The digital tip jar

[LuFins Dad]

I have never received good service at any of these restaurants that have moved away from tipping in lieu of a service fee or increased menu prices.

[Aqua Letifer]

@LuFins-Dad said in The digital tip jar:

I have never received good service at any of these restaurants that have moved away from tipping in lieu of a service fee or increased menu prices.

Pro tip: Europe isn't known for its outstanding wait staff.

And as hard to believe as it is, neither is England.

[Doctor Phibes]

Since we're all so keen on cultural diversity, I should say that in a comparison between affordable British and American restaurants, there's absolutely no comparison. America wins hands down. At the higher end I don't think that's necessarily true. I've been really quite disappointed at a number of more expensive American restaurants. The quality of food doesn't seem to track with price, and neither does the service.

Pubs and drinking establishments is another thing Admittedly, you'll get very friendly service in an American pub, but the overall experience is often lackluster at best.

And if you're going to start comparing higher end French, Italian and American food, ok, that's another conversation...

[taiwan_girl]

@Aqua-Letifer said in The digital tip jar:

So how much do you tip, big spender?

If in the US in a place that has tipping, 15-20%

[taiwan_girl]

@Mik said in The digital tip jar:

If it ain't broke it don't need fixing. It may not be what other places do, but it's what we do.

But I think it is getting broken a bit and I think that is why there is increasing "push-back" and not just from me. LOL

The expected % tip keeps increasing. Why? Why was 15% okay just a few years ago and now it is closer to 20%? It is not as if dinner prices have remained the same. They have increased so the $ amount of the tip (at the same %) has increased.

In 1922, Emily Post wrote, "You will not get good service unless you tip generously," and "the rule is ten per cent."

In 2008, an Esquire tipping guide stated "15 percent for good service is still the norm" at American restaurants.

According to a PayScale study, the median tip is now 19.5%

In recent years, some waiters and restaurants have suggested that 25% or even 30% is the proper gratuity level, and that a 20% tip, once considered generous, is just average today.

[Axtremus]

@taiwan_girl said in The digital tip jar:

In 1922, Emily Post wrote, "You will not get good service unless you tip generously," and "the rule is ten per cent."
...
According to a PayScale study, the median tip is now 19.5%

The tipping percentage has nearly doubled from 10% in 1922 to 19.5% in 2023. Has today's service also improved from 1922 to twice as good as 1922?

[Rainman]

TG, it's an interesting question.
Money doesn't mean as much as it once did. That's my thought, after losing so much sleep over this topic for so many days.
Thanks, inflation!

Oh well, still an interesting question. Will be interesting to see what else folks come up with.

[Doctor Phibes]

I wonder if the base salary of tipped employees has fallen as a result of the increase expectation for a tip. Hopefully somebody less lazy than me can look that up.

[Aqua Letifer]

@taiwan_girl said in The digital tip jar:

@Aqua-Letifer said in The digital tip jar:

So how much do you tip, big spender?

If in the US in a place that has tipping, 15-20%

That's what I thought.

[Aqua Letifer]

@Doctor-Phibes said in The digital tip jar:

I wonder if the base salary of tipped employees has fallen as a result of the increase expectation for a tip. Hopefully somebody less lazy than me can look that up.

Credit cards.

Credit cards screwed them. It's taxed. That's partly why there's been a percentage increase.

That and the stupid freaking software for credit card readers requesting a tip by default. You do know, right, that just because that machine asks for a tip, it doesn't mean that money goes to the person who rang you up?

[Mik]

The IRS also started paying much closer attention to tips.

[taiwan_girl]

Putting on my Ax hat. 555

"Do you mean that many waiters are committing tax fraud by not accurately reporting their earnings?"

[LuFins Dad]

I actually recently read a story about the tip inflation and found it interesting.

Apparently tipping was set at 10% for generations. It was during the inflation in the 70s when WaPo ran a story saying that tipping needed to go up to 15% to make up for inflation (forgetting that inflation meant the bills were higher, therefore tips were higher). Over the next 5 years tipping went up. Just recently, WaPo’s food critic stated that you must tip 20% no matter what! Because inflation!

[Aqua Letifer]

@taiwan_girl said in The digital tip jar:

Putting on my Ax hat. 555

"Do you mean that many waiters are committing tax fraud by not accurately reporting their earnings?"

You mean you don't know? I thought you were the fucking expert here?

[Aqua Letifer]

@Doctor-Phibes said in The digital tip jar:

And it's not that you take it seriously that I find funny, it's that you get so freaking mad with people who disagree with you.

I said it before in this thread and I'll explain it again: Disagree all you want about tipping. There are broken aspects to it that are certainly problematic.

The difference is, I'm not suggesting England has it wrong by not following a tipping model. But you think you know better than the country you moved to.

You're so quick to criticize silly Americans for expecting the world to conform to their sensibilities and here you are doing exactly the same thing.

[Mik]

I bet he likes cold beer better by now.

[Doctor Phibes]

I think the imperial system is stupid too but I’m too polite to say anything

[George K]

@Doctor-Phibes said in The digital tip jar:

I think the imperial system is stupid too but I’m too polite to say anything

That's our friend @Doctor-Phibes ! He's got modesty by the gallon.

[Doctor Phibes]

@George-K said in The digital tip jar:

@Doctor-Phibes said in The digital tip jar:

I think the imperial system is stupid too but I’m too polite to say anything

That's our friend @Doctor-Phibes ! He's got modesty by the gallon.

You wouldn't be so dismissive of my opinion if you'd ever had to make your living using the metric system.

Are you saying that I wasted my entire life using Celsius, refusing to bow to the inevitability of the frankly arcane Fahrenheit system?

I'll tell you this, American weather forecasters are not particularly well thought of when it comes to temperature measurement!

[George K]

@Doctor-Phibes said in The digital tip jar:

You wouldn't be so dismissive of my opinion if you'd ever had to make your living using the metric system.

Ahem...I did. I never gave someone a quart of fluids or prescribed a grain of oral medication.

Even when I was an intern, I would write, "Pt. may have spirits fermenti (vodka) 30 ml po at hs, prn. MR x 2."