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Why some US restaurants are banning tips

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Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#251

Post by pirates »

crazybonkersai wrote: post #187
yostrovs wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My last trip I gave a $10 tip to a waiter in a Spanish restaurant. I apologized that I didn't have euros. The guy smiled broadly and thanked me. If tip "culture" didn't exist in Europe, he would have thought of me as inappropriate and would have given the money back. Like if you try to give a tip to a firefighter, he'd give it back, because it's not appropriate.

Of course you can tip and nobody would refuse one. The difference is tipping is not expected by default and you get same service regardless of your tip. In contrast many years ago a waiter in a NYC restaurant made my then girlfriend crying when the waiter decided that the tip was not big enough. Is this great American service people here keep raving about?

Do you think that experience is representative of all dining experiences in the US or did you cherry pick one?

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#252

Post by Grombobulous »

qsera wrote: post #22

I am against the popular opinion and I actually tip if the hotel is somewhat cheap (ie food does not cost a small fortune). I do it out of selfish reasons. When I order chicken, I want them to bring me a good piece. Or if I order Porotta, I want them to bring me the most fresh one. Or sometimes when I get a very tasty meal, I just tip them to share them some of the happiness that they brought me. But totally depends…

Do you tip before you get the meal?

In the US, it wouldn’t be customary to tip before receiving service.

In my opinion, the 15-20% tip is so expected and routine in the US that the supposed incentive of a tip doesn’t make your service any better. Everyone gets roughly the same service and everyone gives roughly the same tip. It might as well be abolished.

It’s also worth looking up tipping practices and its segregation history in the US. Essentially, it became popularized because it was an easy way to get around laws surrounding the end of slavery and integration. The employer isn’t allowed to discriminate based on race or other factors, but the customer is allowed to.

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#253

Post by ghaff »

bluebarbet wrote: post #233
ghaff wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Although in the UK, there is often an "optional" service charge tacked on for table service dining. (Yes, you can get it taken off but I'm guessing most people don't.)

One (more) area where Britain stands apart from the mainland.

In general, the Anglosphere differs in quite a few ways (though not consistently) from everywhere else.

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#255

Post by analog31 »

asfodelsu wrote: post #133
vorticalbox wrote: post #94

> The people breaking their backs and minds in the kitchen - often the least visible and the least celebrated - were taking home a fraction of what the front staff made on tips for the same hours Why not put all tips into a pool and just share it out between everyone?

This is what many restaurants do in my country. It's fair but it creates many issues. How you split it, who decides that, and there is always someone that is suspect of stealing. Another issue is that if Americans tip, then you start to expect tipping from everyone make the experience more expensive and worst from anyone else. PS. I don't own a restaurant or work at one, but I have friends that do both.I live in Gree…

The POS handles it automatically. The workers know how the tips are split. Remember that tip income is offset by a lower base wage. They do expect tipping.

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#256

Post by neetle »

xyzelement wrote: post #139
FartyMcFarter wrote: post #21

Good. Tipping creates so much mental overhead and unnecessary bad feelings on everyone's part.

You're telling on yourself. Most people I know are happy to leave a tip - especially to reward great service as part of a great night, or in cases where you have a long term relationship with an establishment and its staff. I can only imagine the staff is likewise happy to see the nice tip from us at the end of the night. If you can only imagine "unnecessary bad feelings" - I can only imagine the tip you leave and ho…

"If you are so poor"

Is poverty the only reason to dislike tipping in your eyes?

I'm absolutely fascinated by how sheltered you are, and I'm desperately trying to be charitable here as that's one of the more cunty things I've read on this site.

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#257

Post by sofixa »

hammock wrote: post #172
my-next-account wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please stop tipping unless the service is very good. Hell, the quality of the service could be reflected in the cost of the food (it is), and you don't need to tip at all. Thank you, A Swede.

I also tip 10% in Europe unless I see a table/service charge added, and I will gladly stop if you say so

In France it's added in the cost of items - sometimes there is a mention of it somewhere on the menu.

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#258

Post by briHass »

tossandthrow wrote: post #138
getfacl wrote: post #31

The biggest barrier to ending tipping in the USA is that restaurants are almost always over staffed there. The owner wants the maximum ratio of servers to customers possible. In the typical USA system, being paid primarily in tips means the server is highly incentivized to upsell the customer as much as possible and do everything they can to increase the total bill, and therefor increase their tip. Essentially a comm…

> Instead of checking on the customer every few minutes This is likely one of the absolute worst features of the US dining system. So many times I have been sitting in deep conversation with friends or colleagues just for a waiter to claim all attention to ask if we want to have refilled water. That they can even push themselves to such rude behavior is entirely insane to me.

Experienced servers will usually try to 'feel out' a table to understand if they are in a rush, demanding, want to converse, etc. The same behavior that feels rude when you're catching up with old friends is often welcomed by a table that might have limited time to eat or that prefer to have things done without waiting or flagging someone down.

You do realize that it's perfectly acceptable and commonplace to explain your group's preferences to the server upon first being introduced? You're really telling them exactly what would make you happiest while also reducing the effort they need to spend on your group, a mutually beneficial setup.

Of course, incentives may not align in certain scenarios. On a busy night/time or at restaurants that don't have lots of seating, having a table that they can't 'turn over' quickly may be undesirable, especially if purchases (another round of drinks) aren't being made occasionally.

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#259

Post by garbawarb »

getfacl wrote: post #31

The biggest barrier to ending tipping in the USA is that restaurants are almost always over staffed there. The owner wants the maximum ratio of servers to customers possible. In the typical USA system, being paid primarily in tips means the server is highly incentivized to upsell the customer as much as possible and do everything they can to increase the total bill, and therefor increase their tip. Essentially a comm…

They're not just incentivized to upsell, but also to get you out of the door as quickly as possible so they can get the next customers in. It makes for a much less pleasant dining experience than, say, France where waiters are generally hands-off.

Re: Why some US restaurants are banning tips

#260

Post by detourdog »

Sentralis wrote: post #201
detourdog wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m from the USA and had the experience in Switzerland where the server refunded money due to my overtipping.

I lived in Swizterland, but never experienced any refund. Some places would reject tips outright when asked or point out that your tip is excessive, but a refund?

Refund might be the wrong term she handed back what she felt she wasn’t entitled to.
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