161–170 of 182 posts
It's interesting to me how many news articles are out lately taking a negative tone toward Groupon. I'm sure that has a lot to do with the upcoming IPO (and I won't be an investor based on the numbers), but I thought I'd share my experience with Groupon, because I've never had anything close to this sort of problem. We had a $20 for $40 deal at a restaurant owned by a local restauranteur. There were no restrictions o…
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I agree, in the internet age I was hoping searching would become more efficient so that 'find good restaurant in xxx' was a sensible thing to type into a search box. Currently there's too much noise so places like yelp are a much better option. Interestingly Yelp hasn't taken off here yet.
To me sites like Yelp and Urban Spoon have too much signal to noise ratio as well. I readily admit I am a food snob. And not the tasteless, this place is expensive so I have to be seen here type. I am very critical of food. I have a culinary degree and I have a refined pallet when it comes to food. I eat at hole in the wall joints as well as 5 star restaurants and the only thing I care about and judge a restaurant by…
Also, keep in mind that the ratings are based on the complete experience not just the food. If someone had great food but a bad experience with the waiter, they may have no problems leaving 1 or 2 stars. Crap food with awesome service could get 4 stars.
It's Yelp, not Zagat or Michelin. If you use it appropriately, it will work for you.
I wasn't aware tipping was all that common in the UK but here in Canada I would be wary of using Groupon for that exact reason. Personally I find tipping to be a nearly meaningless exercise (nearly because occasionally great service deserves a bit extra). Because I live in a country where we are expected to tip, restaurant owners do (and are allowed to with lower minimum wages) expect to be able to underpay their sta…
"I'm tired of being responsible for someone elses paycheck." I agree, I think mandatory tipping is absurd. I think people partially disassociate tip with their assessment of a restaurant's cost, so is a way for restaurants to appear cheaper. I think wait staff should perform to the best of their ability or be fired. I find it ridiculous to pay someone $1 to open a beer for me (ie. a bartender) or spend 30 seconds tak…
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How this works in practice is servers are fired if they do not sign off that they earned the difference in tips. This is a big issue with fast food restaurants like Pizza Hut, and cheap buffets where there is a lunch rush and then a slow period, coupled with a propensity of patrons of this sort of place not to tip because they think it is a buffet or fast food restaurant, not one where servers are paid $2.35. Often y…
I'm sorry you've had that experience. I've worked as a waiter, and was never pressured to report anything other than what I made. I'm not advocating for poor tipping, I was just clarifying for those not in the US how the law is written.
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FYI: 10% isn't standard: 15% is standard, 20% is good, and 25% or more is for great service.
That's standard in the USA. In the UK it is not standard, however 4 weeks minimum paid vacation (and about 8 days paid public holidays) are standard. Different countries.
And 2) Groupon isn't just for restaurants... If it were then it'd be out of business already. I've gotten Lasik for much cheaper via Groupon and also teeth whitening.
It just so happens that restaurants try Groupons because they're already battling the odds for staying in business.
And seriously, isn't this over 9000 times more effective than burning money on flyers or a commercial? It gets them INTO the restaurant. From there it depends on the restaurant to bring them back in a 2nd time with charm and great food.
So instead of blaming gift cards, coupons or even Groupons, blame management for not using Excel and the staff for not charming potential customers.
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Side note - in California 18.5% is the customary practice for tips, though, to make it easy, you can round up to 20%. No service person will complain. If you get lackluster service, you can point it out with a 15% tip. Poor service gets a 10% tip, and, will make it clear you are unhappy. After 15 years of doing this (I'm from Canada, where tips aren't as proscribed, though they are still expected) I find it awkward a…
I find etiquette fascinating, so I've read some books on it. Particularly, in tipping etiquette, prescriptive books seem to agree about one thing: In the US, if you're going to tip less than 15%, you should not tip at all. You should leave nothing and ask to speak with a manager to explain why you won't. If the failure in service doesn't rise to that level, then 15% is the minimum polite tip. Of course, it's your wal…
Groupon is for the most part the small business equivalent of Pets.com losing a buck on every sale and making it up on volume. Anyone who has been in the business for more than five minutes knows that voucher customers convert very poorly to regulars. Given the size of the discount and Groupon's cut, there's no way that this restaurant could be profitably converting, particularly if they're making no effort at all to do so.
Badly run businesses are badly run; Film at eleven.
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I find etiquette fascinating, so I've read some books on it. Particularly, in tipping etiquette, prescriptive books seem to agree about one thing: In the US, if you're going to tip less than 15%, you should not tip at all. You should leave nothing and ask to speak with a manager to explain why you won't. If the failure in service doesn't rise to that level, then 15% is the minimum polite tip. Of course, it's your wal…
18.5%? I live here in CA and have always done 15 but feel recently being forced into 20... but I could never calculate 18.5% in my head =)