Its a brand new Freakytrigger feature, since it is our fault the credit crunch, some say downturn, some say RE CESS ION has happened*. But nevertheless the new economic climate throws up new situations. What do you do when the beggar at Marble Arch Tube is your old boss? Toss them a nugget and ignore them, or tell them how much their boom’n’bust ways made you the risk averse and hence recession proof person you are today?
Well, step one is pride. You may have noticed in this November a proliferation of 2-for-1 deals on main meals at medium range restaurants. Zilli’s has it on . Ask Pizza too. All handy for the serial luncher. Save yourself a few quid and eat out. Great eh? Well yes, until the bill comes. Because then you have to explain your cheapskatery to your waiter. I have a voucher, you say, where “voucher” comes out of you mouth like “dead child”. I have seen many a waiter sigh, and an equal number of punters too scared to flash the photocopy.
And the secret is the tip. The big problem with tipping 10%, or 15% in a restaurant is that it is a percentage of the meal cost. It seems to belie the the fact that waiters in cheap’n’cheerful gaffs may work twice as hard as a fancy pants maitre’d. But whatever happens, if you get a food discount, it should never effect the tip value. You saved a tenner, that is money to spend on the wait staff. It costs you nothing and they may just spend us out of recession.
CREDIT CRUNCH ETIQUETTE RULE 1: Always tip the full cost of the meal. Even if you got a discount. If it cost you a tenner, but you saved a tenner, you should be tipping more than a quid and let them know it.
*We’ll explain this when the FSA allows us to.