It's one of the biggest rip-offs in Hong Kong. The 10 per cent 'service charge' in most upmarket bars and restaurants which ends up not in the pockets of the staff, but in their bosses' bank accounts.
And the charge applies not only to bills settled by cash but also those paid for by credit card. In Hong Kong, it's quite normal for one customer to put their credit card behind the bar and allow their friends to rack up drinks and food on the one account, sometimes for hours on end. By the end of the night, that huge bill comes with a sizeable 10 per cent service charge - one most staff never see.
Credit card commission of 3 or 4 per cent is also deducted from the service charge in many establishments, while other places use 10 per cent of the credit card tips to cover their staff's Mandatory Provident Fund.
Companies that are struggling to make ends meet claim they have no other option but to keep the charge, while other businesses that are successful see it as another way of improving their profit margin.
This misleading service charge has seen the proprietors of two SoHo venues - the Globe on Graham Street and Posto Pubblico on Elgin Street - banish the 10 per cent service charge from their premises.
Toby Cooper, director of the Globe, prefers instead to leave tipping up to the customer's discretion and then share out the tips between staff at the end of each week.