It seems everyone has their hand out with the expectation of receiving a tip, a gratuity for service whether they have done a good job or not.
Here is a novel idea. Instead of relying on the customer to pay an employee’s wages in the form of a tip have the company pay them a fair wage.
Tipping is out of control. Whether it is the percentage amount expected (increasing from 15% to 20%) or expecting a tip for just doing their job.
Not so many years ago the price of a standard meal at a diner (ie. hamburger with fries) was around $10.00 so an expected tip might be $1.50 (15%). When Covid tore through the hospitality industry many people who could afford gave more, sometimes much more, to help servers through unprecedented economic hardship. This generosity has now morphed into a shaming of anyone who does not fork over at least 20%!
To make matters worse inflation has the $10.00 hamburger meal now priced at $15.00 … a 50% increase! But how much has the expected tip increased? The tip has doubled to $3.00 ($15.00 x 20%) – a 100% increase!
It seems everyone these days has a tip jar or electronic equivalent on display.
Just check your receipt. Everything from gently suggesting 18%, 20% or 22% tipping amounts for the mathematically challenged, to automatically adding gratuities (and not telling you) to even seeing a Kitchen Staff charge added. Bus boys and dishwashers must be complaining!
Tipping originated as a way to show your appreciation for exceptional service above and beyond the standard set by president and tradition. We should return to those standards.