Ask Ashley Wednesday

After posting about tipping yesterday I received a great question from a reader:

What should you do when you're dining with a larger party and the restaurant adds tip to the total bill rather than the pre-tax amount? (Especially if you're with people you're trying to impress.)

It's not so much the money, it's the principle. 

As we've seen in other facets of society just because something is considered appropriate etiquette doesn't necessarily mean everyone follows the rules.  If a restaurant adds an automatic gratuity based on party size or simply has made this part of it's restaurant culture, there isn't really a protocol for handling whether or not they tip on the pre-tax amount.  Regretfully, we have to play by their rules, assuming that they have denoted the amount of gratuity added either on the menu or your receipt.

Content and Illustrations ©2010 Ashley Brooke Designs. All Rights Reserved.

Ask Ashley Wednesday

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for a question from a reader!  This stems from last weeks post on beverage etiquette:

Hey, I was just reading your post about tea and coffee and was wondering, when you are served a drink in a bar and they put the stir stick in.  What should you do with that?  I use it to stir and then dispose of it as soon as I can.  Some people drink from it ;(.  What is proper?  Just curious!

Pat

Well, according to Emily Post's Etiquette, this is the proper way to handle straws and stir sticks placed in cocktails:

"When drinking a cocktail the only non edible item you should leave in your glass is a straw; swizzle sticks and paper umbrella go onto the table or your bread plate.  At parties hold such accoutrements in a napkin until you find a waste receptacle. "

Hope this helps Pat, thanks for your question!!

xo,

Ashley Brooke

Ask Ashley Wednesday!

Feel free to e-mail me or post comments

(I will post questions and answers anonymously)
on etiquette questions that you have.

I am looking forward to your questions!

Ask Ashley Wednesday!

Feel free to e-mail me or post comments
(I will post questions and answers anonymously)

on etiquette questions that you have.
I am looking forward to your questions!

Gift or no gift when RSVPing no to a child's birthday party?!

I received a great etiquette question last Wednesday asking:

If you are invited to a child's birthday party and you are just "so so" friends with the mother and you can't make it to the party, must you follow up with a gift later?

My thoughts initial thoughts on this is no.

Especially since you are most likely going to 3 birthday parties every weekend!

But I do think there are certain circumstances that the answer should be yes.

One, if they are family members, I think you should send a gift.

And two, if they are nearby neighbors.

I hope this helps!

Also, I received another non-etiquette questions last Wednesday asking:

What do you use to do your drawings? colored pencils or markers?

Do you do watercolor too?

I actually use a combination of markers, felt tip pens, and colored pencils.

Occasionally I use watercolors, but that is more for when I do landscapes, flowers, etc.

Ask Ashley Wednesday!

Feel free to e-mail me or post comments

(I will post questions and answers anonymously)
on etiquette questions that you have.

I am looking forward to your questions!

Bringing it back: Ask Ashley Wednesday!

Back by popular demand, "Ask Ashley Wednesday"!Feel free to e-mail me or post comments

(I will post questions and answers anonymously)

on etiquette questions that you have.

I am looking forward to helping you!