Diners unclear about tip distribution

Residents of the UAE have varying opinions on tipping etiquette but they were united in not fully understanding how tips are distributed to restaurant staff.

ABU DHABI // Residents have different tipping habits but many say the system should be made clearer when it comes to hotel restaurants.

“The main thing I care about is whether or not the restaurants are giving the credit card tips that you write for the waiters or whether it just goes into the restaurant’s bank account,” says Manal Mahmoud, 28, a Palestinian living in Abu Dhabi.

“If you put your tip on your card, where is it going to? It’s not such a clear system.”

Ms Mahmoud says waiters in the US are compensated on the amount of work they do.

“It’s a good idea to have a tip jar that goes to all staff but they need to know the allocation,” she says. “I tip on average 15 per cent here.”

Abdulkader Abdullah, a Lebanese resident of Dubai, says he would not tip more than 10 per cent.

“I always tip,” Mr Abdullah says. “If the total bill amount is below Dh100, then I’ll put Dh5 to Dh10.

“If it’s more, I try to keep it around a bit less than 10 per cent but the maximum I’ll put is 10 per cent.”

He says he is not aware that service charges in hotels are split among all staff.

“I didn’t know it involved the kitchen staff, too,” he says. “It still adds up to a lot of money when you add that 10 per cent and another 6 per cent of government tax so, if all these are added, I wouldn’t leave an extra tip.”