Asian visitors make up a major part of Hawaii’s tourism trade, as reflected in window signs all across the island of Oahu, particularly in restaurant and hotel-heavy districts like Waikiki.
But lately a small notice on a menu in Waikiki prompted an outcry — and in some quarters, nods of recognition — about the island’s dealings with foreign visitors. The notice, at a Thai restaurant called Keoni by Keo’s, informed “non-English speaking guests” — in English — that a 15 percent gratuity would be added to their check, an apparent reaction to a custom of some guests, particularly those from Asia, to not tip their waiters.
The restaurant’s owners, who removed the notice from their menu after a local television station reported on it, did not comment. But some other tourism-reliant businesses said they understood the restaurant’s motivation, even if they were surprised it posted the notice.
Hank Taufaasau, the owner of Hank’s Cafe Honolulu, said Asian guests often did not add a gratuity. “It’s not part of their culture,” he said. “They spend a lot of money, but they don’t tip.” Some customers, too, may come from places where gratuities are automatically added to restaurant bills.
Taufaasau emphasized that he did not approve of Keoni by Keo’s actions, but his assessment of the cultural divide was echoed by waiters and managers as well as on primers included with checks at several establishments.
At the Moana Surfrider, a Westin resort at Waikiki, the lessons come with the check — and in six languages. “Our international guests often ask about gratuities,” the primer reads in English. “Quality service is customarily acknowledged by a gratuity of 15-20 percent.”
Alan Shepard, 35, who waits tables at an Italian restaurant in Honolulu, said waiters knew that serving parties of Asian visitors — and some Europeans — often meant a lot of work for little reward. “You know you’re not going to get a gratuity,” he said. “It doesn’t soften the blow, but you just know.”
Jeff Lau, the president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, said he was certain that Keo’s — which is owned by a Thai native — had not meant to offend, but was merely trying to protect its employees, who rely on tips for their livelihood.
“I have had other restaurateurs concerned about that,” he said.
But he said the notice — which was part of a more commonplace announcement that large parties would also be subject to a 15 percent gratuity — was probably a clumsy way of handling it.
“It’s how you say it and how it’s presented and how you make sure your tourists don’t feel like they’re getting ripped off,” Lau said. “Because all of us, in Hawaii, we depend on tourism.”
Last week, Keoni by Keo’s had seemingly changed its mind, whiting out the notice on their menus, though a pair of rubber stamps at the cash register — one written in English, one in Japanese — still read “15 percent gratuity included.”
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