TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin 15% service charge

What is the true story? Some places charge it, some places don’t. Four different restaurants told us four different stories. I don’t think putting out 35% makes sense at all! What are most of you doing? I just don’t want to be “took”!
The Hilton put a card in with our bill saying the waiter gets none of this money. Is this true?
Skip Jacks’s waiter said it was a government tax?
Help?

It is NOT a government tax; the server was misleading you. A service charge, or whatever they want to call it, is basically an added/forced tip/gratuity. What happens to any service charge should not be your concern, it is between the employee and employer. Once you ask, you open yourself up to being misled, lied to, and made feel guilty. You are admitting to the person you do not know how things work. If you want to add another 5% or so (usually in cash), that is your choice and what we do if service warrants it.

Funny. I was just wondering about the same. Having said that, I know that government has nothing to do with it. What I find interesting is who does it on sxm and who does not.

Pretty simple, just assume it's part of the tip and add some extra in cash if warranted based on service. On the French side we usually leave 10%-ish in euros (usually less service charge issues.)

There is a 5% TOT/government tax (turnover tax) but it is to be included in the menu price (Dutch side) and NOT shown as a line item on a bill.

French side, service charge is INCLUDED in the menu price.

Yeah, I know. 👍

This is the card that the Hilton by the bridge puts in your bill holder.:


Please Note:
A Service Charge has been added to your bill to Support essential restaurant operations, including our kitchen and support staff.
This charge is not a gratuity and is not distributed to your server.
If you would like to leave a tip for your server, it would be sincerely appreciated and goes directly to them.

Everything Rural Carrier stated and more so.👌

They can say anything they want, but that is not your problem and if a server chooses to work under those conditions, it is their choice. And maybe not a good choice.

What JD said, times two.

Although I will say that if there is no auto gratuity, we basically usually give 20%, but if there is one, usually that is all we leave. So the server gets less. Check the menu to see if there is anything on there about it, examine the bill and see if there is anything like "tax" or service. If so, don't ask anyone anything, as they will lie to you.

Went to the new kebab spot on the boardwalk, and also they charged 15% on top of their 9$ sandwich. And gotta say, I had better.

I don't think Sam has tax on food. They do have a 5% turn over tax but the is not to be paid by the customer its a business tax, As for as we are concrete the SC is the Tip, all of the business expenses should be in the price of the meal. I fair restaurant will give all of the tip to the server , sometimes they share a small amount of the tip with the kitchen staff. I would hate to be in the restaurant business on SXM. Just to many problems and the risks are too big and margins to small.

Correct. SXM has no tax on food or anything except the hotel tax on visitors and a weekly 50 TS usage tax. Agree with everything else stated.

It's got to be tough on the server to have to explain every time to a patron asks"What's this 15% for?" Like the old saying, "read the fine print" this way you know what you are in for at the end of your dining experience!!!

Sadly, some, maybe many, do not explain it accurately and lead the customer in the wrong direction in order to extort a bigger tip. That is why it is best to NOT ask.

When Piaza Pascal was in Grand Case the waiter made a point of telling us there was no tip on the bill. Since we knew better we left nothing extra. Had he not tried to deceive us he would have gotten what the French call A Pour Boise, a little something more from us.

Technically, there is no "tip" on a bill on the French side, but there is (or should be) a service charge included in the menu price. Le pourboire/tip is a little something extra if warranted.

forever--according to SXM law, the TOT is NOT to be charged to the consumer. I didn't know any businesses on island were still running that little 'scam'.

You mean like Jimmy used to do?

Not all Dutch restaurants print it on the menu.

It's why the first thing I look for on any menu anywhere is whether a service charge has been added.
Top tip - it's ALWAYS the smallest typeface and usually hidden away so that while it complies with any law that may be mandated it also still tries to fool the customer banking on them to be too embarrassed at the end of the meal to ask if it's included.
My other golden rule is if the gratuity line is deliberately left vacant on a bill where a service charge has already been added I insist on that charge being removed and pay no tip either.
I've had some great rows with maître d's over the years but never backed down once.

Exactly. The TOT is not to be paid by the customer , but when I read some restaurants call the 15% a tax that's not correct. No Tax on food on SXM.