Service charge
What it really means
A charge (often 12.5%) some restaurants add to the bill instead of a tip, usually marked "optional" or "discretionary". If it is on the bill, you do not need to tip again. You may ask for it to be removed if service was poor.
Context, tips & common mistakes
A 'discretionary' or 'optional' service charge — commonly 10 to 12.5 per cent, near-universal in London restaurants and increasingly common elsewhere — is exactly what the word says: you can ask for it to be removed if service was genuinely poor, and staff cannot insist you pay it. Do check the bill before adding a tip, because paying a service charge and then tipping on top is the classic visitor double-payment; if service charge is included, nothing more is expected. Since the tipping law that took effect in 2024, employers in Great Britain must pass 100 per cent of tips and service charges to workers without deductions, which removed the old worry that a card-paid service charge never reached the staff. Some venues add the charge only for larger tables — look for a note on the menu. If a charge was compulsory and clearly stated up front, it forms part of the advertised price and is harder to dispute, so query anything unclear before ordering.