Drinkers' fury as pub slaps automatic 4% tip on anyone just for buying pints at the bar

Scottish Sun

14 hours ago

The new charge applies to all food and drink ordered at the bar
UN-BAR-LIEVABLE Drinkers' fury as pub slaps automatic 4% tip on anyone just for buying pints at the bar
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A PUB has slapped an automatic 4 per cent tip for anyone buying pints at the bar leaving drinkers furious.
The new charge means punters at the London boozer will now be paying an extra 30p for a pint of beer or cider.
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A pub has slapped an automatic four per cent tip when ordering at the bar
Credit: Getty
The Well and Boot at Waterloo Station is now adding an automatic four percent "optional" charge that applies to all food and drink ordered at the bar.
Eagle-eyed customers may notice a small sign on display informing them of the new charge, adding that "100 per cent of all tips go to our staff".
You won't be able to pay the extra charge in pound notes though as the venue doesn't accept cash either.
Cash acceptance campaigner, Martin Quinn, told The Telegraph: "You can understand it if you're sitting down and it's table service, but you're ordering it from the bar.
"Where's the service in that?'
Mr Quinn paid a visit to The Well and Boot and purchased a half pint of cider for £3.90.
He paid the additional charge which made it around 15p more expensive.
A typical service charge of around 12.5 per cent is usually added to the bill when customers are seated at a table and served by a waiter in any given pub or restaurant.
In the UK, an extra tip on top of the service charge is not usually expected from customers as opposed to the US and some European countries.
But businesses are bucking the trend by adding the charge on drinks bought at the bar in pubs.
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Consumer expert, Martyn James, confirmed as much saying he had seen the practice in a number of locations around the capital.
He called the practice "insidious" and added there is little that can be done to stop it.
What's worse is that punters may not even notice signs on the bar and if they do, it can often be hidden in the small print, James said.
He added that customers should remember that the "key thing" is that the charge is optional.
But he appreciated some may feel too awkward to decline the extra tip as it goes against "our British sensibilities".
Glendola Leisure, who runs the Well and Boot, was approached for comment.
You can buy a pint of Camden IPA for £7.65 at the boozer while an Aspall cider or Guiness will set you back £7.45.
You'll have to cough up £12.50 for a cocktail too while a regular-sized glass of sauvignon blanc comes in at £8.50.
Eight pubs are closing down every week in Britain amid crippling running costs and tax hikes figure show, as the price of a pint is expected to hit £5 nationwide.
The situation in London is even worse with eye-watering £7 pints becoming the norm.
Prices have increased even compared to March this year when the average pint cost £4.80 nationwide and £6.75 in London.
The Sun recently reported on how a pint of lager could hit £13 in under five years, according to a new study.
London Waterloo station is one of the busiest in the UK and saw over 62.5 million passengers in 2023/24.