The Tipping Point

BanguIzai SG

While the Restaurant Association of Singapore mulls over whether to introduce tipping, Lisa-Ann Lee wonders if the move will (finally) improve service standards. With additional reporting by Kurt Ganapathy, Arman Shah and Darryl Koe.

It’s one of those questions that never fail to spark a debate: To tip or not to tip? For as long as anyone can remember, Singapore, like many other Asian countries, has always been a tip-free zone. Indeed, in the ‘70s, it was precisely because the government wanted to eradicate tipping that the 10 percent service charge was introduced. Lately however, this looks set to change. While they may be in the minority, a few cafes and restaurants have already begun waiving the service charge. The Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS) has also been studying how tipping works in the US for several years and while studies are still in the preliminary stage, it hopes to see how tipping might help improve service standards here. Currently the 10 percent service charge that customers pay in restaurants goes to the owners and helps cover staff’s salaries and miscellaneous expenses. It is hoped that if the money goes directly to the servers, this will motivate them to provide better service.
RAS general manager Fong Kwok Shiung acknowledges that implementing it won’t be easy in Singapore since the notion of good service is a subjective one. “It depends on the diner’s perspective and as such, the yardstick can be quite varied. Also, while studying the scene in the US, we noticed a problem—and that is as long as you give the customer a fork and spoon, and a glass of water, it is considered good service. We need to see how we can implement it so that service staff are tipped for good service, and not just for performing their duties.”

Tipping: Will it really take off?
However, while the idea of tipping might sound good on paper, many of those working in the restaurant industry are ambivalent about whether it will actually work here. Simon Phoon, a cook at Western café Food for Thought in Bugis and a seven-year veteran in the industry, believes that tipping is a step forward but only if the money collected goes back to the staff. “In my previous company, the management used to cut into our tips to pay for repairs and other miscellaneous things.” For others, the biggest obstacle lies in the fact that unlike the US, tipping is not part of the culture in Singapore. Says Willin Low, chef-owner of Wild Rocket, “I am not sure [this will take off] unless the government runs a campaign to encourage tipping! Even then I don’t know if that will be effective because culturally Singaporeans rarely tip and I think it is very hard to convince them to do so.”
Others point to Singaporeans’ money-pinching ways. Asks Edina Hong, co-owner of Saint Pierre, “How do you expect customers to tip the wait staff when they’re asking us for a discount or requesting that we waive the corkage?” Nick Iman, co-owner of The Smoke Shack in Tanjong Pagar, says simply, “I don’t think Singaporeans will do this because we’re too cheap.”
Customers we interviewed also had mixed feelings about replacing the service charge with tipping. Understandably, those with experience in the service industry were more inclined to look favorably upon the idea. “From a service point of view, I definitely think tipping is a good idea as servers will now have an incentive to work harder and provide better service,” says flight steward Rishibaraj Mohan. “But honestly, I don’t think Singaporeans are appreciative enough to start tipping. Some will, but the service must be ridiculously excellent (like a free drink on the server’s tab) for a Singaporean customer to voluntarily tip a restaurant.”
And then there are those like events executive Winnie Eng who feel that the service charge should remain and that tips should be given at the discretion of the diner. “Servers should be passionate about their jobs, and they shouldn’t just provide good service because they think they will be tipped,” she says. Student Lim Chu Ern feels that the poor standards of service in Singapore don’t warrant replacing the service charge. “Why should I reward service staff for doing such a terrible job of something that they ought to be good at? People will naturally tip if they feel the service is worth it. There’s no need to make it a fixed rule to do so.”

Beyond monetary gains
But even if tipping were to gain a foothold in Singapore, many feel that it takes more than monetary incentive to improve service standards here. Indeed, the latest customer satisfaction survey conducted by the SMU’s Institute of Service Excellence shows the country lagging behind rivals Hong Kong and South Korea, with satisfaction levels for the restaurant sector dipping for the third consecutive year. For some, this sad state of affairs is hardly surprising and can be attributed to the lack of a service culture. Says Jay Hequet of Fou de Fafa, “Good service isn’t just about smiling and greeting a customer. There is an inner part of service that is part of one’s culture, that is, you are taught from a young age how to serve and make a visitor to your home feel welcome. For someone who’s been brought up in such a culture, providing good service comes easily.” Her solution for this? Incorporate the notion of service as part of people’s education in schools so that it comes more naturally to them when they enter the industry.
But by far, everyone we spoke to agreed that the most pressing issue that needs to be addressed is the image of the service industry. Says Ben Bousnina, general manager of Rasa Sentosa Resort, “Working in the service industry is not a blue-collar vocation that anyone can do. We need to change the image of service personnel and draw people who have the aptitude and the right attitude. Service is an attitude. Good service is good not because of the act of the service, but the thought behind it.”
However, attracting the right people is easier said than done. As Hong points out, “The ones who can give good service—we’re talking about those who like to meet and talk to people—are not in this industry. They’ve all become doctors and lawyers. You will never get them because service staff here are treated so poorly.” As such, many believe there needs to be a change in the public’s mindset if things are to improve. Says Low, “I think we need to have a mindset change at three levels. First, business owners need to take action to ensure that service staff are trained and taught that proper service and politeness should be a way of life. Second, service staff must be made to feel that their job is just as respectable as any other so they can take pride in their jobs and do it well. Third, customers must treat service staff with respect. If you were to go to someone’s house to eat and they serve you, would you be rude to them?”
Would it help to increase the pay of service industry workers? Hong believes that though this sounds ideal, it is not without its own problems. “If you pay people better, you have to start charging a higher price and the expectations of customers will also increase in turn.”
Unlike the retail industry which has GEMS, a movement set up to improve service standards in the retail industry, the F&B industry has no such program. Will it help to implement something similar? The opinions are mixed. While many acknowledge that implementing such a program is a step in the right direction, some like Hequet question whether it will actually change anything. “We have to look at what we want to get out of it and whether it’s results driven. If it is done on a superficial level, meaning that all you do is give out stars, it won’t really change things at all. Someone who’s really good at giving good service will have no problems being “Employee of the Month” but what about the rest of the staff? However, if it is done on a deeper level, and it is accredited, then yes, it will be helpful.”
To return to the question: Can service standards here be improved? While solutions abound, it looks like the answers are far from easy. What is certain, however, is that something has to be done soon if we don’t want to keep lagging behind our Asian neighbors. While the RAS may still be gathering feedback from its studies, at least there’s hope that change is slowly, but surely, taking place. The point to be made about tipping is that it’s not really about the money. It’s about showing that you appreciate your server, as many of those in the service industry whom we interviewed have pointed out. If someone has done a really good job, shouldn’t the 10 percent go to him or her instead of to the restaurant? This idea seems generally well received but whether tipping actually takes off depends on whether most of us would actually do it. Given our famously tight-fisted ways, how many people would honestly leave a tip if there wasn’t a service charge and if tipping wasn’t made mandatory?
If Singapore is ever going to be a world-class city with world-class service, perhaps it’s time we acknowledged that we too have a role to play in making things better both for ourselves and the people serving us, and that we shouldn’t just wait for the government to turn things around.

While much has been said about falling service standards, should customers shoulder some of the blame as well?

For every complaint about Singapore’s service professionals, there are just as many about local customers. Indeed, ask anyone in the service industry and they’ll tell you Singaporean customers can be a difficult lot to please. Says Sunyah Riduan, a part-time Starbucks shift manager, “Locals are worse [than foreigners] because they make sure that every cent they spend is worth it. They can be nasty, especially when there are service charges involved and some expect to be served like kings and queens.”
For many that we spoke to, these demanding attitudes are further compounded by Singaporeans’ kiasu mentality. Observes Winnie Eng, “When traveling, Singaporeans never fail to ask for early check-in and late check out.
They tend to make full use of the amenities and facilities they are entitled to. If their request fails to get fulfilled, Singaporeans will find their ways to get hold of any ‘FOC apology gift’.
Other service industry insiders say that there is also the issue of respect (or lack thereof) surrounding customers’ attitudes towards people in the service industry. Customers have a role to play if they want good service, and this begins with respecting, or at the very least, acknowledging the servers, instead of expecting it just because one is a paying customer. However, getting this mutual respect is easier said than done given the poor regard most people have for jobs in the service industry. Says Fou de Fafa’s Jay Hequet, “In Europe, waiters are well-respected professionals. However, over here, being a waiter or a restaurant manager is seen as a loser’s job; you do it because you need the extra money or because you can’t find anything better.” It also doesn’t help that most Singaporeans in general are very demanding or that some of them treat waiters like servants. Sums up Saint Pierre’s Edina Hong: “If you don’t respect the people serving you, how do you expect to get good service in return?”

You can be sure these people won’t be leaving a tip.

"After being ignored for five minutes, I finally managed to get the waitress’ attention and ask for a glass of water. Her response? “Yah, I know.” One menu item wasn’t available, and she got visibly pissed off waiting for us to choose a replacement. When it was time to pay, the cashier punched in the numbers and stared blankly at me; I had to ask for the price, and after paying, of course, there was no “thank you”".—Goh Wei Siang

I called to order a pizza, and asked the phone operator about their specials. After listening to him ramble on for 10 minutes, I said I was ready to order, and the operator asked, “Does that mean you want to order now?” When I said I did, he said, “Hello welcome to XXX, my name is YYY”, as if our previous conversation had never happened.—Kit Katharine Ho

I was at a Thai eatery with my sister, and just as she was about to eat her Pad Thai, she noticed that there was a lizard in it. Shocked, we informed the staff, and they gave us a new one, but still charged us for it. Needless to say, we haven’t gone back since.—Swathi Avadhani

We have campaigns telling us to be courteous, to speak good English and to get married and have children. It was only a matter of time before someone came up with the idea for the Go the Extra Mile Movement (GEMS) campaign. But how effective has it really been?
Launched in October 2005, GEMS’ goal was to increase the nation’s standards of service through a variety of measures including training programs and leadership seminars (If you’re Singaporean, you know the drill.) But has it really improved matters? The answer depends on how much you enjoy crunching numbers. In a press release issued by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) in 2007, its list of achievements includes a 65 percent increase in sales growth at 10 pilot companies a year after launching the Customer Centric Initiative (CCI) for the retail sector and providing more than 400 SMEs in the heartlands with WSQ “Provide GEMS Service” training since April 2006.
If one’s criterion for measuring good service involves sending as many people as possible for training courses and then issuing them a certificate stating that they have successfully completed the course, then yes, GEMS has been a resounding success. But if what we’re interested in are results, then the answer becomes less straightforward. How exactly does one measure good service—by the number of greetings or smiles we get when we enter a shop? If a sales rep smiles and greets you but tells you to refer to the company’s website or marketing brochure when you ask a question, is this considered good service or is it a superficial facsimile of what service should really be about?
This in turn begs the question: Can service be taught? Bernice Wilson, section head of Temasek Polytechnic’s Diploma in Culinary & Catering Management program, thinks so. “It is possible for good service to be taught and learned,” she says. “It’s about making sure that a habit forms. At Temasek Polytechnic, we start with the very basics. We insist on formal greetings. Not a casual “Morning” but “Good Morning Sir” or “Good Morning Ma’am”, and if you know the person’s name, you refer to them by their name.” But she also acknowledges that inculcating good service is something that requires time and commitment. “ Service was mostly bad 10 years ago, but now it’s 50/50. There is more awareness, and attempts at providing good customer service, but the delivery is sometimes lacking. There is some “slapping of the wrist;” for example if a customer wants a change in an item on the menu, service staff may accept, then say, ‘Okay, but next time don’t. This time I’ll let it go.’”
Last year, the government launched the next phase of the GEMS movement. Called GEMS Up, the goal is to raise service standards even further, changing the public’s perception of the service industry by profiling service role models and making the overall service industry “cheaper, better and faster” so the country can remain competitive. Spearheading this phase are Changi Airport Group, ION Orchard, and Sentosa Development Corporation, which have pledged to show “visible transformation” by next year.
Will we see a dramatic transformation in service standards and more importantly, will Singaporeans be attracted to a career in the service industry? It’s anybody’s guess but suffice to say, check back next year to find out.

Clivebenss SG

Tipping the balance.