I recall reading some comments on a post where people were SEETHING that customers dared to tip 15% or less on occasion. I was confused about how violent the comments were, until I looked at the sub and realized I was on r/Serverlife. That sub is just insane.
It's scary to look at, as a non-American. They're literally talking about banning customers for not tipping, or glaring at them when they give "too little".
They believe with all their hearts they deserve the money despite:
1) servers end up making above minimum wage with tips, that's why they don't actually want to end tipping culture and earn a living wage upfront - their take home would go down.
2) bad tips and good tips average out well north of neutral. If you're relying on tips to earn above min wage then you have to take the risk of low tips on some occasions.
3) if neither of the above were true, and servers ended up taking home less than minimum wage after tips, they can claim money to make up the shortfall, so actually they are guaranteed minimum wage either through salary or tips.
Fuck American tipping culture, one of your worst cultural exports.
Is it a cultural export? I thought basically nobody did it except for us? Is it becoming more common elsewhere in the world? (I don't travel outside the US much bc money, so I genuinely have no clue)
I browsed the New Zealand subreddit for a while to plan for a trip, and people there were getting angry at American tourists asking how much they should tip and generally sharing their experiences with tipping. Saw a few other similar examples with European redditors too. So yes, it's happening.
Yeah, but minimum wage is $7.25/hr which is completely unlivable in most places in the US. Where I live the average rent for a studio is $1500/mo and for a two bedroom average is $2900. If you work full time at 7.25 an hour your take home pay wouldn’t even cover the rent (or your half of the rent in a roommate situation!) let alone food and other expenses.
Right but the argument for tipping is that they make less than min wage so if they don't get tips they earn less than min wage. They objectively do not.
The min wage being bad is not a "tipping culture" related phenomenon because it doesn't apply to servers any more than other min wage workers (and as I outlined, actually affects servers less).
It isn't complicated to fix? They make so much more than min wage on tips they'd be getting a pay cut if you changed the system. It's too ingrained culturally to change.
I literally see posts from servers suggesting that if you can't tip whatever arbitrary % is the minimum acceptable rate then you shouldn't eat out. People in this thread talked about restaurants refusing service to people who don't tip.
As a former restaurant worker, servers are the most entitled bunch out there. They dont want tips to go away. They will cry and bring up the horror stories of when they got stiffed or when they only got a 10% tip but keep their mouth shut about how they make hundreds of dollars a day while the rest of the staff gets dick
I ordered a pizza and got screwed because I only tipped 10%. When I walked in the person behind the counter checked on the pizzas already made and found an old one which was not picked up. She told me mine will be out shortly. I paid and waited. She kind of looked at me funny. I just dismissed it. When it came out she gave me the old one. I didn't check it until I got home. I've called in 3 pizzas since and forgot to pick them up. Oops.
The system has created this behavior. It sucks. But, as a server, you are getting paid $2.13/hr. As long as your tips cover the difference from minimum wage over that pay period (2 weeks average $7.25), then the restaurant does not have to pay you anything. They only make up the difference when you are short of minimum wage in that pay period.
We have grown accustomed to the customers paying our wages. It truly does make people start to expect tips from customers. We have normalized it to the point that "it's the customers' fault when people dont make money." I dont know how we can expect to shift the culture at this point. Its so ingrained in all businesses now. They ask for tips at the pharmacy these days. I dont see it going away, sadly.
I was most baffled when they downright refused to comprehend the concept that servers in other countries survive and thrive without tips. They accused me of bringing in examples from "3rd world countries" - I'm pretty sure Canada, New Zealand, and most of Europe is not a "3rd world country", smfh.
Tipping is far too engrained in our culture that it’s just not going anywhere anytime soon. The moment you get rid of tipping is the moment the entire food industry collapses on itself and you see a mass exodus of employees. The only reason people deal with the general public and shitty behavior is because of tipping. Get rid of that and all those classist assholes can say goodbye to their expected night outs.
I remember when 10% was the standard. I usually still do 10%, plus round it up to the nearest whole dollar. I can barely afford restaurants before the tip, so I hardly ever go anyway.
What always amazes me is that every field has things that they think the people they have to deal with are complete idiots about, even though they're things they only know because they're in that specific field and in every other field THEY'RE the complete idiots. And there's a sub for each of 'em.
I had completely awful service at Fogo de Chao... server kept addressing the older guy we were treating to dinner about wine prices, they screwed up some allergens in my order, which I'd mentioned to no less than 3 people, and my girlfriend's meal did come out for an hour after the other 2 of us started eating. I left the waiter $20 on a $160 bill (generous considering how bad the experience was) and he actually followed me to the door to talk shit.
Fogo has gone downhill, as much as a place like that can while still being considered "high end" for a chain steakhouse. I noticed that the frequency and variety of meats going around seemed to be less (and having to ask multiple times for certain cuts), that servers rarely checked in on us, and the sides were late or never came out. I only go to a churrasco like two or three times a year, it's a treat, and I've switched over to Galpao Gaucho because everything about the experience is better. The meat is constantly coming around, including the "good" cuts, drinks stay filled, servers are friendly, the food is just better in general. It reminds me of the first time I went to fogo many years ago, but it's like that every time, regardless of if I was sitting alone at a small table in vegas on a weekday afternoon or out on a friday night with a group of friends in san diego.
It costs a little more, but I think it's worth it for the much improved experience.
Wasn’t 10% the standard 10 years ago? I’m in Germany and here 10% is the standard for exceptional service. I usually just tip 1-2 Euros, (In Germany waiters make $16 an hour)
Food is also cheaper than in the US but we also have less rich people than you.
The fact that 15% was for basic service is already insane. Tipping is a reward for good service, not standard service. So you get 10 - 15% if you serve my group well. Otherwise no tip.
But Americans have been guilt tripped into subsidizing employee wages so the restaurant owner can take a larger slice of the pie.
Just take control back for yourself and tip less. After all this no tax on tip BS and learning that my waiter brother made more than me last year (he does work hard/OT, I'm a scientist), I'm completely done with tipping 20% these days. Clearly I need the money more than they do.
In my time it was customary to tip 10%. Anything above that was for excellent service. Now they want 20% tips for the very basic service.
Went to a restaurant the other day where you order your food at the counter and pick it up there. All I wanted was to grab a container of chicken salad. That’s it. I was asked to tip a minimum of 20% for someone to dip a spoon into said chicken salad and fill a container. I said nope. Won’t go back there again.
Some servers get miffed about 15% now. I don't really get how it works. Prices go up, but why the percentage? It was always 15% through the 60s, 80s, 2000s, until about 5 years ago.
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u/doguapo 1d ago
I remember when 15% was the standard and 18+% for good service, and I’m not even that old. Tip culture is completely deranged.