Englisch BHS, Maturatraining mit Audio-CD

20 Reading No tipping – better restaurants? Read the text about the practice of tipping in restaurants. Parts of the text have been removed. Choose the correct part (A–K) for each gap (1–8). There are two extra parts that you should not use. Write your answers in the spaces provided. The first one (0) has been done for you. 06 No tipping – better restaurants? e New York restaurant owner Danny Meyer has decided to eliminate tipping in his establish- ments. Although this goes against the American tradition, it will certainly give consumers some- thing worth (0) if it’s universally accepted. Of all the countries with Michelin-starred restaurants, waiters in the US probably have the highest tip expectations. Nowhere else in the world is a 20% tip the social norm. It’s why Euro- pean waiters smile so broadly when (1) , and why American waiters are less fond of Euro- pean visitors. e US has a bizarre government-imposed system that bans waiters from sharing tips with cooks, dishwashers and other sta† who do not in- teract with customers. Although the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, some restau- rants are allowed to pay waiters just $2.13, (2) to make up the di†erence in tips. As a result, the average hourly pay for American waiters is now $4, or less than $700 per month, based on a 40-hour week. Not tipping waiters in the US is therefore more than an insult, it is an attack on their livelihood. e average pay for a cook is $9. However, because a waiter can make more than his pay check in tips, there’s a problem: the serving sta† are paid better than the people actually (3) . is inequality is the reason why Meyer and some other US restaurateurs are abolishing tips. In Switzerland, the country with the most Michelin-starred restaurants per capita, tips were oŒcially abolished in the 1970s. As a result a service charge of 10%-15% is added to every restaurant bill. Switzerland has one of the small- est black economies in the world, with restaurant owners routinely (4) , as well as on the food they sell in their establishments. Service charges are similarly included in the bill in France (15% is mandatory), Belgium and Hong Kong, and the customer only adds more if the service has been exceptional. Many French waiters expect that as a matter, of course – not that they’re as badly paid as their US counter- parts, but just because they’re French! In Belgium and Denmark, (5) is generally enough. In mainland China, as well as in Japan, tipping is largely seen as humiliating. In cultures where tips are not part of the business model, even line cooks normally make considerably more than waiters. at – along with culinary tradition of course – accounts for the greater number of top class restaurants in these countries. Countries where (6) in the bill is not required – such as Germany, Spain or the UK – have relatively fewer such high quality establish- ments. Again, that could be a matter of food tradition, but the chaos (7) a lack of clear tipping rules probably contributes to the lower quality of these markets. Tipping, of course, is very American in nature. It goes with a competitive, achievement orientat- ed culture. But it doesn’t create restaurants where food, service and general ambience combine to make a memorable experience. e US will never be completely tip-free like Japan. It could, however, move to the Swiss system where every bill has a service charge (8) , but where waiters and cooks still make decent salaries, commensurate with their skills. e bill would probably be bigger, but customers would be less likely to complain if there were less hassle and a better overall experience. Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv