ABU DHABI // Waiting staff in local restaurants and cafes are struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living rises.
When it comes to sending home a little more money tipping is a crucial part of their monthly income.
Irene Barro, who has worked as a waitress at a Gourmet Burger Kitchen restaurant in Dubai for the past year, sends about Dh800 home to the Philippines every month.
But since her tips dropped from Dh800 to Dh300, she has had to dig deep.
“My salary is only Dh2,200, so Dh800 is a big chunk,” she says. “We closed down for refurbishment and since we reopened we have been receiving less in tips.”
Customers have also not returned in the same numbers since the renovation.
After her monthly expenses, Ms Barro is left with Dh500.
“I pay Dh300 a month for my car [service] and it used to be Dh170,” she says. “My rent is Dh750 plus Dh100 for Dewa. My internet was Dh50 but now it’s Dh75, so the tips are a big part of it.
“It helps to buy food so our salary then becomes our savings.”
She says that even before the refurbishment her service was not always rewarded.
“Customers don’t always appreciate it,” Ms Barro says. “But others tip well even if you haven’t done anything special.
“From my experience, Americans tip the most. Sometimes Arabs give, but a lot of times they say they should not tip as much. Someone tipped me Dh9 once and her friend told her to remove the Dh5, which left only Dh4.
“There’s no problem because I do my job. If I didn’t have that, I wouldn’t be left with anything.”
Imelda Estacio, a supervisor at the restaurant, says waiters receive all of the tips left by customers, whether through the card machine or in cash.
But Kim L, a Filipino who works at Carluccio’s Italian restaurant, says cash tips are always better.
“If the tip is given through the machine there’s a small percentage that goes to the bank,” he says. “But we are not allowed to tell customers that cash is better.”
He says most people do not tip very well.
“On average, we don’t get a lot, about Dh600 to Dh800 a month, and my salary is only Dh2,500,” he says.
“So if I don’t get tips it makes a big difference. A lot of times people won’t tip, but Europeans and Americans are better.”
Ibrahim Abdullah, supervisor at the Burj Al Hamam Lebanese restaurant in Dubai Marina Mall, says 70 per cent of his customers tip using the card machine.
“Not many pay cash,” Mr Abdullah says. “I divide the total amount of tips per waiter at the end of the day and give it to them in cash.”
He says tips reach as much as about Dh600 for each waiter a month.
“On average, tips are not that high because we don’t have alcohol here,” Mr Abdullah says. “If we had alcohol, we’d have more tips.”
Ia Iluridze, manager of Cafe Arabia restaurant in Abu Dhabi, says she finds everyone tips differently.
“Sometimes people will leave Dh20, Dh30, Dh50 or even more,” Ms Iluridze says.
“When they pay by card they give us something and we also have a box for tips at the entrance. We don’t have the option to do it with the machine.”
She says most tips are in cash.
“I distribute it every two weeks,” Ms Iluridze says. “Over Christmas there weren’t many customers so there were not many tips, but it can add up to about Dh2,500 a month between eight waiters.”
cmalek@thenational.ae
