Happy Canada Day, eh!

[mattman91]

I know there are a few Canadians on DBR, just wanted to wish you all a Happy Canada Day!

I enjoy visiting Canada. I am always blown away by both the beauty of the landscape and the friendliness of the people. And, you folks can make the H-E- double hockey sticks of some poutine.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Montreal is a... fun town.

[NSDukeFan]

Thanks. I hope you all enjoy your upcoming Fourth of July holiday. Nice ways to start the summer.

[mattman91]

Montreal is a... fun town.

I've been to Toronto/Niagara, Vancouver/Whistler, and Calgary/Banff but Montreal is definitely on the list of places to visit.

[NSDukeFan]

I was at Peggy’s Cove for sunset this evening. Unless you’re sick and tired of Acadia National Park, Atlantic Canada is also worth a visit.






I was really impressed with Acadia National Park a few years ago.

[Tripping William]

Montreal is a... fun town.


I've been to Toronto/Niagara, Vancouver/Whistler, and Calgary/Banff but Montreal is definitely on the list of places to visit.

+1 re: Montreal. But I’d hit Vancouver over and again and again...

[camion]

I went to a scientific conference in Montreal a while back with a colleague who is German and trilingual. We encountered some extremely polite (or should I just say Canadian) people on the trip.

When my colleague approached a salesperson and asked a question in French the salesperson would ususlly reply in English because they could tell he wasn't a native French speaker.

When he approached a salesperson and asked a question in English the salesperson would usually reply in French because they could tell he wasn't a native English speaker.

[budwom]

having lunch in lovely Sutton, Quebec this week...always interesting to drive just 3-4 miles across the border and encounter a mostly Francophone environment...great food abounds, and the exchange rate for money is very propitious for us now...

[HereBeforeCoachK]

We owned a beach hotel in Nicaragua for a couple of years...the Canadians were the BEST GUESTS by far. We had them from as far west as Vancouver Island and as far east as Halifax - maybe even St. John....and they were all nice. Plus they drank a lot, smoked a lot, and were great customers for our hotel bar!

And as I understand it, many Canadians go to Central or South America for 2-3-4 months during their brutal winters.

(FWIW, the British and German guests were the worst....)

[budwom]

among the many good things our Neighbors To The North are known for is their ability to be heat seeking missiles...four million a year hit Florida during the winter, more than a million of them from Quebec, home of many of the best heat seeking missiles...in the winter, entire towns like Hollywood Fla. are packed with Canadians...in the summer, many northern beaches are super popular destinations...Wildwood NJ, Old Orchard Beach, Maine, top destinations especially for French Canadians...the list goes on and on... Glorious visitors, though one minor issue which bubbles up every few years is the restaurant tipping issue....here in Vermont, it's been written about extensively....servers at some restaurants began adding tips to the bills of people speaking French because they were so often stiffed on tips...Canadian media picked up on the story, and it got a bit dicey because it was specifically a French Canadian, not Canadian issue...French Canadians make up 80% of of our local Canadian visitors (logical since that's roughly the % of French speaking Quebecers)...

I've been told by locals (not to get in PP issues) that Canadian tourism is notably down this year due to a non-restaurant grievance...

[OldPhiKap]

among the many good things our Neighbors To The North are known for is their ability to be heat seeking missiles...four million a year hit Florida during the winter, more than a million of them from Quebec, home of many of the best heat seeking missiles...in the winter, entire towns like Hollywood Fla. are packed with Canadians...in the summer, many northern beaches are super popular destinations...Wildwood NJ, Old Orchard Beach, Maine, top destinations especially for French Canadians...the list goes on and on... Glorious visitors, though one minor issue which bubbles up every few years is the restaurant tipping issue...here in Vermont, it's been written about extensively...servers at some restaurants began adding tips to the bills of people speaking French because they were so often stiffed on tips...Canadian media picked up on the story, and it got a bit dicey because it was specifically a French Canadian, not Canadian issue...French Canadians make up 80% of of our local Canadian visitors (logical since that's roughly the % of French speaking Quebecers)...

I've been told by locals (not to get in PP issues) that Canadian tourism is notably down this year due to a non-restaurant grievance...

Are tips already included in that part of Canada? They are in much of Europe. Trying to determine if this is a cultural thing (i.e. not knowing that we tip 15% +/- in America), or if they are just less than generous to wait staff as a group?

[NSDukeFan]

Tips aren’t often included on bills in Canada, but I believe we tip, on average, less than you do.

[budwom]

Tips aren’t often included on bills in Canada, but I believe we tip, on average, less than you do.

a clearly exacerbating factor in recent years has been the value of the Canadian dollar...it's always fluctuated over the years, sometimes near par with the U.S. dollar, but now it is worth only 76 cents, so
tourists know the bill they're looking at will be increased by more than 30% when the credit card bill arrives. But yeah, it's largely a cultural thing...

[OldPhiKap]

Tips aren’t often included on bills in Canada, but I believe we tip, on average, less than you do.

Thanks!

It’s a complicated thing to compare. Not sure if wait staff up there get a bigger base pay, etc., and healthcare access is different too.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Tips aren’t often included on bills in Canada, but I believe we tip, on average, less than you do.

I recently went to a high end restaurant in NY known for excellent service and they now include tip in their prices - this is mentioned very prominently on the menu. The prices are fairly high by nature but end up looking even higher on the menu, but once you factor in that you aren't going to add a tip, the prices seem better. They made the shift recently and I wanted to (but didn't get to) ask our excellent waiter how it was working out for him.

[NSDukeFan]

Thanks!

It’s a complicated thing to compare. Not sure if wait staff up there get a bigger base pay, etc., and healthcare access is different too.

I don’t think wait staff get a great base pay here. It is nice not to see a bill when you go to the hospital or doctor ‘s office. My impression is average tipping in Canada is 10-20% up from 10-15% a decade ago whereas I assume more like 15-25% in the US?

[budwom]

I recently went to a high end restaurant in NY known for excellent service and they now include tip in their prices - this is mentioned very prominently on the menu. The prices are fairly high by nature but end up looking even higher on the menu, but once you factor in that you aren't going to add a tip, the prices seem better. They made the shift recently and I wanted to (but didn't get to) ask our excellent waiter how it was working out for him.

A lot of places are trying that approach, with mixed reviews from the customers. I know the Danny Meyer places in NYC were trying this, attempting to get more money to the non waitperson staff, i.e. folks in the kitchen, etc. Seems logical. But locally I know of some people who have gotten huffy about the practice, especially if the service turns out to be somehow lacking (which I understand).

Meanwhile, in more Canada related news, Montreal just had a record heat wave (as we also had in Vermont, six consecutive days here of 90+ degree heat...in fact the lowest high of the six days was 93, the average was 95...ouch)...50 people died in Quebec, all time high reached in The Island City (98 I think)...it does get hot there in the summer, but the St. Lawrence River has some limited cooling effect...

[OldPhiKap]

I don’t think wait staff get a great base pay here. It is nice not to see a bill when you go to the hospital or doctor ‘s office. My impression is average tipping in Canada is 10-20% up from 10-15% a decade ago whereas I assume more like 15-25% in the US?

i'd say 15%-20% is normal in the US, but there are outliers on both ends for sure.

[Rich]

I don’t think wait staff get a great base pay here. It is nice not to see a bill when you go to the hospital or doctor ‘s office. My impression is average tipping in Canada is 10-20% up from 10-15% a decade ago whereas I assume more like 15-25% in the US?

The high end of your estimate seems awfully high to me. I don't know anyone who tips 25% on a restaurant bill. I think my tipping is average to high and I usually tip about 20% off the total. I know some people who tip off the number before the sales tax and some who exclude the bar tab, but I just take the final number (or two numbers if the bill is over $100), round up or down accordingly, and double it.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

A lot of places are trying that approach, with mixed reviews from the customers. I know the Danny Meyer places in NYC were trying this, attempting to get more money to the non waitperson staff, i.e. folks in the kitchen, etc. Seems logical. But locally I know of some people who have gotten huffy about the practice, especially if the service turns out to be somehow lacking (which I understand).

Meanwhile, in more Canada related news, Montreal just had a record heat wave (as we also had in Vermont, six consecutive days here of 90+ degree heat...in fact the lowest high of the six days was 93, the average was 95...ouch)...50 people died in Quebec, all time high reached in The Island City (98 I think)...it does get hot there in the summer, but the St. Lawrence River has some limited cooling effect...

It was a Danny Meyer restaurant. Our waiter was very good so I was just hoping that he was getting paid enough - they really need some sort of mechanism to give feedback to management about the quality of service.

[budwom]

It was a Danny Meyer restaurant. Our waiter was very good so I was just hoping that he was getting paid enough - they really need some sort of mechanism to give feedback to management about the quality of service.

A very close friend, and frequenter of this board, has a daughter who worked at Gramercy Tavern for years. Because the place is so busy, the waiters do great. Meyer was trying to find a way to spread the wealth a bit, so more money is now (last I heard) going to the kitchen staff and others who are generally underpaid. Quality of service there is exemplary, and it's no accident, that staff is superbly trained...very attentive service without being overbearing in any way...
p.s. just checked on the status of this...unfortunately, the policy has not worked out as well as expected...yes, some of the kitchen guys are doing better, but the money is now less for the servers, many are leaving because of it, turnover is generally high....that's the rub, in some of the finest, expensive restaurants, the wait staff does exceedingly well, but the prep cooks and cleanup guys and others don't make much money...

[Indoor66]

A very close friend, and frequenter of this board, has a daughter who worked at Gramercy Tavern for years. Because the place is so busy, the waiters do great. Meyer was trying to find a way to spread the wealth a bit, so more money is now (last I heard) going to the kitchen staff and others who are generally underpaid. Quality of service there is exemplary, and it's no accident, that staff is superbly trained...very attentive service without being overbearing in any way...
p.s. just checked on the status of this...unfortunately, the policy has not worked out as well as expected...yes, some of the kitchen guys are doing better, but the money is now less for the servers, many are leaving because of it, turnover is generally high...that's the rub, in some of the finest, expensive restaurants, the wait staff does exceedingly well, but the prep cooks and cleanup guys and others don't make much money...

And some salesmen make more than some owners. Do what?

[CrazyNotCrazie]

A very close friend, and frequenter of this board, has a daughter who worked at Gramercy Tavern for years. Because the place is so busy, the waiters do great. Meyer was trying to find a way to spread the wealth a bit, so more money is now (last I heard) going to the kitchen staff and others who are generally underpaid. Quality of service there is exemplary, and it's no accident, that staff is superbly trained...very attentive service without being overbearing in any way...
p.s. just checked on the status of this...unfortunately, the policy has not worked out as well as expected...yes, some of the kitchen guys are doing better, but the money is now less for the servers, many are leaving because of it, turnover is generally high...that's the rub, in some of the finest, expensive restaurants, the wait staff does exceedingly well, but the prep cooks and cleanup guys and others don't make much money...

Interesting. Thanks for the inside info. That is what I was curious about. Meyer is a very smart businessman and supposedly a great guy to work for so I'm guessing he will adjust. Most people who dine at his restaurants aren't particularly price sensitive so he could easily increase prices slightly to pay waiters better. I thought the prices seemed slightly high until I factored in that I wouldn't be adding tip. My total bill was about what I would expect for that type of restaurant. Mrs. Crazy and I are light drinkers so that keeps the bill down.

[budwom]

Interesting. Thanks for the inside info. That is what I was curious about. Meyer is a very smart businessman and supposedly a great guy to work for so I'm guessing he will adjust. Most people who dine at his restaurants aren't particularly price sensitive so he could easily increase prices slightly to pay waiters better. I thought the prices seemed slightly high until I factored in that I wouldn't be adding tip. My total bill was about what I would expect for that type of restaurant. Mrs. Crazy and I are light drinkers so that keeps the bill down.

Essentially it boiled down to taking some money from the servers and shifting it to back of the house folks...saw an article where Meyer said he was OK with the server turnover, he understood it, but wanted to get more money to the back of the house people... total pot of money didn't really change...

[devildeac]

A lot of places are trying that approach, with mixed reviews from the customers. I know the Danny Meyer places in NYC were trying this, attempting to get more money to the non waitperson staff, i.e. folks in the kitchen, etc. Seems logical. But locally I know of some people who have gotten huffy about the practice, especially if the service turns out to be somehow lacking (which I understand).

Meanwhile, in more Canada related news, Montreal just had a record heat wave (as we also had in Vermont, six consecutive days here of 90+ degree heat...in fact the lowest high of the six days was 93, the average was 95...ouch)...50 people died in Quebec, all time high reached in The Island City (98 I think)...it does get hot there in the summer, but the St. Lawrence River has some limited cooling effect...

Sounds like you need a vacation to one of the "cool" beaches in NC where the highs the last 3 days were in the mid/upper 80s with some gentle ocean breezes and occasional cloud covers and brief showers making long walks on the sand quite tolerable, yet both hunger and thirst-provoking, too. ;)

[budwom]

Sounds like you need a vacation to one of the "cool" beaches in NC where the highs the last 3 days were in the mid/upper 80s with some gentle ocean breezes and occasional cloud covers and brief showers making long walks on the sand quite tolerable, yet both hunger and thirst-provoking, too. ;)

It was definitely one of those weeks (six days actually) where our temps were higher than Durham's..beach would have been nice, I settled for an air conditioned basement and a good book.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

The high end of your estimate seems awfully high to me. I don't know anyone who tips 25% on a restaurant bill. I think my tipping is average to high and I usually tip about 20% off the total. I know some people who tip off the number before the sales tax and some who exclude the bar tab, but I just take the final number (or two numbers if the bill is over $100), round up or down accordingly, and double it.

For whatever reason, I can do percentages in my head rapidly and pretty accurately.....so I never break out the calculator for the tip (hint: Seinfeld episode). If service is good and friendly, and I feel no need to send some negative message to the kitchen, management, etc, I'll do around 20%....10% for lousy service....and maybe 20+ if we get some good generous liquor pours in there....

As for Canada, the owner of a bar/restaurant stayed in our hotel in Nicaragua....things are much different in F/B in Canada, as to how it's set up. In Nica, tips were 10% and generally included in the bill. Tips are part of the cultural situation, base pay of the workers, and other government programs etc...as another commenter so correctly stated.