Tipping: It’s Gotten Out of Control
I want to take a few moments to talk about the elephant in the room, or – more importantly, in the restaurant, café, or coffee shop. Yes, I’m talking about tipping. For some reason, the tipping culture in this country has seemingly run off of the rails, and I’m not quite sure why.
Now, I’ll be the first person to admit that servers and bartenders deserve to be tipped for good service. Lord knows, a competent waiter/waitress/bartender is hard to find, and when you locate a good one, you want to treat them right. In most cases their bosses won’t. The state mandated minimum wage for tipped positions in Maryland is only $3.63/hour, and realistically, most places wouldn’t pay that if they weren’t forced to. So, patrons are generally expected to tip their servers to make up for the difference.
Tipping rates vary, but these have slowly been creeping up over the years. Back when I was a wee lad, most patrons tipped between 5-10%, and this amount has steadily moved up to where the expectations are now in the 15-20% range. Many places will even add on an automatic 18% gratuity for larger parties, and believe me, I can’t argue with that. I’ve known many, many people who have worked in the service industry, and to a person – they can regale you with war stories of the time they were stiffed by a twelve-top of secretaries having lunch on a Wednesday, so I get it.
Here’s my issue. Tipping for service at a sit-down restaurant or bar? I completely understand that and will gladly accept this as part of the social contract. Tip my barber or hair stylist? Yup, I’m down. That being said, the places that now “expect” me to tip their employees has been blown completely out of proportion. Tip jars are now on the counter at gas stations or local convenience stores. Tipping options are now showing up on my digital bill at fast-food restaurants.
If that isn’t bad enough, the amount of a tip now “suggested” to me is insane. My “starting” suggested tip at a coffee shop or other food location is 20%? Excuse me? If you think I’m paying an extra 20-25% to buy a bottle of wine at a winery or for a double cheeseburger and fries at a local fast-food joint, well – someone certainly has an issue, but I don’t think it’s me. There’s also this “shaming” factor for customers now. The clerk will spin the screen around with your bill and the tipping options for everyone in line to see, while they stare at you and wait – practically daring you to put in a zero. When did this become the norm?
Maybe I’m old school.
Maybe I’ve had enough, but no seventeen-year-old bagel jockey is going to make me feel bad because his or her employer treats them like dirt while they are on the clock. Someone else can head up your labor negotiations – all I wanted was a cup of joe. I’m not here to foot the bill because you are short on your car payment.
Am I the crazy one here?
Drop me a line in the comment section and let me know your thoughts.
4 thoughts on “Tipping: It’s Gotten Out of Control”
I’m totally on board with your opinion.
Being fortunate enough to never having had to work in food service I can still appreciate that those jobs are underpaid. That being said, the amount of my tip depends on the service. I don’t expect to be fawned over but I do expect a service person to be at least pleasant. For breakfast or lunch I usually go with 10% and will add to that depending on the service. Dinner tips are usually 20% and can be more if the service is above the norm. I do not tip at fast-food, gas stations, etc. At some places they have already added the tip to the check so you have to look for that. Frankly, I don’t pay any attention to what is suggested….I pay what I feel is warranted.
I agree 100%. I also recently read a complaint from a patron who noticed a charge on his check for health insurance. He had taken a group of people to a high end restaurant and was planning on a $50 tip. When he questioned the health insurance charge, he was told that was to provide the employees their insurance. He refused to pay it and they threatened to call the police. The waiter suggested that if he could not afford the extra charge, perhaps he shouldn’t eat at a high end establishment. He paid the charge but left no tip. If “health insurance” starts appearing on any check of mine, I’ll start cooking again
I couldn’t agree more, this has gotten out of control.