Tipping.
No, not the lazy thing where people can’t be bothered to go to the local tip with their old tatty furniture, I’m talking about the type where you give a service charge.
It’s been in the news lately, with much discussion about whether to tip, who to tip, and when. It’s a topic that often stirs debate. This is not about that debate, and I don’t want to get into it particularly, but it caused me to put pen to paper (digits to keyboard) about a recent experience that got right up my nose.
As we all know, tipping is most common in the hospitality industry, but it also seems to extend to bin operatives and postal workers during the festive season. The common theme is that tipping is generally tied to service.
Before I share my story, I want to point out that I’ve been running my business for almost 16 years, and it’s very much in a service industry. However, I don’t expect people to tip us for what we do. Occasionally, regular guests leave gifts such as chocolates, biscuits, or nice bottles of something. Though not expected, these gestures are really appreciated and are shared amongst the team. That said, I don’t expect this as a rule.
So to my story.
I recently went to the O2 to see Nick Cave with my old mate Mark Peters, the very talented chef that we did our pop up restaurant events with in days gone by. We agreed to meet for a beer and something to eat beforehand and have a good old catch-up. We had a couple of beers and then went to Gordon Ramsay’s Street Burger establishment inside the O2.
The place was absolutely packed to the rafters, and as we sat down, we were told that we needed to order via a QR code on our table. That’s when our troubles started. Whilst we are both gentlemen of a certain vintage, we are also pretty versed in the ways of the modern world, and relatively competent with new fangled gadgets such as mobile telephones and such. Both of us tried to work out the menu, but there were a number of things that bothered me.
One issue was that you couldn’t progress past ordering your burger, until you chose which chips you wanted. There didn’t seem to be the option to not have them. Same with side dishes. Same with drinks. This may seem innocuous, but to my mind, it was an enforced attempt at an upsell. The entire menu was designed so that at every step, you were required to choose something in addition.
I’m in business, and I understand why Gordon did it this way, but it felt way too pushy. When we called a member of staff over for help with the ordering, they wouldn’t just take our order. They weren’t programmed to do that. Instead, they just explained that there was the option right at the bottom to not have one of the above, then they left us.
We eventually got through it, just ordering a burger and dirty fries for Mark, and a vegan burger and standard fries for me. Then it came to paying. Now, I appreciate this was in the O2, in London, and in a Gordon Ramsay establishment. However, two burgers and two portions of chip, that’s all. We didn’t want drinks because we’d just been to the pub. Two burgers and chips came to £47.
When I went to pay though, it came to £54. I checked again, and sure enough, it was £54. I went back and tried to go through the checkout again, and it still came to £54. After looking closer, I saw it was a 15% service charge. Bear in mind, we had no service. None! We served ourselves! My blood pressure was now 210 over 199!
Then right at the bottom, there was a note: If you wish to have the service charge removed, please contact a member of staff.
Aaaaaaaghhhh!!!!!
This absolutely got my back (and blood pressure) up. Clearly, most people would say, “Oh no, I’m far too British, I couldn’t possibly do that,” and just pay it.
Sorry, Gordon, that is wrong. Very wrong. I’m not most people, so I called a member of staff over and asked them to remove the service charge. They went to a till, did something, and told me to scan again. Sure enough, no service charge. A mere £47 for two burgers and chips.
At the point of payment, the system asked what we thought of our experience and gave the option to leave feedback directly for the team so they could get in touch. I wrote: Try not charging for service when we didn’t have any, and don’t ask for feedback before we’ve had our food. I never got a reply.
Ten minutes later, our food was brought to us from the pass, about four feet away from our table. The first sign of service. That apparently was worth £7. I have to say, at best it wasn’t the worst burger I’ve ever had, but it was the most average, and definitely the most expensive.
As a side note, my daughter and I ate at Honest Burger in Greenwich the week before, and I had one of the best burgers I’ve ever had, and for a lot less money.
Back to the story of our average burger. Mark had the same opinion of his burger, and left most of his dirty fries—they were seemingly a bit too dirty—and off we went.
On our way out, we passed five or six members of staff. Not one said goodbye or thank you. Yet Gordon expects 15% on top of his massively overinflated price for his under-inflated food and zero service. This man knows better!
I’d be quite happy to have a face-to-face chat with Gordon over this, because I think it’s a great example of how not to run a restaurant. Quite frankly, it was dreadful. But then of course, it’s just his name on the door, he doesn’t actually do anything.
PS – I will say that few months ago, my daughter Lauren and I had a sublime meal and service out of this world at Mr. Ramsay’s Savoy Grill. A completely different experience altogether. How can he get one so wrong and one so right?
PPS – Nick Cave was incredible, so deserved a tip.
PPPS – Gordon Ramsay’s Street Burger is rated lower than Woodfarm on Tripadvisor. Just sayin’.