Is tipping out of control?

[Schmitz Park Dad]

Last night we went out to dinner at a wonderful restaurant. When our meal was over, the waitress showed up at our table with an electronic credit card reader which displayed a total of our charges with no itemized detail. She handed me the device, which asked if I wanted to tip 22%, 25%, or 28%. Worse yet, we later learned that those suggested tip percentages were based on the total bill, including sales tax. When did it become necessary to tip 22% on an already exorbitant 10.4% sales tax?

I worked as a waiter all through college and have since considered myself a generous tipper and someone who appreciates restaurant staff. But times are different now. Servers are now paid a $21/hour minimum wage and their tips are now tax free income. Despite these changes, how did we get to a point where the suggested lower range of a tip is 22% calculated on food and tax. And don’t get me started about tip jars at fast food restaurants and at my dry cleaners.

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[anonyme]

I agree with you. I also find it uncomfortable to have to enter the tip while the waitperson stands there watching. In some cases, you’re asked to enter a tip while you order and pay at a counter where not only is there no table service, but the food hasn’t even arrived yet. If the purpose of a tip is to reward good food and service, how does this make sense? In some restaurants, patrons seat themselves and are then required to order via an app connected to a QR code at the table, and the “waitstaff” essentially operate as table runners. And yet they still expect a full tip. A former Junction fave of mine adopted this model, and I haven’t been back since (they also then served burned fish & chips cooked in dirty oil, so…) We definitely need some new rules around tipping.

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[aa]

Tips still need to be reported. There is a deduction that can be taken when filing taxes but they are not tax free outright. In my experience, there is always an option to enter a ‘custom’ amount. No one is required to leave a specific amount except in certain cases where tip is added by the establishment, for a large group, etc. Starbucks has the tip options and the option of no tip. Who cares who is watching, I’m not tipping someone who stands in one place and is simply doing their job. Tips are for above and beyond what is expected. And, it shouldn’t be an excuse by employers for not paying a living wage.

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