Diners reach a tipping point and refuse to pay for service

So much for Britons meekly coughing up. Hannah Twiggs says it's time to rethink how we reward those who wait on us

- Hannah Twiggs

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that the British public are generally polite, often to the point of apologising when someone steps on their foot. Yet in restaurants across the UK, an uprising is brewing.

More than a fifth of diners (22 per cent) are boldly opting out of paying optional service charges, according to new research by RSM UK. It seems the national penchant for avoiding a fuss has finally met its match in the form of a sneaky 12.5 per cent now routinely tacked on to the bill.

It’s the tipping point, quite literally, where dining out in the UK becomes an exercise in ethical gymnastics. Do you dutifully cough up while secretly seething at being robbed of just leaving a few quid tip, or do you, like more than a fifth of Brits, gleefully refuse to pay it at all?

In the South West, east Midlands and Yorkshire, the numbers jump even higher, to more than a third. So much for the stereotype of the overly polite Brit who’d rather drown in a puddle than cause a scene.

I’ve been that person – sitting there, sweating slightly as the bill arrives, shocked at how much the meal has cost and then realising a hefty whack of it is thanks to the “discretionary” service charge. I spend a few panicky minutes calculating whether the service merits the extra charge, but then pay it anyway even if I decide it’s not. It’s the stuff of nightmares, really. And frankly, I’m not alone.

Saxon Moseley, partner and head of leisure and hospitality at RSM UK, suggests that the rising cost of living might be driving this new frugality. With energy bills rocketing and inflation making everything from bread to a pint of milk feel like a luxury, the idea of handing over an extra 12.5 per cent for service that’s been, shall we say, less than stellar, feels like an unnecessary indulgence.