Heed the sign: A signboard clearly informing customers that there is no need for workers to be tipped for service rendered. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Indian and mamak restaurants, rivals on the food front, are now coming together on a practice which is not customary but gaining ground here – tipping.
Several restaurants have put up “no tipping” signs in their restaurants, especially at the cashier counters, to make their stand clear.
The restaurants said tipping had resulted in problems, with the foreign waiters only focusing on customers who obliged them with handouts.
Some also spoke of these waiters “swarming” over customers in their bid to compete for tips.
The popular Sri Grand City restaurant in Section 11 here is among the eateries prohibiting tips, going to the extent of warning of stern action if workers defied the order.
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Owner P. Sangapillai said while he understood that there were customers who genuinely wanted to reward their waiters, he did not want the workers to be distracted from their duty of providing “uniform services to all customers”.
“We have taken disciplinary action such as denying them of a pay rise if they are found to have accepted tips. Every customer who comes here must be treated equally. No need to tip any worker to get better service,” he told The Star.
Sangapillai said customers who insisted on tipping his waiters were advised to drop the cash in a box next to the cashier.
“We divide the funds equally among the workers each month,” he added.
Sangapillai spoke of some customers who flirted with his Myanmar waitresses and offered tips as much as RM200 to them.
“These are elderly men and they used to come in very often and tip the women.
“On one occasion, we lost a Myanmar waitress who fled from her hostel with the help of one elderly customer.
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“We lodged a police report and she was eventually found and sent back to her country. We barred the customer from our restaurant.”
Another Indian eatery located a few shops away at the area, Sri Seenu Restaurant, has also followed suit and put up similar signboards forbidding tipping.
“We hope our customers will stop tipping our workers. There is no need to do so as we serve everyone the same,” said an official there.
Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association (Primas) vice-president C. Krishnan said it is up to restaurant owners to impose their own conditions when it comes to tipping.
“There are customers who are very satisfied with the service received and want to reward the waiter,” he added.
PJ Old Town-based Arsyad Nasi Kandar restaurant owner Azarin Abd Aziz said he neither encourages nor objects to customers offering his workers tips.
“Our policy is clear – our workers must serve every customer as they are paying for their meals and service received. If they receive tips from a happy customer, they may keep it.
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“However, they cannot demand or expect it – we will not tolerate that,” he said.
M. Raj, who frequents Indian restaurants here, said while it is quite common for waiters at high-end eateries to receive tips, he was dismayed by such expectations from workers at other restaurants.
He said when he gave several ringgit to a worker, “the others expect to be rewarded as well”.
“The moment they open the door for you, they start coming up to the table and expect to get tipped. I end up spending tens of ringgit on each visit at times just so that I do not offend them,” Raj said.
“Some even have the cheek to ask me how much I gave their colleague. This is a bad habit that has gone overboard, and I blame the management of the place for not putting a stop to this,” he added.
Another diner who wanted to be known as Datuk Liu said he often tipped the foreign waiters to make them happy.
“I expect nothing in return when I tip them. After all, it’s just a few ringgit. They are happy to see me and I am happy to make them happy. I have no issue with this,” he said.
