Finishing a meal at a restaurant and seeing a service charge at the bottom of your bill is becoming a more regular occurrence in Kent.

But what do the general public and those working in the industry think of this automatic tipping trend? Reporter Millie Bowles spoke to customers and bosses alike to find out…

For some of us, it’s one of the most socially awkward things you can do - ask for the automatic service charge to be taken off your bill.

But new research suggests more than a fifth of customers are doing just that.

There’s no doubt the trend of automatic tips is becoming more common - and is now in place at the gastropub where I used to work.

But while some people think it “makes life easier”, others KentOnline spoke to this week are not in favour.

Trevor Gardiner, 71, who runs free history tours of Canterbury, said: “I don't like the fact that somebody's putting their hands in my pockets.”

“I think they should cut out where it comes automatically on the till roll.

“I'm very happy to pay if they do a good job but I don't think people should have to be embarrassed about what they tip and how they do it.

“If I had bad service in a restaurant I would ask for it to be taken off.”

Another opposed is Mark McBooton, who was shocked to see an automatic service charge on his bill at a cafe in Cliftonville, Margate, despite having to order at the till.

He wasn’t happy with his eggs and sent them back to be replaced.

“I normally have a rule: if I've got to stand up to order, you’re not getting tipped…”

He went up to pay, as the only table service was when food was brought to the table, and was shocked by the £25 price tag for two coffees and the two meals.

The member of staff informed him a service charge of 12% was included on the bill, which was then taken off.

The 65-year-old said: “I'd been coming here for over a year and I've never noticed that.

“They've got one of those cups at the cashier so I’ve been throwing my change in there helping them out, not realising I’ve been double-tipping.

“I normally have a rule: if I've got to stand up to order, you’re not getting tipped.

“If I'm sitting down, and you're attentive to my needs - great, you are definitely getting something if the food is up to par.

“But, on this occasion, I felt like I was being robbed because I didn't know that I was being hit with a service charge.”

The venue does list the service charge as discretionary on its menu and tells customers to let a member of staff know if they do not want to pay it.

Mr McBooton added: “I don't need prompting because if I've had good service, I will definitely leave something.

“It should be at our discretion and not put in our face with the charge or buttons on a card machine.

“I do think it’s a bit awkward asking for it to be removed too.

“I’ll happily tip servers all day long, but I'm not going to have it rubbed in my face.”

But some customers say they actually like automatic service charges, as it saves them the hassle of working out how much to give.

Gaynor Denton, 67, from Chilham told KentOnline it “makes life easier”.

She explained: “I think you don't have to worry at the end of the meal, particularly if you're in a group.

“I think it's just simple and I think everyone deserves a tip, so I'm more than happy with it.

“If it was bad I would take it off.”

A new law came into force on July 1, which says all tips must go to waiting staff.

This followed revelations that restaurant chain Pizza Express was taking a proportion of cash away from those working on the floor.

However, there is no law stopping mandatory service charges from being added by businesses or determining what percentage should be given.

It counts as ‘mandatory’ if it is not clear to the customer that it is discretionary. In such cases, these payments are then subject to National Insurance contributions.

Nowadays, gratuities are usually pooled together and then split among everyone working the shift.

I worked in a gastropub for four years, eventually becoming a supervisor, and this was the case then whether it was cash, card or a percentage on the bill.

Soon after I left about two years ago, an automatic service charge of 10% was added to tables of six or more.

Now, this applies to all tables.

As a waitress, it was reassuring to know that when I’d worked hard to look after a table of 12, I would get a tip at the end of it all.

But, it’s just as awkward for a server to be asked to take the charge off as it is for the customer asking.

So, what do restaurateurs and waiting staff think about it all?

Ali Adam runs The Old Weaver’s House just next to the Stour in Canterbury with his family.

It is thought to be the oldest restaurant in the city, dating back to the 1500s.

Their policy is to add a 10% charge to all tables over six.

They also have a pop-up on card machines, which asks if you would like to leave a little extra when you go to pay.

The 26-year-old said: “When it’s a table of six or more, you give them a lot - but it's still optional.

“Sometimes they want to pay separately or you have to do a lot of things for them.

“You give them more service, basically.

“If they don't want to pay, they usually tell you ‘Can you remove it, if you don’t mind’.

“We just take it off.”

Mr Adam says he only remembers someone asking for it to be removed when they believed the owners would get the money and not the staff on shift.

He added: “When they have to pay, the card machine has options for 10% or 15%.

“So we tell them this is just an option and if they would like to make a selection.

“There's an option not to tip so they can choose still.”

When asked if the card machine may be awkward for someone who doesn’t want to tip at all, he said: “Obviously, it's your choice. Nobody's got a gun in their face saying they have to do it.”

Lucy Saville works as a supervisor at The Drapers Arms in the city centre.

The 21-year-old said: “We don’t have one for general service because we're not so much a table service kind of place.

“Food-wise, we tend to tell people to pop up to the bar to order their food.

“To put a service charge on that is not really our thing, but for services that are like bottomless brunch, where there is that push service, then yeah, absolutely we do put a service charge on.”

Miss Saville says she never expects a gratuity from anyone and believes people would actually be inclined to tip more if it’s not “forced” on them.

“You never know what someone's financial situation is and whether they can afford to put that extra little bit on,” she said.

“If we have someone ask for the charge to be taken off, which we have before, we tend to not really get funny about it because it's completely their decision.

“It's their choice whether they want to give that extra to the staff.”

Just up the road, The Veg Box cafe is a laid-back vegan venue, where customers usually order at the counter.

Supervisor Akanksha Sharma said: “We don't put on a service charge because it all depends upon the person.

“If they feel happy with our services, with the food, with the ambience, with the atmosphere, then they are free to give us whatever amount they want to give us.

“I think it should be up to the customer.

“Sometimes people don’t want to have to ask the manager to take it off.

“I think it's better not to put on any service charges.”

Whether you’re happy to pay or not, an extra cost which you possibly didn’t notice beforehand is not a nice way to end a dinner out.

In many cases, it is at the bottom of the menu in small print and it could be argued that this is hiding the charge until the last minute.

It is good to note you do not have to pay a service charge, and if they tell you you do, you can fight it.

Which? magazine says if you're unhappy with the quality of food you receive, you're entitled to a price reduction under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 which could include not paying the service charge.

If the restaurant fails to make the charge clear to you, then you can argue that the cost does not form part of your contract with them.