I would like to comment on the letter sent by Irene Jones from the UK about her experience in Cayman and the issue of forced tipping.
I have been in the restaurant business for over 20 years and originally from the UK. I have worked in the Caribbean for 14 years and six of those in Cayman, all that time in busy tourist restaurants.
After recently having family here and dining out at some of the most popular restaurants on the island, this too also came to my attention.
If asking a customer ‘Do you want change’, it is in some people eyes another way of saying ‘Are you leaving me a tip’ or ‘Is the rest for me’.
I and friends have even come across being asked if we wanted change when there is a credit card inside the bill folder, the server not even bothering to look first.
Being a server and speaking with others in the same trade about this they say it is to save time when busy so they do not have to go back to the table if change is not needed and that this question is accepted in North America as the norm.
If a server is busy and wants to save time then a simple solution is to tell the customer ‘I will be back with you change in a couple of minutes’.
This then allows the customer to tell the server ‘I do not need change’ or acknowledging them with a simple ‘Thank you’ knowing the server is coming back shortly.
This not only gives the server the answer but also gives them the chance to thank the guest without them feeling intimidated, especially if they are not from North America and not used to this question.
At the end of a meal the customer will have already decided if the server is getting a tip or not and they may be waiting for their change to decide how much it will be. A tip is a bonus and not to be expected.
Serving guests from different countries we have to adapt to them all; knowing what may not offend some people can offend others, that’s the business we are in. Whether it be repeat guests to the island or to your own particular restaurant we want them to come back.
Dining at our restaurants in Cayman is part of a tourists experience, they may have saved hard earned money to come here and if were not for them there would be no work.
If we can make someone’s stay in Cayman a better one by just changing a few words then I hope restaurateurs can encourage this.
C. James
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