Did you enjoy a meal out over the long weekend? If so, did you tip your server appropriately? This question is increasingly debated on social media, where many complain about being expected to tip, especially at upscale establishments where bills often exceed $100 per person.
Full disclosure: one of my sons is a Michelin award-winning restaurant owner, and I am a small investor in his business. That said, if you don't tip, you are simply cheap. You are willing to treat hard-working people poorly while using lame excuses to justify it.
Common Excuses for Not Tipping
"If the owner paid a fair wage, we wouldn't have to tip."
If owners significantly raised wages, food prices would increase, and you would end up paying anyway. Then, being the complainer you are, you would be on social media slamming restaurants for "outrageous" prices.
"It's the same job bringing food at an expensive place as at a diner or fast-food joint."
Not every server job is the same. At a fast-food restaurant or casual diner, the job follows a system with minimal skill. At a full-service, fine-dining place with fancy dishes and drinks, staff must know how the fare is prepared and answer questions smoothly and knowledgeably. They are expected to serve items at the right time, in the right order, and at peak temperature. You are paying for an elevated dining experience not available at a burger joint. (Nothing wrong with a great burger joint, though.) In some places, other staff also receive a portion of the tips.
"In ____ country they don't tip and it's fine."
Maybe it is fine there, but we aren't in that country. In the United States and Canada, we have a tipping culture. It is what it is, and your complaining won't change it.
Understanding Tipping Culture
According to several sources, including Indeed.com, a fine-dining waiter can make over $70,000 a year. Not everyone can do it. They earn it. You can choose not to participate by finding no-tip restaurants and following their policy. Don't give them a nickel. You can enjoy your next anniversary dinner at McDonald's. After all, it's just bringing you food, right? They bring it to the counter, quality is consistent, no tipping, the place is clean, and the teenagers are happy to have a job.
Another way is to be like those online who show a $500 bill at a nice restaurant and leave a $40 tip, then bleat out the above excuses. They are not social-system warriors fighting for fairness. They are cheap, greedy, and uncaring. That is all there is to it. Is that you?
