Diners from Swansea are least likely to leave a tip when eating out

25th March 2010, 9:53am

Diners from Swansea are least likely to leave a tip for good service, with just one in five admitting they regularly tipped when they ate out, according to discount website www.myvouchercodes.co.uk.

MyVoucherCodes asked 1,925 people about their leisure spending habits, and found that the average tip in restaurants across Britain is £1.50 – with just 8% saying they tipped the traditional 10% for good service. Across the UK, just 63% of people said they were happy to tip for good service.

The most generous city in the UK is Leeds, according to research of more than 1,900 people, with 65% saying they regularly tipped staff for good service.

Scotland's two largest cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow both featured in the top five, whilst Aberdeen, Scotland's third largest city came in at 12th.

72% of those that said they didn't regularly tip blamed the imposed 'service charge' restaurants add on to the final bill for their reluctance to tip. 17% said they didn't tip as they liked to keep costs low, whilst 11% said they disagreed with the practise of tipping, given that restaurant staff already received a wage for their work.

The majority of people, 42%, spend between £25-30 on a restaurant visit for two.

Mark Pearson, managing director of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk said: "The sad issue about tipping is that many restaurants factor gratuity tips into their staffs' wages, and in many establishments, the tip you think is going to the individual that gave you great service actually goes into a kitty, which is then split by management amongst the staff. Britain has a reputation as a polite nation, so these statistics may be a surprise to some!

"If people want to go out to eat but don't want to pay full price, there are many discounts available on MyVoucherCodes, including printable vouchers giving you half off."

Related Articles:

• 13 Apr 2011 - Majority of Brits are tipping less in restaurants this year, shows study
• 13 Mar 2009 - Rise in discount vouchers for leading restaurants

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vince

26 March 2010 at 8:42am

why should i tip a person who never smiles and when you walk in and sit down come up to you and say (yes) and that is it, my wife and i have travelled quite a bit uk and abroad but swansea is in my opinion is the worst place for the lack of good service, a friend of mine was asked for a tip and his tip to the waiter was, sow your seeds early this year? by the way we do tip when we get good service which is very rare these days.

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