Is a service charge a tip?

This question comes up again. First with the Bishop Lei Hotel and now at a restaurnat. They have presented the itemized bill, but we have forgotten to look and see if the 10% service charge has been added and ask the waiter. He says that it has, but that they don't get this money, that it is for the restaurant.

How can this be? Isn't a service charge for the servers? We were completely under the impression that these restaurant service fees were "tip included" charges that go directly to the wait staff. Perhaps this is a line he is using to get us to tip more? We aren't sure, but do know that it is tiresom watching all these folks work so hard to separate us from our money, all day long....

So we keep this tidbit in our minds as we dine around for the next couple of days. While we don't know if the servers ever get any of the intended 10% we decide if we are getting some really good service that we will leave a cash tip for the server in addition to the 10%.

Our first night out we try this and the fellow that brings the check appears to be a manager, not one of our servers. This is fairly typical. They tend to hand you the bill and stand there until you are done doing your bit, putting in the credit card or paying with cash. Then they take it away and bring it back and stand there again until you finish doing your bit of signing, or pocketing your change. ...and then you are expected to leave. The check is paid. Lingering is done before the check is paid.

We take out 4 bills and ask that two of each of these get to our two servers. They did a nice job. In front of us he counts it separates it and then turns and we watch him put two of the bills in his pocket. We can't believe it! Grrr....

So now we decide we must personally give the money to the person who earned the tip. We try this our next time out and low and behold, the check comes, a different person presents it, we do our business and we wait and wait for our waitress to return, such that the manager wants to turn over our table. We keep waiting...only to find she has gone for the day.

Tipping is not nearly as expected in Asia as it is in the USA, but that might be because the servers don't even realize they may have earned tips. I think tipping will always be a bit of a difficulty for travelers. We try to do what we think fair and try to get it to the person that earned the tip...