Tipping culture in the United States is bizarre to a lot of people. Even if you are from there, the idea that you are required (well, not technically but at the very least obligated) to tip over 15% at any restaurant is a bit strange. Ideally, you’ll tip 20-25% if you receive excellent service or if you have a large party, but even if the service is not great, it is insulting to leave too little. There are many unspoken rules about tipping that can be difficult to navigate, but one thing is clear: people working in the service industry love shaming bad tippers. And while it is sometimes appropriate for servers to call out stingy tippers, the crux of the issue is that servers should be paid enough by their employers in the first place. Then they would not have to rely on large tips.
Recently, one restaurant was put on blast on Reddit for a hypocritical post they shared demanding customers tip their servers better. Below, you can read the post yourself, as well as some of the responses it has received, and decide whether you think the issue here is the customers or the business itself. We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda piece discussing tipping culture in the US, check out this story next.
This restaurant was recently called out online for a hypocritical post they made demanding customers tip their servers better
Image credits: icsilviu (not the actual photo)
One reader even pointed out why the owner might be so upset about small tips, bringing to light a comment they had posted
It is completely understandable to be concerned about your employees’ livelihoods and want them to earn decent wages, but is alienating your customer base the way to go about that? The owners of the restaurant in question, Fireside Grille, certainly have the power to provide their servers decent wages without guilting their customers into tipping more. If they want to cling to paying servers dollars under the minimum wage for non-tipped jobs, which is $7.25 in Tennessee, there are ways to ensure larger tips. For example, some restaurants add a required 20% tip at the bottom of every bill to ensure that servers are paid well and to eliminate the guesswork that comes with allowing customers to create their own tips. If they want to give more, they always can, but this way, servers don’t have to worry whether or not they will be compensated for their work.
The post was later deleted after becoming the subject of controversy
Requiring customers to tip a certain amount may sound abrasive to some people, but the alternative is paying servers higher wages. Businesses should not be as hesitant to do this as they are, but it is the safest way to ensure that servers are provided for. Particularly when tipping has seen a great decrease in recent years, with the pandemic discouraging many people from eating out and inflation leading many people to tighten their budgets. According to a study by One Fair Wage and the Food Labor Research Center at U.C. Berkeley, 83% of restaurant workers reported earning less tips during the pandemic. Meanwhile, many Americans are advocating for a $15 federal minimum wage across the board, with the elimination of a “tipped minimum wage”, but it does not appear to be happening any time soon.
Clearly, the tipping system in the US is outdated and could use a serious facelift, but I’m not sure that businesses contributing to the problem have the right to berate their customers for leaving small tips. What do you think of all this: should customers understand their responsibility to tip better or should the business owners take matters into their own hands and start compensating their employees appropriately? We would love to hear what you think below, and if you happen to be eating out in the US any time soon, please tip well. You never know how much a restaurant owner is giving their employees, and a 20% tip might be becoming more and more rare with inflation.
But that didn't stop the internet from sharing and ridiculing the post
