You Pay Service/service Is Not Included..= Casanova

HIRAM

Member
Mar 19, 2005
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Hi All,

STRANGE EXPERIENCE :

Casanova at Cabarete : a very nice place, nice decorated, good food.
F A C T S :
taxes are included, 16% itbis + 10% Legal (=service).
AND you receive the invoice : "Service not included" (handwritten)

So I suppose that the manager does not pay the legal 10% to his employees, so they hope that the ignorant client will pay an additional 10% service fee.....
I'm right ?
 

HOWMAR

Silver
Jan 28, 2004
2,624
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0
Hi All,

STRANGE EXPERIENCE :

Casanova at Cabarete : a very nice place, nice decorated, good food.
F A C T S :
taxes are included, 16% itbis + 10% Legal (=service).
AND you receive the invoice : "Service not included" (handwritten)

So I suppose that the manager does not pay the legal 10% to his employees, so they hope that the ignorant client will pay an additional 10% service fee.....
I'm right ?
Let's say he does pay his staff the 10%. That is a 10% gratuity paid by you that is divided among the entire staff, including the wait staff, cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, etc. Don't you think an additional gratuity is in order for good service?
 
Stop being so damm cheap people!!! You all say how poor the people of DR are and then you all look to get over on paying a lousy tip for good service. If you cant afford to leave a little extra to a waiter or waitress for good service don't bother going on vacation,and don't go posting how cheap you really are.
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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yahoomail.com
"T.I.P.S"= To Insure Proper Service!!!!!!

If THAT Is the criteria for "TIPPING" you never have to tip in the DR!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
 

SosuaJoe

New member
Feb 24, 2005
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Started working in restaurants when i was 12 and have been in the service industry ever since. Have never once written "tip not included" on a bill, and I make it a point not to tip when someone does.
 

hifiman

New member
Jul 13, 2005
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Stop being so damm cheap people!!! You all say how poor the people of DR are and then you all look to get over on paying a lousy tip for good service. If you cant afford to leave a little extra to a waiter or waitress for good service don't bother going on vacation,and don't go posting how cheap you really are.

You are so right.....I tip according to service and cuteness;) I will only check the bill to see if I'm getting my bill and not someone elses.vacations are to short to worry about a few pesos.
hifiman
 

HOWMAR

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Jan 28, 2004
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Started working in restaurants when i was 12 and have been in the service industry ever since. Have never once written "tip not included" on a bill, and I make it a point not to tip when someone does.

I guess you don't plan on returning to the same restaurant. I too have been in the restaurant business and know what an irate employee can do, and you'll never know.
 

CFA123

Silver
May 29, 2004
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Not surprising to me that a waiter would place a note advising the tip is not included. Search how many threads there are on here about people confused about what & how to tip. These people do work & should be compensated based on the level of their service. Too many times people walk out without compensating them sufficiently. Perhaps 'service not included' is poorly worded - but they're trying to do something to let you know their tip really isn't included.

As for Casanova specifically, I'm friends with a couple of the waiters.
It's run very professionally. The 10% you see added into your bill IS split amongst all staff by the owners as required by law. So, if the 10% ley is 100 pesos on your 1000 peso bill, your waiter only gets a very small portion of that US$3 you left.

Here's how the waiters are paid:

They receive a nominal salary as happens in most restaurants.

The waiters rely on their tips to bring them up to a liveable wage. Their basic salary is not a liveable wage. Out of the 'extra tip' you give, 10% goes into a pool for all waiters, 10% goes to bar staff. The waiter keeps 80%.

10% over and above the bottom line on your bill is considered a standard tip. Less for poor service, more for above standard service.

There are a couple of very good wait staff there - be generous with your tips if you're lucky enough to get them at your table.
 
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CFA123

Silver
May 29, 2004
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413
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Out of the 'extra tip' you give, 10% goes into a pool for all waiters, 10% goes to bar staff. The waiter keeps 80%.

Too late to edit above, I should have said
"At Casanova, out of the extra you give 10% goes into pool for kitchen staff & 10% for bar staff. Your waiter keeps 80%. At many other restaurants, the money would go into a pool for everyone."

Bottom line...
10% ley you see on your bill is split amongst everyone, your waiter gets a small percentage.
Your tip over and above is what gives your waiter a liveable wage. Not everyone knows it. Don't shoot the messenger, even if it's your waiter!
 

HIRAM

Member
Mar 19, 2005
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16
Thanks CFA to enlighten my path.....
I am not on vacation. I live here.
I thought the manager put the 10% tip for service in his pocket, so am happy I was wrong.
 

SosuaJoe

New member
Feb 24, 2005
273
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Don't misunderstand -- I tip and tip well. i just don't find it extremely rude to be told to tip.

Likewise, I find the level of service in Sosua and Cabarete in general (not casanova in particular) to be barely tolerable. At this stage in the game, a simple smile and me not having to go to teh bar to ask for my bill would be considered excellent service. If a waiter actually bothered to ask me if everything was ok with the meal a couple minutes after bringing it to me, I'd probably nominate him for mayor :)
 

jrf

Bronze
Jan 9, 2005
1,020
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it is amazing what overlooking an incident or policy of 'overcharging' or a 'hidden charge' to scam you when you do look them in the eye, say thanks, and leave an amazing few pesos.
when you go back - you don't just have a good time you probably have a friend too.

dayum I love the RD and crapppp I miss it
 

Malibook

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Jan 23, 2002
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Started working in restaurants when i was 12 and have been in the service industry ever since. Have never once written "tip not included" on a bill, and I make it a point not to tip when someone does.
I would agree that this is tacky when things are clear but the situation in the DR is not clear.
Numerous people consider the 10% part or even all of the tip.
Some of them are upset that they are forced to tip so much.
Even when they are often informed that it is not a tip, many still treat it as if it is a tip.
I don't blame the wait staff for trying to educate people on the reality of the service industry policy in the DR since their livelihoods depend on tips, real gratuities.
 

Malibook

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Jan 23, 2002
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I thought the manager put the 10% tip for service in his pocket, so am happy I was wrong.
There are places where the wait staff do not get to keep all of their actual tips unless they are given discretely so I would think there are many more places where this 10% does not go where it is supposed to.

Maybe they should have raised the minimum wages instead.
 

Malibook

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Jan 23, 2002
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Stop being so damm cheap people!!! You all say how poor the people of DR are and then you all look to get over on paying a lousy tip for good service. If you cant afford to leave a little extra to a waiter or waitress for good service don't bother going on vacation,and don't go posting how cheap you really are.
Amen!!!!!!!
 

CFA123

Silver
May 29, 2004
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Likewise, I find the level of service in Sosua and Cabarete in general (not casanova in particular) to be barely tolerable. At this stage in the game, a simple smile and me not having to go to teh bar to ask for my bill would be considered excellent service. If a waiter actually bothered to ask me if everything was ok with the meal a couple minutes after bringing it to me, I'd probably nominate him for mayor :)

For my first 6 months or so in DR, I felt the same way. However, I've come to appreciate not being rushed & don't even mind walking up to the bar to ask for my bill & pay on my way out.

Do I have too lenient an attitude, perhaps. But when I'm back in the states now I am perturbed by the restaurants wanting to turn tables so quickly that you can't enjoy your meal or have time for a real conversation with friends. Once you sit down at a table in DR it's as if you own it for as long as you care to occupy it. Give me a 2 hour relaxed dinner on the beach vs a 30 minute assembly line meal in the U.S. any time.
 

PlantaFULL

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Oct 21, 2004
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One has to keep in mind that historically waiter service isn't expected and perceived to be the same all over the world. The "hi my name is Bob, I will be taking care of you", asking how everything is once you're eating, etc is a practice that is established in the US and perhaps Canada. It has been spreading I agree, especially to places where lots of Americans travel, but it is not common outside the US. This doesn't mean service is bad (from a local perspective), it is just different. In Brasil, at least when I lived there, a waiter would usually not come at all unless you whistle him over. I imagine that a waiter coming by himself to ask how is everything during a meal could easily be perceived as disturbing or even rude in many places.
 

Sharlene

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Mar 4, 2006
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I actually hate the 'Hi My name is Bob' type approach or overly intrusive service. I like waiting staff to be friendly, approachable and within easy reach. I, in turn, am always polite and friendly to the serving staff. I hate it when I see people treating them like slaves and not saying 'please' or 'thank you'. In the DR, if I'm happy with the service I always tip 10-15% in cash directly to the waiter/waitress, despite the 10% which is added to the bill in some places. I normally ask if they receive the 10% service before I pay, but, not surprisingly, they all say no... If I'm truly not happy with the service then I make it known and don't tip at all. I do know people who work in bars etc and they only get paid about 400 pesos a day....

One thing I ALWAYS do is check my bill thoroughly, because you'd be surprised how many times there are errors, and that applies to any country in the world. A couple of times in the DR there have been totalling errors of a 200 pesos or more so I always do a rough 'tot up' in my head. One time, at a beach bar in Sosua, I refused to pay for a dish because it arrived at the table cold and inedible after a wait of about and hour and a half, only to find that even though any mention of it had been omitted from the bill, the price of it was still included in the TOTAL. Obviously, any tip went out of the window on that occasion...
 
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miguel

I didn't last long...
Jul 2, 2003
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La pura verdad.....

Stop being so damm cheap people!!! You all say how poor the people of DR are and then you all look to get over on paying a lousy tip for good service. If you cant afford to leave a little extra to a waiter or waitress for good service don't bother going on vacation,and don't go posting how cheap you really are.
AMEN, AMEN AND ANOTHER AAAAAAAMEEEEEEEEEEN.

Have you guys noticed that SOME of these people (not talking about the OP), even like to negotiate a hooker's price?.

Schit, if I am going to try and save a few pesos while on vacation, I rather stay home and stare at the ceiling!!.