As long as you tip based on the non-discounted total I don't see the problem. Unfortunately many probably don't do this, which is why the waitress probably was unhappy to see a groupon customer.
Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.
31–40 of 182 posts
Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.
#32I think Groupon suits the purpose if you would be visiting a restaurant that has a usually high amount of coupons or vouchers changing hands. Here in the UK if Franky & Bennys offered the coupon I don't think I would think twice. I think also if it was for somewhere I frequented often and I know the standard of food is good then I would do also.
We had a situation earlier this year with a voucher where the terms were not fully explained, we went to Manchester (England) and sat down in a restaurant called Giraffes. The voucher did not explain that it could not be used before 7pm. It was 1 in the afternoon, I sat there regardless and continued to be ripped out (£8.50 for a breakfast, cheapest thing on menu) and in total paid £40 for some dinner.
In terms of tipping, I generally leave a tip if around 10%, more if the person waiting is really good and a good personality, less if I think they are over acting it to get a higher tip. They don't get anything if the food is crap or over priced. I don't think I have been anywhere recently where I have not used a voucher or coupon, it's not because I am tight, it's simply because they are there. I don't consider myself a bad tipper either.
I know what you mean though about feeling bad about using vouchers or coupons, I feel slightly guilty about it. I think the English culture is slightly different though, I think we don't like confrontation and I feel this goes into that realm.
Stick to voucher cloud, check the terms though properly before sitting down!
Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.
#33It's really sad, because it's not only good restaurants that do the Groupon thing. It can be a good way to advertise your business in addition to the standard (boring) ways. Any restaurant that treats their customers like crap because the customer uses a deal that the restaurant approved is... Well, rude. I don't have much use for rude restaurants. For a lot cheaper, I can cook the food myself, and it's probably as g…
There is a distinct possibility that restaurant owners approved the deal with Groupon but staff is left to suffer the consequences, possibly with little warning from management or the owners.
The restaurant business is not exactly raking in the big bucks right now, with the continuing (and deepening) recession, and the owners may have signed on in desperation to claw out whatever money they can.
Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
But then they wouldn't have gotten the discount because they'd have ordered the 'wrong' wine.
They also wouldn't have received the poor service and smaller portion size that the poster perceived having received. It's on the customer to read the fine print of the deal and order the "right" wine, anyway.
There was no fine print - the deal was as quoted. But you're right if we hadn't mentioned it, the night would have been more pleasant. At least till the end..
Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.
#35I think you might be overestimating how much insight the waitress has into the business. It may be the case that this was a close, family-held restaurant and they have a daily pow-wow on cost of goods and marketing strategy, but I wouldn't bet that way. My guess? Groupon customers are poor tippers, either from adverse selection or because they either a) attempt to tip with leftover funny-money or b) tip based on the…
Groupon customers are definitely poor tippers. I've known a number of waiters to complain about it. The problem is they tip on the Groupon price, not the full price, and are thus tipping something like 40% of what they should be.
Is it possible they are getting shitty service? Tips aren't required.
Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.
#36I think you might be overestimating how much insight the waitress has into the business. It may be the case that this was a close, family-held restaurant and they have a daily pow-wow on cost of goods and marketing strategy, but I wouldn't bet that way. My guess? Groupon customers are poor tippers, either from adverse selection or because they either a) attempt to tip with leftover funny-money or b) tip based on the…
Groupon customers are definitely poor tippers. I've known a number of waiters to complain about it. The problem is they tip on the Groupon price, not the full price, and are thus tipping something like 40% of what they should be.
That's a good point to consider - it must be hard for a waitress / waiter to swallow that their evening will take a pay cut because their boss has decided to get into social advertising.
Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.
#37No doubt waiters loathe serving Grouponers.
I did have a waitress at a newer restaurant in the area that treated us exceptionally well. We probably had some of the best service ever with our Groupon. The food was great as well. The prices were very reasonable too. I will definitely go back with or without a Groupon.
Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.
#38I think Groupon suits the purpose if you would be visiting a restaurant that has a usually high amount of coupons or vouchers changing hands. Here in the UK if Franky & Bennys offered the coupon I don't think I would think twice. I think also if it was for somewhere I frequented often and I know the standard of food is good then I would do also. We had a situation earlier this year with a voucher where the terms were…
That's very true, though if you only go to places you know and trust then Groupon isn't doing it's job for the restaurant! They're simply giving a discount to loyal customers.
Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.
#39I think the biggest problem is that the staff and sometimes the owners don't understand what is the biggest possible gain - to get people in the door and then blow them away with great service and great products. I guess Groupon and the other giants probably don't tell the companies this enough. If I buy a coupon and get great service (pretty much the opposite of the story above) I would come back and recommend it to my friends. What companies end up doing, is paying through their noses to spread bad reputation about themselves.
If the restaurant would have treated the customers like all the other guests and maybe let them order the more expensive bottle of wine while explaining that it's actually not included (with a smile!) those two guys would have walked out happy and would probably have returned.
Groupon and the other coupon sites is a marketing expense, so treat it like one. You don't put up ads in the magazine with a discount and then scare away the customers when they show up! I don't defend the coupon sites, they seem to take a whole lot of the money for a small benefit. However, if you go into the deal, you might as well make the best of it. They will use the groupon no matter if you're nice or not.
Re: Why I won't be using Groupon again.. A consumer perspective.
#40A few weeks ago a tapas restaurant in my city ran a Groupon for the second time.
The comments on the deal were nearly universally from people who had purchased the first coupon, and when they tried to redeem them staff at the restaurant treated them like lepers.
I've only bought and used one restaurant Groupon and honestly I didn't really had a problem. Then again I didn't show it until it was time to pay (are you supposed to show it when you order?). It was a $15 coupon and we used it to cover part of a $50 tab for dessert and drinks. I imagine that was probably not the norm, and they likely more often see people who spend only $14 and ask if they can have a dollar in change.