Gordon Ramsay hits diners with 20% service charge as restaurants adopt US-style tipping culture

Published: 15:26, 26 April 2026 | Updated: 15:44, 26 April 2026 Gordon Ramsay has hit diners with a 20 per cent service charge as US-style tipping culture is adopted by more restaurants. Last year the celebrity chef, 59, put the hefty tipping charge on his Christmas and New Year menu at Lucky Cat at London's 22 Bishopsgate. Most of Mr Ramsay's eateries, including Savoy Grill and The River, have a 15 per cent service charge. The regular everyday Al La Carte menus at Lucky Cat also specify a 15 per cent charge, with the special higher percentage only applied to festive menus. However, both are higher than the typical 10 per cent or 12.5 per cent service charge added to bills at most restaurants in the UK. Mr Ramsay's tips are even higher than those typically in place at the establishments of his rivals, such as his former mentor Marco Pierre White's English Chophouse which adds 12.5 per cent to bills.  Raymond Blanc's Brasserie Blanc, Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck and Rick Stein's Fish Restaurant all use a 12.5 per cent service. The 20 per cent figure is more reflective of the tipping culture in America where servers are paid less and rely on tips to makeup the majority of their income.  The celebrity chef, 59, has introduced the hefty tipping charge on his Christmas and New Year menu at Lucky Cat at London's 22 Bishopsgate Increasingly, the standard tip in the US is 20 per cent, up from 15 per cent previously. Tourists posting about their refusal to adhere to the US cultural norm have received backlash from Americans who claim it is a huge social taboo to under-tip waiters. The topic often sparks fierce debate with our friends across the pond, with Brits arguing customers should not be burdened with the extra charge and instead restaurant bosses should pay their staff a living wage. But Americans say that is just how it is and refusing to tip the full amount could leave a server short of rent or money for their own food. They often say people should not go out to eat at restaurants if they cannot afford to leave a 20 per cent tip, but Britons - and a few brave Americans - point out this logic would exclude thousands of poorer families from eating out. Many high-end restaurants in London charge a 15 per cent service fee, with some upping it to 20 per cent for large bookings or events. Even some pubs have introduced service charges for punters buying a pint of beer. Pubs owned by the Scotsman Group in Scotland began levying an automatic two per cent service charge on drinks ordered at the bar in 2024. It was a shock to some Brits but it is common practice in the US to pay a tip on each individual drink bought at a bar. Daily Mail has reached out to Gordon Ramsay Restaurants for comment.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.