Xmas tips bonanza of £20m awaits

The research, conducted by Caterer.com, surveyed 2,000 consumers and 500 hospitality workers revealing, on average, tippers are 22% more generous in the run-up to Christmas.

Following the recent announcement of a Government bill that is considering making the handing over of all tips to staff a legal requirement, the study was set to learn more about the UK tipping habits.

Encouraging to staff​

Caterer.com director Neil Pattison said: “The Government’s tipping bill is not only an important piece of legislation for the industry but is also a reminder of the value tips bring to hospitality staff.

“Our research highlights just how much customers appreciate good service and it’s encouraging to know the extent to which hard-working hospitality staff will be rewarded in the run-up to Christmas, and indeed year-round, through tips.”

For hospitality workers that do receive tips, on average, they make £29 per day throughout the year with that figure rising to £75 for those working in London.

Extra salary ​

Pattinson said: “Based on our research, tips can add more than £6,500 onto an average hospitality worker’s salary each year.

“For someone based in London, this total is even more, with workers having the opportunity to earn over £17,000 a year from tipping alone.

“This would mean that a waiting role in London, for example, could command a total annual income of £40,000.  

“I expect that will come as a surprise to many people who see hospitality as a poorly paid sector.”

Willing to tip​

While debate continues about whether tipping should be automatically included in the final bill – over half (54%) of customers say they would tip more if it was excluded from the bill and was optional.

And, when it comes to deciding how much people are willing to tip, staff manners (91%), and a willingness to accommodate preferences and requests (89%) are the most important.

Some 87% of customers say they are won over by the quality of the food and 86% are swayed by speed of service.