Comments for Eating Melbourne

Comment on Melbourne tipping etiquette by Lyn

Lyn — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:58:50 +0000

Lived in the USA for a few years where tipping was almost mandatory for most service related industries (hotel staff, cabs, tourist buses, hair dressers, cleaners, valet parking, etc. etc.) and have kept up the habit in some areas since returning to Australia. Am usually mortified if I am not in charge of paying a bill and I think waiting staff have not been tipped appropriately or at all. On the other hand though, I will not tip if the service is not up to par.

Returned to the USA recently for a three week holiday and man did I fork out a small fortune in tips. They are a lot more open about it than I recall when I lived there and will remind you quite frankly on tour buses, etc. that they would like a tip. Just in our hotels alone I was tipping waiters, bell hops, concierge, bar tenders, and cleaning staff. In general conversation with a few people we discovered that some waiters only earn $2-$3 per hour so you can imagine why the reliance on tips is so big. I don’t see it as the same here but I believe a tip of 10-15% of a restaurant bill is okay for good service.

Comment on Who makes the best meat pies in Melbourne? by Lyn

Lyn — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:47:21 +0000

Not sure if I am qualified to judge the best as I am not a huge pie consumer but Phil’s Pies and Pastries in the small Parkhill Rise Shopping Centre in Narre Warren (bordering on Berwick?) does a very fine job on a rather good selection. Their free pie offer is a good deal too for the budget conscious. Just had one of their Jolly Jumbuck pies as a quick (lazy) meal last night. Lots of lovely chunky pieces of lamb.

Comment on Melbourne tipping etiquette by S Lloyd

S Lloyd — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 23:30:52 +0000

This is good to know. Each location has it’s own tipping etiquette. Here in Canada, we have that bad tendency to tip for virtually everything regardless of the quality of the service. It’s a mandatory thing here (I saw friends who receive call backs from restaurants because they forgot to tip properly…)

Comment on Melbourne tipping etiquette by Tania

Tania — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:54:41 +0000

I always tip unless I’m only getting a coffee or the service is appalling. I used to be a waitress and it was a thankless job. Customers were rude, kitchen staff were rude and you were the middle person trying to make everyone happy.

Also, if the service is terrible, I look around to see why. Some restaurants are terribly understaffed and there is nothing a waiter can do to improve the situation. I tip then too.

I must say, I like the fact that it’s optional here and not expected.

Comment on Dinner at Rae’s Restaurant at Balgownie Estate, Yarra Valley by Audumla

Audumla — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:54:58 +0000

We found the accommodation was OK, but not up to what the photos made it out to be. The massage was great and the balloon flight was brilliant.
The restaurant … . that’s another story. Me and my wife could not stop laughing all the way through the meal. Every dish was a more extraordinary exercise in ridiculousness compared to the last. Far too many components to each dish and combinations of food that should just not be brought together, cauliflower and mango … mmm yummy. I asked for my lamb to be rare, it came out well done. My chocolate dessert had obviously been refrozen and was stuck to the plate. With so much local and fresh produce in the area it is a shame to see a menu full of out of season ingredients. Any decent home cook could produce better dishes.
This type of food is what you would expect from a try hard student who’s parents constantly say how wonderful they are. If you do stay at Balgownie overnight, just don’t go to the restaurant. Get a lift or taxi to DeBortoli winery, they know how to cook.

Comment on Melbourne tipping etiquette by Jason

Jason — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:42:57 +0000

Growing up in NZ I hate tipping, just because it’s hard work and foreign. Tell me what it costs, and I’ll pay that. Easy. If I like the place I reward you by coming back, telling friends. If I don’t like the place, I don’t go back. If I hate the place I tell friends. Perhaps the feedback isn’t as direct as tips, but that’s how I recognise the whole package – food, ambiance, service…

Comment on Melbourne tipping etiquette by Healthy Party Girl

Healthy Party Girl — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 01:15:05 +0000

Firstly I think tipping is a personal choice here in Australia and your friend had no right to stop you. Whilst wages here may be considered generous compared to other places it is still true that as service staff, they often get treated poorly and have some of the lowest wages around anyway. One of my first jobs was a place which came under “theatre restaurant” and our wages were based on us getting tipped. We didn’t. I was paid $7.27/hr after I got my first pay rise (I have blocked out the original wage evidently). I tip when service or food is exemplary or if I feel I have been a difficult customer and sometimes just because I am feeling generous or don’t want my loose change. When I went to a hatted restaurant for the first time I budgeted to leave a tip expecting good service and still tipped more than I expected because I was blown away. That was 20%, but it varies between rounding up to the nearest $5 and 10-20%. Really, it’s a case by case basis.

Comment on Melbourne tipping etiquette by dan

dan — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 01:11:57 +0000

As a rule, i do not tip in Australia. For most of the reasons above.

And overall i dont like tipping in America either, as the service i am getting is not exceptional, just expected. But i understand the diffence in labour laws.

In many of the “cheap and cheerful” establishments, you are being served by the owners/family. Do you tip owners or just staff?

And in the expensive restaurants, i HATE tipping on the total value of the bill that includes wine with 150% markup. I understand and would rather pay corkage fees than tip.

So i make a point of bucking the trend, and not tipping, instead of just jumping on the bandwagon.

Comment on Melbourne tipping etiquette by Ruth

Ruth — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 06:37:01 +0000

Please, please fight tipping as standard in Australia. Tipping here in America is out of control — 20% is standard where I am, and you’re expected to do it everywhere, for everything. I showed up to a work thing with free drinks and food with no money, only to discover it was very poor form not to tip for said free drinks and food.

I find it so tacky and it makes me presume waiters and bartenders are constantly “working” me for extra cash, which makes it harder to enjoy eating or drinking out.

If tipping becomes the norm in Australia, it will give employers an excuse to pay hospitality staff less, and we’ll end up in exactly the same situation as America.

Comment on Melbourne tipping etiquette by Lachie_GH

Lachie_GH — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:06:24 +0000

Ahh the old tipping debate. I understand it in the US with their ridiculously low minimum wage and all that, but I still found it hugely annoying trying not to under-tip. I think Australians have a pretty bad rep for that.

Generally when settling the bill I’ll round up to the next $10, unless the night has been exceptional, and even then it’s unlikely to be more than 10%.