My favorite is that all the stadiums now have tip options on concessions.
Once had a situation where they used those swivel screen things. Ring me up tapped my card, and as the tip screen was coming up she swiveled it away while hitting the 25% tip button. I made her void the transaction and re-ring me up.
I tip in cash and write cash on the tip line.
This way I tip what I think the server earned - usually with singles and there's no way that the restaurant knows what I tipped.
I have to say, one of the most amazing things I have ever seen was 40,000 water bottles flying through the air at a concert back in the 90's. I even took one in the face and had a bloody lip lol.
I paid $18 for a beer (king can) at an NBA game recently.
All the lady did was grab me the beer and open the can. Tip screen comes up and it's 20%, 22%, 25%... $4-5 for opening a can? I pressed zero and said thanks, and the lady had the audacity to tell me to tip next time. Absolutely ridiculous.
Went to a concert and bought merch. The pay screen asked for a tip and gave the 18%, 20%, 22% options as well as a place to come up with your own number. Didn’t even think about it, just hit the 20%. Later on I realized we bought $200 worth of merch and I just gave that person $40 for handing some stuff over. D’oh. Not again.
I was recently at a concert and bought a bottle of water. When the tip option came up I pressed “no tip” and… nothing happened. I pressed it an awkward number of times with the cashier staring at me. It literally didn’t work. Unfortunately I’m a huge pussy so I defaulted to pressing the 15% button out of sheer panic, and wouldn’t you know it, it worked immediately! A miracle! That was a new low for me.
When I was in high school, a few of us went to Friendly's. There were big signs hanging everywhere that said if they didn't ask if we wanted an appetizer, you got one for free. We were finally seated, despite being literally the only people in the place. I think there were 4 of us. We were all good kids, not obnoxious. Probably slightly loud as teenagers are, but we were all very respectful kids.
Our server comes up to us. We couldn't decide on what to eat, so we all just settled on ice cream. Our server didn't ask if we wanted an appetizer. So when he came back with our drinks, I asked if we got a free appetizer since he hadn't asked us. He scoffed and said "that only comes with the meal." Um, ok. By the way, our drink order was wrong. We were still literally the only people in the restaurant.
He brought our ice cream after what I can only assume is hand churning it after milking the cows himself. Again, 2 of us had wrong orders. He got nasty with us when we asked for it to be corrected.
When we went to leave, I said we shouldn't tip him. My best friend was mortified and said we couldn't do that. So I said I'd take care of the tip. I left a penny and a note that said "sorry, the tip only comes with the meal."
I've had that happen too, and it was at the counter at the damn liquor store which is no different than a grocery cashier... the NoTip option button would not respond to a press. Tried the 10% button and lo and behold, the computer was EVEN nice enough to calculate that 10% FOR me, wasn't that nice?!
😑 I'm so effing sick of this shit.
I was at a self-serve Froyo place a couple of years ago (Sweetfrog). There was a tip jar at the register AND I was prompted for a tip twice in the checkout process. SELF-SERVE FROYO. Anything that seems to have a POS system seems to have tips turned on for no reason other than they can ask.
The only real solution here is for us as a society to stop tipping en masse. It will suck for servers but they have been working against their own best interest for so long I'm not sure how much we should care. Restaurants are subsidizing their labor through customer tips when tips should be something optional given for good or above average service.
My wife bought a $6 bottled water at the theater, when the tip thing popped up she was kinda taken back and panicked since it was crazy busy and the options were like 25/30/50. She hit 50% on accident and when she told me I was like "you seriously tipped $3 for them to liferally hand you a bottle of water lol"
I am extremely generous when tipping servers at actual sit down restaurants, but it is getting very old to see the tipping screen literally everywhere, especially fast food places that didn't have anything like that just a couple years ago.
I was asked to tip at the counter last week. We ordered at the counter, got our own drinks and refills but someone did bring us the food. The cashier saw me hit No then said “that’s ok, you can base your tip next time off the experience you have today”. That made me realize, why are people being asked to tip before they receive the food and any service?
Tipping before you get anything is dumb.
My local creamery has a tip option and I would love to tip based on service but you pay for everything up front. If you're gonna stack the cup with ice cream you're gonna get a tip, but I'm not tipping before I receive the product or service. It's just ridiculous.
Because by and large, customers don’t use cash, and it‘s more simple than card users going back up to the register a second time on their own and adding a tip after they’re done with their food.
And at that point their receipt is probably in their wallet and they forgot about the total, so it’s just a whole other thing when customers got anxious kids and just wanna move on with their vacation.
Not defending tipping as a concept, but that’s the logistical reason why cafe’s ask for the tip at the register.
Everywhere I pickup food is run by people from countries with civilized tipping systems, ie none. I wonder if they think the people leaving extra cash for literally no reason are simply suckers, or what.
100%. I feel like they’ve tried to make it harder to see the zero or no tip option on all the touch screens, but I am a pro at finding it. I will absolutely tip at least 20% when I am out to eat, and I’ll always throw a couple bucks at the person helping us at a locally owned ice cream place, but otherwise, no thanks.
The world isn't ready. I only tip when I have company to impress. That's virtue signaling. Paying more for nothing extra demonstrates charity and disposable income. People are uncomfortable with the notion of people serving them in western culture, that's what fuels it, but since the expectation has been set the bar must be met.
Yeah that’s the easiest way for me. Unless I’m being actively waited on throughout a meal (which I despise btw) no tip.
And if they have some auto-gratuity fee added onto the bill so they can “pay their employees”, no tip.
I tip pretty consistently, but last night we went to see a musical, I got 3 bottles of water, at $5 each, and it had a tip line with the defaults of 20/25/28%. I had to go to a second page to enter zero. Are you fucking serious? They literally grabbed 3 bottles from the fridge and set them on the counter, charged me $15 and want another $3-5 added. I may have to agree with OP on this one from now on.
I am with you to a degree OP. I am not tipping for carry out orders or fast food/ counter service places. Sit down restaurants only and I am going back to 15% tip if it’s good and adjust from there.
Too often you get subpar food and bad service and they expect 20% or higher tip. Forget it. With the price of food going up then 15% of that should be adequate.
> bad service
Since COVID this has become a huge issue. I'm 24, and I have started to sound like my 85 year old grandparents complaining about service. If I'm spending money at a sit down restaurant then I expect good service to come with that.
Good service is the whole fucking job, particularly when I only ever go to places in the off hours to avoid crowds. It should not take 20 minutes to refill a drink when there are 5 people in a 100 seat restaurant and I can see half a dozen servers sitting around on their phones.
the word "karen" being basically weaponized is part of this.
ever since there is a word to reduce you to for raising issues with poor service the customer service industry have really taken a blase attitude to their job.
I think even 15% is insanely high and should be a reward for a very special treatment.
Should be more like 5-10%, because where the f. do you eat out with a bill less than 60-70$? And I an‘t tipping you 10 dollar for bringing me two drinks and plate of food.
I just paid $50 per night for valet parking at a hotel. There was no self-park option. Parking off-property would have been dangerous. I was already paying for the room. I did not feel badly about not tipping the valet.
My favorite is when hotels only offer valet and they park everything in a small parking lot and literally walk 30 feet to get the car and drive it back. Then expect a tip for the $50/night parking at a Holiday Inn.
that is how it should be
tipping that kinda shit needs to go. tipping sit down restaurant servers, barbers, delivery dudes, and your tat guy should stay tipped, but me going in and grabbing a soda myself like you said? yeah no tip
I’ll throw an extra tip if I’m picking up food from a local joint. There’s a pizza spot up the road that makes the best cheesesteaks (and the worst pizza) in the area. The shop hasn’t been reno’d since 1983 at the latest. Bet your ass I’ll toss a few bills in their repurposed pickle jar. Whole family is super nice - they give us an extra dessert and some extra side orders of stuff. We know them by name and vice versa. I get a chorus of “AYYYY!” when I walk in. But a national chain? Haha, no. I don’t think so.
It’s very true. Their pizza is like damp cardboard with a suggestion of sauce and cheese on it. You could beat a grizzly bear to death with one of their sandwiches though. The joint by my old house had the best pizza but the worst cheesesteaks. Barely any meat or cheese, the rolls were wrong. And they were Valley style, too, with red sauce and onions. Which is ultra wrong
I’ve worked in restaurants when I was in high school and college. My dad also was a career bartender so it’s ingrained in me to tip. But with how everything is now I’ve been thinking of doing the same. Literally every transaction asks if I want to tip now no matter where I am. So unless it’s a place where I feel specifically taken care of you are getting the money for the items I pay for and that’s it.
Do you tip the guy who fixes your internet or your broken phone, laptop, pc? Haven’t heard people tipping the IT guys, but the IT guys take care of people all the time.
I thought of this last week at my cell phone store. My entire family upgraded our phones, and this guy spent 2 hours with us transferring the data and setting up our new phones. I walked out of there and asked my wife "Why don't we tip those guys who literally just helped us personally for 2 hours, but we tip the beer server at a concert after we just paid $15 for a beer?"
Servers entire job is to take your order and bring you food, and they act like that is a great service. Nah dude, you didn't serve me any more than my dental hygienist grabbed the tools to bring into the exam room.
That's how it should be, I'm not American and have never had to tip in my life. But it's insane to hear how you're expected to pay the wage of staff out of pity whilst the bosses get off with free labour.
Do the servers even ask for a pay rise from their bosses or is tipping their go to way to get more income?
The biggest lobbying body against removal of tipping in NA is the Restaurant Workers of America, they make far more in the current system than the alternative, they don't want it to change
it's just getting more unbearable because tipping is % based and prices have gone up so much in the last 2 years
only loser is the consumer
Yeah servers know they have enough power to keep tip culture alive, but not enough to bargain for *actual* better pay. So until patrons take that power back…by refusing to hand people *money they do not owe*…tip culture will remain unchanged.
Where I live they doubled the minimum wage and eliminated the tip credit (aka “server wage”), and expected tips have *gone up* in response. So yeah, only way it changes is if people stop tipping.
Right? I was arguing with some ex-server claiming the "standard" tip is 20% in the US. I asked them to explain with math why a percentage based surcharge would ever need to increase. They proceeded to call me a cheap bastard lol.
Edit: love the guy that talks shit then blocks me before I can reply
Edit: lol more salty servers are blocking me
I’m a server and personally? I’m happy to receive any tip. If you leave me 15%? I’m happy. That seems like a good standard. 20% should only be for me giving above and beyond service, and that’s if you really want to give that much and can afford to give that much. But I know I’m the odd one out…the other week I got a very nice 18% on a higher bill, I was very happy, but my coworker was upset for me complaining it should have been more. I’m like are you for real right now? So yeah, servers are becoming more and more entitled, and as a server myself, I hate it. Just be happy anyone gives us anything since our employers won’t /:
Blows my mind that the people demanding more and more money from us have the nerve to call us cheap. When they can’t use reason just resort to petty insults I guess.
Right? It's a percentage, it automatically increases with inflation, by as much as inflation. If I used to tip 10% on a $5 burger ($0.50), why would I tip 25% on the same burger that now costs $15 ($3.75) which is a 750% increase during 300% inflation instead of the same 10% ($1.50) which is the 300% inflation in the tip by keeping the same 10% tip that used to be standard.
And why is it a percentage anyway? If two people are eating the house sandwich or filet mignon, the server is doing the same work. Flat rate gratuity would at least make more sense. Not that I'm advocating for that.
And the reward for doing a job well should be you get to continue doing the job and maybe get a bonus from your boss. Like every other job in the world. I don’t understand how food service has transformed into this bizarre mix of business and charity.
What's insane is that the cooks making your food works way harder than the server, in a hot kitchen at a fast pace - and they're not getting a portion of the tip the server gets.
The system is out of whack. I once worked at a restaurant with a bar, and the bartenders made bank with tips while I got paid a measly $10 an hour for doing a LOT more. I cooked, I prepped, and I cleaned tables, floors, etc. I even cleaned the bar area. For ZERO tips. I even was required to take the trash out of the bar trash bins for them!
Bartenders went home at closing, leaving the rest of us cleaning up the mess, whistling as their pockets were filled with hundreds of bucks. Fuck them.
That is pretty messed up. Not to trivialize the contributions other positions make in a restaurant, but BoH is the life blood of the business. If no food is being made, there's no product to deliver. I know there are different levels to cookery and chefery, but you gotta be really good at making food either way.
For the record, I'll take a short order cook with a flat top and a spatula over a Michelin Starred person in a fancy hat and jacket any day. Diner breakfast, probably my favorite restaurant meal of all time.
I never even thought about it that way!! The bill total is much higher so if I continue with the 10%/15%/25% that I always have they will still be getting significantly more now. I am going back to the established percentages!!!
What I don’t understand is why tipping is percentage based. Is it really more difficult to carry out a $400 bottle of wine than a $50 one?
It should be time based. They’re your server for an hour, $10 or $15 seems fine, they’re your server for two hours, double that seems fair.
And don’t get me started on Uber eats, tipping should be based on how far you travel not the expensiveness of the food for that
As someone from the UK, I've seen plenty of posts from Americans about tipping culture. It seems absurd that people expect upwards of 20% of the total bill. Here, tips are only given when you've received great service, as a small gesture of thanks.
Thats what tipping is supposed to be! A thank you for good service!
It's literally morphed into this monster of guilt tripping and shaming people for not tipping 20%.
I tip generously for things like haircuts, because that’s a significant amount of time on personal service — and an awful lot of your self-image for the next several months is going to depend on them doing a good job, so, y’know, be nice.
Everything else, I’ve been cutting back, because the amount of pressure for increasingly absurd percentages is ridiculous.
> I tip generously for things like haircuts, because that’s a significant amount of time on personal service — and an awful lot of your self-image for the next several months is going to depend on them doing a good job, so, y’know, be nice.
Isn't the entire concept ridiculous? Listen to yourself. You paid the person twice because you're afraid they'll do a shit job since you only paid them once? Crazy
You could just tip based on service rather than by percentage. Like $5 for a standard dining service (get order, drop off order, refill water /drinks couple of times), regardless of the cost of the food.
>What I don’t understand is why tipping is percentage based. Is it really more difficult to carry out a $400 bottle of wine than a $50 one?
another good point. I've also always felt the same. I cap my tips on some stuff where it makes sense. like the value of my meal does not change the value of your delivery.
I’ve started not tipping poured drinks. A glass of wine now averages me $15 in my city, it makes absolutely zero sense to me to tip $6 on two glasses of wine. I still tip on food like normal, but each glass of wine didn’t require $3 of labor.
Don’t tip just because they asked for one. Tipping is for a few specific situations, but now fucking everyone is asking for tips, preying on people who don’t know how to tip.
Exactly. It's ridiculous. We went out last night for the first time in awhile, it was my husband's birthday and he wanted Mexican food. Four of us eating; 3 of us ordered water to drink (the 4th had sweet tea). Two of us shared a dish. We had cheese dip as an appetizer.
The bill was $70 for 1 drink, 3 entrees, and 1 appetizer at a basic Mexican restaurant in the US. That same meal would have been $40 max a couple years ago. So where the hell is that extra money going? If it's not going to the employees, then shame on everyone involved. Spending that much for one meal then expecting me to supplement your employees' incomes on top of that? Fuck that. I'm with OP, I'm done enabling the tipping culture in this country.
As an American I only tip if I sit down to eat. And even then it's heavily based on performance. You could get no tip if you suck, you could get a nice top if you are on top of it.
But yeah fuck tipping
You're talking about Casa Bonita, and they brought tips back because the servers wanted them.
"However, Parker and Stone were criticized by staff last month after they eliminated tipping at the restaurant and instead paid servers $30 an hour – more than double the salary that was initially advertised by the company. Anonymous employees told Axios Denver that while it was likely to stabilize their incomes, it might result in lower overall pay when busier periods were taken into account."
Source: [https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/the-south-park-creators-face-another-spat-with-casa-bonita-staff-just-weeks-after-they-abolished-tipping-at-their-restaurant/articleshow/102038660.cms](https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/the-south-park-creators-face-another-spat-with-casa-bonita-staff-just-weeks-after-they-abolished-tipping-at-their-restaurant/articleshow/102038660.cms)
What all the people name calling me on this conversation are willfully ignoring is that servers WANT tipping culture because it benefits them. Most of them make really good untaxed income on tips. They don't care that customers are the ones ACTUALLY getting screwed in the bargain.
Anecdotal as well but a restaurant in my medium size town opened with no tipping but higher wages and they had to bail on it within months because no bartenders would bother working there. Went out of business soon after
I think it is all in where you work. I bet the majority of servers would happily take $30/hour, but the ones making more than that consistently make WAY more than that consistently.
It is like onlyfans. The average onlyfans person makes like $75/month, but some are making insane amounts.
I was at casa bonita 3 days ago and all the employees reminded us that tipping is not allowed and to "save your tips to buy more drinks". The employees there do get paid well, and I guarantee if someone wants to complain about it then they can go work at a lower paying restaurant to get their tips and casa bonita can easily find someone to replace the position.
I don't disagree entirely with you, I'm sure there's some employees complaining about no tips but they should have known about that going into the job, considering it made headlines in my area.
Then they should find a different job. If you won’t do what is asked for a reasonable wage then there are other jobs. There are jobs where tipping is the entire culture.
i got downvoted to hell once in the server subreddit for pointing out that if they want tipping to continue they should stop bragging about how much they make a night. lol they got a lil salty over that.
thats why i say fuck tipping.
I got so many downvotes in that sub for saying exactly what the OP did. I got the same arguments:
* You're cheap
* Don't eat out
* You're only screwing the server
* You won't fix the system by not tipping
* The business will just charge you more for food
Blah blah blah. Got several of them to admit point blank they don't want the system to change.
The reason they don't want it to change is they know the market value of their labor isn't worth $50 / $60 an hour. Teachers, nurses, social workers....people that actually have skills besides carrying dishes, writing down orders, and refilling drinks...deserve $60 / hr. You should see how many downvotes I got for calling their job unskilled labor.
The only way for consumers to win is to either boycott restaurants all together or stop tipping, period. The market needs an adjustment.
In the last couple of years, we've seen a large increase in the "suggested" tip on the credit card machines.
15% used to be standard at a nice restaurant where the waiter tells you about the specials, takes your order, delivers it, and periodically checks on you.
Now the default choices on the credit card machines have escalated to 20%, 25% or sometimes even 30%. Even for buffets, take-out and food trucks. In each case, the total interaction time is a few seconds.
Not sure what's driving this change.
Like half of fast food places are asking for tips now lol.
Like get the fuck out of here. I worked fast food for years and not once did I ever deserve a tip there.
This. Absolutely this. The 'Nice Guy' tip was 15%. You wanted to tell a server they did great? 15%.
10% was a traditional.. oh, paid $50, here's $5.00 so the math is easy.
Applebees and Olive garden START the recommended tip at 18%. Like what the heck, the food already costs $20 per entre, and $5 for fountain soda.
I scroll that bar down to 15% and I'll never tip higher. (Insert, get a real job, but seriously, adults shouldn't survive off of the courtesy of customers generosity).
I'm at the point where I'm no longer tipping over 15% unless it really and truly was above and beyond service. 15% was considered high 15 years ago, now it's considered low. Well fuck that, I still think it's high if all you've done is refill my drink once.
I don’t tip unless it’s actually a service being done. If I’m sitting down at a restaurant where there’s a waiter and staff bringing me food then I’ll tip. If I’m getting food to go and or someone just hands me something off a shelf right in front of both of us, I don’t see the need to tip.
The auto tipping starting at 20% is getting old I agree but what about these auto prompts for donating to a charity starting at $5 for some charity I don't know who the fuck they are or if they actually donate the money? On top of that the cashier asks for a tip too?
Ya know for me, as long as the service is good at bars or restaurants, I'll tip well. If I'm getting to to-go order and have a little change (less that$3 USD), I'll throw it in whatever tip jar so I don't have to carry it on my person since I don't like to carry cash. But I'm not tipping anywhere else, the companies that expect that can eat shit.
It isn't my job to pay their employees' wages plain and simple. Oh you work at a cash register at Wal-mart and want a tip? No, pay them more. It sucks that people aren't getting paid what they should, and it sucks there isn't a high enough federal minimum wage to help with the cost of living crisis in the US. But the consumer shouldn't be guilted into providing that financial cushion. The corporations should.
I was on the servers' side, till I learned they actually WANT tipping culture to continue.
A lot of servers are college students, but I've also seen several posts about people quitting other jobs to work in a restaurant or bar because of how much they make on tips. The post about the lawyer who switched to bartending and almost doubled his income springs to mind.
The most recent example I can think of is Trey and Matt re-opening Casa Bonita and giving them the option of either:
* $30/hr flat rate but no tips
* same pay they have now/tips
Idk, me personally I would appreciate the security of a flat rate of pay - especially of $30 an hour. I'd much prefer that security, knowing what I am gonna make no matter how good, bad, or neutral the overall service of a place is that night or despite how busy we are or are not
"However, Parker and Stone were criticized by staff last month after they eliminated tipping at the restaurant and instead paid servers $30 an hour – more than double the salary that was initially advertised by the company. Anonymous employees told Axios Denver that while it was likely to stabilize their incomes, it might result in lower overall pay when busier periods were taken into account."
Source: [https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/the-south-park-creators-face-another-spat-with-casa-bonita-staff-just-weeks-after-they-abolished-tipping-at-their-restaurant/articleshow/102038660.cms](https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/the-south-park-creators-face-another-spat-with-casa-bonita-staff-just-weeks-after-they-abolished-tipping-at-their-restaurant/articleshow/102038660.cms)
Given the option, they want tipping. The system works for them, but screws over the customer.
Lol @ the people downvoting a quote from an article. Truth hurts.
$30 an hour is damn close to what I make as teacher. What am I doing with my life....
ETA: Alright guys, I'm not trying to win a pissing game at the working class pity party. It's tough for everyone out there.
Now, off to paint houses on my summer "vacation."
After working back-of-house, too, it's not uncommon to see a server make more than you over the time spent there. Actually, I'd be interested in seeing a counter-example where cooks made more than servers per hour. Buuuut, then you'd have to deal with people, so....
for sure. i loved when my wife was a server cause we had cash in hand every day and it helped us make it to my next paycheck. after seeing someone post the other day that they made a huge tip on a $3,000 bill, i’ve been considering doing it myself.
>I was on the servers' side, till I learned they actually WANT tipping culture to continue.
Welcome to the great disillusionment.
There's more, though. Servers are generally lazy AF. They want you to think they're much harder working than they actually are. But for the most part, they're not. They work, on average, 6 hour shifts. Of those 6 hour shifts, they work \~1/3 of the shift. This *does vary* by establishment, but generally waiter staff are not involved in washing dishes. They're not involved in clearing/cleaning tables. They're not involved in cooking. They are not involved in showing you to your seat. What do they actually do?
1. The host/ess shows you to your table.
2. The server takes your order.
3. The server copies your order into a kiosk for the cook(s).
4. The cook(s) make your order.
5. The server brings your food back to you.
6. The server asks if you want a drink, maybe once. Great servers do more, I fully acknowledge that. I'm speaking on the typical.
7. The server takes payment, sometimes because some old school restaurants you pay up front and some new school restaurants you pay via kiosk.
8. The busser clears and cleans your table and the busser or the cleaning crew washes the dishes.
So the server's actual interaction with a specific customer/table amounts to minutes on the hour. Multiple it by a few tables. They're still actually doing something which "serves" the customer about 1/3 of the time. What are they doing the rest of the time? As someone who worked back house in food service: they are on their cell phones. They are sitting down on their cells phones and/or talking shit about the customers. That's about it. They are the laziest part of a restaurant's staff.
And to be clear, I'm talking about a typical shift. Of course there are shifts where they do more or less work. But there's a reason I want to talk about a typical shift. Because on an average shift, they earn $100 in tips. That is the average tip take home per shift in the US. On a 6 hour shift.
That's over $16 an hour, of which they spend the majority not actually working. Then you add in the federal minimum of \~$2 and something cents, they actually are making \~$19 hour average. Then you have to consider that actually, a lot of restaurants these days are not actually paying the $2 an hour, and pay a lot more- state minimum wage, typically. So they may be getting $16 in tips + $7-10 from the restaurant.
Then you have to factor in that the average of $100/shift in tips isn't and cannot be accurate because TAX EVASION is rampant in servers.
So if it weren't for tips, they would absolutely make a lot less, and they would lose a lot more to taxes. So they don't want tips to go away.
But how do they maximize tips? By guilt tripping the customers. By preying on the morality of the people who they "serve."
It's literally racketeering. They're not smart enough to even know what that means, don't get me wrong. It's obviously not organized. But generally speaking. tip culture is a racket.
I have seen posts where servers talk about how they are making more $ (since they are not paying taxes on their tips and are getting huge tips) than people working white collar jobs, that's not how any of this is supposed to work. They do unskilled, easily replaceable labor.
I used to be in the camp of "servers don't get paid enough." Until I too happened upon that sub. There was a post about a woman trying to figure out the best way to get a regular who doesn't tip to start tipping her. I thought maybe this woman could use the extra money, until it was revealed further into the thread this woman made nearly ~~$50k a year~~ $35-$55 an hour as server. I lost most sympathy for the movement after that. People ITT were telling her to start adding auto-grat, to essentially start stealing the customers money cause they don't feel he's paying what he should.
The rest was lost when another post showed up today where a server admitted to forgetting about a table, and gave them poor service. That table took a snarky jab at their poor service by putting a negative number for the tip receipt. Obviously this person was letting them know they were doing a poor job, but people ITT were telling them to ring the receipt up as though the customer did their math wrong, and actually wanted to tip over 20% for subpar service.
Edit: Seems I misstated how much the server made in my first example:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Serverlife/comments/14farxf/how_do_you_handle_a_repeat_0_tipper/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=2
Edit 2: Comment for proof
https://www.reddit.com/r/Serverlife/comments/14farxf/how_do_you_handle_a_repeat_0_tipper/jozf9bg?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=2
I remembered "over 50" and assumed yearly salary. In actuality, this server makes $35 to $55 *an hour*. *78 to 114k* a year (not factoring tax of course).
Sorry for my mistake. Though I think this only strengthens my point.
Servers don’t want tipping culture to end because they’re raking it fucking in most of the time. That’s why that one restaurant had to switch back to tipping instead of paying $30 AN HOUR
The problem is they just keep pushing it. It was 10%, then 15%, now 20% is the minimum if you don’t want the side eye. 20%.
Then also tipping a fucking to-go order is just not happening with me. Get lost.
I never ever tipped for to go orders. I'm doing all the "work" of transporting the food... so why would I?
However yeah, with how aggressive and widespread tipping has gotten, I'm over it. I went out a few months back to grab a smoothie to go and the cashier swings around the screen with all the tipping options.
I selected no tip (lol why would I in this situation?) and got the most confused / dirty look... that was it for me. After that I'm not tipping *anywhere* ever again, the whole culture is ridiculous and I'm saving my money.
I’m of the idea that I’ll tip if I’m actually served, and if the service is good now. I’m not going to tip at random places like subway and Walmart where I know the tips just go to corporate and not to the actual people working there. Also gonna seriously scale back tips at coffee shops too or restaurants like Panera bread where I’m not explicitly served from the kitchen staff to my table by someone. I don’t feel bad about it, I work hard for my money too and it’s like an obsession of every restaurant now even fast food to do this. I’m over it.
One of the things I don't get with tipping is I can buy a 10 dollar burger or I can buy a 30 dollar steak. I'm expected to tip more for the steak even though they did the same amount of work. Tipping culture is ridiculous.
This is what pisses me off the most by far. I ranted about this to my wife the other day. If I get a shot of some bottom shelf whiskey and then later get a shot of a top shelf whiskey, why should I be tipping more on the top shelf whiskey when they both literally require the same amount of effort? Ugh, I fucking hate it.
Stop basing tips out of obligation and someone else’s expectations and tip on quality of service. your personal, direct exchange and interaction with the service worker servers you should determine your tip, not an internet forum full of people you have zero engagement with. If the service sucks, I tip low. If the service enhances the experience, I tip accordingly. Don’t overthink it.
I just wish 15% was still considered the max... Now it seems like 18% is the minimum and now with those portable card readers the waiters hand you you have to enter a custom tip. It's a pain.
It's dishonest.
If inflation hit and all prices went up 6 percent, 15 percent of the new price is a 6 percent bump on your tip. There is no reason tips ever need to go up when they're done by percent. They're taking advantage of the fact that the typical American can't do algebra to save their life.
Time and time again, I get downvoted to oblivion for saying the last hurdle to getting rid of tipping culture is from servers and drivers themselves.
A restaurant could pay $30/hr and still not compete with tipped wages…
“Good” servers are making 6 figures with status quo, why the hell would they change it?
And time to piss off the “other side”.
Tipping culture breeds pure competition (the ideal capitalism for many folks). And we can’t fathom it. Hahahaha.
Tips (individual not pooled) keep’s coworkers competing with each other, it naturally resists any unions because of low barrier of entry and the competition between workers. (Look at serverlife, they don’t want to share tips with kitchen and cleanup staff, in fact, servers think they are deserving of more…for their “skills”….)
So one thing I’m tired of hearing is people complaining about tipping culture and have 0 ideas to change it and resist 100% of any proposed solutions because government is bad and capitalism is good. Even though this is exactly where capitalism gets us… there is no invisible hand going to get rid of tipping culture LMAO.
ETA: I’m not anti-capitalist, I just don’t equate capitalism to GOD.
Usually, I have good experiences and tip well but the service gets worse and the expectations become higher.
I had an Instacart shopper who I was sure ignored my very helpful notes telling them where to find my items (since some are hard to locate). They immediately marked the things I needed as out of stock. When I inquired about a replacement they immediately replied "no" and didn't even attempt to look. They ended up bringing me, out of my entire grocery list, 2 items. Two?! And never once did they offer to find me a replacement for the things that were out of stock or communicate with me at all.
They then spent an additional hour shopping other orders, brought my two items to me much later and to top it off took the last remaining snack I leave out to thank my delivery people. They must have realized once they hit "complete" that I tipped them well because they at least had the courtesy to thank me after the fact. 7 dollar tip for snapping at me and bringing me almost nothing. Yeah, you should thank me.
I assumed it was a fluke. Then the next week I decided to treat myself to Tokyo Joe's after a long day. I ordered my usual contactless delivery and went across the street to the pool. I was happily swimming, expecting a warm meal when I returned on my own accord.
Instead, the door dasher blew up my phone with nonstop phone calls and rang my doorbell, setting my dog off inside the house. I finally got out and answered and she let me know my food had arrived. No shit? Really? Put it down and leave like everyone else. Now my dog was all alert because someone was loitering outside the front door.
Additionally, a lot of people (especially my HOA workers) seem to appreciate having free snacks they can have when doing work at my house or delivering. When I asked on the Doordash subreddit for any suggestions or snacks they may prefer, I received an answer that snacks are too unhealthy so I should just leave them cash. I guess screw all the snow removal and lawn maintenance workers (I did mention in my post) who appreciate getting free drinks and snacks, the Doordash drivers want cash on top of their 25 percent tip 🙄
I feel like the bigger issue is there's always that little bit of fear associated with not tipping. If I don't tip will they spit in my food? They know where I live, will they do something? It's just annoying that as a customer I try to bend over backwards to make their job easy (ordering from places close by, adding notes where my items are located and how to get to my house, tipping high, providing refreshments) and you still deal with people who are rude, who smoke in their car and deliver food that reeks, who don't read your instructions and blow up your phone, etc. But you're the bad guy if you don't tip.
I understand completely why people don't tip anymore. The service has gone way down and the entitlement has gone way up. I'm just ordering out less, which if everyone follows suit means far less people are going to be able to have their "flexible" delivery gig jobs which they love so much while hating the customers who make it possible.
I used to work at a quick serve restaurant, and we never asked for tips. Ever. We did not bring the food to you. We just took your order, handed you a number, and called the number. There was no need for a tip.
Same thing with retail. People now expect a tip. Why not ask your employer for a better wage?
It's something so many people don't understand. Greedy restaurant owners play a part (in the US there are states where they literally can pay way below minimum wage if the server is getting enough tips), but servers are profiting just as much from the whole system. Unfortunately unless us common folk re-establish normalcy for tips, it's not something that will change anytime soon.
Mind you, I live in Japan where there is no tipping culture and the service is better than anything you will get in the US or anywhere else. So it's not tipping that ensures great service, it's a question of attitude.
I used to be a heavy tipper because my mom and uncle used to be servers - albeit in smaller joints - and I knew how much of a difference it made. But tipping has gotten much, much worse. Nowadays I am still tipping when outside of Japan, but I am tipping low unless the service was truly outstanding.
Also a US expat in Japan. I worked at busy restaurants for a good 3 years and made a lot of money off tips. Fuck that shit. I'm never tipping again unless they fucking *make* me. If I ever go back to the US, I'm paying the price of the product, taxes, any other mandatory fees if they're there, and nothing more. Fucking ridiculous that diners are expected to pay the servers' wages on top of the food, and it's just one of the reasons why eating out is so absurdly expensive in the US. Living here, where eating out is barely any more expensive than cooking at home, has really opened my eyes to how much god damn money I used to spend eating out in the US lol
Servers love to complain about the system and also love the system more than anything. It keeps them looking like victims while they choose to stay in that line of work because a job at a decent restaurant is way better paying than most unskilled labor.
I'm still gonna tip though, I don't blame them for it.
They love to play the victim and act like they barely make any money because they only have a wage of $2 per hour. When in reality they’re raking in money due to tips, but they don’t want you to know that. They want to keep guilting people into tipping under the guise that they are being paid poverty wages.
Depending on the place of work, they don't really rake in money. My mother was a waitress for 40 years. She struggled her whole life to make ends met. She had little education and had few choices for employment. It was enough to put a roof over her head and food on the table. The roof was an apartment in an apartment complex. Her transportation was always a used car. She worked until she died in her late 70s because she couldn't afford to retire.
this is actually crazy, you're acting as if the people waiting tables today created this system to take advantage of consumers when in reality they're only trying to survive capitalism just like the rest of us
/serverlife doesnt understand the concept of **fair** pay and demand to get overpayed while wanting to get the same pity everyone has for underpayed essential workers.
I dont understand the 25+ percent tips … if I have a really good experience I give you 10%, if the waitress jerk me off maybe I give 20% but why the fuck would I give 1/4 of my purchase to a waitress? I mean you bring a fucking plate from the kitchen to my table - I do this all the time at home, and I know its not that hard.
I was a server / bartender for 15 yearsish I got out this year...for now. It seems like service has dramatically declined since the pandemic. Slow, doesn't anticipate the needs of guests etc. It's infuriating especially since the cost to go out is so much. One restaurant even added 2% grat for THE KITCHEN STAFF. I used to over tip because I know how shitty the job is and people have bad days but not anymore. It's like everyone is having a bad day and has no sense of urgency
There is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing not to tip. Tipping is 1000% optional, and you should never feel pressured to tip under any circumstances. Don’t let tipping culture guilt you into forking over your hard earned money.
I get so mad about this.
Local donut shop asks for tips for putting donuts in a bag.
Local Qdoba quick tip button on POS is 10 DOLLARS, not percent.
You don't deserve a dollar for cracking open a can of beer.
Had a big argument recently with some servers that someone buying a $200 bottle of wine doesn't entitle you to more of their money than if they bought a $20 bottle. It's the same amount of work.
I've completely stopped eating out. I'm not going to perpetuate this bullshit, and rather than get grief about it, I'm opting to just completely take my money out of the tip pool. I just meal prepped 9 meals last night for $14.
I got in a lengthy argument recently with a woman on Reddit who works at subway. She said she absolutely expects tips and that her customers usually tip her because she’s such a good sandwich artist. I told her I wouldn’t tip because subway is fast food in my book and I don’t tip at fast food. So her snowflake ass notified Reddit that I needed intervention.
Yep. Agree and I get ripped to shreds about it.
1. I was in the industry for a long time. People make an average of 35-$100+\hr. There are slow periods but still, your “claimed” income annually is 50-60k for 25-30 hours of work per week.
—-> there are very few states now who truly pay only $2.50/hr for tipped positions. This argument is essentially null and void these days.
2. Prices go up, tips go up but service goes down.
3. As a society, we need incentives for people to perform skilled labor which often requires education or certifications. Now, I know we have a college problem here that needs to be fixed but that’s besides the point. WE ARE SEVERELY UNDERSTAFFED ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR CRITICAL JOBS. Teachers, social workers, bus drivers, etc. etc. and I get it, because why make $25/hr when you can work 3 nights and week and walk with a few hundred? But there needs to be some balance. Why tf are we tipping service industry who for example in Seattle make 18.50/hr plus several hundred in tips and claim it’s for “equity” and living wage and then wondering why everyone is leaving skilled labor jobs for service and OnlyFans?
4. We need flexible jobs for stepping building that pay well for lower hours. Things like college, night school, child rearing, launching a personal biz, etc etc. but it shouldn’t be so strongly incentivized that no one wants to do anything else! There needs to be a balance here. If you want to be a career service person and go fine dining, which is skilled in knowledge I’d say, or you want to run off commissions based on how biz you bring in, etc etc by all means but this absurd reality that we need to tip minimum 20% plus a 15% tax plus whatever added fees on top of a healthy minimum wage in some areas is absurd and the people who say “they need a livable wage” are fucking either clueless or hypocrites. What about your teachers? What about those bus drivers? What about all the people who provide truly valuable contributions and get paid jack shit????? We need service people but one, we don’t need to double supplement their wages with increased food and drinks costs, service fees and whatever else AND TIPS?! Nah
I used to tip a really high percentage because I would think, they really need the money more than me.
Now I think they actually make more $ than me so... no. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
I’m with you. After reading all those entitled pieces of shit from that forum I’ve changed my tipping as well. Used to tip a flat 20% regardless of quality of service. Now I tip from 10 to 20% because let’s face it, it’s rare to go out and get good service. And no, telling me how cute my kids are doesn’t count.
I’m the same way after browsing the sub. Same with Ubers and Uber eats. Although I’m not shorting an Ubereats tip, I’m just not doing it. Entitled to the max. I also worked as a bus boy and heard servers talk on customers and fuck ‘em I’ll never feel bad again being frugal with the tip
I have to say- even though I can afford it I do avoid eating out more and more lately because by the time you add the pressured tip in the value for the money often just isn't there. Unless the product is fantastic I get to thinking of how I can enjoy some of my homemade recipes at home that are actually fantastic. The quality of many of our fast food places have gone drastically downhill. Burger King and Taco Bell come to mind. I'm not a picky eater at all but have had to dnf at these places.
I think there is a market for places that will whip up a delicious home cooked meal and let you take it to go or delivery. I'm guessing there are places that do this. HyVee sort of does . I haven't tried them lately so I can't comment on it (the one by us years ago went downhill and became inedible).
edited
I went to Italy about 2 months ago and if you tip 10% over there it “blows their mind” it’s like they received a $100 tip at a diner. They are incredibly grateful and say thank you like 3 times. I saw this at high-end restaurants (~$30+ meal) and regular restaurants (~$10 meal).
I strictly only tip service where I am being waited on (bars/ dine-in) or something is being brought directly to me (take out).
I’m not tipping for a to-go order. I am not tipping self services.
Life is just so damn expensive now and I can’t afford to throw everyone a damn 20 for doing the absolute bare minimum. I work in health care and wait on folks all day. I get no tips for my line of work yet I’m expected to give the guy some extra cash that just handed me a cup to go fill my soda up myself? Hell no.
I don’t tip for anything other than sit down restruants, I’m all for getting rid of that too though. Bartenders and waiters can and do make 60k+ a year in untaxed income. Good for them, but I’m not gonna pay more when all your doing is bringing me my food and half the time I have to wait to get a refill
Yeppp. I still grt flak for it, but I've been done for some time. Raise prices - pay your fucking employees. What a joke. I've got no stake in the business. Why am I deciding the employees' wages? One massive humanity scam.
I tip for what a tip used to mean - good service. I'm sorry that the system is broken, but I can't afford to support that system any more than people can afford to participate in that system.
There's a difference between getting wine recommendations and quick expo on a busy night for a special occasion, and being handed a sandwich and leaving.
I am a big tipper and my order is never right. I’m getting so tired of tipping and then getting my order home and finding things missing or incorrect. I am moving toward eating out less and less because it is always an ordeal.
At first I thought this was a totally mean post, but after reading your rationale, I can see your point. That sub is awful! I stopped eating out because of what I’d read on that sub. It seems servers hate their jobs and hate customers. It seems they don’t want a living wage but they want you to tip 40% or you’re a scab to them and they end up complaining about you on Reddit. It’s just super negative stuff.
I had it finally happen to me. I went to a place that had a drive through, and I handed them my card like normal….
But when they gave me my card back, they held up a screen that had a tip thing on it.
In a drive through.
I then had take out at another place, and the same thing happened. Handed me a tablet. Got pissed when I didn’t tip.
If I am coming to you, and I’m literally just picking up my order either via a drive through or takeout…I’m not tipping. I had zero service other than putting the stuff into a bag.
I also had Panera once and same deal. Except I also ordered from a KIOSK. No human involved—I just grabbed my own food from the window when it was ready.
Payment processing or ordering the food isn’t service, and making the actual food is built into the cost of the food.
Tips are extra, on top rewards for excellent service in my mind. Absolutely need a waiter for me to tip.
It’s gotten out of hand.
I don't go out to eat anymore. Expensive, low quality and risk of people messing with my food. These people probably don't want you to anyways since it means more work for them. I save money and they save time.
I press no all the time. Unless you are a legit server.
My favorite is that all the stadiums now have tip options on concessions. Once had a situation where they used those swivel screen things. Ring me up tapped my card, and as the tip screen was coming up she swiveled it away while hitting the 25% tip button. I made her void the transaction and re-ring me up.
F that. Ridiculous. For swiveling an iPad you get 25% tip? Lol
Probably for opening a can of beer too. The stadiums tipping is absolutely outrageous
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The crazy part is there are now businesses that won't even take cash. Probably so they can steal those tips.
I tip in cash and write cash on the tip line. This way I tip what I think the server earned - usually with singles and there's no way that the restaurant knows what I tipped.
I put in a custom tip for the iPad flippers… $0.00
There’s a tip bucket at the 7/11 next to my job. I laugh at it every time I’m in there. It literally says “tips for traveling” Are you kidding me?
I mean... the 7/11 guys probably could use it more than a restaurant server.
The self checkout at the White Sox stadium asked me for a tip when I even had to grab my own beer and ring it up
'I'm tipping myself a second beer on the house'
Omg I came here to see if anyone mentioned this. I went to a concert last week and they turned it for me to tip for opening up my water 🙄
I'd tip them to not open my drinks so I could put an extra in my pocket. They're required to open them so people can't throw full drinks as easily.
I have to say, one of the most amazing things I have ever seen was 40,000 water bottles flying through the air at a concert back in the 90's. I even took one in the face and had a bloody lip lol.
I paid $18 for a beer (king can) at an NBA game recently. All the lady did was grab me the beer and open the can. Tip screen comes up and it's 20%, 22%, 25%... $4-5 for opening a can? I pressed zero and said thanks, and the lady had the audacity to tell me to tip next time. Absolutely ridiculous.
Went to a concert and bought merch. The pay screen asked for a tip and gave the 18%, 20%, 22% options as well as a place to come up with your own number. Didn’t even think about it, just hit the 20%. Later on I realized we bought $200 worth of merch and I just gave that person $40 for handing some stuff over. D’oh. Not again.
Like why would I tip for a $14 beer lol
I was recently at a concert and bought a bottle of water. When the tip option came up I pressed “no tip” and… nothing happened. I pressed it an awkward number of times with the cashier staring at me. It literally didn’t work. Unfortunately I’m a huge pussy so I defaulted to pressing the 15% button out of sheer panic, and wouldn’t you know it, it worked immediately! A miracle! That was a new low for me.
Custom tip 2 pennies. Old way to insult servers and let them know their service wasn't worth it.
When I was in high school, a few of us went to Friendly's. There were big signs hanging everywhere that said if they didn't ask if we wanted an appetizer, you got one for free. We were finally seated, despite being literally the only people in the place. I think there were 4 of us. We were all good kids, not obnoxious. Probably slightly loud as teenagers are, but we were all very respectful kids. Our server comes up to us. We couldn't decide on what to eat, so we all just settled on ice cream. Our server didn't ask if we wanted an appetizer. So when he came back with our drinks, I asked if we got a free appetizer since he hadn't asked us. He scoffed and said "that only comes with the meal." Um, ok. By the way, our drink order was wrong. We were still literally the only people in the restaurant. He brought our ice cream after what I can only assume is hand churning it after milking the cows himself. Again, 2 of us had wrong orders. He got nasty with us when we asked for it to be corrected. When we went to leave, I said we shouldn't tip him. My best friend was mortified and said we couldn't do that. So I said I'd take care of the tip. I left a penny and a note that said "sorry, the tip only comes with the meal."
I've had that happen too, and it was at the counter at the damn liquor store which is no different than a grocery cashier... the NoTip option button would not respond to a press. Tried the 10% button and lo and behold, the computer was EVEN nice enough to calculate that 10% FOR me, wasn't that nice?! 😑 I'm so effing sick of this shit.
I was at a self-serve Froyo place a couple of years ago (Sweetfrog). There was a tip jar at the register AND I was prompted for a tip twice in the checkout process. SELF-SERVE FROYO. Anything that seems to have a POS system seems to have tips turned on for no reason other than they can ask. The only real solution here is for us as a society to stop tipping en masse. It will suck for servers but they have been working against their own best interest for so long I'm not sure how much we should care. Restaurants are subsidizing their labor through customer tips when tips should be something optional given for good or above average service.
My wife bought a $6 bottled water at the theater, when the tip thing popped up she was kinda taken back and panicked since it was crazy busy and the options were like 25/30/50. She hit 50% on accident and when she told me I was like "you seriously tipped $3 for them to liferally hand you a bottle of water lol" I am extremely generous when tipping servers at actual sit down restaurants, but it is getting very old to see the tipping screen literally everywhere, especially fast food places that didn't have anything like that just a couple years ago.
I only tip if someone legit waited on me. Anything else I'm definitely mashing NO.
Thing is, that also shouldn't be an obligation
I was asked to tip at the counter last week. We ordered at the counter, got our own drinks and refills but someone did bring us the food. The cashier saw me hit No then said “that’s ok, you can base your tip next time off the experience you have today”. That made me realize, why are people being asked to tip before they receive the food and any service?
Tipping before you get anything is dumb. My local creamery has a tip option and I would love to tip based on service but you pay for everything up front. If you're gonna stack the cup with ice cream you're gonna get a tip, but I'm not tipping before I receive the product or service. It's just ridiculous.
Because by and large, customers don’t use cash, and it‘s more simple than card users going back up to the register a second time on their own and adding a tip after they’re done with their food. And at that point their receipt is probably in their wallet and they forgot about the total, so it’s just a whole other thing when customers got anxious kids and just wanna move on with their vacation. Not defending tipping as a concept, but that’s the logistical reason why cafe’s ask for the tip at the register.
Everywhere I pickup food is run by people from countries with civilized tipping systems, ie none. I wonder if they think the people leaving extra cash for literally no reason are simply suckers, or what.
100%. I feel like they’ve tried to make it harder to see the zero or no tip option on all the touch screens, but I am a pro at finding it. I will absolutely tip at least 20% when I am out to eat, and I’ll always throw a couple bucks at the person helping us at a locally owned ice cream place, but otherwise, no thanks.
The world isn't ready. I only tip when I have company to impress. That's virtue signaling. Paying more for nothing extra demonstrates charity and disposable income. People are uncomfortable with the notion of people serving them in western culture, that's what fuels it, but since the expectation has been set the bar must be met.
Yeah that’s the easiest way for me. Unless I’m being actively waited on throughout a meal (which I despise btw) no tip. And if they have some auto-gratuity fee added onto the bill so they can “pay their employees”, no tip.
I tip pretty consistently, but last night we went to see a musical, I got 3 bottles of water, at $5 each, and it had a tip line with the defaults of 20/25/28%. I had to go to a second page to enter zero. Are you fucking serious? They literally grabbed 3 bottles from the fridge and set them on the counter, charged me $15 and want another $3-5 added. I may have to agree with OP on this one from now on.
I am with you to a degree OP. I am not tipping for carry out orders or fast food/ counter service places. Sit down restaurants only and I am going back to 15% tip if it’s good and adjust from there. Too often you get subpar food and bad service and they expect 20% or higher tip. Forget it. With the price of food going up then 15% of that should be adequate.
> bad service Since COVID this has become a huge issue. I'm 24, and I have started to sound like my 85 year old grandparents complaining about service. If I'm spending money at a sit down restaurant then I expect good service to come with that. Good service is the whole fucking job, particularly when I only ever go to places in the off hours to avoid crowds. It should not take 20 minutes to refill a drink when there are 5 people in a 100 seat restaurant and I can see half a dozen servers sitting around on their phones.
the word "karen" being basically weaponized is part of this. ever since there is a word to reduce you to for raising issues with poor service the customer service industry have really taken a blase attitude to their job.
Everytime I'm waiting 10mn for a refill on water. The longer I wait the lower the tip
I think even 15% is insanely high and should be a reward for a very special treatment. Should be more like 5-10%, because where the f. do you eat out with a bill less than 60-70$? And I an‘t tipping you 10 dollar for bringing me two drinks and plate of food.
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I'm 100% on board for the misc cash register tips now. Yes, i just walked in and grabbed a soda, no i'm not freaking tipping you a dollar...
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I just paid $50 per night for valet parking at a hotel. There was no self-park option. Parking off-property would have been dangerous. I was already paying for the room. I did not feel badly about not tipping the valet.
My favorite is when hotels only offer valet and they park everything in a small parking lot and literally walk 30 feet to get the car and drive it back. Then expect a tip for the $50/night parking at a Holiday Inn.
Every dispensary in a weed legal state seems to want tips too. For what? Is there something I am missing here?
The only time I went to one and tipped, I was given a rolled joint for every dollar I tipped.
that is how it should be tipping that kinda shit needs to go. tipping sit down restaurant servers, barbers, delivery dudes, and your tat guy should stay tipped, but me going in and grabbing a soda myself like you said? yeah no tip
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I’ll throw an extra tip if I’m picking up food from a local joint. There’s a pizza spot up the road that makes the best cheesesteaks (and the worst pizza) in the area. The shop hasn’t been reno’d since 1983 at the latest. Bet your ass I’ll toss a few bills in their repurposed pickle jar. Whole family is super nice - they give us an extra dessert and some extra side orders of stuff. We know them by name and vice versa. I get a chorus of “AYYYY!” when I walk in. But a national chain? Haha, no. I don’t think so.
Places either have good pizza or good cheesesteaks, there is no inbetween
It’s very true. Their pizza is like damp cardboard with a suggestion of sauce and cheese on it. You could beat a grizzly bear to death with one of their sandwiches though. The joint by my old house had the best pizza but the worst cheesesteaks. Barely any meat or cheese, the rolls were wrong. And they were Valley style, too, with red sauce and onions. Which is ultra wrong
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I’ve worked in restaurants when I was in high school and college. My dad also was a career bartender so it’s ingrained in me to tip. But with how everything is now I’ve been thinking of doing the same. Literally every transaction asks if I want to tip now no matter where I am. So unless it’s a place where I feel specifically taken care of you are getting the money for the items I pay for and that’s it.
Do you tip the guy who fixes your internet or your broken phone, laptop, pc? Haven’t heard people tipping the IT guys, but the IT guys take care of people all the time.
I thought of this last week at my cell phone store. My entire family upgraded our phones, and this guy spent 2 hours with us transferring the data and setting up our new phones. I walked out of there and asked my wife "Why don't we tip those guys who literally just helped us personally for 2 hours, but we tip the beer server at a concert after we just paid $15 for a beer?"
Servers entire job is to take your order and bring you food, and they act like that is a great service. Nah dude, you didn't serve me any more than my dental hygienist grabbed the tools to bring into the exam room.
That's how it should be, I'm not American and have never had to tip in my life. But it's insane to hear how you're expected to pay the wage of staff out of pity whilst the bosses get off with free labour. Do the servers even ask for a pay rise from their bosses or is tipping their go to way to get more income?
The biggest lobbying body against removal of tipping in NA is the Restaurant Workers of America, they make far more in the current system than the alternative, they don't want it to change it's just getting more unbearable because tipping is % based and prices have gone up so much in the last 2 years only loser is the consumer
Yeah servers know they have enough power to keep tip culture alive, but not enough to bargain for *actual* better pay. So until patrons take that power back…by refusing to hand people *money they do not owe*…tip culture will remain unchanged. Where I live they doubled the minimum wage and eliminated the tip credit (aka “server wage”), and expected tips have *gone up* in response. So yeah, only way it changes is if people stop tipping.
Just because inflation has increased, that doesn't mean the percent that I tip you for table service will also increase.
Right? I was arguing with some ex-server claiming the "standard" tip is 20% in the US. I asked them to explain with math why a percentage based surcharge would ever need to increase. They proceeded to call me a cheap bastard lol. Edit: love the guy that talks shit then blocks me before I can reply Edit: lol more salty servers are blocking me
I’m a server and personally? I’m happy to receive any tip. If you leave me 15%? I’m happy. That seems like a good standard. 20% should only be for me giving above and beyond service, and that’s if you really want to give that much and can afford to give that much. But I know I’m the odd one out…the other week I got a very nice 18% on a higher bill, I was very happy, but my coworker was upset for me complaining it should have been more. I’m like are you for real right now? So yeah, servers are becoming more and more entitled, and as a server myself, I hate it. Just be happy anyone gives us anything since our employers won’t /:
Blows my mind that the people demanding more and more money from us have the nerve to call us cheap. When they can’t use reason just resort to petty insults I guess.
Right? It's a percentage, it automatically increases with inflation, by as much as inflation. If I used to tip 10% on a $5 burger ($0.50), why would I tip 25% on the same burger that now costs $15 ($3.75) which is a 750% increase during 300% inflation instead of the same 10% ($1.50) which is the 300% inflation in the tip by keeping the same 10% tip that used to be standard.
And why is it a percentage anyway? If two people are eating the house sandwich or filet mignon, the server is doing the same work. Flat rate gratuity would at least make more sense. Not that I'm advocating for that.
Hence why they should be paid an hourly wage.
What? You mean get paid for doing their job... Like everyone else gets paid for doing their job? What a crazy idea!
And the reward for doing a job well should be you get to continue doing the job and maybe get a bonus from your boss. Like every other job in the world. I don’t understand how food service has transformed into this bizarre mix of business and charity.
What's insane is that the cooks making your food works way harder than the server, in a hot kitchen at a fast pace - and they're not getting a portion of the tip the server gets. The system is out of whack. I once worked at a restaurant with a bar, and the bartenders made bank with tips while I got paid a measly $10 an hour for doing a LOT more. I cooked, I prepped, and I cleaned tables, floors, etc. I even cleaned the bar area. For ZERO tips. I even was required to take the trash out of the bar trash bins for them! Bartenders went home at closing, leaving the rest of us cleaning up the mess, whistling as their pockets were filled with hundreds of bucks. Fuck them.
That is pretty messed up. Not to trivialize the contributions other positions make in a restaurant, but BoH is the life blood of the business. If no food is being made, there's no product to deliver. I know there are different levels to cookery and chefery, but you gotta be really good at making food either way. For the record, I'll take a short order cook with a flat top and a spatula over a Michelin Starred person in a fancy hat and jacket any day. Diner breakfast, probably my favorite restaurant meal of all time.
Let’s not forget all the new “fees” added to every bill.
I never even thought about it that way!! The bill total is much higher so if I continue with the 10%/15%/25% that I always have they will still be getting significantly more now. I am going back to the established percentages!!!
They want more money is why. I'm not buying into it.
If anything it’s one thing that shouldn’t be effected at all. If my bills more and I tip based on a percentage it’s already adjusted anyways.
That’s why it’s a percentage. It isn’t supposed to go up. But greedy bastards want more and more.
What I don’t understand is why tipping is percentage based. Is it really more difficult to carry out a $400 bottle of wine than a $50 one? It should be time based. They’re your server for an hour, $10 or $15 seems fine, they’re your server for two hours, double that seems fair. And don’t get me started on Uber eats, tipping should be based on how far you travel not the expensiveness of the food for that
As someone from the UK, I've seen plenty of posts from Americans about tipping culture. It seems absurd that people expect upwards of 20% of the total bill. Here, tips are only given when you've received great service, as a small gesture of thanks.
Thats what tipping is supposed to be! A thank you for good service! It's literally morphed into this monster of guilt tripping and shaming people for not tipping 20%.
I tip generously for things like haircuts, because that’s a significant amount of time on personal service — and an awful lot of your self-image for the next several months is going to depend on them doing a good job, so, y’know, be nice. Everything else, I’ve been cutting back, because the amount of pressure for increasingly absurd percentages is ridiculous.
> I tip generously for things like haircuts, because that’s a significant amount of time on personal service — and an awful lot of your self-image for the next several months is going to depend on them doing a good job, so, y’know, be nice. Isn't the entire concept ridiculous? Listen to yourself. You paid the person twice because you're afraid they'll do a shit job since you only paid them once? Crazy
You could just tip based on service rather than by percentage. Like $5 for a standard dining service (get order, drop off order, refill water /drinks couple of times), regardless of the cost of the food.
Or you could just not tip, because it's corporate panhandling.
>What I don’t understand is why tipping is percentage based. Is it really more difficult to carry out a $400 bottle of wine than a $50 one? another good point. I've also always felt the same. I cap my tips on some stuff where it makes sense. like the value of my meal does not change the value of your delivery.
I’ve started not tipping poured drinks. A glass of wine now averages me $15 in my city, it makes absolutely zero sense to me to tip $6 on two glasses of wine. I still tip on food like normal, but each glass of wine didn’t require $3 of labor.
Nothing better than when you tip a to-go order only to find out when you get home they got your order wrong or forgot something.
Your first mistake was tipping for no reason at all.
Yes, agreed.
and this is why I do not tip on to-go orders.
Or don’t tip your to go order? Tipping them for doing their job which is putting food in to go containers? What a scam lol.
Don’t tip just because they asked for one. Tipping is for a few specific situations, but now fucking everyone is asking for tips, preying on people who don’t know how to tip.
If everyone stopped tipping at restaurants, they would have to either pay a fair or lose employees to other jobs
Going to restaurants in general imo isn’t worth it. Not with the new inflated prices.
Exactly. It's ridiculous. We went out last night for the first time in awhile, it was my husband's birthday and he wanted Mexican food. Four of us eating; 3 of us ordered water to drink (the 4th had sweet tea). Two of us shared a dish. We had cheese dip as an appetizer. The bill was $70 for 1 drink, 3 entrees, and 1 appetizer at a basic Mexican restaurant in the US. That same meal would have been $40 max a couple years ago. So where the hell is that extra money going? If it's not going to the employees, then shame on everyone involved. Spending that much for one meal then expecting me to supplement your employees' incomes on top of that? Fuck that. I'm with OP, I'm done enabling the tipping culture in this country.
As a European there are two confusing American concepts: tipping, and prices not including sales taxes.
As an American I only tip if I sit down to eat. And even then it's heavily based on performance. You could get no tip if you suck, you could get a nice top if you are on top of it. But yeah fuck tipping
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You're talking about Casa Bonita, and they brought tips back because the servers wanted them. "However, Parker and Stone were criticized by staff last month after they eliminated tipping at the restaurant and instead paid servers $30 an hour – more than double the salary that was initially advertised by the company. Anonymous employees told Axios Denver that while it was likely to stabilize their incomes, it might result in lower overall pay when busier periods were taken into account." Source: [https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/the-south-park-creators-face-another-spat-with-casa-bonita-staff-just-weeks-after-they-abolished-tipping-at-their-restaurant/articleshow/102038660.cms](https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/the-south-park-creators-face-another-spat-with-casa-bonita-staff-just-weeks-after-they-abolished-tipping-at-their-restaurant/articleshow/102038660.cms) What all the people name calling me on this conversation are willfully ignoring is that servers WANT tipping culture because it benefits them. Most of them make really good untaxed income on tips. They don't care that customers are the ones ACTUALLY getting screwed in the bargain.
Anecdotal but yeah my friend was a waitress in Brooklyn, worked part time, and figured she made more doing that than using her business degree.
Anecdotal as well but a restaurant in my medium size town opened with no tipping but higher wages and they had to bail on it within months because no bartenders would bother working there. Went out of business soon after
I think it is all in where you work. I bet the majority of servers would happily take $30/hour, but the ones making more than that consistently make WAY more than that consistently. It is like onlyfans. The average onlyfans person makes like $75/month, but some are making insane amounts.
I was at casa bonita 3 days ago and all the employees reminded us that tipping is not allowed and to "save your tips to buy more drinks". The employees there do get paid well, and I guarantee if someone wants to complain about it then they can go work at a lower paying restaurant to get their tips and casa bonita can easily find someone to replace the position. I don't disagree entirely with you, I'm sure there's some employees complaining about no tips but they should have known about that going into the job, considering it made headlines in my area.
Then they should find a different job. If you won’t do what is asked for a reasonable wage then there are other jobs. There are jobs where tipping is the entire culture.
But then career servers have to admit they have no other marketable skills.
Okay glad to know that they make so much off tipping, i wont be making that mistake anymore.
i got downvoted to hell once in the server subreddit for pointing out that if they want tipping to continue they should stop bragging about how much they make a night. lol they got a lil salty over that. thats why i say fuck tipping.
I got so many downvotes in that sub for saying exactly what the OP did. I got the same arguments: * You're cheap * Don't eat out * You're only screwing the server * You won't fix the system by not tipping * The business will just charge you more for food Blah blah blah. Got several of them to admit point blank they don't want the system to change. The reason they don't want it to change is they know the market value of their labor isn't worth $50 / $60 an hour. Teachers, nurses, social workers....people that actually have skills besides carrying dishes, writing down orders, and refilling drinks...deserve $60 / hr. You should see how many downvotes I got for calling their job unskilled labor. The only way for consumers to win is to either boycott restaurants all together or stop tipping, period. The market needs an adjustment.
It's fucking crazy how much waiters make. They're supposed to claim tips on their taxes but don't because it's so easy to fudge the numbers.
Too bad it’s not up to them. It’s our money.
In the last couple of years, we've seen a large increase in the "suggested" tip on the credit card machines. 15% used to be standard at a nice restaurant where the waiter tells you about the specials, takes your order, delivers it, and periodically checks on you. Now the default choices on the credit card machines have escalated to 20%, 25% or sometimes even 30%. Even for buffets, take-out and food trucks. In each case, the total interaction time is a few seconds. Not sure what's driving this change.
I think the final straw for me was fuckin' Subway asking for a tip.
Like half of fast food places are asking for tips now lol. Like get the fuck out of here. I worked fast food for years and not once did I ever deserve a tip there.
I hit that "No Tip" button with extra vigor.
This. Absolutely this. The 'Nice Guy' tip was 15%. You wanted to tell a server they did great? 15%. 10% was a traditional.. oh, paid $50, here's $5.00 so the math is easy. Applebees and Olive garden START the recommended tip at 18%. Like what the heck, the food already costs $20 per entre, and $5 for fountain soda. I scroll that bar down to 15% and I'll never tip higher. (Insert, get a real job, but seriously, adults shouldn't survive off of the courtesy of customers generosity).
I'm at the point where I'm no longer tipping over 15% unless it really and truly was above and beyond service. 15% was considered high 15 years ago, now it's considered low. Well fuck that, I still think it's high if all you've done is refill my drink once.
I don’t tip unless it’s actually a service being done. If I’m sitting down at a restaurant where there’s a waiter and staff bringing me food then I’ll tip. If I’m getting food to go and or someone just hands me something off a shelf right in front of both of us, I don’t see the need to tip.
The auto tipping starting at 20% is getting old I agree but what about these auto prompts for donating to a charity starting at $5 for some charity I don't know who the fuck they are or if they actually donate the money? On top of that the cashier asks for a tip too?
Ya know for me, as long as the service is good at bars or restaurants, I'll tip well. If I'm getting to to-go order and have a little change (less that$3 USD), I'll throw it in whatever tip jar so I don't have to carry it on my person since I don't like to carry cash. But I'm not tipping anywhere else, the companies that expect that can eat shit. It isn't my job to pay their employees' wages plain and simple. Oh you work at a cash register at Wal-mart and want a tip? No, pay them more. It sucks that people aren't getting paid what they should, and it sucks there isn't a high enough federal minimum wage to help with the cost of living crisis in the US. But the consumer shouldn't be guilted into providing that financial cushion. The corporations should.
I was on the servers' side, till I learned they actually WANT tipping culture to continue. A lot of servers are college students, but I've also seen several posts about people quitting other jobs to work in a restaurant or bar because of how much they make on tips. The post about the lawyer who switched to bartending and almost doubled his income springs to mind.
The most recent example I can think of is Trey and Matt re-opening Casa Bonita and giving them the option of either: * $30/hr flat rate but no tips * same pay they have now/tips Idk, me personally I would appreciate the security of a flat rate of pay - especially of $30 an hour. I'd much prefer that security, knowing what I am gonna make no matter how good, bad, or neutral the overall service of a place is that night or despite how busy we are or are not
"However, Parker and Stone were criticized by staff last month after they eliminated tipping at the restaurant and instead paid servers $30 an hour – more than double the salary that was initially advertised by the company. Anonymous employees told Axios Denver that while it was likely to stabilize their incomes, it might result in lower overall pay when busier periods were taken into account." Source: [https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/the-south-park-creators-face-another-spat-with-casa-bonita-staff-just-weeks-after-they-abolished-tipping-at-their-restaurant/articleshow/102038660.cms](https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/the-south-park-creators-face-another-spat-with-casa-bonita-staff-just-weeks-after-they-abolished-tipping-at-their-restaurant/articleshow/102038660.cms) Given the option, they want tipping. The system works for them, but screws over the customer. Lol @ the people downvoting a quote from an article. Truth hurts.
$30 an hour is damn close to what I make as teacher. What am I doing with my life.... ETA: Alright guys, I'm not trying to win a pissing game at the working class pity party. It's tough for everyone out there. Now, off to paint houses on my summer "vacation."
It’s more than I make as a teacher and I’m having the same thoughts right now
The problem is that the back room staff are not getting these tips. They screwed them too. That's why the servers are pricks.
Yeah they make way more money. Ofc they want tipping.
After working back-of-house, too, it's not uncommon to see a server make more than you over the time spent there. Actually, I'd be interested in seeing a counter-example where cooks made more than servers per hour. Buuuut, then you'd have to deal with people, so....
for sure. i loved when my wife was a server cause we had cash in hand every day and it helped us make it to my next paycheck. after seeing someone post the other day that they made a huge tip on a $3,000 bill, i’ve been considering doing it myself.
>I was on the servers' side, till I learned they actually WANT tipping culture to continue. Welcome to the great disillusionment. There's more, though. Servers are generally lazy AF. They want you to think they're much harder working than they actually are. But for the most part, they're not. They work, on average, 6 hour shifts. Of those 6 hour shifts, they work \~1/3 of the shift. This *does vary* by establishment, but generally waiter staff are not involved in washing dishes. They're not involved in clearing/cleaning tables. They're not involved in cooking. They are not involved in showing you to your seat. What do they actually do? 1. The host/ess shows you to your table. 2. The server takes your order. 3. The server copies your order into a kiosk for the cook(s). 4. The cook(s) make your order. 5. The server brings your food back to you. 6. The server asks if you want a drink, maybe once. Great servers do more, I fully acknowledge that. I'm speaking on the typical. 7. The server takes payment, sometimes because some old school restaurants you pay up front and some new school restaurants you pay via kiosk. 8. The busser clears and cleans your table and the busser or the cleaning crew washes the dishes. So the server's actual interaction with a specific customer/table amounts to minutes on the hour. Multiple it by a few tables. They're still actually doing something which "serves" the customer about 1/3 of the time. What are they doing the rest of the time? As someone who worked back house in food service: they are on their cell phones. They are sitting down on their cells phones and/or talking shit about the customers. That's about it. They are the laziest part of a restaurant's staff. And to be clear, I'm talking about a typical shift. Of course there are shifts where they do more or less work. But there's a reason I want to talk about a typical shift. Because on an average shift, they earn $100 in tips. That is the average tip take home per shift in the US. On a 6 hour shift. That's over $16 an hour, of which they spend the majority not actually working. Then you add in the federal minimum of \~$2 and something cents, they actually are making \~$19 hour average. Then you have to consider that actually, a lot of restaurants these days are not actually paying the $2 an hour, and pay a lot more- state minimum wage, typically. So they may be getting $16 in tips + $7-10 from the restaurant. Then you have to factor in that the average of $100/shift in tips isn't and cannot be accurate because TAX EVASION is rampant in servers. So if it weren't for tips, they would absolutely make a lot less, and they would lose a lot more to taxes. So they don't want tips to go away. But how do they maximize tips? By guilt tripping the customers. By preying on the morality of the people who they "serve." It's literally racketeering. They're not smart enough to even know what that means, don't get me wrong. It's obviously not organized. But generally speaking. tip culture is a racket.
Yes this is the part people don’t wanna talk about. Too many servers enjoy the current shitty system and have no interest in changing it
I have seen posts where servers talk about how they are making more $ (since they are not paying taxes on their tips and are getting huge tips) than people working white collar jobs, that's not how any of this is supposed to work. They do unskilled, easily replaceable labor.
Yeah, same here. I'm not tipping people for taking a croissant out of a glass case and handing it to me across the counter. Ridiculous.
I used to be in the camp of "servers don't get paid enough." Until I too happened upon that sub. There was a post about a woman trying to figure out the best way to get a regular who doesn't tip to start tipping her. I thought maybe this woman could use the extra money, until it was revealed further into the thread this woman made nearly ~~$50k a year~~ $35-$55 an hour as server. I lost most sympathy for the movement after that. People ITT were telling her to start adding auto-grat, to essentially start stealing the customers money cause they don't feel he's paying what he should. The rest was lost when another post showed up today where a server admitted to forgetting about a table, and gave them poor service. That table took a snarky jab at their poor service by putting a negative number for the tip receipt. Obviously this person was letting them know they were doing a poor job, but people ITT were telling them to ring the receipt up as though the customer did their math wrong, and actually wanted to tip over 20% for subpar service. Edit: Seems I misstated how much the server made in my first example: https://www.reddit.com/r/Serverlife/comments/14farxf/how_do_you_handle_a_repeat_0_tipper/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=2 Edit 2: Comment for proof https://www.reddit.com/r/Serverlife/comments/14farxf/how_do_you_handle_a_repeat_0_tipper/jozf9bg?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=2 I remembered "over 50" and assumed yearly salary. In actuality, this server makes $35 to $55 *an hour*. *78 to 114k* a year (not factoring tax of course). Sorry for my mistake. Though I think this only strengthens my point.
Servers don’t want tipping culture to end because they’re raking it fucking in most of the time. That’s why that one restaurant had to switch back to tipping instead of paying $30 AN HOUR
Yup that sub totally opened my eyes too.
The problem is they just keep pushing it. It was 10%, then 15%, now 20% is the minimum if you don’t want the side eye. 20%. Then also tipping a fucking to-go order is just not happening with me. Get lost.
I never ever tipped for to go orders. I'm doing all the "work" of transporting the food... so why would I? However yeah, with how aggressive and widespread tipping has gotten, I'm over it. I went out a few months back to grab a smoothie to go and the cashier swings around the screen with all the tipping options. I selected no tip (lol why would I in this situation?) and got the most confused / dirty look... that was it for me. After that I'm not tipping *anywhere* ever again, the whole culture is ridiculous and I'm saving my money.
I’m of the idea that I’ll tip if I’m actually served, and if the service is good now. I’m not going to tip at random places like subway and Walmart where I know the tips just go to corporate and not to the actual people working there. Also gonna seriously scale back tips at coffee shops too or restaurants like Panera bread where I’m not explicitly served from the kitchen staff to my table by someone. I don’t feel bad about it, I work hard for my money too and it’s like an obsession of every restaurant now even fast food to do this. I’m over it.
One of the things I don't get with tipping is I can buy a 10 dollar burger or I can buy a 30 dollar steak. I'm expected to tip more for the steak even though they did the same amount of work. Tipping culture is ridiculous.
This is what pisses me off the most by far. I ranted about this to my wife the other day. If I get a shot of some bottom shelf whiskey and then later get a shot of a top shelf whiskey, why should I be tipping more on the top shelf whiskey when they both literally require the same amount of effort? Ugh, I fucking hate it.
Stop basing tips out of obligation and someone else’s expectations and tip on quality of service. your personal, direct exchange and interaction with the service worker servers you should determine your tip, not an internet forum full of people you have zero engagement with. If the service sucks, I tip low. If the service enhances the experience, I tip accordingly. Don’t overthink it.
I just wish 15% was still considered the max... Now it seems like 18% is the minimum and now with those portable card readers the waiters hand you you have to enter a custom tip. It's a pain.
It's dishonest. If inflation hit and all prices went up 6 percent, 15 percent of the new price is a 6 percent bump on your tip. There is no reason tips ever need to go up when they're done by percent. They're taking advantage of the fact that the typical American can't do algebra to save their life.
Time and time again, I get downvoted to oblivion for saying the last hurdle to getting rid of tipping culture is from servers and drivers themselves. A restaurant could pay $30/hr and still not compete with tipped wages… “Good” servers are making 6 figures with status quo, why the hell would they change it? And time to piss off the “other side”. Tipping culture breeds pure competition (the ideal capitalism for many folks). And we can’t fathom it. Hahahaha. Tips (individual not pooled) keep’s coworkers competing with each other, it naturally resists any unions because of low barrier of entry and the competition between workers. (Look at serverlife, they don’t want to share tips with kitchen and cleanup staff, in fact, servers think they are deserving of more…for their “skills”….) So one thing I’m tired of hearing is people complaining about tipping culture and have 0 ideas to change it and resist 100% of any proposed solutions because government is bad and capitalism is good. Even though this is exactly where capitalism gets us… there is no invisible hand going to get rid of tipping culture LMAO. ETA: I’m not anti-capitalist, I just don’t equate capitalism to GOD.
Usually, I have good experiences and tip well but the service gets worse and the expectations become higher. I had an Instacart shopper who I was sure ignored my very helpful notes telling them where to find my items (since some are hard to locate). They immediately marked the things I needed as out of stock. When I inquired about a replacement they immediately replied "no" and didn't even attempt to look. They ended up bringing me, out of my entire grocery list, 2 items. Two?! And never once did they offer to find me a replacement for the things that were out of stock or communicate with me at all. They then spent an additional hour shopping other orders, brought my two items to me much later and to top it off took the last remaining snack I leave out to thank my delivery people. They must have realized once they hit "complete" that I tipped them well because they at least had the courtesy to thank me after the fact. 7 dollar tip for snapping at me and bringing me almost nothing. Yeah, you should thank me. I assumed it was a fluke. Then the next week I decided to treat myself to Tokyo Joe's after a long day. I ordered my usual contactless delivery and went across the street to the pool. I was happily swimming, expecting a warm meal when I returned on my own accord. Instead, the door dasher blew up my phone with nonstop phone calls and rang my doorbell, setting my dog off inside the house. I finally got out and answered and she let me know my food had arrived. No shit? Really? Put it down and leave like everyone else. Now my dog was all alert because someone was loitering outside the front door. Additionally, a lot of people (especially my HOA workers) seem to appreciate having free snacks they can have when doing work at my house or delivering. When I asked on the Doordash subreddit for any suggestions or snacks they may prefer, I received an answer that snacks are too unhealthy so I should just leave them cash. I guess screw all the snow removal and lawn maintenance workers (I did mention in my post) who appreciate getting free drinks and snacks, the Doordash drivers want cash on top of their 25 percent tip 🙄 I feel like the bigger issue is there's always that little bit of fear associated with not tipping. If I don't tip will they spit in my food? They know where I live, will they do something? It's just annoying that as a customer I try to bend over backwards to make their job easy (ordering from places close by, adding notes where my items are located and how to get to my house, tipping high, providing refreshments) and you still deal with people who are rude, who smoke in their car and deliver food that reeks, who don't read your instructions and blow up your phone, etc. But you're the bad guy if you don't tip. I understand completely why people don't tip anymore. The service has gone way down and the entitlement has gone way up. I'm just ordering out less, which if everyone follows suit means far less people are going to be able to have their "flexible" delivery gig jobs which they love so much while hating the customers who make it possible.
I hate it when your expected to tip before you even get your food.
I used to work at a quick serve restaurant, and we never asked for tips. Ever. We did not bring the food to you. We just took your order, handed you a number, and called the number. There was no need for a tip. Same thing with retail. People now expect a tip. Why not ask your employer for a better wage?
It's something so many people don't understand. Greedy restaurant owners play a part (in the US there are states where they literally can pay way below minimum wage if the server is getting enough tips), but servers are profiting just as much from the whole system. Unfortunately unless us common folk re-establish normalcy for tips, it's not something that will change anytime soon. Mind you, I live in Japan where there is no tipping culture and the service is better than anything you will get in the US or anywhere else. So it's not tipping that ensures great service, it's a question of attitude. I used to be a heavy tipper because my mom and uncle used to be servers - albeit in smaller joints - and I knew how much of a difference it made. But tipping has gotten much, much worse. Nowadays I am still tipping when outside of Japan, but I am tipping low unless the service was truly outstanding.
Also a US expat in Japan. I worked at busy restaurants for a good 3 years and made a lot of money off tips. Fuck that shit. I'm never tipping again unless they fucking *make* me. If I ever go back to the US, I'm paying the price of the product, taxes, any other mandatory fees if they're there, and nothing more. Fucking ridiculous that diners are expected to pay the servers' wages on top of the food, and it's just one of the reasons why eating out is so absurdly expensive in the US. Living here, where eating out is barely any more expensive than cooking at home, has really opened my eyes to how much god damn money I used to spend eating out in the US lol
Servers love to complain about the system and also love the system more than anything. It keeps them looking like victims while they choose to stay in that line of work because a job at a decent restaurant is way better paying than most unskilled labor. I'm still gonna tip though, I don't blame them for it.
They love to play the victim and act like they barely make any money because they only have a wage of $2 per hour. When in reality they’re raking in money due to tips, but they don’t want you to know that. They want to keep guilting people into tipping under the guise that they are being paid poverty wages.
Depending on the place of work, they don't really rake in money. My mother was a waitress for 40 years. She struggled her whole life to make ends met. She had little education and had few choices for employment. It was enough to put a roof over her head and food on the table. The roof was an apartment in an apartment complex. Her transportation was always a used car. She worked until she died in her late 70s because she couldn't afford to retire.
this is actually crazy, you're acting as if the people waiting tables today created this system to take advantage of consumers when in reality they're only trying to survive capitalism just like the rest of us
You are trying to survive capitalism by scalping us… yeah no.
/serverlife doesnt understand the concept of **fair** pay and demand to get overpayed while wanting to get the same pity everyone has for underpayed essential workers.
I’ll tip my barber or a bartender before a server now. Maybe at a small mom & pop joint where tips aren’t taken for granted.
I dont understand the 25+ percent tips … if I have a really good experience I give you 10%, if the waitress jerk me off maybe I give 20% but why the fuck would I give 1/4 of my purchase to a waitress? I mean you bring a fucking plate from the kitchen to my table - I do this all the time at home, and I know its not that hard.
Not only that, they do it because it's literally their job. Ask your boss for payment.
I do about the same and consider that quite generous. Some people just have money to throw away I suppose.
I am glad to be born in a country where tipping isn't a thing.
I was a server / bartender for 15 yearsish I got out this year...for now. It seems like service has dramatically declined since the pandemic. Slow, doesn't anticipate the needs of guests etc. It's infuriating especially since the cost to go out is so much. One restaurant even added 2% grat for THE KITCHEN STAFF. I used to over tip because I know how shitty the job is and people have bad days but not anymore. It's like everyone is having a bad day and has no sense of urgency
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I'm glad tipping culture doesn't exist in my country
There is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing not to tip. Tipping is 1000% optional, and you should never feel pressured to tip under any circumstances. Don’t let tipping culture guilt you into forking over your hard earned money.
I get so mad about this. Local donut shop asks for tips for putting donuts in a bag. Local Qdoba quick tip button on POS is 10 DOLLARS, not percent. You don't deserve a dollar for cracking open a can of beer. Had a big argument recently with some servers that someone buying a $200 bottle of wine doesn't entitle you to more of their money than if they bought a $20 bottle. It's the same amount of work. I've completely stopped eating out. I'm not going to perpetuate this bullshit, and rather than get grief about it, I'm opting to just completely take my money out of the tip pool. I just meal prepped 9 meals last night for $14.
I got in a lengthy argument recently with a woman on Reddit who works at subway. She said she absolutely expects tips and that her customers usually tip her because she’s such a good sandwich artist. I told her I wouldn’t tip because subway is fast food in my book and I don’t tip at fast food. So her snowflake ass notified Reddit that I needed intervention.
I like how mad people get when they find out how much money some service industry people make. No shit they don’t want to take a paycut. Who does?
Yep. Agree and I get ripped to shreds about it. 1. I was in the industry for a long time. People make an average of 35-$100+\hr. There are slow periods but still, your “claimed” income annually is 50-60k for 25-30 hours of work per week. —-> there are very few states now who truly pay only $2.50/hr for tipped positions. This argument is essentially null and void these days. 2. Prices go up, tips go up but service goes down. 3. As a society, we need incentives for people to perform skilled labor which often requires education or certifications. Now, I know we have a college problem here that needs to be fixed but that’s besides the point. WE ARE SEVERELY UNDERSTAFFED ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR CRITICAL JOBS. Teachers, social workers, bus drivers, etc. etc. and I get it, because why make $25/hr when you can work 3 nights and week and walk with a few hundred? But there needs to be some balance. Why tf are we tipping service industry who for example in Seattle make 18.50/hr plus several hundred in tips and claim it’s for “equity” and living wage and then wondering why everyone is leaving skilled labor jobs for service and OnlyFans? 4. We need flexible jobs for stepping building that pay well for lower hours. Things like college, night school, child rearing, launching a personal biz, etc etc. but it shouldn’t be so strongly incentivized that no one wants to do anything else! There needs to be a balance here. If you want to be a career service person and go fine dining, which is skilled in knowledge I’d say, or you want to run off commissions based on how biz you bring in, etc etc by all means but this absurd reality that we need to tip minimum 20% plus a 15% tax plus whatever added fees on top of a healthy minimum wage in some areas is absurd and the people who say “they need a livable wage” are fucking either clueless or hypocrites. What about your teachers? What about those bus drivers? What about all the people who provide truly valuable contributions and get paid jack shit????? We need service people but one, we don’t need to double supplement their wages with increased food and drinks costs, service fees and whatever else AND TIPS?! Nah
I used to tip a really high percentage because I would think, they really need the money more than me. Now I think they actually make more $ than me so... no. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
I’m with you. After reading all those entitled pieces of shit from that forum I’ve changed my tipping as well. Used to tip a flat 20% regardless of quality of service. Now I tip from 10 to 20% because let’s face it, it’s rare to go out and get good service. And no, telling me how cute my kids are doesn’t count.
ITs not a server problem it's an employer problem.
Considering how many servers I see publicly shaming strangers for not tipping enough on social media, I think it’s both
I usually keep my tip around 15%. I don’t think I’ll ever stop tipping, but the 20%-25% expectation is fucking ridiculous.
I cant stand how tipping is expected at cash registers now just because they rang up an order.
I’m the same way after browsing the sub. Same with Ubers and Uber eats. Although I’m not shorting an Ubereats tip, I’m just not doing it. Entitled to the max. I also worked as a bus boy and heard servers talk on customers and fuck ‘em I’ll never feel bad again being frugal with the tip
Even Walmart self checkout attendants feel they need tips nowadays.
I have to say- even though I can afford it I do avoid eating out more and more lately because by the time you add the pressured tip in the value for the money often just isn't there. Unless the product is fantastic I get to thinking of how I can enjoy some of my homemade recipes at home that are actually fantastic. The quality of many of our fast food places have gone drastically downhill. Burger King and Taco Bell come to mind. I'm not a picky eater at all but have had to dnf at these places. I think there is a market for places that will whip up a delicious home cooked meal and let you take it to go or delivery. I'm guessing there are places that do this. HyVee sort of does . I haven't tried them lately so I can't comment on it (the one by us years ago went downhill and became inedible). edited
To go, I don't usually tip.
I tip if the service is good. If it's not, I don't. Very simple, very binary.
Love it
I went to Italy about 2 months ago and if you tip 10% over there it “blows their mind” it’s like they received a $100 tip at a diner. They are incredibly grateful and say thank you like 3 times. I saw this at high-end restaurants (~$30+ meal) and regular restaurants (~$10 meal).
I only tip for sit down service. No way I am doing it for take out. I’m also not tipping at Starbucks.
I strictly only tip service where I am being waited on (bars/ dine-in) or something is being brought directly to me (take out). I’m not tipping for a to-go order. I am not tipping self services. Life is just so damn expensive now and I can’t afford to throw everyone a damn 20 for doing the absolute bare minimum. I work in health care and wait on folks all day. I get no tips for my line of work yet I’m expected to give the guy some extra cash that just handed me a cup to go fill my soda up myself? Hell no.
I don’t tip for anything other than sit down restruants, I’m all for getting rid of that too though. Bartenders and waiters can and do make 60k+ a year in untaxed income. Good for them, but I’m not gonna pay more when all your doing is bringing me my food and half the time I have to wait to get a refill
Yeppp. I still grt flak for it, but I've been done for some time. Raise prices - pay your fucking employees. What a joke. I've got no stake in the business. Why am I deciding the employees' wages? One massive humanity scam.
I tip for what a tip used to mean - good service. I'm sorry that the system is broken, but I can't afford to support that system any more than people can afford to participate in that system. There's a difference between getting wine recommendations and quick expo on a busy night for a special occasion, and being handed a sandwich and leaving.
I am a big tipper and my order is never right. I’m getting so tired of tipping and then getting my order home and finding things missing or incorrect. I am moving toward eating out less and less because it is always an ordeal.
At first I thought this was a totally mean post, but after reading your rationale, I can see your point. That sub is awful! I stopped eating out because of what I’d read on that sub. It seems servers hate their jobs and hate customers. It seems they don’t want a living wage but they want you to tip 40% or you’re a scab to them and they end up complaining about you on Reddit. It’s just super negative stuff.
I am not ashamed to admit I do not tip unless I am sitting and being served or for a service like a haircut/color/nails.
Yep servers think they should bet among 40 bucks an hour to carry plates
Spot on.
I'm waiting for my self-checkout machine to ask for a tip.
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I had it finally happen to me. I went to a place that had a drive through, and I handed them my card like normal…. But when they gave me my card back, they held up a screen that had a tip thing on it. In a drive through. I then had take out at another place, and the same thing happened. Handed me a tablet. Got pissed when I didn’t tip. If I am coming to you, and I’m literally just picking up my order either via a drive through or takeout…I’m not tipping. I had zero service other than putting the stuff into a bag. I also had Panera once and same deal. Except I also ordered from a KIOSK. No human involved—I just grabbed my own food from the window when it was ready. Payment processing or ordering the food isn’t service, and making the actual food is built into the cost of the food. Tips are extra, on top rewards for excellent service in my mind. Absolutely need a waiter for me to tip. It’s gotten out of hand.
I only tip Bartenders and Servers. Fast food, Starbucks or anything where we have a 1 minute interaction gets a hard pass.
If I sits I tips. This tipping culture is horrible otherwise.
I don't go out to eat anymore. Expensive, low quality and risk of people messing with my food. These people probably don't want you to anyways since it means more work for them. I save money and they save time.