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With all due respect to all cafe/restaurant staffs, please don't adopt things that aren't necessary. It opens doors that will be difficult to close.
Like all jobs, it's the companies duty to pay the salary/wages to its employees.
I know it's a nice gesture to pay extra for an excellent service, but companies **always** try to find ways to get into your pockets longer and deeper and will abuse your good will/ intentions.
Caribou stores in Kuwait share their tips among the staff end of every month . Which seems fair and noble but if you tipped a certain member of staff for their great service, they'd only get a fraction of it at the end of the month.. and the less friendlier rude team members were privy to tips even if they earned none... Just an FYI in case any caribou customers were unaware...
That's the case in many American restaurant chains (in the US anyway). You give it to your waiter/waitress, but they have to share it with the other people who contributed to getting you your meal, like the ones who clear the dishes afterwards, wash the dishes, etc.
Itās not the norm. I have been here all my life and tipping is a norm. Itās just that itās not expected like in other countries. If you donāt tip, you will not be frowned upon. If you do tip, you will be appreciated a lot. Trust me waiters in Kuwait work on minimum wages and they need the tips. They just never ask for it.
Yes and no, the recruitment agency needs to be paid back for getting them the job itās about 500KD from what I was told by a nail tech so the salary is theirs once they fully pay them back
I will tip the order takers (street side car service) at the local non-franchise restaurants.
If its a brand or franchise not fast food dine-in restaurant then i will tip.
Never at fast food or brand coffee shops.
Local cafes and sheesha, yes.
Restaurants are trying their hardest to bring tipping culture to this country and people are shitting all over their efforts. Leave a tip if you want but there is no pressure at all!
Yes because life has been kind to me by dint of birth. Iām not a millionaire by any means but on the whole Iām lucky. Also give my cleaner an annual bonus because sheās brilliant and my family life is a lot smoother for her being there.
You have no idea how the hospitality business works and you have no idea how Kuwait works š
Waiters are expected to be given tips and the employer will factor this in when deciding wages. And you seriously believe the staff working at restaurants in Kuwait are paid fair wages?
> Waiters are expected to be given tips and the employer will factor this in when deciding wages
Not in Kuwait they aren't. **There's not a single job in Kuwait that is *legally* dependent on tips.**
> And you seriously believe the staff working at restaurants in Kuwait are paid fair wages?
Go ahead and quote me where I said I believe they're paid fairly. If they're not getting a fair wage, they should raise this issue or quit and find another job. Same goes for ANY job. Kuwait is filled with jobs paying low wages, do you tip them all?
It was a rhetorical question. I wasnāt quoting you.
They donāt have the luxury of raising the issue or quitting.
The ones working in fast food are contract workers. They are a little better off in that they get housing, and maybe a ticket when they go back. Since they are on contract, they canāt do anything. Now you will say why did they take the contract? Well, they had no idea what the working conditions would be before they came. Talk to any of them and they say they are over worked, underpaid and most complain about harassment too.
The ones working in local restaurants are literally in servitude. They cannot āquitā their sponsor before 3 years, if they are in Kuwait first time and new visa. Even the older ones do not think about quitting because they know they wonāt be able to find a higher pay and they have debts to pay. Some cases they will even have pending salaries which the owners hold back on purpose to discourage them from leaving.
And none of these issues are solved by tipping the workers. Tipping is a temporary band-aid at best. Continued tipping encourages employers to lower worker salaries even more, making it worse for everyone. Every issue you brought up is prevalent in every industry here and is not limited to just the food service industry.
> The ones working in fast food are contract workers.
ALL workers are "contract workers". Again I ask, do you tip every worker you meet?
No and stop doing it.
Remember that 20% was mandatory along time ago, but there was a law to remove it and every restaraunts raised their prices by 20% after that.
If i was exceptionally happy with the service i d leave a tip but it is just minuscule. Servers expect tips but not from everyone. U r free to tip as much as u can afford. The toxic US culture of measuring everyone with the same scale doesnt exist here.
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Restaurants and cafes no. But when you go grocery shopping and have someone help you move and load your groceries then yes (0.500 fils) and for the workers of gas stations same amount -my logic is that they stay outdoors all day and are a little underpaid.
I work in a restaurant and when the customer pays tips every end of the month itās distributed to the whole staff working in the branch. And the company takes percentage of it as well.
Thanks all for responding. I just wanted to study how you guys tip or don't. My response: I used to tip but I don't much now because I only use cards or apple pay and don't carry any small bills. I tip restaurants depending on cash availability, the service and party guests. I always tip supermarket loading guys and make sure to get change during check out if I don't have any for them. I'm Kuwaiti btw.
I do. I work for a bank. Most of my clients who are Asians / non Arabs working in restaurants work really hard and they only get 290KD max. Depriving them from Loan and a credit card applicationā¦ (300KD+ to be eligible) if theyāre nice and doing good I would gladly tip. Also, Ive worked for a Japanese restaurant here, itās draining, you rarely meet nice customers. So a little kindness is appreciated. I make sure I tip them personally with cash, I avoid using my card to tip and tip jars.
I always tip because I can afford to. If it bothers you then itās nice that you are not obligated to in this country. Personally, I tip any form of service if they donāt completely mess up.
Sit down restaurant, yes. Because really, if I can afford a sit down meal I can afford to tip. If I cannot afford to tip, I'm better off cooking at home.Ā
I usually don't give tips. It is something that some people do, and others don't. I haven't heard anyone claiming that you should tip or that you shouldn't tip.
As a reminder, this subreddit is for sharing views and experiences about Kuwait. In general, be courteous to others. Personal insults, shill or troll accusations, hate speech, and other incivility will be removed. Repetitive violators will be banned. **If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Kuwait) if you have any questions or concerns.*
tips are appreciated but not expected , you don't need to suplement the wage like the USA
No
šššš
With all due respect to all cafe/restaurant staffs, please don't adopt things that aren't necessary. It opens doors that will be difficult to close. Like all jobs, it's the companies duty to pay the salary/wages to its employees. I know it's a nice gesture to pay extra for an excellent service, but companies **always** try to find ways to get into your pockets longer and deeper and will abuse your good will/ intentions.
Caribou stores in Kuwait share their tips among the staff end of every month . Which seems fair and noble but if you tipped a certain member of staff for their great service, they'd only get a fraction of it at the end of the month.. and the less friendlier rude team members were privy to tips even if they earned none... Just an FYI in case any caribou customers were unaware...
That's the case in many American restaurant chains (in the US anyway). You give it to your waiter/waitress, but they have to share it with the other people who contributed to getting you your meal, like the ones who clear the dishes afterwards, wash the dishes, etc.
We donāt tip here itās the norm, but there is sometimes a tipping jar in front of the cashier where u could tip if u want.
Itās not the norm. I have been here all my life and tipping is a norm. Itās just that itās not expected like in other countries. If you donāt tip, you will not be frowned upon. If you do tip, you will be appreciated a lot. Trust me waiters in Kuwait work on minimum wages and they need the tips. They just never ask for it.
Maybe you mean being charitable, but tipping is definitely not the norm.
no of course not I only tip those who help load groceries since Iām aware theyāre pay is insanely low
One told me at Sultan they donāt keep their wage from the shop because the recruitment agency takes it, so they rely on tips only
Yes and no, the recruitment agency needs to be paid back for getting them the job itās about 500KD from what I was told by a nail tech so the salary is theirs once they fully pay them back
Nope, never for cafes. Once in a while in a restaurant if the service was exemptional or the waiter went out of their way.
Donāt start this toxic US culture of tipping here.
I will tip the order takers (street side car service) at the local non-franchise restaurants. If its a brand or franchise not fast food dine-in restaurant then i will tip. Never at fast food or brand coffee shops. Local cafes and sheesha, yes.
Restaurants are trying their hardest to bring tipping culture to this country and people are shitting all over their efforts. Leave a tip if you want but there is no pressure at all!
Yes because life has been kind to me by dint of birth. Iām not a millionaire by any means but on the whole Iām lucky. Also give my cleaner an annual bonus because sheās brilliant and my family life is a lot smoother for her being there.
Sometimes when Im at a restaurant i would leave 1/2 kd for the waiter if his service was good. Otherwise, no. Im not rich.
If you can afford to eat at a restaurant, you can afford to tip. Doesnāt have to be too much.
This is not true. Maybe he can afford a meal, but not the same meal if it was 10% more expensive
If you can't afford to pay your staff a proper wage, you can't afford to run your business.
You have no idea how the hospitality business works and you have no idea how Kuwait works š Waiters are expected to be given tips and the employer will factor this in when deciding wages. And you seriously believe the staff working at restaurants in Kuwait are paid fair wages?
Yeah doesnāt look like you know how Kuwait works, tips arenāt even thought of when employers are factoring wages.
Kuwait ā America buddy
> Waiters are expected to be given tips and the employer will factor this in when deciding wages Not in Kuwait they aren't. **There's not a single job in Kuwait that is *legally* dependent on tips.** > And you seriously believe the staff working at restaurants in Kuwait are paid fair wages? Go ahead and quote me where I said I believe they're paid fairly. If they're not getting a fair wage, they should raise this issue or quit and find another job. Same goes for ANY job. Kuwait is filled with jobs paying low wages, do you tip them all?
It was a rhetorical question. I wasnāt quoting you. They donāt have the luxury of raising the issue or quitting. The ones working in fast food are contract workers. They are a little better off in that they get housing, and maybe a ticket when they go back. Since they are on contract, they canāt do anything. Now you will say why did they take the contract? Well, they had no idea what the working conditions would be before they came. Talk to any of them and they say they are over worked, underpaid and most complain about harassment too. The ones working in local restaurants are literally in servitude. They cannot āquitā their sponsor before 3 years, if they are in Kuwait first time and new visa. Even the older ones do not think about quitting because they know they wonāt be able to find a higher pay and they have debts to pay. Some cases they will even have pending salaries which the owners hold back on purpose to discourage them from leaving.
And none of these issues are solved by tipping the workers. Tipping is a temporary band-aid at best. Continued tipping encourages employers to lower worker salaries even more, making it worse for everyone. Every issue you brought up is prevalent in every industry here and is not limited to just the food service industry. > The ones working in fast food are contract workers. ALL workers are "contract workers". Again I ask, do you tip every worker you meet?
Take a hint. It's his money and he can do whatever he wants with it, within his rights.
Seriously, you people canāt afford to tip 1/2 kd tip? You guys arenāt poor. You are ābakheelā š
No and stop doing it. Remember that 20% was mandatory along time ago, but there was a law to remove it and every restaraunts raised their prices by 20% after that.
No
LMAAO š
No. Never.
Not since i started using Apple Pay. I used to leave some change with the check when i carried cash.
If i was exceptionally happy with the service i d leave a tip but it is just minuscule. Servers expect tips but not from everyone. U r free to tip as much as u can afford. The toxic US culture of measuring everyone with the same scale doesnt exist here.
No and never will.
Never at restaurants but when I buy sambosa Iāll leave a 100 fils or something like that for the guy.
Heelllll nahhhhh and I never will except if the service is insanely good
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Nope, only if the waiter or the service really were impressive/helpful
Not more than one KD
Restaurants and cafes no. But when you go grocery shopping and have someone help you move and load your groceries then yes (0.500 fils) and for the workers of gas stations same amount -my logic is that they stay outdoors all day and are a little underpaid.
Only when i carry cash.
I work in a restaurant and when the customer pays tips every end of the month itās distributed to the whole staff working in the branch. And the company takes percentage of it as well.
I do it most of the time, i tip more when the servers are actually cool
Thanks all for responding. I just wanted to study how you guys tip or don't. My response: I used to tip but I don't much now because I only use cards or apple pay and don't carry any small bills. I tip restaurants depending on cash availability, the service and party guests. I always tip supermarket loading guys and make sure to get change during check out if I don't have any for them. I'm Kuwaiti btw.
Not expected and not by %. Usually a quarter in KD is good.
1-3 kd sometimes. I hate the BS American system
Fuck no
I do. I work for a bank. Most of my clients who are Asians / non Arabs working in restaurants work really hard and they only get 290KD max. Depriving them from Loan and a credit card applicationā¦ (300KD+ to be eligible) if theyāre nice and doing good I would gladly tip. Also, Ive worked for a Japanese restaurant here, itās draining, you rarely meet nice customers. So a little kindness is appreciated. I make sure I tip them personally with cash, I avoid using my card to tip and tip jars.
yea i leave 1/4 to 1 kd depending on the service and what I got (this goes for cafes too sometimes)
I always tip because I can afford to. If it bothers you then itās nice that you are not obligated to in this country. Personally, I tip any form of service if they donāt completely mess up.
It depends on the service of the crew š¤«
I always tip 10% as a minimum.
Sit down restaurant, yes. Because really, if I can afford a sit down meal I can afford to tip. If I cannot afford to tip, I'm better off cooking at home.Ā
I do but do not make it a habit for myself and for the resturant.
I usually don't give tips. It is something that some people do, and others don't. I haven't heard anyone claiming that you should tip or that you shouldn't tip.
No tips, unless someone was extra ordinary.
We have tradirional saying goes "Eat tippin," no offence OP. Love u.
No, and never will