meal and dealing with all your micro requests in-between. But having said that I admit that I have in the past said "keep the change" to bar staff and taxi drivers, though usually this is out of convenience rather than exceptional service. But my point above is that this shouldn't be an expected or obligatory practice in the UK, when staff are paid a minimum wage.
As regards tipping, I'll never forget the first time I went to the States in 1978. I was with a couple of mates and we weren't aware that tipping in bars was the usual thing. My friend ordered a round of drinks at the bar and the barman asked where the tip was. My friend said to him "That's the difference between England and the States. In England tips are RESpected and in the States they're EXpected". It wasn't until a couple of days later, when we were in a bar in Chicago, and went outside for a smoke. We got talking to one of the barstaff and he mentioned the wage he was on. It was pathetic. For the rest of our holiday we always made sure we tipped well at every bar we went into!
The history of the United States is that it was explicitly *not* a Christian nation, with church and state (supposed to be) very clearly separate; now, parts of it were heavily Christian but not as much as you might think (the Great Awakenings are interesting periods) - the Christianisation has crept in over the years, that version of the Pledge of Allegiance only goes back to the 1954
Very true ... it's still not a Christian nation, no matter what some people may claim. It's becoming more atheist again as far as what the population sees themselves as. But church and state are separate for sure.
@TheRenaissanceman65 There is separation of church and state. It just means that government can't officially recognize any one religion. It's definitely talking about religion in general, not an official church.
@TheRenaissanceman65 yes I’m well aware of the history, by solely focusing on the 1st Amendment though the discussion around that and various Supreme Court rulings that support the concept of ‘separation of church and state’ in the US are missed; there’s more to it than just the 1st Amendment, as central as that is.
@TheRenaissanceman65 But it is what it is 🤷🏻♀️ This is what's taught in every government class. I also wrote my thesis on this a few years ago and the meaning of separation of church and state is very clear (whether the wording is or not). Stuff like having "in god we trust" on bills and stuff came later as a way to unify a bunch of people who don't have nationality, language, religious beliefs etc. in common. They made sure to not recognize any specific religion. Now way more people are agnostic and atheist etc. but no one uses cash anymore anyway 😛
TheRenaissanceman65
“There was never a separation of church and state”.
You then quote the line that officially separates church and state. 😂
I'm British, a Londoner to be precise. Reading backwards, tipping in restaurants is for particularly good service. Generally bills will come with a 12.5% service charge added, which goes to the staff; anything over and above that is seen as a compliment for a very good time. Waiters can ask once whether the meal is good; if they do it a second time, my standard response is, 'No worse than the last time you asked'. We don't like to be interrupted, which goes for small children, who can be seen but not heard. That's not an old-fashioned attitude but good manners on the part of the parents/guardians.
Cutlery manners are important to the British. I can remember, as a small child, having table etiquette drilled into me, particularly as I am left-handed - which was regarded as no excuse when it came to holding anything if I wanted to eat. If I got it wrong, the fork or whatever was taken off me, put back on the table, and I was invited to try again. I was a hungry and thirsty child, so I learnt quickly. When I see somebody with cutlery and food flying in all directions, I am left wondering whether he has also managed to put his boxers on back-to-front.
Yeah, saying grace in the UK would be considered a bit of an oddity.
I'd say most of these are pretty accurate. In fact it kind of reminds me of a video-blog I saw of a group of Japanese wrestlers who were in the states and one of the Americans they were doing the show with got them a reservation at the most popular restaurant in town, and the volume inside was insane. The Japanese girls looked visibly uncomfortable, and I think I would be too.
In the UK, there's a general rustle of controlled voices in restaurants. So you're aware people are around you and they're talking, but it's never loud. And anyone who WAS being loud would probably be considered extremely rude.
Yeah, would not be okay with servers coming over to my table all the time. I want to be left in peace while I'm eating.
We do tip here generally speaking, but it's usually just a matter of putting down a few pound coins. Because we pay people a living wage.
I couldn’t agree more. You are absolutely right on all of that. I feel the same way for every restaurant I’ve been in including the volume level and when it comes to tipping. I usually don’t tip, although it’s mostly because I don’t go to many restaurants ever on my own and don’t have a lot of money spare but if I do tip then it might just be 1 or £2.
With the tipping thing, we do tip but not always, with my family if we go to a restaurant and the server is especially good we do tip and its just like a nice suprise for the server to say “you did a great job!”
That would annoy the hell out of me if a server in a restaurant came to my table every 5 minutes.
Yes me too. I would tell them to bugger off until they are called.
One thing that usually amazes Americans is that what they call a "Thanksgiving dinner", we have pretty much every single Sunday.
Only those who can afford it. If you can then be thankful!
@@margaretnicol3423 Its easy to afford if you go to work !
@@Chris66able Rubbish. That depends on too many variables.
@@margaretnicol3423 Like being lazy, and thick.
@@Chris66able Do try to stop making a fool of yourself.
I from Denmark, Scandinavia.
I always use knife & fork at dinnertime.
Even "the typical smørrebrød.
I don't into saying grace but in Denmark we use the sentence : Velbekomme, which means " may it become you well".
No, I don't tip a waiter..unless the food and service are excellent.
Our waiters get paid well every month
11:30 If waiting staff acted like that here in my country, people would get annoyed and irritated. A waiter coming to your table every 5 minutes would be considered borderline rude. If I want something, I'll call for you. Oherwise leave us alone to enjoy our evening in peace you annoying nosy waiter/waitress! Especially when you know they're only friendly because they hope for a bigger tip, so they can earn a decent living wage, the American way just feels so incredibly fake and degrading to waiting staff.
Also, spending an entire evening at the table talking, chatting, drinking is perfectly normal. Getting the check/bill shoved in front of you before you've asked for it, that would be considered down right insulting here. You easily spend 3-4h in a restaurant here.
Very different dining culture indeed.
In Australia we are all paid a living wage. We don’t normally tip but my husband does for really good service.
When I was 19 I got a job nights working as a drinks waitress. I owned the Mezzanine level and that meant carrying two full trays up a spiral staircase all night in heels with a skirt that was shorter than my hair.
Every Saturday night I had an American man who ordered for the whole table. I earned $2.68 an hour but my weekly rent back then was only $16.00 a week. I told him tipping was not necessary but he tipped me $5.00 for every round of drinks I served. He bought me a new car just for serving him. I know it doesn’t work that way in America and they need the tips to live.
Everyday at school we had to say Grace before we were let out to eat lunch. We also had to wash our face and hands and brush our teeth after recess and lunch. It depended which grandmothers house I was at If we said Grace before a meal. We said it at our house and we said our prayers at bedtime with Dad. I was the eldest and by the time they got to 6 kids everyone was done saying Grace. I was usually feeding the baby vegetables before I ate.
I go with whatever is happening wherever we are eating. I know what I believe it but I respect everyone’s belief’s.
Grace is said, in Latin, in Oxford and Cambridge Colleges before the evening meal in Hall.
Tipping has become more common here [Northern Ireland] than it used to be, but it depends on the situation. in a decent restaurant most of us will usually leave a tip, but not the 15 to 20% common in the USA. Maybe a couple of pounds on the bill, or 10%. Just as a courtesy for the serving staff, not to make up their pay !!
I’m a English Catholic and it wouldn’t be weird to say grace, like if I went to my auntie’s house, she would say grace, because that’s what she was obviously brought up doing and that’s what her family does. My family personally, don’t do it, but similarly to the US, it’s hard to generalise, but it’s definitely a lot less popular
As a teenager, many moons ago, I work in the US as a mother's help and therefore lived in and had my meals with the family - no grace was ever said. As a child growing up in the 50's at primary school when I stayed to school dinners grace was always said (this was in London) (In the 1950's dinner was what we nowadays term lunch) The knife and fork debate was discussed when I worked in your country, but not in a negative way. To tell the truth and depending what meal I'm eating, I find it comfortable to eat with only a fork; mostly I use both. Sometimes in restaurants a service charge is added to your bill, but if it isn't and the service has been good we always give a tip.
some people in uk do say grace before eating. my grandad was a devout catholic and he always made us say grace before eating (he was from liverpool btw and i'm from scotland)
Tipping in the UK varies from person to person and with circumstances. Some people make a principle out of not tipping ever, some tip if they had really good service, but not if it wasn't, others will routinely tip. Some restaurants add a "voluntary" service charge to the bill, but mostly they make little effort to encourage tips. In fact the move to contactless probably means we tip less. On the whole you would tip in a restaurant, but be less likely to do so in a cafe or pub, and hardly ever in a retail environment.
I really hate over the top service, I want to be left in peace not bothered all the time. What you want in the UK are friendly staff who notice when you are in need of assistance, that's a real skill. All to often though it's hard even to get someone to give you the bill. I have never come across saying grace, or actually been told by anyone that they did it in their home. I'm sure it happens, but where it does its a very private matter. And Joel you will need to work on your handling of cutlery! 🤣
I'm from the UK , and the idea of a 'voluntary' charge that is automatically added to my bill that I need to involuntarily remove, in the words of Sarah Millican 'Boils my Piss'. Something that is automatically applied is not voluntary. Anytime that 'bullshit' is added onto a bill, I will automatically remove it. The other service charge that I fundamentally disagree with is when there is an extra charge for a cover over a given size.- no - just adjust the price that you charge per item ordered from the menu so that it reflects the cost to you , whether I am a party of 1 or 20.
As a Brit, I only tip in a posh restaurant where service is formal. The bill is brought to the table on a saucer and you put the money on it and the waiter will collect it, and return your change on the saucer. You then leave the change or a larger tip on the saucer, which the waiter will collect after you leave. Some Chinese or Thai restaurants have a jar on the counter where you pay at the till, and I put a one pound coin in the jar.
US restaurants also want to get customers seated, served and out as quickly as possible.
Here in the UK and Europe in general, customers are left alone to enjoy their meal and to sit and talk for as long as they wish. Canadian cousins who travelled to France with me some years ago were amazed (and delighted) to be left alone to enjoy a meal minus being interrupted by a poor underpaid server begging for them to hurry up, hand out a tip, and go.
In school here in the UK, we had to say grace before we had lunch.
As for tipping; yes, we tip generally 10%. It's just good manners. Unless the service was awful and then we won't tip (rare but it happens). Having worked within food and drink, it was always nice to receive a tip, but it was a jar that was then split, so even if you were the one working the hardest to be polite and helpful, all the staff on the shift were given their share of the money in the jar.
I agree on all points. I grew up in New England, worked for years in California, NYC, and Miami, and have spent a lot of time in England, France and Spain. I observed all these things. In Miami where I now live, and especially Miami Beach, you need to be alert to whether or not a tip has automatically been added to your bill. The reason, of course, is the great number of European tourists that come and fail to leave tips.
53 year old Brit here, I can not remember ever saving grace at any meal.
Never go out that much at home, but when on holiday in corfu, greece, I always eat out and tip, I know the staff keep all tips left, and share out at end of season They aren't that well paid abroad, and good service deserves a grateful reward
Funny thing, I grew up in Argentina when in barbecues (asados) you eat only not with a fork but only with a knife is an ancient, traditional tradition... more than that, you get to the meal with your own knife on your belt, is a touch of class... It's not only to show up a nice knife, but also as a sign that you appreciate the hospitality, and don't want the host to be in charge of the cutlery... It's a courtesy, as they're doing a lot already.
I once said "Grace" at a meal, and everyone said...."Who's Grace?".
Oh this'll be fun. 20 seconds in "Judgemental bastid-hat" on, I'm guessing: table manners, proficiency with cutlery, speed and volume of consumption..
It's scary that we learn how to use cutlery at two or three and the Americans never learn.
I don’t know anyone that has ever said prayers, never mind at dinner time.
@@eezablade As a 'politely militant' atheist, I happen to have some numbers from a couple of years ago - though I'm sure more up to date ones are available, the last 18 months aren't good for statistics, with the amount of variables.. Anyone who went to a CoE Primary or Junior School will have had Morning Prayers in assembly and "Grace" before lunch - 'For what we are about to receive..' - That's roughly 1 million kids at the moment and about 14-15 million former students *still alive* or around a quarter of the current population. The Church of England has over 4,500 Schools, Academies and -indoctrination- Converter! Schools. It's the opposite to "who's the dick in your group?" - If it's not you that attended, it's likely (ceteris paribus) to be one of your 3 [English] friends that did.
@@jamesleate You can't take most Americans to a proper restaurant in Europe.
It also sucks in the UK when the company you're working won't let you accept tips! (Not all, but some!)
I don't know how folks from the USA would cope with the multiple sets of cutlery when fine dining. Where you have multiple courses. You start on the outside and work your way through them. Waiters know not to bother people when eating, if you want something you will signal to the Waiters. Lots of places are self service.
U.S. has multiple sets of silverware in fine dining places too, just not in regular restaurants. Although I do just pick up the fork that looks "right" lol
I never tip bar staff just for getting me a drink. I might say ‘keep the change’ if it’s a few pence. Waiting staff will generally get the bill rounded up to the nearest £5-£10. In a mixed group setting people would probably put in £1-£2 each depending on the size of the group.
During my first visit to the States, I just left all the change from the bill and left. My server exited the restaurant and ran after me on the street insisting I pay more for the tip. Couldn't believe it and no, didn't pay any more. Why should I reward harassment?
horrendous tothink that the tip may have meant the difference by him or his famil
eating that night. the USA is, in many ways a 3rd world country;
@@marycarver1542 I'm pretty sure he would be allowed to take home some of the unserved food that can't be used the following day.
@@B-A-L YUK!
Grace is usually said at Oxbridge college formal halls, it is usually said in Latin, but they usually use the abbreviated form of Benedictus benedicat. The freemason in Britain also say some form of grace, but it does not end with amen but:- 'So mote it be'
Great to see you’ve now hit 20k plus subscribers. You deserve it and more.
The tipping think is interesting. I worked in the restaurant for 16 years in the UK. I find when serving you really have to read your customers. Most people don't like constant interruption from there server. In fact I've known people to get really annoyed if you check them to often. But that's the British for you. But if you have regular customers they do tend to live to get to know the staff and I have created a lot of close friends through the job. But as I said you have to read your customers well. I always find tipping is hit and miss. I've worked in places where I have received at between £50-£100 per night, which I guess is a lot for the UK. But generally we are not big tippers. I think people have the attitude of well you don't tip people in a supermarket who can give you good service and in a similar wage and other customer service based jobs. I do remember years ago working for a window fitting company. And sometimes your tip would be cups of tea, bacon sandwiches, I think on a couple of occasions they will offer a full lunch or baked a cake especially. But they tend to be the older generation appreciating hard work
I always make sure that any independent builders etc, who come to our house, get tea/coffee, cake/biscuits and anything else they want to eat or drink. We also tip them.
It's Britain if someone enters your house you give them tea and biscuits that's a standard
@@jakejake6791 Agreed! :)
Our family in the UK were told "When sitting at the table to eat, the only time your moth opens is to put food in it". We live in a different age now, thankfully. I always like to give thanks before eating.
I remember when I first went to the USA in 2001, in Baltimore having polished off a particularly nice crabcake at a restaurant, the waiter told me that my tip was way too much and only took what would have been 15%
Aw, that was nice of them.
My family and I recently ate in a restaurant in England. The lassie serving us was very pleasant and helpful but not overly intrusive. When it came time to pay, she produced the card machine and skipped past the gratuity section and straight to the bottom line.
I had to ask her to scroll back so I could give her the well deserved tip. She was surprised and pleased to receive 10%.
If we ever say grace in my family we use the Selkirk grace also known as Robbie Burns’ grace:
Some hae meat but canna eat and some wad eat but want it.
But we hae meat and we can eat, sae let the lord be thankit.
Lol buddy all of that money went straight to the company's coffers. Always give a cash tip directly to the server.
I remember when I was a small boy [1950s] when mother and I ate in a restaurant, mother would leave a tip on the table we were at, but underneath a plate. I always wondered afterwards if it was the server or the person clearing the table that got the tip.
In the UK it would always be appreciated if you tipped at least 10% but check the bill because some will say service included and others service not included.
One thing that's really bothering me in all these kinds of videos that I want to get out there for people that don't know - we do not say "chips" instead of "fries"..!! We use both of these words because they're are different variations of the same product 🍟 "chips" are typically bigger in shape and size, Fries AKA French Fries is the sort of thing we get from Mcdonalds etc.. Thankyou 😂
I'm stubborn and use chips for both
"This guy makes bangers."
He makes sausages? 😁
Funny! I've travelled mostly to East and West coast USA, with few visits to flyover country. I've never once in the US had anyone say grace, but then most friends there are pretty free of religion (except guns - one of the more surreal meals I've had with two West Coast liberals was hearing them discuss their immense handgun collections). I used to participate a lot on a US wine forum and there were inordinate discussions there on tipping etiquette. So I was primed from the beginning to expect to pay up, but being British nevertheless would tip a lot less for poor service (I'm looking at you waiter in Chicago who brought all my dishes at once despite me stating I wanted them separately). Here, if there is no obvious service charge added (check - many restaurants add a service charge and then keep the bill open for a tip on top), I tip the server 10% (or to the nearest sensible amount) in cash - that way I know from friends who work in the industry that it will more likely get to them. A friend who owns several top restaurants in London now ensures the pricing is all in and diners are not expected to tip.
As to waiting staff chatting to you - if it's formulaic, they get nothing for it. With friends I really don't want to be disturbed, but I do recall a very chatty and relaxed server in a California restaurant when I was on my own. Service as it should be.
I suspect one of the reasons Americans love grain fed beef is because it is so soft, hence, despite the immense size of most steaks there, it could be cut with a fork. I'd rather have the flavour of long aged grass fed beef and have a good steak knife. Which also comes in handy for cutting up the asparagus in US restaurants that is positively dildoesque in size! As to relaxed, chatty eating, isn't that what it's all about? Though as I age I hate too much noise.
I do recall recounting lunch at the wonderful London restaurant to American friends. Their reaction to a meal of Faggots, Woodcock and Spotted Dick was utterly priceless.
Most people don't tip directly in the UK as service is usually included in the bill
Service is usually only included in the bill in very posh restaurants
I remember going to a Subway in the US and the cashier basically barked "Swipe and Go" at me. I was totally dumb struck, to me "swipe and go" would be to steal something, and I had to have someone else in the queue (line to you Yanks) that it was a question to know if I wanted to pay by card.
Was also "citizen arrested" on a bus in Pittsburgh by someone who overheard me saying "Any crack?" to one of my friends. It took a long discussion to explain that it is an Irish word "craic" and it basically means "how are you?"
ua-cam.com/video/KIYbwX57x6E/v-deo.html
😄 the crack lol
Someone tried to place you under citizen's arrest??? Sorry about that. Part of America has lost their minds and have to be in everyone's business. That "Karen" thing is out of control here.
Find it bizarre that tips in America are often compulsory, makes it no longer a tip. We do tip, but you tip however much you deem appropriate, usually not much
A brit here.....a good idea if you go for a special meal in the UK is to give the waiter(ess) a tip at the start (and match it after you get the bill if you experience good service) as the service is usually better.
I love that waiters come up to the table frequently in the US. I'm not flagging anyone down or waiting forever for the check, but they should be paid more ... I don't really know anyone in the US who switches hands with the knife. They hold the knife in the left hand when using it, fork in the right, and put the knife down when not using it.
Funny, when I was younger I had a friend from Blackpool who held his fork and knife the European way and I always thought it was him holding it kind of rudely (which did not match up with his personality). But I never said anything about it because that would be rude and I didn't want to hurt his feelings. It wasn't until years later that I realized that was just how Europeans held their fork and knife 😄
The only times I've heard anyone say grace is before Thanksgiving dinner cos we have one really religious guy who married into the family.
But JOEL... we are not a Christian nation. Separation of church and state.
Look on the back of a US dollar bill, the state shows its religious status.
@@alanjjeff It's still not officially a christian country. I wrote my thesis on this and it's actually a pretty interesting topic. The dollar bill says "In God We Trust" but it doesn't say which god. All that religious "god" stuff on dollar bills etc. is very careful to not specify any one religion.
I'm left-handed. I use my knife & fork the 'conventional' way around (fork in left, knife in right), and if it's a fork-only meal I just put my knife down and keep the fork in my left. All the right-handers swap hands, which has always confused me.
In my own and close friends and family company, I'm with you Jps, as regards the shoveling, cutting fork. If I'm serving up something that needs cutting up at home - I often do it in the kitchen before I even sit down to eat - which quite often isn't even at a table, by the way! In a more formal or public setting however, I do use my knife and fork properly - always working from the outermost inwards, if there is cutlery laid for multiple courses. That said, I don't always bother with the smaller items, such as butter knives and pastry forks; the latter often disappearing in my large hands anyway... Grace tends to just be said in more formal settings, or perhaps institutional ones. The thing is to know how to adapt your habits according to the formality of the situation.
I'm British, I generally tip here if the service has been good. A friend and I tend to go to the same restaurant regularly and the staff know us, our preferred table, our preferred starters and drinks. Makes things easier, they also know how impatient my friend is! We generally tip 10-15% as they get it right all the time.
In America I do find that waiting staff are friendlier. I've never had a bad experience and had some very good ones.
My family never really said grace before we ate meals. Sometimes if I can't be bothered using a knife then I will just use the side of the fork (depending on what it is). Sometimes I do tip when I'm at a restaurant if the service as been good but since we have a solid hourly rate of pay tipping doesn't seem as mandatory but in the US the tips is all that they get, which doesn't really make it a tip at the end on the day. When I was growing up I was always told that we just shouldn't speak when we're eating food, so I presume that's the same for some other people in the UK aswell. Also gob basically just means mouth
With cutlery, a lot of Americans cut the meat with the krife in the right hand and the fork in the left, then: put the knife down, transfer the fork to the right hand, and then convey the food mouthward.
The nearest I've seen to saying grace here in England was at a Quaker seminar, where we started each meal with a couple of minutes' silence. I've never had a meal in the UK where grace was said.
I only tip at a restaurant if the server has gone over and above - and even then only a pound or two.
Tipping is a sinister practice. It means that restaurant owners can get away with paying their staff low wages and hope that the customer foots the extra cost. In reality, they should be paying their staff properly. Tips in the U.K. are seen as a thank you for excellent service. You expect that the cost of your meal incorporates the full pay for the staff. A business that can’t pay its staff has no right to exist.
It's important to remember that the guy in the video is coming from a (slightly neurotic) middleclass northern perspective. Being working class and southern I'm used to folk holding the knife in the right hand, fork in the left, but we don't freak out if someone cuts their spuds with their fork or doesn't hold something at exactly the "correct" angle.
Saying grace is not usual at domestic meals for me, but I'd expect it at formal meals that end with the Loyal Toast (ie. toasting the Queen at the end). I've been asked to say Grace a few times, I tend to use the "Cromwell Grace" feel free to use it.
"Some have meat but no appetite, some have appetite but no meat, we have both, God be thanked."
I have never said grace before a meal in my family and I am in my 50s,. Not done in my family anyway, not even with by grandparents who were fairly religious and attended church regularly.
In France the 15% tip is included in the prices of the food or drinks printed on the menu or diplayed on the walls.
It was common in the UK to say Grace before meals a hundred years ago.
It took place at school, on special occasions as well as on a daily basis
it is the diminishing of religion that has made it uncommon here. However,
there are still families that do it.
Families don’t sit down together,round the table,anymore.It’s quite rare,these days.
II've definitely had the piss taken out of me for using a knife and fork when visiting America!!! I think I've only ever known one family to say grace.
Congratulations on the 20k subs and 5 million views.
Sad that people from a nation that mostly eats like a child with no table manners would take the piss out of someone for using a knife and fork.
I’m surprised the US doesn’t have a higher rate of death by choking the way so many of them shovel food into their mouths with their fork as though someone is about to take it away from them.
oh dear, Im must be american then as I use only use my fork! My poor mother would still give me a knife every meal and it would sit there all sad and neglected...every meal.
Ive def never heard anybody say grace though. I think in the UK its much more common to be religious by default (meaning you are christened as a baby and thats as much religion as you get!LOL).
How did they take the piss out of you?
We British always used to say Grace as a normal even. Not sure when it started to
be left out.
The USA got many of its traditions from we Brits. So we Did say grace, and
in many present circumstances, public rather than private. Grace IS still said.
When I go out to eat to a decent restaurant or pub. I almost always tip if the service was good, I usually round it up so if a meal is £45 i'll give them £50. It's a nice way to say thank you, and particularly given the state of the hospitality industry I like to support the business and staff working there (because I want to keep coming back and eat their lovely food).
I’m quite a few restaurants here in the UK, is discretionary 10% or 12.5% service charge is added to the bill. So make sure you keep an eye out for that when you ask for the bill at the end of your meal.
My cousin works in a restaurant in florida. He said he's never seen anyone that can use cutlery correctly.
Like a room full of toddlers according to him.
I mean it's Florida ... Florida is it's own special place lol ... If they make it through the day alive it's a success.
Using a fork as a shovel or a spoon drives me bonkers. I'd have been in such trouble for eating like that as a child!
One thing I really hate is parents who let their kids run around being noisy pains in the neck in restaurants. Teach your kids manners and keep them at your own table!
Basically we tip if the waiting staff deserve it. But I’ve noticed that more than a few café and restaurants now have the gratuity built in which I find completely unacceptable.
Recent legislation bars management from pocketing tips.
... but you wouldn't pick up an entire steak in a restaurant, would you? Would you??? :-)
Bet he does. US table manners not UK table manners
@@alanjjeff They may not be so refined but they're not that bad. It's different sitting at home though. There you can do what you like. I get you've done that with a sausage. :-)
Etiquette for eating - forget it . Eat however it suits you - I being British - change hands holding a fork depending on what I'm eating - mostly I will use the 'continental' method though my daughter in law who is from Missouri absolutely refuses to use a knife - 'it'll never happen' is her retort when my son makes fun of her .Lamb chops for instance - there is no way I'm going to use a knife and fork for them - pick it up and eat it - whatever suits you - nobody will judge .
People will absolutely judge. And rightly so. It may not matter amongst friends, but what if your job involves entertaining clients, what if you're invited to a smart function? It's basic good manners to eat properly.
As for tipping, we tip well in the USA for good service. In the UK its not a thing unless its very exceptional food and service.
in the uk a service charge is normally priced into the cost of your meal and wait staff get payed a full wage so any tip is just a little extra its not required or expected
The religious part of the pledge of allegiance in the USA did not start until 1954. Treaty is often cited in discussions regarding the role of religion in United States government for a clause in Article 11 of the English language American version which states that "the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."
If the symbolism is anything to go by it's Masonic
@@michaelkelly339 Don't read into it to much. The knight Templar don't do as much as you think. You can easily start seeing things that aren't there
@@capablancauk The Templars didn't have a whole lot to do with the Masons. Much of the symbology used in official America is Masonic ergo the Masons were or are influential in the American government. No conspiracy theories, don't know what, if anything they're doing there. But the symbols are there for all to see.
@@michaelkelly339 The knights Templar is the direct predecessor of the masonic order know as the Freemasons.
You see shadows in symbolism. These are not proof but could be distant pointers as to the roots of the ideas.
Masonry is rooted in early Catholicism but the American ideals are rooted in the enlightenment and that is secular.
Interesting eh?
the rule of thumb is the further north you go in the UK the volume will increase until you get to Glasgow when it gets out of hand then calms down a bit by the time you get to Inverness
Most restaurants in major cities in the uk now add a 10-12% service charge on the bill automatically so people don’t need to worry about tipping now.
I live in the UK.. I wouldn’t tip if it was Breakfast or Lunch. I tend to if it is Dinner. If there is a discretionary service charge, I always ask for it to be removed.
correct
If you want to look into ''proper'' table etiquette, especially around 'tea', take a look at William Hanson's critique on the time Jackie Kennedy went to tea with the Queen. :-)
William Hanson's channel - ''Etiquette expert reacts to Netflix's The Crown''
Reacting to The Crown isn’t the same thing as reacting to the time Jackie Kennedy had tea with The Queen. The Crown is fiction and most of it is made up. I actually know someone who’s had both tea and lunch with The Queen, The Crown gets so many things badly wrong.
@@ffotograffydd Of course it's fictional. I'm not sure but I don't think Netflix was around in 1961. No - it wasn't! This is why it's a good example of etiquette. If it was an actual recording of the Queen and Jackie I doubt there would be much to point out as wrong. It's just a way of pointing out how fussy the rules are when 'taking tea'.
No, it’s a good example of Netflix inaccurate ideas of etiquette and what happened at the time, which is the point I’m making. It’s not accurate! It’s a shame you decided to go down the sarcasm route instead of considering that.
@@ffotograffydd Of course it is. That's what I said. That's why the title is ''Netflix's'' The Crown. Or if you prefer - What Netflix thinks is OK but it's not.
The cutlery was an interesting one. I'm a Brit born and bred, but never (except for tough meats) use a knife. The fork (held US style) can be used to chop food perfectly well. If I use a knife, I change hands for the deed and then change back to eat. I always thought everyone else was doing it wrong.
The Americans actually use the fork the correct way, as it is shaped like a spoon.
Well if it is shaped like a spoon , use the bloddy spoon .
If you are scooping everything onto the fork what's the point of it have tines? Why not just use a spoon for everything?
you don't scoop it all, just stuff that can't be picked up with the tines 😛
@@VivaCohen Only food like mashed potatoes. Even peas should be speared with a fork rather than scooped.
@@margaretnicol3423 Nahhh, peas and mashed potatoes should be eaten with a spoon 😉 Maybe Americans use spoons more than Brits. You only scoop stuff with your fork like 1% of the time. The great majority of the time you spear the food with your fork (but still hold it like a spoon). And if it's something like mashed potatoes or peas, you do use a spoon.
@@VivaCohen Only if swimming in gravy. :-)
Tip culture is easy to understand. In US waiter/waitress salary can be low as 2 US dollars per hour without tips meaning that without tips salary would be with 8 working hours per day modest 16 US dollars and in a month (21 working days) 336 USD. So not really a much without tips. My friend once worked with cruise ship company in USA. She told to me that her monthly salary officially was only 50 USD, but with tips she earned about 3000 USD and sometimes more with smiling and offering another drink for customers all the time. At the same time, in Finland, waiter/waitress earns with same 8 hours day/21days per month about 2368 euros (2019 statistics for waiter/waitress average monthly salary in Finland) which equals to 2833 US dollars per month without tips with todays exchange rate. In Finland you can tip as complimentary, but it's not expected.
We do not say grace at all in the UK, its a very American thing
During WW2 my father kept a pub, and was always delighted to see American servicemen from the local base. To start with, they addressed him as ‘bartender’ and tipped him generously. Then they attended various orientation classes and were taught that tipping isn’t the custom in English pubs. Dad always complained that the American authorities were an interfering lot, and that they should have left well alone.
Tipping in the UK
gratuities must go to the servers .
Some restaurants automatically add 12% on the bill then retain it so the government are going to outlaw that.
However the general consensus is no one should need a tip to make up wages as they should be paid a decent wage in the first place.
Congratulations Joel on 20k subs. Well deserved, and thanks for all the videos you post
I never tip in restaurants, or anywhere in fact.
I'm not their boss, ask them for a proper wage 😉
Out of interest, what the minimum wage in America? It can't be that good if you have to rely on tips.
I have heard that it's close to US$2-US$3 per hour. A bit of a way off our £8 (US$11)/hour (for under 21s).
In the UK tipping is more of a bonus than basic pay, in the US tipping is more commonly part of a person’s basic pay
The servers get taxed by the gov at an estimate of tips they will get. So if you dont tip them the gov still assumed they got the tip for the meal. That is why they can get mad.
@@captvimes wow what a big con. I guess it's not a job many choose to do?
@@simonsaunders8147 Noooo minimum wage in the U.S. is $7.25, but each state may have a higher minimum wage than that, in which case the worker gets the higher of the two. But there may be different laws for waiters, not sure.
My brother was on a tour bus in America many years ago and the group stopped at a restaurant in a small town. It was up to each individual to order their own meal. My brother waited a long time to order his meal and an even longer time before he got his meal. He protested a few times up at the counter before they finally brought him his meal. Then he had only five minutes to rush eating his meal. The tourist group director warned them that they must tip. It was obvious to my brother that they rightly viewed individual tourists as customers who would never come back to that restaurant, with extremely few exceptions, whereas the locals probably came by several times a week. So they concentrated their efforts on giving the locals all the attention. However my brother was furious and tipped his waitress just ONE dollar. She was insulted and told my brother so! My brother said, "If you don't value our (tourist) custom, then we are entitled to throw you just peanuts...your choice!".
Lol.... I'm English and used to work for some pretty high-end restaurant/hotels and with the tipping we NEVER got it. Tips didn't go to the staff or staff member that served you, it went to either the owners of the place, or all SENIOR staff members working that week. I don't think I ever got to keep a tip that wasn't placed directly into my hand XD
In the UK my family is religious, my mother plays organ for the local church, but we only ever really say a religious grace on Christmas day with our meal.
As a British person, my family are religious and do say grace before evening meals most of the time (when I was a kid we would hold hands and everything). They usually don't if we have non-religious visitors from outside the family though.
The need for good table manners has always been important to me and my family.
My father used to shout, sit up straight, take your elbows off the table and use your knife and folk properly, and let your meat stop your mouth ie no talking!!
Jeez, that's intense
I got told that every time we visited my grandma on sundays for dinner, and after a few years it stuck. When I went to the US as an exchange student in the 90´s, the majority of the students I went to class with ate like toddlers. The family I lived with did not say grace but they too had tablemanners like children. The mom held her fork and knife like stabbing tools, and she called my "style" european and snobbish.
@@VivaCohen it means I wouldn’t be out of place sat at Her Majesties dinner table.