Dear Reader, I have a curious question for you that I’d love to hear your thoughts about. When you dine out, do you always leave a tip? I know that in the United States, it’s pretty much compulsory and a lack of tip will have you chased and possibly chewed out for it. But in Australia, what is the etiquette?
My family and I were dining out recently in a nice Sydney restaurant for my father’s birthday. Mains were around $33 on average and service was quite friendly and attentive. The bill came to $311.00 and my mother asked me how much we should tip. We thought that 10% was the norm – we usually round up to make things easier so I suggested that she pay $340. Upon leaving, my sister heard the waiter remarking to another about the “$29″ tip that we left as we were walking past. Was it disparaging? Did he expect more? Or was it just a competition between wait staff? Nevertheless, it left us feeling bad that we had tipped $29 or 9%.
Anyway, the only reason why I bring this up is that it was for my father’s birthday which is whom I baked this cake for. The task of making his birthday cake usually falls to me. Given that his birthday is on January 1st, I try and bake the cake a day or two ahead and leave the easier parts to do on the day while nursing a sore head. I first saw this idea for a stained glass cake in the Lily Vanilli book called “Sweet Tooth” (sent for review) which is a shrine to quirky, clever cake ideas. Not only is the cloth bound cover gorgeous, Lily has some Halloweeny themed treats as well as pretty ones. If ever I were to write a cookbook myself, it would be similar to this! One of my father’s hobbies is stained glass so I thought that this would be perfect for him.
The cake, as my father is scrupulous about his weight, is a low fat cake made with zucchini and sultanas which remained moist and spicy for a few days. I couldn’t go all low fat and the icing is that addictive sweet cream cheese icing with a touch of lemon to lighten it. I think that he was pleased with the cake – my father is a man of very few words but I was quite pleased with how it turned out and how the cake remained moist after a few days. And coat almost anything in cream cheese icing and I’m happy!
Anyway, back to the question that arose from my father’s birthday dinner. In Sydney, unless the service is bad I always tip around 10% but usually rounded up so sometimes it’s 9%, something 14%. But how do you feel about tipping Dear Reader? Do you always do it and if so, how much do you tip? Do you round up or tip a set amount?
Stained Glass Cake
Makes a large 23cm/9.2 inch double layered cake and a medium 20cm/8 inch double layered cake
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella, stained glass instructions adapted from Lily Vanilli’s “Sweet Tooth” published by Allen & Unwin Canongate RRP $39.99AUD
Low Fat Zucchini Cake
Makes a very large cake that serves 25-30, halve for a more regular size
- 6 eggs, at room temperature
- 3 cups caster or superfine sugar
- 1 cup apple sauce (you can also use a mild flavoured oil)
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 cups self raising flour
- 1 cup cornflour or cornstarch
- 1/2 cup white chia seeds
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup buttermilk (or regular milk soured with a tablespoon of lemon juice)
- 4 cups grated zucchini
- 1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
- 1 cup sultanas
- 250g cream cheese, softened
- 250g butter, softened
- 4-5 cups pure icing sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- oil cooking spray
- 500ml water
- 785grams caster or superfine sugar
- 250ml liquid glucose
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F and line a 25cm and a 20cm cake tin with parchment. You can also make a smaller cake and halve the quantity. In a very large bowl beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla and apple sauce and beat until well combined and thickened. In another bowl mix the flours, chia seeds and add the salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
2. Add the buttermilk in two lots alternating with the zucchini, nuts and sultanas. Divide between tins and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes (check after an hour to see doneness with a skewer inserted in the middle).
Trimming the cake so that it is flat
3. Cool and trim the cakes and then wrap well in plastic wrap until needed. You can bake the cake up to 2 days ahead as it’s a moist cake.
Spreading with cream cheese icing
4. Make cream cheese icing by beating cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add the icing sugar and lemon juice on low speed and then beat until smooth. Cut each cake in half horizontally and place one large one on the bottom of a serving plate. Spread with the icing across the cake with an angled spatula and then place the other large cake. Repeat with the smaller cakes.
5. Make the crumb layer of frosting. This is to pick up any stray crumbs on the cake. Using a spoon, dollop the icing onto the cake and spread with the angled spatula making a thin layer. It should be thin enough to see bits of the cake through the icing but it’s just there to catch any extra bits. Refrigerate the cake for about half an hour (I turn up the chill in the fridge higher as the weather is so hot at the moment) so that the crumb layer firms up but don’t refrigerate the rest of the icing just yet. During this time you can get started on the stained glass but this should really be made just before serving it as the “glass” can melt in humid climates.
The crumb layer
6. Remove the cake from the fridge and place the final layer of frosting on the cake. Smooth well with the angled spatula and you should get a nice smoothish pattern-you don’t need it perfect with cream cheese icing. Place in the fridge until you need it.
7. Make coloured stained glass sugar shards. Spray two baking trays with oil spray. In a heavy based saucepan, place the water, sugar, liquid glucose and cream of tartar. Place on medium heat and dissolve the sugar well. Clip the sugar thermometer to the pan and increase heat to high until it reaches 150c/300F which takes about 15 or so minutes. Do not stir during this time at all.
8. Meanwhile, have your gel colours ready and as many bowls as you need. Heat the bowls in the oven or microwave to keep them warm. Once the sugar has reached the temperature, divide it into the number of bowls and colours that you want and quickly tint them-they’ll start to set quickly once it hits cooler air so the warm bowls will help keep them liquid. Be careful, hot sugar is extremely hot! Some colours combine better than others-I found the green hard to combine and it will bubble when added.
Smashing the glass
9. Pour into prepared tins. I used one tin for two colours just pouring each colour onto one side. Allow to set, it doesn’t take long and once completely hard, take a meat mallet and smash it into shards. It’s immensely satisfying! Once the shards are cool, press them onto the cake into a pattern using the smaller pieces to fill in the gaps.
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104 Comments | Add your own
A lovely cake! Great decorations.
Cheers,
Rosa
What a gorgeous, creative cake!
You asked about tipping – in the US 15% to 20% is the norm. It gets painful when your bill is over $300! Here, it can be an unspoken to message that you weren’t happy with your service or food if you leave less.
In Italy I know that tipping is not the norm. It’s always something that we question when we travel – trying to follow etiquette. We actually got teased in Italy. A woman said, “You just smile at an American and they want to leave you a tip!”
In Portugal there’s absolutely no “obligation” of leaving a tip – at least not in the way I’ve seen in London, for instance, where the “amount of tip” to be given is even shown on the receipt. It depends on the place, really. I leave a tip depending on the place and whether or not I’ve felt the service was properly done. I remember once I was at this beautiful place and 100 euros and was waiting for the change (which would be around 30). I waited for so long I asked the waiter why he was taking so long to bring me the change. In a very unpolite manner, he said he thought that was his tip. I was so astonished at his attitude I waited for the whole change and didn’t leave a cent.
Hi Lorraine, I’ve been wondering that very question for a long time now!
I feel that its a bit taboo to talk about or at least people don’t want to openly discuss their tipping tendencies, particularly if they don’t! I’ve often wanted to ask that question candidly with the full admission that I don’t tend to tip in Australia. When I do, it is usually in the vicinity of 5-10 dollars, even if this is nowhere near 10% or even sometimes 5% of the bill.
My thinking is that I’m a student completing a long degree at university and working only casually, where many waitstaff/restaurant staff most likely make a higher salary/hourly rate than I do.
I will reward exceptional service but honestly can’t afford to tip up to $30 when the meal itself is a huge splurge and an infrequent treat.
I appreciate its role in the US for example where the base pay of waitstaff is atrociously low and this forms part of their usual salary, and also appreciate the clearly standardised ritual of 15-20% which is easy to calculate. There, I consider the tip part and parcel of the cost of the meal. Not so much in Australia.
I think that there is something called service tax in my country, and the norm is to double it and pay whatever comes (I was told this when I was about to tip more). We generally get a service tax which is charged on 30% on the total billing, and tip accordingly.
When dining out in the US, it is customary to leave a tip. I would say the average is between 15% and 20%, depending on the city.
I answered your question but forgot to say what a lovely cake…I’m sure your father appreciated your cake very much especially with his love of stained glass.
Hmm. I don’t have much experience with tipping in Australia as would only do it at high-end places, and my parents are usually the ones taking me there, but I would do the standard in North America, which is 15%. But I’ll be interested to read others’ opinions!
You probably have never worked for tips? I always leave at least 20% unless service was not good, then 15%. If service was bad, then 0, and I hope that someone asks why. If service was really bad, then I ask to see the manager. I then explain why I am ‘Stiffing’ the wait staff.
Hi Charles-I have actually been a waitress and in Australia, and certainly when I was a waitress, a tip was not common. Most people didn’t tip, I’d say about 20% did and 20% would be quite extraordinary. Are you based in Australia?
Ahh tipping. Here in Canada and US the norm used to be 15% but now Martha Stewart is suggesting 18% and more if the service was exceptional. It used to be that one wouldn’t tip on the alcohol but who wants to figure that out, so it’s just the lot. It’s a bit out of control if you ask me, just pay the damn waiters a fair wage and be done with it! In Europe we were told that one mustn’t tip over 10%; in Morocco we were told to NEVER tip, of course we couldn’t do that so we usually left 10%.
This is a gorgeous cake, I love the glass shards. My Dear Mother’shusbsnd used to make stained glass, I should try to make this for him! So nice that you were considerant of your Dad’s weight watching.
Ahh tipping. Here in Canada and US the norm used to be 15% but now Martha Stewart is suggesting 18% and more if the service was exceptional. It used to be that one wouldn’t tip on the alcohol but who wants to figure that out, so it’s just the lot. It’s a bit out of control if you ask me, just pay the damn waiters a fair wage and be done with it! In Europe we were told that one mustn’t tip over 10%; in Morocco we were told to NEVER tip, of course we couldn’t do that so we usually left 10%.
This is a gorgeous cake, I love the glass shards. My Dear Mother’s husband used to make stained glass, I should try to make this for him! So nice that you were considerant of your Dad’s weight watching.
I never leave a tip, it’s just not something I’m accustomed to. I imagine, as some who works in hospitality, that they would have been excited with that large of a tip, and were then wondering what to do with it… Split between servers, the kitchen staff etc.
Your cake looks wonderful and sounds delicious, I love zucchini in a cake!
Fab cake , great idea….and who knows about the tips. I am more than happy to tip for good service but dont like to give my money away for service that is bad or at best only adequate.
What a gorgeous cake! I think the waiter was terribly rude – unlike in the US, tips are on top of, not part of, their salary. Wish someone would give me $29!
Hi Lorraine, that is a gorgeous and thoughtful cake. We work on 10% but like you we round up or down slightly to make it easy to calculate. When we eat out with my family it’s easy as we think alike on tipping but it can tricky when you are out with people who don’t believe in tipping. Many years ago we were out at dinner in a large group of 15. We only knew a couple f people there and when the bill came everyone left their share but without a tip so hubby and I ended up leaving our share as well as the 10% tip which left a sour note for us but I was too embarrassed to not leave a tip as the service was good. We know the owner of our local Italian quite well as we eat there often and we always tip 10%, not sure if this helps answer your question but we had a long chat with him about diners and tipping last year and he said quite often diners don’t tip and on often he’ll get diners telling him how fantastic the food and service was then not leave a cent…he still thanks them for coming and is not rude, I think it was very rude of the restaurant to comment on your tip.
Beautiful cake.
I thought its normal not to tip in Australia, either because of custom or service charges are included in prices. Maybe the waiters were shocked at the large tip that you gave?
speaking of tipping in australia our workers are paid a good wage here not like america where they rely on tips because thier wages are so low ,so what ever tip we leave them here they should be grateful no matter how big or small so there shouldnt be any percentages..
I’ve never tipped in Australia and I don’t see any reason to do so. Wait staff here are paid more than well and don’t have to rely in tips to make up their wages as in the US and Canada. Given that, 10% seems very generous and I would think he was more surprised at your generosity than thinking you were miserly.
So gorgeous, your lucky dad hey!
I don’t tip very often, we can barely afford to eat out let alone add to the cost, usually we just round up a bit. In that case I would probably pay 320.
Would a restaurant prefer we not eat there at all if we can’t offer large tips?
Do wait staff get paid decent wages in AUS?
Happy birthday to your Dad, Lorraine. What a gorgeous looking cake you made for him. Love the effect of the stained glass.
I leave a tip in restaurants where the food and service is good, so far I have not been to a restaurant where I have not left a tip.
I just round up the bill, I suppose it averages around 10%.
This cake looks amazing!!! I always tip 10% if the service is okay. Less or none if the service is poor and 15-20% if the service is superb.
How incredibly original and unusual, which is exactly what I have come to expect from you. Just wonderful! In the US I always tip. In fact I always tip, but try to follow the etiquette of what is expected in other countries, where tipping practices can vary greatly.
I’ve been a server in the US for years, and my average tip is 20%. I had a table from Australia leave me 50% once because I answered a lot of their questions about the area (near Disneyland). Anyways, if the restaurant is crowded and you’re taking up a table long after you’re finished eating, it’s nice to tip extra since you’re taking up what could be another tip for the server. If you have tricky orders, or are a large party, its also nice to tip generously. Some restaurants automatically add an 18% tip to parties of 8 or more because customers have been known to see a large tip or split the check and not tip enough. If you don’t tip enough in the states, the server ends up paying part of your check because they have to tip out the bar, bussers, hosts, and expo and its based on your total sales and not the total tips. I don’t know what tipping customs are in Australia though. Clearly, I’m a little passionate about it. 8 years in restaurants will do that to you.
Firstly, what a fantastically beautiful cake!
Secondly – Award wages!In Australia our economy is based on the idea that everyone should be paid a reasonable living wage by their employer and shouldn’t be reliant on the generosity of customers to turn their wage into something that can be lived on. I know there are exceptions to this – eg youth wages etc but I think tipping becoming commonplace in Australia can only undermine our employment rights. As someone who has worked as a waiter on and off I would prefer a nice smile and thank you.
Interesting topic indeed. On the weekend I went to Vaucluse House for brunch with my family – we didn’t tip one cent after experiencing really bad service and the good was pretty average too. I can usually excuse one or two mishaps but with this it was at least 7 or 8 terrible things that went wrong. I then found out it is run by a catering company so perhaps that explains it. I must say the scones were good though.
If everything adds up to a nice dining experience we normally just round it up as you did. Don’t feel bad
I love this cake, Lorraine! The bright stained glass makes me smile. So whimsical and fun!
What a pretty cake indeed, I’m sure your father must have loved it! Zucchini is just starting to pick here, so I’m always glad for another recipe too add to my arsenal
I don’t know about Sydney, but down here tipping isn’t the norm at all, and if customers offered me any I would actually refuse them as at one place we had to give them to the boss for himself anyway, and at others it would just go into the normal till takings. I always resented my hard work going into the bosses Friday night beer fund!
I agree with you.
Wait staff in Australia are fairly well paid. They don’t live off the tips.
But we usually leave about 10%, and always round it to a doable amount.
The cake looks great. BBQ here soon for sons 25th. Looks like it might be on the menu. Thanks.
Hi Deanna! That’s a really good point about staying longer at a table!
Also I didn’t know that the server had to tip out the rest of the staff 
When we were in Hawaii, the service we got was fantastic and knowing of the need to tip because of poor wages, we usually tipped between 20-25%. Wages here are decent, at least $15AUD an hour (which is about $15.8USD at the moment) so I think that there is less of a reason to tip as much which is why it’s such an interesting topic as nobody seems to know how much to tip here 
Such a beautiful cake, your dad is very lucky.
I tip around 10% if the service is really good.
we refused to tip one person only in the US because we witnessed first hand her contempt for residents from Harlem. Yukky person she was. The manager made quite a fuss trying to force is to pay her tip because of low wages. We told him that of he thought she was good for business and deserved more money then he should pay her more!
Beautiful cake!
We have a little set of rules when it comes to tipping. Standard service doesn’t get a tip. If they are very friendly and offer good service then we leave a tip. We also have the ‘one strike’ rule. If a waiter does something bad – no tip. ‘Bad’ includes: hovering over your shoulder when you’re signing the bill, being rude & having attitude.
Gorgeous cake there, Lorraine – well done.
As for tipping – wait-staff in Australia are paid far, far more than their counterparts in North America who depend upon tips to make up the bulk of their income. That is why there is a generally expected percentage in the US & Canada.
US waiting staff can be paid as little as $5-7 per hour while staff here are being paid $18-22 per hour – that is a huge difference in rates.
I know that there are plenty of businesses in Oz who pay their staff cash, but even most cash-in-hand rates are close to the award wage which is paid by honest businesses here.
We have a generous award rate in this country so tipping should be up to the discretion of the diner in gratitude for the standard of service received – and guilt or snarky remarks by the staff should not enter into it.
Gorgeous looking cake. The shards of glass look so effective.
In Sri Lanka, we had some waiters coming up to us asking for their tip the day before we were leaving. They weren’t going to be around on our actual day of departure so they were asking for it ahead of time. (That was tricky for me to get my head around coming from here.)
I usually tip 10% but the service has to warrant it. If it has been great then I’ll tip more. love the cake, so original and colourful. GG
What a lovely cake Lorraine, and I am sure your father loved it and was so proud of you. I meant to comment on your quiche Lorraine too, I love quiche Lorraine am very fussy when it comes to them! I found a beautiful recipe years ago that is rich and delicious.
After going to New York where service was excellent everywhere (and having worked in hospitality in Australia and knowing how well staff get paid) I have changed my tipping behaviour since returning. I will now only tip if the service is excellent, or if I intend on returning to the venue.
The bill is the bill. Pay the bill. Tipping is something that should only be done if the staff do something extraordinary … There is sufficient margin in the price of food at a restaurant for the staff to be paid well. If they’re not paid well enough then its an industrial relations problem and not a customer problem.
Tipping always puzzles me… we rarely dine out… I am happy to tip in a top shelf Aussie restaurant where the service has been exceptional and tipping is expected, however there have been occasions where a 10% or more tip would have added an extra $50 to the bill, which, frankly I can’t afford. True, Australian food industry workers are generally well paid, from what I understand, so the tip is a true bonus.
What a stunning cake, Lorraine and four layers too! I can imagine smashing the glass would be like a reward for all the effort. And the shards just stuck to the cream cheese without slipping? I’m like you and tip 10% if the service is good. Recently I was forced to go to a restaurant on New Year’s Day and the place was charging an 18% surcharge because of the public holiday (ridiculous). I ordered two entrees and had nothing more. The bill arrived for the four of us (we had no desserts or coffees) and it was $550! The couple who had invited us insisted we also put in for a tip so Carl and I had horrible food, ordinary service (waitress forgot to bring the drinks we ordered) and we didn’t get out of there for less than $300. It still stings just thinking about it! xx
When I worked in the food service industry (at least 8 years ago now), I was earning about $21 per hour. I think this is a really good wage for someone doing that kind of job which is only very moderately skilled.
When I think that after 4 years of university education I pretty much earned the same amount per hour, it puts into perspective how generous it is.
If we decide to tip, we just usually round up. I don’t really calculate percentages. It just gets shared around all the staff anyhow. It’s not like one person’s hard work is particularly rewarded.
This cake is gorgeous! I love the vibrant colours against the pale cream cheese
I tip around 10%, but I have a ‘thing’ for even numbers, so I’d make a final amount $140 not $143, for example. Most of my friends don’t leave tips.
Love the look of the cake with its interesting ingredients: back to that recipe as soon as time allows. Tipping: depends on what kind of a restaurant I am visiting and how well I have been served. If I have picked up my own food at the counter I may just leave a token tip for the clearing person. Usually I would not leave less than 10% at an ‘average’ place: if I was top end, the service had been expert and we had spent a longer period at the table, I might even that up to 15% in Australia. Yes, in most places the waitstaff is asked to share with kitchen staff etc . . . Whether they do? I DO get angry if the restaurant suggets a tip – then they usually get none nor a future visit!!
First of all, GREAT cake! Love the shards and colorful as can be! Now I wish for my birthday coming soon, you can make one for me
Having seen both sides of the coin (American born and bred, now an Aussie; have been a waitress in the US, now an Australian food consumer enthusiast:) ), I can see the positive sides of tipping and the negative sides too; sometimes leaving too little is worse than leaving no tip at all.
Having said that, hospitality staff (in my opinion) here are spoiled in their wages in “not” having to provide service” (as opposed to their US counterparts that RELY on tips (because of their wages)
I have experienced excellent service, I have experienced “ordinary” service. I always reward service which is over and above and never buy into the alleged guilt trip by staff. I don’t like the “pooled” tips idea as it is not fair to those who really do enjoy providing good service vs those who “glide and slide” by re service.
Adore the “smashed glass” shot – looks fab!
I am an American and it is true that in the States wait-staff are often paid below minimum wage and yet the IRS requires that they pay taxes on wages that would include tips. I would always leave 15% in the US and more if the service was excellent. People are highly motivated to provide good service to earn a living wage. I would only skip the tip if the service was terrible. In Australia servers are paid well and food prices are high,so I don’t feel the same obligation. I would only tip if service was exceptionally good (and in my experience that is rare).
Lorraine, this may be the best question you have ever asked! I always feel I have to leave a tip, but some friends of mind don’t so it can get weird at times. However, I don’t really know why I feel this compulsion and so find reading everyone else’s approaches (especially in Australia) quite helpful.
The cake looks great, by the way, something I’ll definitely make soon.
That cake is so pretty! What a cool decorating idea.
As far as tipping – I am in the U.S., so I think there’s a very different culture around tipping. Here, I think 20% is typical unless there was a problem with the service.
I hate working out the tip. I usually tip around 10% – it’s easy. Maybe he was only commenting on the $29 because it was harder to divide amongst them? Smashing toffee – fun!!
Happy birthday to your dad. The cake was simply beautiful.Maybe the person was just amazed at receiving such a generous tip. If the service is good I will leave a tip accordingly, but they should give good service regardless of receiving a tip or not.
I almost never tip, if I doit would be no more than $5. The reason is as stated by others, wages in Australia are paid fairly, and so a tip is not needed. Also, I rarely find the service warrants it here. From people I know who have travelled to the U.S the service is outstanding, which is why you tip. Here it is often the basics, so nothing really worthy of paying extra. I once went to palace that had the tip added into the bill! My friends had organised a birthday dinner and had arranged a price for the meal per person. So everyone had paid what we had been told was the costif the meal. Somepeople left earlier so had left their costif the meal. Whenthe bil came it was much higher than what we had worked out. We discovered a 10% tip had been added. It left my friends out of pocket by abut $150 as they paid the excess. Even worse, ther service was awful andour booking had been lost so we had waited an hour before being seated.
In Australia we never leave a tip. We are fortunate enough in this country to have decent wages and the waiting staff do not count on tips to make ends meet. Also we have paid up to and over $600Au for dinner, I don’t think a tip is required, if I am paying that sort of money I expect to get food and service to match the high price, not give a tip for doing a good job, they are paid to do a good job.
I really dislike forced tipping as they have in the US! Everything is ‘plus tax and tip’ – why cant you just give me the real price, straight up?
In Aus if the service is good i’ll round up like you do and i think thats all that is necessary. Tips are meant to be a ‘gesture’ of thanks not the bulk of someones wage.
My partner and I have been facing the same conundrum whenever we eat out in Australia!
Our general rule of thumb is –
*If the total for the meal is under $60 we will round the amount to the nearest dollar.
*If the total amount for the meal is over $60 – we will either round up to the nearest $5 or give 10% – 15% of the bill (dependent on the service/quality of dining experience).
As has been said, tipping in the US is used to get wages up to a livable amount. That’s nothing like the case here with wages being far higher, and food already costs so much (not coincidentally) that tipping is mostly just cultural cringe towards the US – “Hey, if they do it in AMERICA, why are we so backward that we don’t?”
TLDR: Tipping in the US makes sense, it doesn’t here.
This is magical!
Generally we don’t tip unless to round it up but then it’s not by much. I’m a uni student and he is an apprentice, so I’m not sure they expect a tip from us anyways haha!
Lorraine, what a pretty cake! And the “glass” makes it very unique. Well done!
I cake that is healthier and pretty all the same! Looks delicious
I usually tip about 10% but I tend to do the same and round up to the 5 or 0 value.
Lovely cake, very thoughtful on the stained glass!
Firstly, the cake is gorgeous! I add 10% and then round up usually
I love the stained glass cake and am quite keen on the zucchini cake too!
As for tipping I would say that we would almost never tip. The exception would be in quite classy restaurants where we have experienced exceptional service. Sadly that is quite a rare treat for us. We would round up rather than work out a percent. I would always accompany that with genuine thanks to the staff members who provided the great service!
—The stained glass cake is STUNNING. What a great centerpiece! WOW.
Yes, I always leave a tip.
We usually leave 20%.
Sending you love from MN. Xx
What a pretty cake, did your father give you a 10 pc tip???
Actually, it seems forgotten nowadays that a tip is purely VOLUNTARY ( at least in Aus where the salary is on par with other jobs). Me, I tend to round it up unless service was bad, but I never ever do so just because I feel I should. You don’t tip a shop assistant for packing your purchases nicely, why should you be compelled to tip a waiter for bringing you your plate? Overseas where they might depend on it to earn a decent buck, I normally find out what’s normal beforehand (the joys of the Internet).
That is outrageous about the tip! I think $29 is a very generous tip under any circumstances! And I’ve never tried making a cake with zucchini before, but given the season we’re having in the garden, perhaps it’s time I tried it!
x
Beautiful cake! And always rounding up for me. We pay well in Australia and no need to add more unlike America.
Ps I was a waitress for a long time and I made decent money. Tipping is a relatively new trend here in Australia. It is mostly something you get in Sydney and Melbourne.
I never imagined that zucchini was in it until I saw the step by step photo! How delicious and GORGEOUS. I have never seen stained glass cake before so you can imagine me dropping my jaw really wide when I saw your cake!
About the tip, we live in the US so 15% seems necessary (sort of) and 20% when it’s pretty good service, or that’s what I have been doing. Waiters shouldn’t make such comments where customers (even other customers) can hear it. It doesn’t seem professional especially it’s 9%, not 5%!
Y’know, seriously: I’m all cake’d out from the Holidays and I just turned all the leftover cake into freckled pudding over the weekend – but now you’ve floored me yet again with another stupendous-looking cake that’s got me all raring to bake all over again!
I think $29 is a generous tip-let’s hope they were remarking about that. I do think it’s ungracious to comment on the amount while a customer can hear you. Which restaurant was this at?
I generally only tip when service has been fantastic and then usually round it up as you did.
beautiful cake! love the stained glass idea!
Lovely cake,not what I was expecting from the title, usually stained glass cake incorporates all that rich glace fruit, I think I like your version better! Having also worked as a waitress for many years, a tip is always welcome but only when the service is good, it is exceptionally rude to make comments (designed to be heard or not) about the amount!
I LOVE THIS! Love the creativity and it looks super fun, especially to smash the ‘glass’. I am so tempted just to make the ‘glass’ just to smash it for fun lol
I love waiting on people, and do it as a second job maybe one Saturday a month… I love chatting with the foodie guests, many from the growers market eat where I work & also loads of regulars…
Tipping in Australia is sporadic & rarely a true reflection of the service… Some people tip no matter what, others wouldn’t tip you for the best service they ever got.
When I was young I was a full timer in the hospitality industry & the tips were at times more than my days wage, especially for weekends such as Mardi Gras when Sydney teems with Americans who would hand me a $5 note for a bucket of ice delivered at no charge. Of course our dollar wasn’t as strong then but still..
Last night I was it for dinner with a group, we all put in the amount we owed & one party pocketed the cash & paid on their card. Now I know these people eat at nice places often but I’m not sure where they stand on tipping & as I left I wanted to make sure the staff got a tip but didn’t have a clue how to approach it…
Such a healthy and great looking cake for your dad’s birthday Lorraine, I’m sure you made him feel very special and that it tasted delicious as well.
Tipping….to tip or not to tip, comes purely down to level of food, service and ambience in a restaurant. Hubby and I tip when we eat out, at least 10% or more if the evening has been exceptional. I realise that it’s not necessary because of wages paid here in Australia but if you have travelled overseas,I believe it becomes second nature to tip. We’re very lucky to have that freedom of choice here in Australia because in some countries you seem to be continuously handing out tips for just about everything!
It becomes embarrassing if you go out in a group and some couples won’t tip, even if the night has been outstanding in all ways, especially when you know that they can easily afford to do so.I remedy this by not going out to restaurants with said couple/s.
Fun cake, Lorraine. I’ve made stained glass other things, but never used it with a cake. Bet your dad was happy with his lovely lo-cal cake.
We always tip 18 to 20% Always.
How cool to make a stained glass cake for someone whose hobby is stained glass. I’ll bet he loved it. And yay for having a yummy lower calorie cake in one’s repertoire. And funny, I thought every country had their own specific and well-known rules about tipping? In the US and in France we do.
I tip based on service. In USA it is normally around 10%. One interesting incident I experienced in Japan was that on my second day I was at a café at Shinjuku and the service was so good and I have had such a nice time that I left a tip (force of habit I guess) and the waiter ran outside to bring me my tip back. We sort of argued back and forth but then I realised he genuinely didn’t want it!!!
I sometimes leave an establishment without tip but I never EVER argue and/or throw attitude to a waiter and just because I’m not a belligerent person but because I worked at tourism industry and had lots of friends who are waiters and bartenders so I now what would definitely happen to your food if you do.
Wow, what a cake. Cool that is pretty healthy and finding a way to incorporate your dad’s hobby is amazing. In Canada we tip pretty standardly 15% but I may round up or down to the dollar. Some restaurants are thankful and I have experienced waiters that complained to me about my tip. I have completely taken back my tip in this instance reminding them it was not obligatory on my part.
That’s amazing that this stunning cake is so good for you. Just goes to show how looks can be deceiving — in so many things!
I’m never sure about the tipping idea, do you tip more according to how expensive the meal is or just go by 10%? Anyhow I would much rather concentrate on your gorgeous cake – your dad must have been thrilled
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
that is lovely, lorraine! and bonus–you don’t have to get the coating of frosting smooth in the least.
I love it. You are so clever.
I have been eyeing the Lilli Vanilli book in the shops but it is very pricey! I like her modern twist on cake decorating though.
The cake looks as good as the one in her book, well done!
Good Question!
I never tip in Australia! The reason being service staff here are paid proper wages.
In the USA service staff in at restaurants are paid around $5 an hour, here $20+. However, in the US service staff in supermarkets or fast food are paid proper full wages and don’t receive tips for that reason. Here, all food/retail staff are paid basically the same, hence none or all should be tipped, not just those working in restaurants.
I have worked as a waitress and also doing other jobs such as a ‘checkout chick’ while studying and got paid the same doing both (slightly more as a waitress actually). I don’t understand why if both jobs are being paid the same and if you receive good service at both, why only tip the waitress for her job?
I used to get 3-4 compliments an hour on a checkout for my speed and/or good packing skills, never a tip. I rarely got complimented as a waitress, yet received tips.
It just doesn’t make sense and I think people just copy what they see on TV without thinking why they are doing it. If you tip in Aus you should be tipping ALL service staff as they are all paid the same, not just those in restaurants.
It is true that tipping is very much a matter of context, as tipping is interpreted in different ways depending on the geographical context.
The idea of tipping is, in essence, a discretionary one, which means that you leave something for those who were caring enough to look after you well….. and it stops there!!!
We should not be pushed into having to leave a tip when we are genuinely left with a feeling that no one really bothered to pay a little attention to what we requested.
Let’s face it…. compulsory tipping should not be pushed onto anyone!!!
I live in London, and occasionally here, some restaurants will include a 12.5% service charge in the total bill. I am far from being a scrooge, but I deeply resent being forced into doing something which does not come from the heart… let’s face it… tipping is discretionary and that is it!!!!
NO ONE should make you feel guilty for going with what your leart tells you, and all that you need to do is simply trust your heart….. and that would simply mean that, when you dine out, you enjoy the experience and leave something for the waiters if you are not happy with the service… and you should not feel guilty for however you feel!!!!
It is about time that we take into consideration what we really ‘feel’…… as compared to what we ‘think’ we are ‘expected’ to do!!!!
Subject to what you have experienced, be not afraid to go with what you feel is fair!!!
Tony
Gorgeous cake! It’s my first visit and I just have to leave a comment about tipping in Australia. Or more a question
Where do you all eat? We live in Adelaide, South Australia and all the restaurants we’ve been to since we came (from Scandinavia) six years ago, have been order-at-the counter- pay- and get the heck out type of place. Apart from TGIF, which obviously is American owned and have waiters taking your order.
Do you leave a tip at the counter when you order the food? I mean, the only thing the waiter do is bring you the food to the table(where sometimes I feel it would be easier to get it myself from the kitchen) and nothing else. I have to get up to order my food, to order my drinks (at a different counter) get bottles of (tap water) and glasses and bring back to the table. Why on EARTH should I pay extra for that?
Or have we seriously missed something?
I’m never quite sure what to do when traveling but in the US I generally tip 20% or more if I’m rounding.
What a thoughtful, delicious cake!
xoxo
Mum
A great looking restaurant-it is on the list now. Raclette is a famil favourite.
This is colourful and elegant! I am glad that you asked this question. A waiter in sydney asked me why I hadn’t tipped. I was aghast. Is this what they’re coming to? I explained that his service wasn’t up to scratch and he received a perfectly good wage already. The cheek!
I accidentally pressed return but I wanted to add that I didn’t go back there.
what a gorgeous cake! brilliant idea may I add. I think I’m going to make some stained glass mosaic for my next cake.
In Singapore, there isn’t a custom of tipping. We already have a 10% service charge on top of the food prices. Hence, I generally don’t tip unless I experience exceptional service.
Sooo pretty Lorraine! I love your cake plate too. As for tipping, I don’t really tip in Sydney unless it’s exceptional service. I think that the cost of tips are usually built into the cost of the price, whereas in places like the States, etc I guess its more expected – so I’d say its more like 10% there.. I think it’s also 10% in HK? But it can be tricky when there are expectations at certain establishments… But sometimes its hard to know if the tip even goes to staff. I worked at a certain cafe and there was a tip jar that customers would put money into – but we never saw a cent of it. We were told that the money would go to ‘staff meetings’…? A bit dodgy I think! Especially when the customers expected the money would go to staff..
How cute! I love this deaL
Tips…in Peru we used to pay 10%, but as in your case, we try to round it so it’s more easy to pay the bill. But it’s not a norm,
Seems from the comments most of your readers are from ‘Down Under’. I’m just outside Orlando Fla. It’s good that the wait staff is well paid there, but it meens that they have little reason to go that extra mile.
Hi everyone! Marissa from Pinch and Swirl’s husband found this guide: http://www.swissotel.com/promo/etiquette-map/. I spent a good 15 minutes going through each country. Is your country correct? I have to say that I’m not sure what they mean by “Thumbs up-obscene gesture” in Australia though. As far as I know, it means “it’s all good” but the rest looks about right
I don’t eat out enough to ever feel comfortable with knowing the right way to tip – esp as many places where we eat are the sort where we pay at the counter
but I do know a brilliant cake when I see it – and this cake is just genius – I guess that the toffee doesn’t last too long but love it – and love the cake and frosting too – and even that your dad does stained glass
What a beautiful cake, love the way it looks. Here in Italy, you are not expected to leave a tip as staff is paid a real salary. But if you go out to a fancy restaurant, especially at night, it is customary to would leave a tip of about 10%.
It sucks that tipping is common now in Sydney. In other parts, like Perth, it’s not customary. I think tipping in Sydney’s become a norm thanks to ALL the tourists from tips-needing countries.
The cake is fabulous! what a lovely gesture for your dad. As far as tipping goes, I always try to find out what the norm is wherever I am. In the USA it 15% but 20% is expected in NYC. In Germany where I also live you just round up the check. Waitstaff earn more than minimum wage and don’t work for tips, just for “trinkgeld” – drinking money.
Great cake! We’ve just returned from California, where the state tax was 9.5%. Our average tip was, therefore, twice the tax on the bill so was easy to calculate. When the service was fabulous (which I have to say was more often than in Oz) we tipped more. When it was not so good we rounded to slightly below double. At home we only tip at high end restaurants, and then generally to a rounding figure around 10% or so. I find the dilemma is tipping in the US when you go to a coffee shop etc and they have a tip box. Do I, don’t I? France was generally quite easy – it was on the bill if they were the sort of establishment that demanded it. But really, tipping the girl that washes your hair, plus the hairdresser in the UK – why? I had to but felt it should not have been necessary given the price of the cut.
Waw, Lorraine! You are so inventive & creative, girl!
This stacked stained glass ckae looks fabulisicious too!
Woehoe!
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