A LAKE District hotelier has declared his restaurant a tip-free zone, and criticised the pressure put on diners to fork out on top of the price of their meal.

Thomas Noblett, managing director at the Langdale Chase Hotel in Windermere, said his main gripe was with service charges which were automati-cally added on to a bill.

“I find it really cheeky. You can have two tables where one group has spent £100, and another where they are celebrating so they splash out on an extra round of drinks,” he said.

“If the total comes to £200 then they are penalised on a set percentage charge. There is no difference between the service to the tables so they shouldn’t pay any more.

“I believe when you are providing a service and want people to come to the hotel, you shouldn’t nail them with a surcharge.”

He said customers who decided not to tip faced an awkward ‘walk of shame’ as they left.

Mr Noblett, who trained at The Savoy in London and has worked in Bermuda and the Middle East, said it was a trend deep-rooted in some parts of the world.

“In America 22 per cent can be put on the bill in some cases, whereas tipping in Australia is a new concept and they don’t expect it,” he said.

In the Lake District, Mr Noblett said he thought the service charge issue was more prevalent in big groups, where managers had to work under instruction from a head office.

But he said he was glad to be without the bickering among staff at his own hotel which could be prompted by tips.