Giggling Squid, the Thai restaurant chain, has revealed figures which show a marked contrast in the level of tips left by customers at its different branches.
Henley-on-Thames tops the table with an average tip of 9 percent, which is almost 3 times the typical gratuity left by Brighton customers at just 3.2 percent. Brighton’s neighbour, Hove, is one place ahead with an average tip of 4 percent, confirming a distinct regional difference for the south coast. Their full break down is:
Henley-on-Thames 9.0%
Tunbridge Wells 6.7%
Crawley 6.5%
Reigate 5.7%
Hove 4.0%
Brighton 3.2%
Average spend per customer in Brighton at £22 is also lowest across the group, comparing to £30 in Henley, with identical menus.
No compulsory service charge
The Giggling Squid has a group-wide policy of not adding a compulsory service charge to customers’ bills, leaving it to the customer to decide.
Perhaps customers in Brighton and Hove simply have too many other attractions for their money, since customer feedback there is high and reports on review websites such as TripAdvisor are equally positive. This is confirmed by the fact that the volume of customers and takings are also at record levels. Year-on-year, customer numbers are up 15 percent with sales having risen by 27%.
Quest to become first national Thai chain
The chain will monitor the regional tipping differences around the country as it embarks on its quest to become the first national Thai chain in Britain. New openings in Stratford-upon-Avon and Marlow are scheduled for this Autumn, with a ninth restaurant expected in Maidstone in the New Year. Negotiations are also taking place on 4 more properties.
Giggling Squid expects to grow its portfolio of ‘Thai Tapas’ restaurants in Britain to 80 sites within 7 years.
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